Postman Should Appeal Sentence

Postman Floyd Sterling should surely appeal his six-month jail sentence for shooting an attacking dog. And Judge Meredith C. Taylor should surely be reprimanded for her blatant violation of the principle of double jeopardy. Sterling’s was not a case of concealed weapons. Another court had ruled on that matter. It’s obvious that the judge was sentencing the postman for previous types of violations, which the justice system had already handled. The judge practically admitted this in her remarks as published.

It’s not reasonable to assume that the postman did not feel greatly threatened by the large dog. With his previous record, he had to know that a public shooting would open up a Pandora’s box. Maybe his judgment was bad, but to sentence him on a charge of cruelty to animals obviously places the right of the man to remain unmolested below that of the dog. Is that the level to which our legal system has descended these days?

THOMAS C. POLLACK

Sun Valley