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In my association with lawyers, I have discovered four common characteristics: rudeness, arrogance, unprofessionalism and greed. The last characteristic, and not overhead, is the reason for their high fees.
John A. Welsh
Livermore, Calif.
Drinks for the Road
I would like to thank the organizers of MADD and RID ["They're MADD as Hell," Aug. 3]. Seven years ago, my older brother was critically and permanently injured in an automobile accident caused by an intoxicated driver. In addition, one person was killed and five were hurt. The individual responsible sustained no injuries and is still driving.
Elizabeth Gotthard Nathans
Pipersville, Pa.
The Finns have taken strong measures toward solving their drunk-driving problem. They sentence anyone caught behind the wheel who shows evidence of alcohol to several months in prison. When will we learn, as Finland has, that we should keep those who have had any alcoholic drink off the road?
Ede D. Baldridge
Fairfield, Conn.
As the 17-year-old daughter of a truck owner-operator, I would like to clarify that "an intoxicated trucker" is a rarity. Statistics prove that in the majority of cases the main problem is not drinking truckers but intoxicated car drivers.
Tone Norberg
Lindsborg, Kans.
My best friend was 13 years old when she was killed by a drunk driver. I hope that the offenders never let themselves off the way the judges do. I am bitter because not only did they take my friend's life, but they also took a great deal of my own life.
Anna Ullrich
Mahwah, N.J.
Paroling a Murderer
The case of Jack Henry Abbott ["In the Belly of the Beast," Aug. 3] proves that rehabilitation is a misunderstood word. According to one definition, it means "to return to a former way of life." Abbott stands as an example of the American penal nightmare.
Chuck Singleton
Pensacola, Fla.
Several years ago, I was chief of psychiatry at a federal penitentiary. I learned then that unless people with violent backgrounds gain insight into the cause of their problems, their explosive tendencies will remain. Prison walls, although unpleasant, can control these proclivities. Unfortunately, parole boards usually look at the time served and the good behavior. They do not determine if an inmate understands and has command of his actions. The result is that people are paroled who still have a strong bent for crime.
Alan H. Peck, M.D.
Baltimore
Jack Henry Abbott's release from prison is living proof that a criminal's lot can sometimes depend upon the wealth and importance of the people he knows. It would be entirely fitting for Norman Mailer to be tried as an accessory in the murder of Richard Adan and for the parole personnel to serve the balance of Abbott's term.
Neil R. Ayer
Boston