Way to go, Paris

Re 'Beating the odds' (Hampton Roads, May 24): Congratulations to Paris Barrett for her tremendous success in 'beating the odds' of foster care life.

It was very heartwarming and a true inspiration to read her story.

Cats vs. birds

You can have song birds or feral cats in Norfolk but not both.

The experience in England is informative: There are a lot of outside cats in England, along with many mice. There are almost no songbirds.

No-kill is viable plan

Re 'The dismal reality of going no-kill' (editorial, May 20): Editorials that lament the impossibility of becoming no-kill verge on the edge of using half-truths to state their case.There are many methods to implementing successful no-kill, and of course those include spaying and neutering all pets. 'Trap, neuter, release' for cats is a proven, successful method of dealing with feral cats, despite PETA's view that the only good feral cat is a dead cat.

The old cries of cats carrying diseases and decimating the songbird population have been disproved. Many more birds are lost to glass buildings, wind towers and pesticides than to feral cats.

Neutering feral cats reduces the population and avoids the overabundance of ferals in cities or the country. I volunteer for a colony of feral cats. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people such as myself would volunteer at colonies to ensure that the cats are not suffering.

I have never understood why PETA says it's a good thing to kill a cat while the group tries to keep us from eating meat, wearing fur or raising chickens. Killing an entire species to make sure none of them ever suffers doesn't seem ethical.

Lottery funds for roads

Re 'Roads funding summit is a good idea, but answers are miles away' (Roger Chesley column, May 22): I have a solution to the problem: Remove the Virginia Lottery proceeds from the state budget's general fund and use that money to repair and build roads.

Of course, this will not sit well with our politicians, because this would provide a clear way to track use of the money. As it is now, with the money in the general fund, we have to assume it went where they say it did.

ODEC's bad vision

Re 'Don't jump on the anti-coal train' (David Hudgins op-ed column, May 23): The writer, an employee of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, ignores the fact that coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, and thus the leading culprit in carbon-dioxide emissions that cause climate change.The disruption from climate change is already hurting Virginians, especially in the Hampton Roads area, and will do so much more in the future if we don't act now to reduce carbon emissions. No nation or business ever solved a problem by ignoring it.

ODEC seemingly has no plan to deal with the fact that carbon-intensive fuels like coal have to be phased out if the electric power industry cannot come up with a workable carbon-sequestration system. ODEC's proposed Surry County coal power plant is not needed, and we simply cannot afford its dangerous carbon emissions. ODEC could do much more to invest in efficiency, which would not only help to meet our power needs but would also help ODEC's owners and consumers keep their electric bills down.

Saying no to progress

While reading the May 18 edition of The Pilot, I was struck by the irony of the relationship between the article on the ODU event on planning for population growth ('Building the future, one Lego at a time') and Kerry Dougherty's column, where she opposed light rail ('The peasants, it seems, are tapping the brakes on The Tide').

The need for mass transit solutions, including light rail, was mentioned at the forum as a part of a regional transportation strategy. This directly contradicts Dougherty's position that light rail won't affect traffic congestion. She continued to double down against using tax money for anything that smacks of progress or works for the public good.

It really is a good thing that people like her weren't around to argue against the interstate highway system or civic centers or port expansion when they were being proposed. Those projects would have been immediately labeled as unnecessary uses of taxpayer money.

It is important to recognize that we don't live in a vacuum and that we need to plan for the future to attract new business, keep the old ones here and make our area more attractive for its residents. With this type of progress comes revenue. Staying still or even moving backward does nothing but put us farther behind.

CARTOON SLAMMED POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS

RE THE PILOT's Opinion page cartoon May 23: I find the lack of belief in our public servants' integrity most disturbing. The police and firefighters of this community ('Tidewater,' with a tip of the hat to Kerry Dougherty) understand the level of crime that may be introduced in the area if The Tide is extended.

Many cities with similar public transportation systems have experienced higher crime rates when those systems go into effect.

The cartoon depicts our public safety employees' decision to go against light rail as a means to justify an increase to their salaries. This is simply not the case. Their argument is valid and justified and should be recognized as such, based on their experience.

Most people don't want public servants around unless they are in trouble, then they are the first ones called. The Pilot should pay more attention to boots on the ground than to ideology.

What do Democrats fear?

Re 'Call it like it is' (letter, May 23): I agree with the writer, to a point.

But why are the Democrats so afraid of having to prove their identity?

You have to show your driver's license at the store to prove that the person signing the check matches the name on the checking account or that your credit or debit card belongs to you. You have to show a photo ID to board a plane nowadays. I could go on and on.

The bottom line is that voting is a right and a privilege that many men and women died for. As important as it is to vote, you should have proper identification. If you have a current photo ID, what is the problem?

Don't hate the voter card

Re 'Call it like it is' (letter, May 23): The writer complains about Gov. Bob McDonnell sending voter identification cards to registered Virginia voters and objects to the expense of giving registered voters a free voter ID to present at the polls.He also implies that Virginia voters should not have to present any ID in order to vote. Despite the fact that this does not prevent registered voters poor, minority or otherwise from voting and costs them nothing, the writer still manages to find a Republican conspiracy to deny Democrats the right to vote.

Some people refuse to let facts get in the way of their spin.

Mandatory wrongs

Re 'Mandatory minimum sense' (Leonard Pitts op-ed column, May 24): I am appalled at the injustices Pitts cited. I had, just a few minutes before, read of a young man who robbed a convenience store while wearing a mask and using a firearm. He received a 51-year sentence, with 42 years of that sentence suspended.

Robbing a store of one slice of pizza gets 25 years. Protecting yourself from an abuser, 20 years or more.

Pitts is right. Getting tough on crime is one thing, but not allowing judges to use discretion is un-American. The purpose of the scales of justice is to balance justice with mercy.