Ed, I read the article about having compassion for the gangsters. We all get the same shake in life, man. I grew up in an orphanage, I got drafted and served in Vietnam, I got wounded on Hamburger Hill. I did not let that get me down. I didn’t become a gangster, a killer or a raper. Everybody gets the same chance in life, everybody knows the difference between right and wrong. I don’t care if you are white, black, green or purple. My compassion for those people is not there.

Tough

I respect you and your opinion, but what’s the solution? Put every criminal in jail forever? There has to be some chance to rehabilitate someone (we hope), and that chance starts with a measure of compassion.—Ed. Note