Letters: Man punished too harshly — again — for murders committed at 14

Adolfo Davis arrived at court May 4 hoping for some relief from the life sentence he was given at the age of 14 for a double murder (“Serving life sentence since 14, man loses bid for freedom” — May 5). Although the U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that such sentences amount to cruel and unusual punishment, it seems Judge Angela Petrone did not agree and resentenced him to life imprisonment, although she could have sent him home or anything in between.

As for the problems Davis has had in almost a quarter century of incarceration (threatening to kill prison employees), who among us would not be filled with anger in this life with nothing but prison bars in his future?

The crimes he committed are terrible, but he was a 14-year-old in a gang and no doubt influenced greatly by older gang members. Could not this judge have sentenced him to 10 or 15 more years and given him a glimmer of hope to someday hug his father and sisters?

Ray Cook, Morgan Park

Fees to work in Chicago? Really?

So Ald. George Cardenas (12^th) wants to charge suburbanites fees (May 13 opinion)? Great. And all suburbs should also charge all Chicagoans who come to work in the suburbs. Guess who will come out best in the end? Not Chicago.

Marilynn Miller, Plainfield

Gambling on a funding fix

So the politicians are telling us that if we only had a Chicago casino, all our pension problems would be solved. Where have I heard that song before? Oh, yeah, if we only had a state lottery, all our school funding problems would be solved. How did that work out?

Mike Fitzpatrick, Roselle

Straight dope: Go all in on legalizing pot

Why does the Sun-Times not mention the elephant in the room regarding our state’s dire financial straits? Why do we not finally discuss following Colorado’s lead and go all the way in terms of legalizing Mary Jane? We, as a state, have already legalized medical use. Let’s just do it.

Susan Beth Thomas, Hyde Park

Oversized trucks, supersized problems

What lobbyist championed for the oversized semi trucks on the road today? Their inability to make normal turns at intersections has drivers backing up to compensate for their size. Having these huge trucks on the road does not make sense, especially for those who are changing lanes. Smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles can become trapped in such lane changes because of their enormity. Granted, most truckers are courteous but for the few that aren’t, their size can become a road hazard. Yes, they pay more taxes I am sure, but with more cars on the roads nowadays, safety should be paramount, especially for the speeds at which they travel. What’s a motorist to do?

Vincent Kamin, Streeterville

A push to protect endangered species

May 15 marks Endangered Species Day. It’s newsworthy because some of the planet’s most revered and majestic animals are being poached and slaughtered into extinction. This includes elephants, rhinos, gorillas, orangutans, tigers and lions. Many other priceless marine mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish species are gravely threatened, too. The United Nations and other so-called civilized countries must unite and proactively combat the criminals, illicit wildlife-parts profiteers and marauders who are viciously massacring the animal kingdom with malevolence and irreverence for life.

Brien Comerford, Glenview