ENOUGH OF DARRYL STRAWBERRY

NO MORE LENIENCY

Regarding "Darryl Strawberry Arrested Again" (Metro, March 13):

I find some of Judge Florence Foster's decisions to be very insightful and
fair; however, now is the time to slam the door on Darryl Strawberry. You
can only get so many chances to clean up your life. Strawberry needs to
grow up and stop expecting - and receiving - special handling. He has
ruined not only his life, but those of many friends and family members. The
continued leniency of the court sends the wrong message to other felons who
do not receive this treatment.

You almost begin to wonder if Foster owns a rehab center on the side. Tough
love is now the way to go - nothing else seems to have worked.

Andrew Moyer, Atlanta

DISREGARD FOR AUTHORITY

Darryl Strawberry arrested again! If the rest of you are like me, who
cares? It's obvious this man has no respect or regard for authority.

I say let the man go instead of tying him up in the court systems. We are
going to retry his case in court, and he is going to go to another drug
rehabilitation center where he is going to break the rules of his parole
yet again. The only thing we are doing is pouring money into the court
system at the taxpayers' expense. So why tie up the court system with a
repeat offender when we can turn him out in the streets and let the streets
take care of him?

I for one am tired of seeing the court system cater to him because he used
to be an athlete. He has an obvious disregard for authority, and America's
fixation for this washed-up athlete has lost its charm.

Let fate put an end to his misery. Strawberry obviously doesn't care for
himself or for those around him. Let him take care of himself.

Chuck Maple, Oldsmar

JUSTICE SHOULD BE BLIND

Regarding "Prosecutors Want Prison For Ex-Player" (Metro, March 14):

Darryl Strawberry has thumbed his nose at yet another bleeding-heart judge,
who six months ago gambled with the lives of the public by granting him yet
more probation rather than prison. Has not this troubled man repeatedly
shown his utter contempt for the rules of decent behavior - and, after all,
why shouldn't he? He has been given reckless leniency time and again, which
he must interpret as the criminal justice system having no teeth. Does he
have to kill or maim some innocent person to end this social experiment on
the part of those judges whom he has faced?

Enough is enough! This man has had every possible break and consideration;
most believe that it is because of his celebrity status. When will justice
really be blind to celebrity and meted out as it would for the rest of us?
Our courts have become social experiments rather than the bar of justice,
especially when discretion is vested in the judge. I hope Judge Florence
Foster is embarrassed beyond description by this latest episode - most of
us would be!

Jim McCarthy, Tampa