The Taser stun gun is a valuable law enforcement tool

I read with great disappointment your Feb. 21 editorial "Shock and Caution." As a Taser instructor and police officer, I must respond to some of the issues raised.

Your editorial refers to an Amnesty International report that states that more than 70 people in the United States and Canada have died since 2001 after being exposed to the Taser. How many people overall have been exposed to the Taser since 2001?

Is there any accurate medical evidence to show that the fatalities were not directly related to alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine use, and the fact that they were exposed to the Taser had no bearing on their deaths?

How many police officers have been saved career- or life-threatening injuries due to the use of the Taser? How many grieving widows of both officers and criminals have been spared the pain of losing a loved one?

Your editorial further states that "another danger lurks beyond the statistics of death." Again, referring to the Amnesty International report, the article complains that Tasers have been used against, among others, unarmed mentally disturbed or intoxicated individuals and people who fail to comply immediately with a command.

If your editorial staff or Amnesty International had any experience in law enforcement, they would immediately recognize these people as among the most likely to cause injuries to a law enforcement officer. While there clearly have been a few examples nationwide of unnecessary or indiscriminate use of the Taser, looking for ways to take this valuable tool away from officers is shortsighted and foolish.

As to your newspaper's call for an official inquiry into every use of a stun gun, it is unrealistic to expect a full-blown investigation be undertaken every time an officer properly uses a tool to protect himself and others. If there is evidence that an officer acts improperly or uses excessive force, there are already remedies available to the public. This smacks of nothing more than fear-mongering.

I personally have been exposed to the Taser on several occasions, and have used the Taser to train other officers. Unlike Amnesty International, which looks only for extremes to attract attention to their causes, I would suggest that if your editorial staff wants to learn the truth about Tasers and other less-than-lethal alternatives for law enforcement, they should speak with law enforcement.

SGT. WILLIAM VOLLBERG
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Zone 4
Squirrel Hill

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Applauding Bruno

Bruno Sammartino's decision to refuse induction into the World Wrestling Entertainment hall of fame is to be commended ("Sammartino Body Slams Hall of Fame," Feb. 20); it's a mark of true professionalism and of the highest integrity and character.

How refreshing it is to see that, unlike others, Bruno Sammartino's values have not changed over the years. I am sure his legacy has been ingrained into his sons as well. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of teaching the Sammartino boys in junior high school and of meeting Mr. Sammartino. They were all humble, honest and pure in heart.

Rest assured, Bruno Sammartino is the same now as he was then: honorable, proud, professional and of decent character.

CRAIG GORDON
Cranberry

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9/11 reality

David E. Zetwo Jr.'s Feb. 18 letter ("An Iraq Vet's View") tries again to make the completely discredited connection between Iraq and 9/11. He follows a note that war must be the last resort with the observation that we were the ones attacked on 9/11. We were indeed the ones attacked, but not by Iraq or anyone connected with Iraq.

The notion of some operational connection between Iraq and al-Qaida has been officially repudiated through the very thorough investigations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission. Even President Bush has admitted that there is no link. Yet the theory somehow refuses to die.

While we can and should continue to debate the merits of our war in Iraq, let's keep the debate based in reality and not perpetuate the fantasy of an Iraq/al-Qaida relationship.

PHIL HAYES
Point Breeze

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Solid leadership

Kudos to Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. Finally, a representative for the people. He has again proved he is working for the people of Allegheny County by wanting to cap the property assessments in the county ("Onorato Vows to Cap Assessment Increases," Feb. 16). Mr. Onorato was in the forefront after the Sept. 17 flood and continues to provide solid leadership.

There is no quick fix for the property assessment issue here. Let's hope our governor will listen to the representatives we have in the state and find an alternative to the proven failed assessment problem.

RON PARRISH
Oakdale

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A huge payoff

Regarding the Feb. 20 White House Watch column by Ann McFeatters ("The Mean, Lean PR Machine"): Let me "clear the air" for your readers about the Clear Skies bill. This legislation will retain all the health protections of the Clean Air Act, while mandating an additional 70 percent reduction in sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions from coal-fired power plants (based on 2002 levels).

Clear Skies would also, for the first time, specifically regulate and reduce mercury emissions at these plants. And it will improve air quality while allowing us to continue to use abundant domestic coal supplies to generate affordable electricity.

The $52 billion that power companies will invest in new technologies to comply with Clear Skies is the most ever spent in this country to get cleaner air. But the payoff is huge. By incorporating the flexibility of the "cap-and-trade" approach, which has proved to be successful, Clear Skies can provide cleaner air without driving energy price increases that hurt consumers and the economy.

The Coalition for Affordable and Reliable Energy and its members -- representing senior citizens, farmers, small business owners and union workers -- will continue to work with the Senate to ensure passage of this important legislation.

PAUL OAKLEY
Executive Director
Coalition for Affordable and Reliable Energy
Washington, D.C.

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Poignant lecture

How surprising to read that much of Mariane Pearl's talk at the Drue Heinz Lecture Series was "a rambling account" of her romance and travels with her husband ("Slain Reporter's Widow Talks About Resisting Terrorism," Feb. 22). Instead of focusing on the brutal beheading of Wall Street journalist Danny Pearl, Mariane shared their love story and mutual commitment to honest journalism.

The poignant lesson she was teaching us is that resistance to terror begins at home, in commitments to one another and to our values. Far from "rambling," her talk revealed the remarkable power of the human spirit to transcend bitterness and despair in the face of monstrous circumstances.

PAMELA PAYNE LEWIS
Squirrel Hill

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The PG gives John Negroponte an undeserved endorsement

Given the Post-Gazette's participation in the mainstream press's mendacious hagiography of Ronald Reagan, and his much-indicted administration, its enthusiastic endorsement of John Negroponte's nomination for director of national intelligence is despicable yet not surprising ("First-Rate Choice," Feb. 21 editorial).

When a major daily newspaper fails to even mention something as important as Negroponte's connection to the Iran-Contra affair and his less-than-candid testimony to Congress about human rights abuses in Honduras on his watch as ambassador, I suspect that more than sloppy journalism is at play.

As spineless as they are, a few Democrats at least raised some of these unpleasant issues before confirming Negroponte as permanent representative to the United Nations.

But since the legislative branch has abdicated its constitutional role, the fact that the mainstream press is soft-pedaling the return to power of Reaganites like Elliott Abrams, who copped a plea and was pardoned, and Negroponte, who dodged the bullet, it is probably not that big of a deal after all.

SCOTT SMITH
Point Breeze