Animals should not be above human beings

Dogs kill 73-year-old Ashville woman. A horrible title – but one that goes hand in hand with the horrible circumstances the authorities allowed to happen.

The fact that the county dog ​​warden, the county attorney, and the city attorney had to discuss whether to file charges is mind-boggling. The dogs had previously been reported as vicious, having been reported for killing neighborhood dogs and had now claimed the life of a human.

What to discuss? At least one of the dogs killed another dog after attacking and killing Jo Echelbarger.

The authorities were aware of the existence of these vicious dogs and the owners of the dogs had been warned but ignored all warnings, much as the authorities did. The dogs should have been removed from the neighborhood weeks ago. No one accepts responsibility if this doesn’t happen. It’s so sad.

Finally, in Wednesday’s Dispatch, a headline announced that they were indicted! In fact, it took several days for this decision to be made?

In an ironic and unrelated twist, the Ohio Supreme Court says that if we abuse a dog or cat, even if it is a stray animal, we will be charged with a crime.

Of course, I am not advocating animal abuse; they must be protected from all forms of mistreatment. But I ask you, didn’t Jo Echelbarger have the right to be protected from these vicious animals? Have we fallen so low that the protection of animals trumps the protection of human beings?

Joyce Poole, Columbus

Trump, the real danger

Regarding I am voting for Trump, rejecting issue 1 of October 27: I am totally stunned by Philip Derrow’s latest column. He thinks Kamala Harris is a bigger threat to the First Amendment than Donald Trump?

Is he serious?

• Did Kamala threaten or advocate the withdrawal of ABC, CBS or NBC’s broadcast licenses?

• Did she threaten to close the “bankrupt” New York Times?

• Did she threaten the Washington Post?

• Did she advocate changing libel laws to make it easier for public figures to sue writers and publications for writing negative articles about them?

And all of this isn’t even touching on his promise to be a dictator from “day one,” his association with Project 2025, and his past attempts to call in the military to deal with protesters (but not demonstrators of January 6). , or his belief that the 2020 “stolen election” justifies the repeal of all our laws, including the Constitution.

It is abundantly clear who represents the danger to our democracy.

It’s Donald Trump. If you don’t see it, I recommend calling some of the hundreds of Republicans who denounced Trump as unfit to serve and endorsed Kamala Harris. They will explain it to you. Try Liz and Dick Cheney for starters.

John Tripp, Westerville

Trump and Harris equally horrible

Vice President Harris called Trump a “fascist” and “Hitler,” and the former president called her “stupid,” “the worst,” and “lazy as hell.”

Both tell the truth when they insult each other.

I should add that neither puts America first. They are both puppets of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who support and defend the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon and would rather send aid to Ukraine and Israel than to hurricane survivors in the good old United States.

Vote accordingly!

Mahmoud El-Yousseph, Westerville

This article was originally published on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Ohio law failed. Ashville woman, 73, killed by dog