In 1972, I was working on a ship in Drammen, Norway. Ashore and at a bar with some Norwegian shipmates one evening, I was warned about driving under the influence in that country: A first offense would earn an offender one month in a penal stockade at hard labor and the loss of driver's license for one year. A second offense resulted in a year at hard labor and loss of driver's license for life!

Highway checkpoints had on-the-spot courtrooms; and an offender could have the car confiscated and be on the way to prison in a matter of minutes after blowing positive for alcohol. When I remarked on the law's severity I was told, "Yes, but we lose a lot less people now."

That was 1972! Why are the Norwegians smarter than we are? When the hell are we going to wake up, New Mexico?




When is our governor going to do something? Isn't it time to get tough and put drunken drivers in jail so that they cannot continue to drive their loaded weapons? MADD should make an example of New Mexico and its responsibility for the deaths of so many at the hands of drunken drivers. If Scott Owens, the driver of the vehicle that killed four teenagers and injured another one, did have a prior arrest for drunken driving, did he ever spend time in jail? Probably not. Whatever his previous punishment was, it did not work. The governor must lead the state, work with MADD and stop this madness.

If, as expected, tests show that Owens was drunk, who let him drink that much? And who let him drive away? How can the families of these children ever recover from this horrific event?




How many more people will have to be murdered on our roads before the state of New Mexico does something to remove these killers from our roads once and for all? My heart is broken by the loss of four young, innocent lives. My heartfelt sympathies go out to all their families and friends.

I hope that the alleged drunken driver and killer Scott Owens spends every day of the rest of his life behind bars. He, at least, will still be alive. If this senseless tragedy does not prompt swift and severe changes in our drunken driving laws, I don't know what will.



The New Mexican's June 26 article "Audit finds lab lax on fire protection," omitted key aspects of recent progress at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

We acknowledge facility deficiencies that need to be corrected, which is why last February we renewed our focus on resolving the highest-priority issues. We've made considerable progress.

In fact, all of the most significant issues have been resolved. We continue to resolve outstanding issues and address emergent concerns. LANL has created a new organization to bring additional energy, focus and funding to fire protection. For example, we have spent an additional $4 million this year to correct legacy issues and add personnel.

Further, we have upgraded firefighter training to address unique laboratory facilities and hazards, and we maintain an open line of communication with the Los Alamos County Fire Department. All of these actions give us confidence that the laboratory and surrounding community are well-protected.



Almost two weeks ago, my kids and I watched our home burn down with most of our belongings in it. Despite this disaster, we are uplifted by the kindness and support from our community. Firefighters from Santa Fe and all over the county battled for hours to put it out. Despite a lack of fire hydrants they were able to save some of our most precious possessions. Friends and neighbors offered shelter and brought us necessities to tide us over. My colleagues at the Santa Fe Public Schools offered to start a support fund. We are so grateful for all of these acts of kindness. We feel lucky to be a part of such a caring, loving community.



Regarding "Immigration gains mention; time for early efforts?": The June 26 editorial on immigration reform is not only baffling, but irresponsible. It makes accusations without offering any specific evidence to back them up. Local law enforcement should be outraged by the statement, "... where local law enforcers and vigilantes apply their own twisted notions of how to treat, or mostly mistreat, the many people doing America's crummiest jobs ..."

Does The New Mexican have any evidence of abuse by local law enforcement, not of public record, to document this accusation? Can The New Mexican name any vigilantes involved in the same abuses? In short, the editorial demeans the "ugly era of the past," while offering unsubstantiated claims of abuse presumably by Santa Fe Police Deparment and the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department, among others. The editorial falls short of offering any meaningful prescription to a difficult problem. I would urge all concerned citizens to join this debate.