House Released Sex Offenders

in Hospitals, not our

neighborhoods

I recently participated in a meeting at the Good Neighbors Planning Alliance about the potential siting of a Level III Sex Offenders Housing Facility at the Fedco building on Tonawanda Street. It is inappropriate to place this facility at this location because it is adjacent to the Scajaquada Creek Bike Path, around the corner from a pornography shop, close to the Squaw Island Park and very close to two daycare centers.

Level III sex offenders are released from jail to the community, usually having received no treatment nor rehabilitation for their offenses, and they are very likely to re-offend without intensive regular therapy.

A much better community location to put Level III Sex Offender housing is where there is already the security, health care and rehabilitative facilities that are underused—that is in soon-to-be vacant hospital facilities. These are evenly spread around the region, and it could be relatively simple and inexpensive to dedicate a floor or wing at all our hospitals for this kind of housing.

It is in the community’s interest that our investment in the hospital facilities continues to be utilized for public health and safety, rather than placing Level III offenders so close to the temptation that bike paths, parks and pornography stores present.

Mark Kubiniec

Buffalo

THE MONEY MEN

I read your “Apocalypse Now?” in the September 13 issue of Artvoice waiting to read what I thought would be Michael Niman’s conclusion. Having read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, it is absolutely clear to me that the Iraq war is all part of the world corporatocracy of the likes of Bechtel, Halliburton, munitions contractors, machinery contractors, oil companies, the medical establishment, etc. A large share of the $2 trillion is going directly into the pockets of these companies. I don’t think it is at all ironic that Bush and most of his political appointees/cronies came directly from or have very intimate relationships with the highest levels of these companies. You asked what other explanations are left? Clearly, this is what is going on. All of the things you said are true. The longer this war goes on and the more destruction there is, the larger the profits for these companies. The money is going directly out of the pockets of every individual in the US (and our children’s and children’s children’s pockets) and into the pockets of the largest and most profitable US corporations in the world. This is the classic result of Saddam Hussein not giving in to the economic hit men, and being able to outsmart the jackals. War was the only way to ultimately exploit their oil resources while benefiting the friends of Bush.

Mark Geise

Fredonia