Jeer D

Crimes committed against the able-bodied are bad enough. Crimes committed against the handicapped display an even greater degree of inhumanity.

Thus, if John Paul Gaiser, 21, of Parker, who is accused of stealing and burning a van with the custom-made electric wheelchair of a 70-year-old Parker Township woman, is convicted, the punishment that the courts mete out shouldn't be mild. Likewise, there must be no wimpy plea bargain that allows Gaiser to get off with a "slap on the wrist."

The same holds true for anyone else involved in the crime.

The cost of the wheelchair: $5,000.

Fortunately, Gaiser couldn't keep his mouth shut about the crime, and his bragging about the theft resulted in his arrest. Meanwhile, District Judge Lewis Stoughton set the stage for the criminal justice system not to coddle the defendant; Stoughton set bail at $75,000, and when Gaiser couldn't post it, he was jailed.

When the courts eventually deal with Gaiser and, if applicable, his accomplices, the courts should take into account the inconvenience and difficulties that the crime inflicted on the woman who owned the wheelchair. If he's convicted, Gaiser would, once he completes other phases of his sentence, be a great candidate for many hours of community service — helping the handicapped.

Cheer C

Too many words of praise cannot be directed toward Jane Hambleton of Fort Dodge, Iowa. She's the self-proclaimed "meanest mom on the planet" who sold her 19-year-old son's car after she found booze under the front seat.

There would be hundreds of fewer fatal traffic accidents involving teenagers each year, and fewer young people with permanently disabling injuries, if other parents paid attention to what their children were doing and took a hard stance in response to dangerous, illegal conduct, such as drinking and driving.

For those who might have missed the news article about Hambleton in the Butler Eagle, here's part of the ad she placed in the Des Moines Register:

"OLDS1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom . . . found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet. . . ."

Hambleton's son claimed the alcohol was left in the car by a passenger. However, with responsibility for a vehicle comes the responsibility to exercise proper judgment and control regarding passengers' conduct in the vehicle, as well as one's own.

If what Hambleton's son said is true, he failed on that broader count and his mother's response, although tough, was proper.

It's better to make what might be a painful decision, in order to deliver an important message. The alternative might be to someday be in mourning at a funeral and for a long time afterwards.

Responsible parents make tough, correct choices. Hambleton is one of those parents.

Jeer D

Lionel Spruill, a Virginia General Assembly delegate, should be concentrating on something more important than banning the display of rubber testicles on vehicles.

While the display, often seen on trailer hitches, obviously is of questionable taste and judgment, especially in the context of being seen by children, surely there are more important issues before the legislative body.

Spruill argues that replicas of testicles on vehicles are a safety issue because they could distract other drivers. That's true.

Under Spruill's measure, displaying the ornamentation on a motor vehicle would be categorized as a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $250.

How much time and legislative debate the rubber testicles issue consumes in Virginia will be interesting to follow. In Pennsylvania, it might take a year, since Keystone State lawmakers only rush to pass legislation when it benefits them financially.

For example, several years ago, when the Pennsylvania Legislature was under a federal mandate to reduce the blood-alcohol level for determining whether a motorist is driving drunk — to 0.08 percent from 0.1 percent — the General Assembly waited until virtually the last minute to pass the measure, despite a threat of losing federal highway funds if the legislation wasn't passed by the deadline the feds had set.

Spruill will certainly be the target of snickers for becoming the point man in the war against trailer hitch testicles, but he can be credited for his commitment to a cause, even if the issue isn't as much of a safety matter as Spruill thinks.

Three years ago, the Virginia General Assembly drew widespread attention tied to an unsuccessful effort to outlaw baggy pants worn so low that they expose underwear. Now it's focused even lower below the belt.

Some issues are better left ignored.

— J.R.K.