All predators should be fully punished

Bravo, Roy Sykes. I am so proud of him for the letter he wrote about children (Aug. 11, “Sex offender: Protecting children is first priority”).

I am an 80-year-old woman living in a senior citizen apartment complex and I, too, am sickened by the mistreatment of children.

I have four adult children and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, the youngest being a 7-year-old. I believe that children are our most precious commodity, yet every time I pick up a paper or hear a news flash on TV, another child is being kidnapped, abused or destroyed. Predators should be punished to the full extent of the law, not set free to harm again.

When you see the children’s sweet faces on TV, so full of confidence and trust and love, you have to recognize that some predator came along and took all that away. Then the predator pleads that he was mistreated and was venting his feelings but is now rehabilitated, and so he is released to offend again. I remember the Lindbergh case, when kidnapping and destroying a child was unacceptable.

Every child born into this world deserves a chance. What chance does a child have against a predator? I would like to see parents let their legislators know we need tougher laws. I’m sure all registered voters would sign a petition, starting with me.

If an animal bit off a child’s face, the animal would be destroyed. But if a human animal destroys a child, we put him back in society and warn the neighbors.

Arlington