The recent gun incident, involving the NBA and Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas, gives NBA Commissioner David Stern the opportunity to make a landmark decision.
I am betting that Stern does not have the intestinal fortitude to take the proper action. Taking a gun to the workplace is an immediate dischargeable offense.
Anyone who believes the player's reasoning for taking the guns to work is a fool. When a person is making millions of dollars a year, he can afford to secure the guns at home. If the guns are bought legally, I'm sure the same business that sold you the guns can steer you in the right direction for gun security at home.
Without a lifetime ban from the NBA, the commissioner will be setting a precedent that guns are allowed if you are willing to accept his consequences of a suspension and/or a fine.
As stupid as it sounds, permitting players to take guns to the NBA arena it would only be fair if the fans could also take guns to the arena for their protection.
Al Montanaro
Bellwood
Big Ten will look for big dollars
Everyone in the Big Ten will argue for whomever they feel will be the perfect fit to join the Big Ten in the future.
Before I present my choice, I looked at the possible division breakdown for a team from the east and then the midwest.
If the Big Ten selects a team coming from the east, my favorites are the University of Pittsburgh or Boston College.
They are both good football programs along with competitive basketball programs, especially Pittsburgh. And yes, they come from different conferences. So here is the breakdown: The Eastern Division would consist of Boston College/Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and probably Indiana.
Now Penn State would love to see Pittsburgh as its primary choice, and for we older folks, it is a rivalry, tradition and history.
And playing the game either on Thanksgiving or the Saturday after Thanksgiving would be a great way to finish the season. It would be history being repeated.
Keep in mind Pittsburgh doesn't have an on-campus football stadium which the other schools have. If push comes to shove, it will come down to money despite how Jamie Dixon, Pitt's basketball coach, feels.
Now let's look at the Western Division breakdown.
My choice is the University of Missouri. It is probably the best fit for the Big Ten. It has solid academic standards and a dental school. Their football and wrestling programs are competitive. So the Western Division would consist of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Please notice that the odd school left out is Purdue. You can't separate Purdue and Indiana. So the Big Ten places Purdue in the Eastern Division, and no school is chosen from the east. But when all is said and done, the deciding factor that affects the Big Ten and what university is chosen centers on money.
Les Hart
Duncansville
Game Commission:?'no probable cause'
In Walt Young's Dec. 13 column, he takes issue with what he views as a Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer not following up on a vehicle he sees drive by loaded down with pastries.
Young believes that we should have pulled him over, found out where he hunts and put a stop to the baiting case before it started.
However, from the Game Commission's situation, we had an issue of probable cause that we would have needed to meet in order to make a stop in the first place.
Possession of pastries is not an illegal act. Maybe it was a guy using it to feed pigs, which is not uncommon in the farming community and an inexpensive source of feed for farmers. Maybe it was going to be used at a trail-camera site with no intent to hunt over it.
Following Young's rationale in this situation, the next question one could ask is why Game Commission wildlife conservation officers don't station themselves in sporting goods stores to tell everyone who buys an automatic feeder and a 50-pound sack of corn that they may get arrested?
Why not stop a car with fluorescent orange on the passengers who are on a rural road and tell them not to road hunt?
The bottom line: no probable cause, no vehicle stop. A truck load of apples, corn or even Danishes does not make for a valid probable cause stop, but may arouse suspicions and awareness levels, which happened here and was handled within the bounds of the law.
Jerry Feaser
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Harrisburg
