Funerals for Gang Members

In response to “Elaborate Death Rites of Gangs,” by Tracy Wilkinson and Stephanie Chavez, March 2:

I was outraged by the article on the garish burial rites of gang members. In my opinion, and in simple answer to the sub-headline suggesting widespread befuddlement on an appropriate response, the best thing would be to take these scum and bury them in a common grave (as is presently done in our landfills and other repositories of garbage). Second, it would be even more suitable to institute licensing of prospective parents so we could minimize (if not entirely eliminate) the scourge of irresponsible human procreation.

We license people to run businesses, practice professions, drive automobiles and engage in other socially important enterprises; why not impose similar restrictions on the most fundamental of all human activities? I am quite sure that, with suitable public debate and input from the entire social spectrum, we could come up with acceptable standards for determining who should be allowed to reproduce and who should be either sterilized or otherwise severely sanctioned for bringing unwanted (and unproductive) life into this world.

STEPHEN P. WATKINS

Los Angeles