Ky. Derby was disgusting spectacle

The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the most disgusting and disheartening spectacle of a sporting event I personally have ever heard of. It seems a horse named Eight Belles had performed so vigorously for her masters that she loyally ran herself to death.

It has been mentioned by knowledgeable people that running a 3-year-old female against older, more conditioned and dominant males was questionable at best. And the jockey was seen whipping her pretty hard, even after her ankles were already broken.

I am neither for or against the sport itself, but I can recognize when an animal is being exploited for personal gain, i.e. money and greed. And when it is no longer financially sound at the bottom line to maintain the existence of the animal, it is time to end its life altogether. This is how a loyal-to-the-death horse is treated by its keepers, who are very wealthy anyway.

As I said, I don't follow the sport, but I do know that an animal that literally kills itself to please its masters deserves better treatment than what went on that day. And it was a pathetic way for such a noble creature to leave this world. And we are led to believe that the main participants of this particular event are in the elite crowd?

Not in my book, that's for sure.

Mark Hicks

Ona

Some thoughts on November election

If I could speak to the people in the Huntington area, I would ask them a question or two, such as, "Who might you vote for in November for president? Is the Iraq thing going OK with you? How about the economy; is it doing OK?"

Tough questions. Can our politicians give us a good answer? Who are you going to vote for? Disgusting. Find out in November if we made the right choice. November -- that is a long time away. I don't know if I can put up with the politicians until November. How about you?

I wonder what our friends over in Kentucky think. Their election happens at a different time from ours. We can't worry about them. We have our own worries to think about. I gotta go take some aspirin. I forgot to mention who I might vote for. Ah, who cares?

Emery Higginbotham

Saint Albans, W.Va.

DUI checkpoints aren't effective

The sobriety checkpoint planned for Huntington served to funnel limited state and federal grant money away from measures that have proven to be most effective in combating drunken driving ("Local DUI checkpoint scheduled for Thursday," April 30).

Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers who comprise the core of today's drunken driving problem.

Conversely, the number of DUI arrests made by roving patrol programs is nearly 10 times the average number of DUIs made by checkpoint programs, according to testimony by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation official.

By focusing scarce law enforcement resources on roadblocks, the Huntington Police Department will strip West Virginia's roadways of their most valuable tool for catching drunken drivers. Huntington residents and taxpayers would benefit from employing the most effective tactics to catch drunken drivers: roving police patrols.

Sarah Longwell

Managing director

American Beverage Institute

Washington, D.C.