Courts freeing those not paying child support

Dear Editor:

I would like to address a very serious problem involving the lack of child support enforcement in Covington county. A young man who owes over $5,000.00 in back child support went to court recently and was ordered to go to jail pending payment of $2,000.00. After only a few weeks in jail, and a payment of $300.00 by his father, this young man was released from jail. His release was supposedly due to overcrowding at the jail.

With all the hoopla from our elected officials about chasing down deadbeat dads, why would our system release one that they

had already incarcerated?

The excuse from the Department of Human Resources for not collecting any money from this young man has always been that they could not locate him.

Well, they found him, jailed him, and, after all that, released him to continue his criminal activity.

Nonpayment of child support is a crime.

While I can appreciate the problems with overcrowding at the jail, where is the justice for my granddaughter?

The people and agencies that are assigned to protect her interests are AWOL. It is my understanding that there were two or three other deadbeats released also. Why not place them under house arrest and let them leave home only to go to work? Their wages could be garnished and the funds could be used to pay off their indebtedness. When all is said and done, the children of these slackers are the ones who suffer. The taxpayers are the ones who ultimately support these children.

We are also the ones who pay the salaries of the officials who allow these criminals to walk away scot-free.

It is time for a change.

If the system is not designed to protect the rights of these children, the system should be changed.

I would be interested in hearing from others who have experienced this travesty of justice.

Maybe we could form a coalition to lobby for better service from our courts, our judges, and the Covington County DHR.

Sincerely,

James H. Bush

Andalusia

No invasion of the South

Dear Editor:

Reference your front page article by Broxton and Allen on why soldiers died in Alabama during our Civil War. Actually, the Union armies didn't invade Alabama, you can't invade your own country (the South never legally left the United States) but went in to quell a rebellion, insurrection and

sedition by southern leaders to protest slavery.

The average Southerner, the average soldier had nothing to gain. Mr. Broxton's political ads are interesting showing the Confederate flag. How many black votes does he figure to get with that – white also, for that matter? Give it up, Mr. Broxton – Seth Hammett will represent Covington County in the legislature with 75 to 85 percent of the vote.

Many Democrats and Republicans will vote for him because they know the fine job he has done and will continue to do as our representative and Speaker of the House, maybe as governor in 2006.

I wonder if the Confederate buffs would like to live in an independent South apart from the United States.Otherwise, what's your agenda?

Bob Reid

Andalusia

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The passage in the Broxton article referring to

the "invasion" of Northern troops was to have been edited out and was not. We regret the oversight and strive to keep articles bias free.)