Running Across the Freeway--Don’t Penalize the Motorists

Robert Cowan’s commentary (“Human Solution Is Needed to End Senseless Border Deaths,” Aug. 12) expressed my feelings about death at the San Onofre checkpoint.

However, my anger is toward the Mexican government and the Mexican people and culture, not the U.S. government. My anger is about Mexican policy that demonstrates apparent and “wanton disrespect for human life.”

My anger is about a country, a culture, in 20th-Century North America that so poorly provides basic shelter, food and education for its citizens that tens of thousands of its people can be described as desperate to escape and ignorant of the harm rendered by vehicles traveling at 60 m.p.h.

I am outraged at the perception that the U.S. government is the responsible party in not adequately caring for and educating these people. I am outraged that I experience emotional pain and constant threat to my personal sense of security and that the Mexican government continues its policies uncensured.

Certainly, the economic boycott and political pressures that have been used to fight apartheid in South Africa or Iraq’s threat to our access to oil should be used to fight the daily degradation that we, the citizens of Southern California, experience from Mexico.

I believe our local, state and federal governments should be protecting us from harm--including emotional harm--and I don’t believe we/they are focused on the responsible party: the Mexican government.

CAROL HAYES

San Juan Capistrano