There is a tendency in news programs...

There is a tendency in news programs for the newscaster to describe felons, gangsters, drug peddlers and other anti-social types by using names and titles from other law-abiding sections of our society, as in “drug lords.” I noticed in Dan Rather’s recent broadcasts that he used the term “drug thugs,” which is much more appropriate. The word thug is derived from the Hindi, with a capital T. They are described as an association of robbers and murderers in India. I would like to congratulate Dan Rather for his perspicacious stand. Others should follow suit, and not give any anti-social act any distinction other than that which it deserves. Crime and criminals should never be glamorized in any way.

John Dunn, Oceanside