I WOULD LIKE to give my condolences to the Schieber family for their tremendous loss. Shannon's picture shows a sweet and lovely young woman. To think that her murder could have been avoided if the police in this town did their job, is a crime itself. Thank you Schieber family for setting Michael Smerconish's clock (OpEd, May 29), and telling him exactly what time it is.
The pictures I saw of the Center City Rapist looked like a white man, if he did look black, trust me, they would have found him before he left Philadelphia. The police would have broken down doors in the black community, harassed law-abiding young black men, and beaten and kicked their way into a confession of some poor black man.
Mr. Smerconish and his type need to take a lesson from Schieber family. Don't forget God is watching, and He knows what time it is.
Patricia Draper, Philadelphia
The desire of Vicki Schieber, Shannon's mother, that Troy Graves be allowed to live is understandable, but I agree with Mr. Smerconish. If, over the last 50 years, rape/murderers had been hung with a rope by the neck till dead, publicly, thousands of young, lovely, loved and loving women would have had full wonderful lives and friends.
Liberalism, liberal politicians, liberal judges, liberal college professors and liberal journalists have brought us a society where rape and murder in the tens of thousands year after year are accepted as the natural order.
Alfred Essex, Philadelphia
