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Editorial, For repeat offenders, reform penal code in the latest round of proposals to monitor and confine convicted sex offenders, our lob- byists and legistators have proposed vanations on the proper distance a released offender should live from places where children con- gregate We cannot help but wonder if such a law offers communities a false sense of security and whether civil confinement is a step in the wrong direction It law enforcement officers and legislators believe that a sex affender is so dangerous that the community should be warned of his or her presence. if they are willing to strip released attenders of nights other «citizens enjoy ___ in ather words. treat them like cnminals __ then why are these offenders being released back into society Instead of putung tags on these offenders. we should be consuidenng ways of \confining\ them in places where they cannot exwape prison, or alterative facilities, such as mental health instututions That would require penal code reform. with more stringent sentences for violent sexual offenders Look on the New York Sex Offender Registry website and you will find that after having served pnson terms of just three or tour years, many level 3 sex offenders - which are considered at highest risk for recid1- - are living among us once again. Requiring that they receive psychological counseling. find employment. report hus or her whereabouts, wear GPS bands. and stay out of school zones will not keep a repeat offender trom strthing again Schools and play grounds should be safe havens for children. However, we cannot accept at face value recent statements by legis- lators that sexual predators stalk children in areas where there are \abundant opportuni- tes\ such as in schools and playgrounds. That is because sexually aggressive predators are also known to seek out their \prey\ and use coemion to get children alone and we often hear reports of the child whose predator stalked them away from the Internet. local shops. mall parking lots. the neighborhood streets and the houses next door But. convict ed sex offenders who are released from prison innot he legitimately kept from Inning. work ing ar traveling every where in the community Research has also show n that there are indicators about whether a sex offender will strike agam White the orvil confinement pro- posals may be well-intended. the focus should be on better identifying those indicators. Once identified. those at high nsk for recidivism should not be released into the community. It's easy to reach us! should be no longer than 400 wordsand may be edited for libel, clarity and good taste. Please include your town of residence and a telephone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Email letters to i You may: stop by our news office at 67 Main: 0 Proven, at 261-7727 x110. Call751-7744 to start receiving weekly delivery of our paper.. ~~ ; > ._. Opinion hd © Missed opportunity TO THE EDITOR: Given the election results earher this year when incumbents were rejected and the budget failed, the Northport-East Northport Board of Education should be looking for opportunities to show some real leadership toward making our schools more fiscally responsible. At the September 12 regular board meeting such an opportunity existed. And the board failed. In this case Superintendent Brosnan delivered the \Report on K-6 Class Sizes after Opening Day\ and recommended allo- caung only 1 5 ot the 2 0 elementary staff budgeted by the board. and he added that this recommendation was consistent with the district's past 'According to a recent October 30 from 4 to 6 pm. In the past few months, so many of life's events have just drained people ofan enormous amount of joy and hope. Little did I know a year ago. as we were putting this CD collection together, that it would be released at a ume that the world would be in such turmoil. Music is so healing because it can touch a heart the way nothing else can. The songs on this CD will inspire even the saddest heart. From contemporary to swing or R& B. gospel or country western., it 1s filled with the finest music this side of \Heaven \~ What 1s most important is the way the music will make people feel. The common thread throughout all the songs is the message of hope. The songs reveal there is someone greater in control practices | Essentially. the district did » and that we need not fear That alone n't get as many elementary students P oll by the-Amer“: an can remove stress. as they had budgeted for. and a 0 5 Psychological Everyone is welcome to attend the unallocated teaching position was not _- Aegopjation, 87 percent of Americans say that it is lack of insurance coverage that most Instead. the board (all but Trustees - keeps them from seeing a mental health professional ...' necessary Did the board approve that and move on\ Dad they take this opportunity to reduce the budget by leaving this position unallocated and save our tax dollars\ No Waldenburg, Mumm and Fortuna. who voted no) acted on a request from a parent to allocate the remain- ing 0.5 unallocated position to help at Dickinson, noting that fourth grade there had 25 students in each section. 1 can't fault the parent for making their case, but I do question the board's decision to release the position as (1) it will not reduce class size, as the principal stated she intends to use the position to support students taking the state mandated fourth grade tests and \would not be used to create an additional section.\ and (2) there was no need expressed by the superintendent to allocate this posi- ton. So, here we go again. Salaries and benefits comprise 77 percent of the current school year budget {totaling over $93 nullion). And here was a missed opportunity to painlessly carve a 0.5 position from the budget and save some money for rainy days, or for when the utility bill comes over 30 percent from the budgeted amount. Is this the type of leadership we can look forward to throughout the year? Andrew Greenwood East Northport Curious George fan TO THE EDITOR . Thanks for your informative and entertaining article Me.\ Octobér 6]. Curious George was a mg favonte of mine when | was hiittle. HA. Rey also wrote and illus- trated a number of beginning books on astronomy His book Find the Constellations started for me a lifelong interest in the nighttime sky. 1 stull beheve that this book is the best I have ever seen as a simple guide to identifying the stars and constellations. The \stick\ drawings are brilliant and it is peppered with the same droll humor found in Curious George. 1 had no idea that H.A. Rey had led such an eventful or colorful life. or even, for that matter, that he was Jewish (I am Jewish myself). I cut your article out for my folks to read: they too were unaware of any of the background material you included in your well-written article. Thanks again and keep up the good work! David Friedman St. James Inspirational CD release TO THE EDITOR AND COMMUNITY: Samantha's L'il Bit Of Heaven Ministries will be hosting an open house CD release party on Sunday release party. There will be plenty of hot cocoa and cake and all the musi- cians will be available for the guests to meet and greet For more informa- tion. you can call 262-1212. Samantha Tetro L'il Bit Of Heaven Ministries 287 Larkfield Road East Northport Healthcare for the whole person TO THE EDITOR: The unfortunate plight of Army Specialist Joseph Dwyer. formerly of Mount Sinai, who was reported arrested after a three-hour standoff in which he fired a 9-millimeter handgun in his apartment, is yet one more example of a failure of our health system to include mental health on equal footing with physical health ser- vices. Dwyer's family said he was suffering from post- traumatic stress disorder since returning two years ago from his tour of duty in Iraq. Tragic stories of the victims of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina further highlight the lack of parity between physical and mental health services. For many. this enormous disaster resulted in the trauma of losing loved ones. homes and further worsened by the sec- ondary trauma of relocating to new communities, often as strangers and sometimes with family members dis- connected from one another. The ongoing mental health needs. particularly of the poor, are often ignored in the quick fix agenda focused on meeting immediate sur- vival needs. It is unfortunate that in a country. which is consid- ered the most affluent in the world, the basic human right of access to health services for the whole person is not a given. According to a recent poll by the American Psychological Associatton. 87 pereent of Americans say that it is lack of insurance coverage that most keeps them from seeing a mental health professional, not stig - ma or embarassment. The same poll revealed 85 per- cent of Americans think that health insurance should cover mental health services. The lack of parity for insurance coverage for phys+- cal and mental illnesses has been an ongoing battle within the legislature. It is time for Congress to take action to support the well being of the public and pass the \Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act\ (H.R. 1402), which would put insurance coverage for mental health services on par with physical health services. Elizabeth Carll, Ph.D. Centerport The writer is a clinical psychologist and chairs the News Media, Public Education, Public Policy Committee of the Media Division of the American Psychological Association. The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.
