News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Letters

June 15, 2012

READERS’ FORUM: June 15, 2012

TERRE HAUTE — • Gibault needs to get better handle on its residents

Less than a year ago the south side of Terre Haute was briefly terrorized by guests in our community from Gibault School, now again, three kids aged 13 to 15 from outside our community are accused of beating, attempted carjacking and attempted armed robbery of at least one of our citizens while on hiatus from the Gibault School.

It’s time for this to stop. In October 2011, three 17-year-olds attacked a shopper at Wal-Mart, and then later stole a man’s truck from the White Castle parking lot after hitting him in the head with a board, eventually crashing while fleeing police and killing one of the criminals. Now three criminals less than 16 years old are accused of doing nearly the same (except for the death) while fleeing from the Gibault School. Do we need this in our community, I say no.

These violent kids are not from our community, the first three (in October 2011) were from Gary, more than 150 miles away and the latest escapees from Gibault are “not from the Terre Haute area” according to the Tribune-Star. Will it take a violent criminal from another community killing a Vigo County resident to get the attention of the Gibault School? Twice in only nine months escapees from this “school” have terrorized members of our community. We do not need this to occur ever again. Get them under control, or get them out of our community. Did Gibault do anything to notify the community that they were in danger because of the escape? It does not seem so.

If the Gibault School (is this really a school?) can’t control the criminals they house, then build a wall around it just like at the federal prison. They’ve had their chance and failed to control their clientele and as a result they have permitted those criminals to escape to injure and put members of our community in the hospital, twice in nine months.

Lock them down, move them with manacles and protect our community from criminals whose own community needed to get rid of them. If you’re going to bring them into our community, treat them like the criminals they are because they’ve proven, twice in the last year, that they don’t get it, that they don’t respect others, that they are violent and unrepentant, and that they will do anything, including hurting people from this area in order to escape.

Others like that populate our prisons, why should these “kids” be different. Lock them up for their crimes.

The record speaks for itself, excuses are redundant and I don’t want to hear them. It’s not kids from Honey Creek Middle school attacking people in the Wal-Mart parking lot, it’s kids from the Gibault School doing so, kids imported into this community because of bad behavior, or criminal activity, or that they weren’t wanted, and the threat to our community needs to stop now.

It’s simple, if Gibault can’t control them, get rid of them, lock them behind walls and barbed wire, whatever it takes, but stop the assaults on the south side, and don’t make excuses for criminal behavior.  

It’s been proven by the temporary residents at Gibault that there are bad boys, six of them were at the Gibault School in Terre Haute, and hopefully five of them are behind bars today.

— James C. Kmetz

Terre Haute



• What’s the status of capitalism?

Has capitalism, like communism, failed? This year’s economic forum at Davos, Switzerland, debated this question.

The economic system should be based on socio-economic justice. But capitalism is not focused on social justice. Its main concern is profits. Unless our economic system is based on the paradigm that human beings are the creation of God and all resources at their disposal are held by them in trust for God to be used in a just manner for the well-being of all, societies will remain in turmoil.

This paradigm is a radical departure from the current dysfunctional capitalistic system. But it is not anti-free market. It is not the same as secularism in as much as the well-being of humans is not dependent primarily on maximizing consumption and wealth. It means achieving human well-being through organization of resources through cooperation and participation. It prohibits using war as a means of economic development or employment.

It is society’s responsibility to prevent excessive concentration of wealth in a few hands and to prevent exploitation of the people. Some examples of exploitation are “payday loans” or usury or charging exorbitant interest. To prevent excessive concentration of wealth and exploitation, a moral code is needed. Such a code would require redistribution mechanisms. This means that the affluent share their annual savings with the needy (the poor, the widows, orphans, the disabled, etc.) or pay higher taxes for the sake of fairness.

Capitalism without moral imperatives is histrionics and has failed humanity. It promotes selfishness, greed, callousness or even ruthlessness. It is also showing a total disregard for the welfare of the future generations.

— Khwaja A. Hasan

Formerly of Terre Haute

Wadsworth, Ill.

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