Not a senator’s place to degrade a nation’s legal system
Editor, The Times:
The recent statement on the Amanda Knox guilty verdict released by Sen. Maria Cantwell was insulting to all the citizens of Italy — our NATO ally — as well as to Americans of Italian descent [“Knox support network: friends, lawyers, scientists and a senator,” page one, Dec. 5].
She was clearly out of line to make them, as I suspect they were based largely or entirely on information provided to her by the Knox family. Her remarks were arrogant, to the point that she basically said Knox is innocent.
Knox may be, but the senator is simply not in a position to know, and she should take better measure of the available facts before making provocative public statements that disparage the legal system of an entire nation.
Too bad Sen. Cantwell wasn’t around when two Italians by the names of Sacco and Vanzetti were unjustly tried and executed in 1927, here in America. I’m certain she would have spoken out against the flaws in the justice system on display in this country. Or would she?
— Dan Possumato, Portland, Ore.
Boycotting all things Italian
I think it would be highly appropriate for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to converse with Sen. Maria Cantwell regarding the transfer of Amanda Knox to the U.S. to serve her prison term while her appeal undergoes the glacially slow injustice system that is Italy’s.
For my part, however, I have begun boycotting Italian products, starting with Perugina chocolate and San Pellegrino, both of which I like. I will not buy them or any Italian cheese, wine, or other products as long as Knox endures incarceration as a consequence of the farcical trial just concluded.
I urge others to join me in getting the attention of the Italians who were overjoyed by Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini’s successful vendetta against Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, whose cases probably should never have been brought to trial.
— Earl J. Bell, Seattle
Meredith Kercher and family are the only victims
Isn’t it time to show some balance in this matter [“Knox ‘railroaded from day one,’ ” News, Dec. 5]? The victims, the only victims, are Meredith Kercher and her family. The murderers are found to be Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. Neither deserve our sympathy, although compassion shown to their families is in order.
The attempts by Sen. Maria Cantwell and others to portray Italy and Italian justice as biased and unfit to try this case are highly offensive and should cease at once.
Knox and her family should be thankful she committed her crime in Italy and not in the U.S.
She can expect to be released from prison in around 15 years if she behaves well. She’ll be less than 40 years old. Her sentence here in the states likely would have been much harsher.
The Seattle Times would do its readers a service if it carried comment from Britain and Italy. The views of the rest of the world would be informative. We do not need to read further articles attempting to deny this crime.
— Bruce Bailey, Seattle
Why are we defending Amanda Knox?
My daughter shared a two-bedroom apartment in college freshman year with two girls who partied and brought boys home on a nightly basis. Out of fear for her safety, my daughter not only purchased a lock for her bedroom, but spent most nights squeezing into a single bed with a friend because she was too afraid to sleep in her own apartment.
This continued until one night a drunk male college student punched through an apartment wall with his fist and attempted to sexually assault my daughter’s fourth roommate returning from band practice. After my husband and I met with the dormitory authorities, nothing was done and our daughter had to change dormitories during finals.
Reading about the Amanda Knox case, I am thankful my daughter was not hurt, or worse. It seems Washington is trying to defend Knox just because she is from Seattle, while ignoring the brutal reality that a gruesome act was committed to a young, innocent life, plus the horrendous loss to Meredith Kercher’s family.
So many parents might have done better to provide direction in their children’s lives versus throwing money and influence after the fact. I shudder to think my daughter might have suffered a similar fate.
— Anchi Miller, Kirkland