Wednesday's Butler Eagle included an article about a Center Township man with six drunken-driving convictions who has been charged with driving under the influence of marijuana.

The question that merits asking is why this state allows anyone with so many DUI convictions to operate a vehicle any longer.

In the case in question, Gregory Alan Brown, 49, allegedly was under the influence of the controlled substance on April 10 while his vehicle was towing a trailer carrying a 1,500-pound stump-grinding machine.

Brown's vehicle was stopped by the state police on Route 8 in Penn Township.

According to court records, Brown's six prior DUI convictions stem from arrests between 1988 and 2003. It would seem that by now he should have gotten the message about what the law allows and what it doesn't allow.

The question that will merit asking, if Brown is convicted again, is, will the criminal justice system finally impose a sentence that will ensure that Brown will not drive under the influence again?

So far, it would seem, the justice system has failed to make much of an impression on his sense of what's right and what's wrong.

The war in Iraq has brought sorrow to more than 3,000 American families who have lost loved ones in that troubled land.But there still is compassion in this nation for innocent Iraqis who daily suffer as a result of the upheaval, violence and poverty that surround them.The most detrimental impact that the violence has wrought has been on the children who will never be able to reach their full potential because of the strife going on around them. Indeed, this is a generation of Iraqi children that, because of the dangers stemming from the war, is not being able to experience childhood as it should be experienced.But, thanks to the Mars High School National Honor Society chapter, some children in Iraq will be receiving a treasure that hopefully will not only bring joy, but also help build in them a positive opinion of America and Americans. The group's Beanie Babies for Baghdad effort, proposed by NHS member Jen Roth and adopted by the chapter, has collected well over 200 Beanie Babies that will be sent to the international Beanies for Baghdad effort for shipment to U.S. troops in Iraq.Under the program, troops distribute the toys in schools, hospitals, orphanages and in neighborhoods in Iraq.Beanie Babies were at the center of excitement for American children a decade ago. As a photo on the front page of Thursday's Butler Eagle showed, there will be plenty of opportunities for joy and excitement for the Iraqi children who are fortunate enough to receive one of the Beanies collected by the Mars NHS members.The photo also makes clear four of the NHS members' pride in what their group has been able to accomplish.Additional Beanies will be accepted at Mars High School until Monday. Hopefully, many more people from throughout this county will add their Beanies to this worthy project.

The willingness of the Butler police to make $70,000 to $75,000 in concessions in their new contract in order to keep the desk sergeant position is an important gesture.Now it is up to city leaders to determine whether that proposal will be sufficient to scuttle the plan to shift police dispatching duties to the county's 911 center.The shift-to-911 plan is both aimed at saving money and in putting an additional police officer on patrol duty."We are prepared to introduce a savings plan to Council and are ready to discuss it at any time," said Officer Bill Mayhugh, president of Lodge 32, Fraternal Order of Police, the city police union.Mayhugh told the council Tuesday evening that getting rid of the desk sergeant would be a mistake that could endanger city residents.That was echoed by Detective Sgt. Mark Peffer, who told the council that removing the desk sergeant would mean that people would no longer be able to rely on a helping hand at the police station — sometimes a lifesaving hand."We have domestic violence cases and other cases where the victim comes running or driving up to our door with their attacker right behind them," he said.Those points, as well as the money-savings offer, should be given serious consideration by city council members.Whether or not the concessions offer is accepted, the police union merits praise for its willingness to make a generous financial proposal to back up its belief regarding the importance of keeping a desk sergeant on duty at all times.