Is this the same "Judge" Steelman that turned loose one Ricky Davis back onto the communities of Chattanooga,after being arrested for numerous home invasions and armed robberies,and who was caught "red handed" on the front porch of a home at 3 am. armed, rattling doors? Oh, sure, the police did some "sloppy" work by using that GPS tracking device without a warrant, but surely this good judge could have used some of the other evidence against him like the weapon he had on him after already being a felon, the stolen property in the back of his car ,etc.

But, no, the good judge decided to throw the whole thing out on such a small technicality. Why do we care so much about these thugs' Constitutional rights? Do you think they are thinking about your rights when they stick their gun in your face and demand your possessions or your life?

To Judge Steelman, and any of the other judges who keep turning loose the Rickey Davis's and Segmund Boyd's and Adrian Gustus's back into the community to wreak havoc on our streets and in our homes, I hope you are as fair to the citizens of this city as you are to them and I hope you consider all technicalities in their favor when someone fights back and puts one of these animals in the ground since you are too yellow and lily-livered to apply the law and put them behind bars.

It's a sad state of affairs when someone gets the book thrown at them for simple possession of marijuana in this town, yet armed robbery, aggravated assault and murder gets you right back out on the street in no time.

I am glad I signed up for a concealed carry permit and take the class next Saturday. When seconds count, the police are minutes away, and I just do not rely on the police or court systems to protect me any longer.

Scott Daniels

Red Bank

* * *

So often we hear the shrill and strident cries from those on the right wing of the political spectrum about adherence to the Constitution; however, when a court follows that same Constitution (remember blind justice?) to an unpopular outcome, he or she becomes either an "activist" judge or something else.

The recent letter on Judge Barry Steelman reflects such a narrow and uninformed mind. First, the separation of powers set forth in the Articles of Confederation of the U.S. Constitution requires any judge to decide the law upon a set of facts. If Judge Steelman were to rule (as the angry Red Bank resident desires) based upon only the anger and fear of the public, then he becomes a mere puppet for the same angry and frightful public.

The U.S. is a country of laws, and not of men. One of the laws came down from the mostly conservative US Supreme Court, and it was that law that Judge Steelman based his ruling upon. To do otherwise would require a judge to abdicate his duty, and become a rubber stamp for a tyrannical state.

Robin Ruben Flores
Attorney-at-Law