Drunk Driver Isn’t Taking Responsibility

Re John Ferguson’s receiving eight years in prison for the death of two cyclists (“Man Gets 8 Years for Deaths of 2 Cyclists,” Feb. 15): He was convicted of drunk driving. He had previously been convicted twice of driving under the influence.

Toward the end of this news item, it is reported that Ferguson’s attorney, Lloyd Freeberg, said his client was a victim of the country’s preoccupation with the glamour of alcohol as portrayed in advertisements. A victim? Yes, but only of his own poor, poor judgment.

The article went on to say that Freeberg told the court, as he asked for a more lenient sentence for Ferguson, that alcoholism “is a real problem for our country, and when a problem like this occurs, society wants to jump on John.”

In our society, no one seems to take the responsibility for his own actions. Society is not at fault here. Ferguson clearly is; and how his lawyer could mouth the above quotes, I do not know.

The judge did not sentence Ferguson to the possible 12-year sentence, but rather an eight-year sentence. He will be eligible for parole, as I understand it, in four years. In my opinion, the 12-year sentence would have been more appropriate. And even that, for the deaths of two innocent people, seems hardly enough.

HAZEL H. SCHWAB, San Juan Capistrano