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Show May 5, 2005 THE MAGNA TIMES, EST VALLEY NEW S, KEARNS TOST Editorial excuse for Afo Jess Advice dmeg-deaSm-m o o o o o o o Seacheir Dear Jess, with a guy for about six months now, he lives in New York so I have not met him in person yet. My friends here keep trying to set me up on blind dates but I feel like that would be cheating, they call me crazy and tell me an online relationship will not work,' what do you think? Thanks Nancy Rarely has a newspaper article made me as angry as the story of a recent drug bust in Omaha, Nebraska. It reported the arrest of Jolene Cortez for possession of methamphet-amin- e with intent to deliver. Apparently, she had a scale and $2,775 in cash in her apartment, too. Sounds routine, doesnt it? Open and shut. Just like cases all over the country. Well, not quite. According to the sympathetic portrayal of Cortez in the Omaha World-Heralshe was a loving, single obligatory quotes from friends and acquaintances who said that Jolene Cortez was, in fact, a fine person who would never hurt anyone. One neighbor even said that although she doesnt condone drug activity, she doesnt blame Jolene if what she is accused of doing turns out to be true. She was just trying to d, mother and elementary school teacher who, though she shopped at thrift stores and ate leftovers, felt obligated to sell methampheta-min- e in order to make ends meet. Cant you just hear the violins playing? Speaking about make ends meet, the neighbor said. The article went on to inform us that Cortez denied doing anything illegal around her son or at school, and that she doesnt her alleged financial hardship, Cortez complained that she could not pay her rent, utilities, car payment, insur- take drugs herself. Isnt that nice? ance, gas, food, student loans and the expenses of raising a child, including day care, on her $30,841 a year teachers after-scho- ol salary. Its overwhelming, she told newspaper reporter Kristen Zagurski, who, based on the tone of her article, ate up this drivel with a spoon. Its hard to make it on the salary that they gave us. I dont want to live lavishly, but I would like, if my son needs a haircut, to be able to get a haircut for him. I needed a little bit of help. I think I feel a tear coming on. There were the apparently justifies portraying a criminal in a sympathetic light in order to call attention to the issue of teacher pay. I dont care about this womans excuses for her criminal activity. I dont care about her financial hardships. Other people, including teachers, live on less than she is being paid. They take second and even third jobs to make ends meet. They dont contribute to the addiction and the deaths of other people by selling drugs. Those w ho have seen the lives of loved ones disinte- I feel all grate before their very eyes warm and fuzzy about her lawbreaking now. She has a set of rules she follows for her felonious conduct, and a sense of responsibility toward the people she loves. She would never do anything to hurt them. Shes an ethical drug dealer. All she did was help others destroy their lives by selling them one of the most corrosive and addictive substances ever concocted. Jolene Compounding Cortezs cavalier attitude toward her drug dealing is the viewpoint of the school officials, who have suspended her with pay, and the newspaper editors, whose pursuit of an agenda because of methampheta-min- e addiction have nothing but contempt for this woman. Jolene Cortez says she is not a bad person. I want to lead the chorus of those shouting, in unison, YES, YOU ARE! If the charges against Jolene Cortez are proven true, there is no justification for what she has done. She should be sentenced to hard time, and every day she is in prison your online romance have made promises to each other, een then if you hae not met him, you really do not know him there is a lot that can be concealed thousands of miles away. It might do you some good to get out, I belies e you can tell a lot about a person by actually looking into their eyes. I have been talking online someone Craig, Youve probably heard this a time or two but the first advice I w ould give you is to be yourself. If you get turned down dont take it personal, remember rejection is a stepping stone towards success, somewhere there is a girl wondering if you'll ever ask her out. Good Luck! Dear Jess, am in my first year of college and not very popular with the girls, I never was, but this year I want to turn over a new leaf and try to get out more. What advice would you give a young man about meeting w'omen? Craig I Dear Nancy, Ahh technology, I have heard stories about couples that have met online and ended up getting married but I have never met those couples. There is nothing wrong with dating unless you and If you have like answered please send them to jessadvice gmail.com Letters to the Editor Nation of laws Dear Editor, Our nation of laws is beginning to look more and more like a nation of men. These men are fashioning into a our government bizarre religion that closely resembles the church of early Europe. For example a rich man could approach any of the churches, Catholic or any of the many Protestant religions, and buy himself a seat or a position of importance within the church. These days the same thing is done in the United States for positions in government, from local to state to federal. In the early days of Europe and in the Middle Ages sins could be paid for and salvation granted for a price. Poor people were all condemned to hell, both on earth and in the afterlife. Here in the United States poor people are still condemned to hell, especially if they end up in court, but like their corrupt predecessors the rich can buy themselves off. Martha Stewart stands out as a minor example. Tom Lay of Enron and Ebbers of Worldcom (now MCI) both stand out as big examples. Even bigger examples are entire companies that get away with this. Even as poor people have been skewered by George Bush who shut dowm the bankruptcy window, large corporations like g and others continue to rake in piles of money and dominate their respective industries with corruption and ineffiOwens-Comin- rt, ciency. While bankrupt actually went out and bought Sears, one of the worlds largest retailers. Something is wrong and its not Social Security. K-M- Sincerely, Alfred Brock Canton MI should come to her cell and ask her how she would feel if, in another few years, a loving, caring person - perhaps a teacher - were to sell meth to her son. 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