Speed Vans, Redlight Cameras, Action ... Cynthia Jardon should be fired. She should not be relieved of her duties as editorial page editor for The Town Talk. She should be terminated for her capacity as propaganda minister for Redflex. I find it alarming that Cynthia Jardon decided not to stand with the readers of The Town Talk and the people of Alexandria and Pineville. She has, instead, sided with the lobbyists and corporate lawyers of the foreign based company Redflex. How very “slant-tastic” of her. According to Cynthia Jardon we all deserve to be under constant surveillance in an age where identity theft is on the rise. Also on the rise is the “soccer mom-ification” of this great country. Cynthia Jardon would have one believe that we, as Americans, must sacrifice our “rights” (not privileges) to due process of the law. And we must do so in the name of safety. Fact: Currently there are two parishes involved in litigation over the “Scameras” or “The Cop-arazzi”. Residents of Jefferson and Lafayette Parish everyday are joining a federal, class action lawsuit which claims violations of U.S. Constitution, Louisiana State Constitution, Uniform Traffic Laws and State Statutes. Is this what Alexandria needs? Trust me, it will come. Cynthia Jardon did state one fact. “Disregarding the law is the path to chaos.” I agree that if our governments and foreign companies do not follow the law it is indeed a travesty. Constitutional violations are serious offenses. But if these companies and governments do not break the law, then we have nothing to worry about. It will be up to a judge to make that decision, not any citizen armed with a camera. A picture may be worth a thousand words but not in court. Just because someone can take my picture, does not make me or anyone else guilty in this country. We still have a right to due process, not one hour processing of film developing. As she claimed in her editorial, “we should install them and use the images to prosecute offenders.” Cynthia Jardon knows nothing of the process involved after your “invitation to extortion” is received in the mail from the camera vendor. In fact no one in Alexandria has witnessed the abomination of justice that occurs. After one requests a hearing to testify on their own behalf, it appears to be a rigged game my friends. It is a game that has nothing to do with safety. We have witnessed this travesty in Lafayette. As far as governments making money, Cynthia Jardon seems to be all for that. It used to be that government made their money from taxes. Would it not be fair to call this a new tax on the people? And would Cynthia Jardon be in favor of more new taxes if they were dedicated to police and firemen? Cynthia Jardon spoke highly of individual, personal responsibility yet she wishes to bring in a third party company to do the job of law enforcement. Does Cynthia Jardon stand for the outsourcing of law enforcement? Does Cynthia Jardon support law enforcement for profit? There is a path to chaos there as well. The fact is we can pay our police and firemen. We just need a government that is more fiscally conservative and responsible. Government is not a business, nor is Government in business to make a profit. The simpler fix, of course, is to adjust for longer yellow light times. That is merely one conclusion of a 20 year study from the National Motorists Association. I am innocent until proven guilty. I am, Todd C. Elliott 1330 KVOL-AM Lafayette, La |
