VINCENT SNOWBARGER: “Last week was Victims' Rights Week, but our memories of the victims of crime should not be restricted to a single week…”

“Last week was Victims' Rights Week, but our memories of the victims of crime should not be restricted to a single week of the year, nor should our determination to deal appropriately with violent criminals be limited to lofty speeches and tough resolutions. The American people know, and they make it clear in survey after survey, that violent crime is a national crisis. And at a time in history when the world was never safer for a democracy, the streets of our country have become even more dangerous. We have largely won what President Kennedy called the long twilight struggle against Communist totalitarianism, but the war against crime goes on in our cities. It is a war we must fight with the same resolve, determination, patience and vigor with which we waged the cold war of the last past half century. I feel we should take the same approach to crime, particularly juvenile crime, that we have taken to welfare. Congress should permit the States to experiment with different methods for controlling crime rather than impose a one size fits all solution from Washington.”