Heads should roll in lost guns fiasco

To the editor:

According to a recent wire service story, it appears the U.S. government has lost 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles somewhere in Iraq. Unbelievable.

Let me suggest that if one of our local gun dealers had lost even 10 AK-47s, a BATF assault group complete with those snappy black assault garments would be knocking down his doors, and would undoubtedly be backed up by a SWAT team and a contingent of FBI agents. They would then handcuff anyone in sight and proceed to tear through the shop's 4473 forms and record books. Then, after throwing the shop staff in jail, they would confiscate all the inventory and press hard for long prison sentences.

Now, in keeping with this long-standing American tradition, BATF must follow procedure and attack our capital in the same fashion. If the government cannot produce current 4473 forms and accurate record books showing exactly where the 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles have gone, then they too should be arrested, slapped in handcuffs and placed in one of our overcrowded prison facilities as quickly as possible. After all, that's the way things work here in the United States of America when dealers "lose" guns for no apparent reason, isn't it?

I mean it's only fair, isn't it? Some heads should roll because of this debacle.

RONALD NOAH

MESQUITE

Reaching down

To the editor:

Why is raising the grade-point average requirement for UNR and UNLV just about minorities (Review-Journal, Thursday)? A 3.0 is a 3.0. If you don't succeed in high school, you will most likely not succeed in college. The students should reach up to a 3.0, not ask that the system reach down.

SANDRA PAZEN

LAS VEGAS

Criminal defense

To the editor:

Your July 27 editorial, "Indigent defense," identifies a serious, crisis-level problem in our legal system. But the proposed solutions to the problem that are supported by the editorial are pedestrian and offensive to the attorneys who are working under the conditions you describe.

As a taxpayer and a former high-level executive in the public sector, I am outraged by the acknowledged absence of competent legal counsel for indigent persons accused of a crime. Politicians often use denial of services for indigent persons to garner votes. For example: Welfare reform equals closing cases, or prison reform means eliminating recreation. Unfortunately, these political strategies are often successful.

The editorial asserts that the public defenders handle 400 cases per year. The attorney is on job 1,800 hours per year, which translates to an average of 4.5 hours per case. The work includes client interview, investigation, research, preparing motions and court appearances. The 4.5 hours does not include legitimate leave such as sick or vacation.

Performance standards, training and supervision alone, as supported by the editorial, will not correct the observation that "defendants are run through the system like cattle." What amount of training or supervision makes 4.5 hours good or acceptable?

What do we tell our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters charged with crimes that may put them in prison for life or even put to death? Do we say, "Sorry, we only have an average of 4.5 hours to spend on a case"? Maybe it is easier or more cost effective to pay out multimillion-dollar settlements for wrongful convictions.

What do we tell the public when the pressures of limited time cause ill-advised plea bargains resulting in probation, early release and subsequent criminal behavior?

The proposal by the commission empaneled by the Nevada Supreme Court -- which was composed of qualified lawyers, judges and other government officials -- makes sense. They are the experts. The 192-case limit must have been supported by significant research and data. It is inappropriate to pick and choose the easily attained recommendations and deny the core recommendation of a 192-case limit.

Legal services to the indigent cannot be viewed as a budget-driven unit of government. The law and justice are not optional. It is required for a civilized nation.

If we make it a priority, budget dollars can always be found. "Bailouts" result from misuse, under-budgeting, emergencies, etc. Many of them could have been prevented by management reforms, such as more staff.

The city manager and county commissioners should be charged with documenting how the funds could be secured and what cost savings could be achieved. Multimillion-dollar bailouts should be closely audited by an independent commission.

If anything is going to bankrupt the county, I doubt it will be the funding of our constitutional obligation to provide competent legal services for the indigent person charged with a crime.

Gail Gordon

LAS VEGAS