Letters to the editor for Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016

Lochte’s lies not as serious as Phelps’ DUI

I beg to differ with sportswriter Darrell Moody in his assessment of the Lochte debacle in Sunday’s commentary. He called what Lochte did, possibly lying to the press and embarrassing the US Olympic team, “worse” than Michael Phelps’ DUI.

With each DUI, Michael Phelps (and all DUI offenders) was just a split second away from causing a crash, like the crashes that kill more than 10,000 innocent American victims YEARLY in our country and seriously injure 300,000 more.

I’m not sure Ryan Lochte’s behavior had that possible, and predictable, deadly potential, regardless of how inappropriate and even criminal it was.

No crime is a good crime, but to ever diminish the seriousness and potentially fatal outcome of DUI (driving under the influence) is just not responsible in light of the many innocent victims of DUI crashes in our community, state, and country.

Laurel Stadler

Rural Coordinator, Northern Nevada DUI Task Force