A Moral Dilemma

Nicole Kiss
2471 Green Ave,
Penticton, B.C.
V2A 3X6

March 10, 2012

John Smith
Mayor
City Hall 568 Main Street
Penticton, B.C.

Dear Mayor Smith,
                            As a proud member of this village it has pained me to hear the heart-wrenching news about our beloved Gunter Grass. It is quite the privelage that you would ask for my input on this grievous matter at hand and I will try to help you out as much as I can. This is quite the burden to have been placed upon your shoulders and I apologize for the stress this must be causing you at the present time, but don't you worry this will be solved in an orderly and reasonable fashion. Without much further ado, I present to you my reasons that I think Gunter Grass should be turned the blind eye for his previous offences and given the freedom to live out his final years in peace.

A good first reason for you to consider sparing Gunter Grass' life is the good that he has done to make this village prosper and become what it is today. Gunter was a phenomenal mayor during the time that he was in power over the village, and without the contributions he made then and even now, our village would be in serious detriment. I understand that it is hard to turn your eyes away from his wrongdoings and instead shine a light on the positive effects he has had, but I feel that everyone deserves a second chance if they have put in the effort to turn their life around.

I am asking you now to take a look at the man that Gunter Grass is. He is a family man, a man with a wife, children, and even grandchildren. Though he condemned many innocent people to death, what kind of people would that make us to go around and kill him? We as people do not have the divine right to decide who lives and who dies. Gunter has proven his worth by investing his love into his family and those around him; he would be truly missed if he was plucked out of our society like a meaningless man. Gunter is one of the most respected men in all of the village and his sudden removal would pique the interests of those around him in a negative way.

Though I am trying to I suppose you could say protect Gunter from harm, this does not mean that I am justifying him for the killing of those supposed 15,000 people. The only plea that I can make on his behalf is that you realize he was just a kid when he was forced into that position; a boy of nineteen. Imagine being thrust into that sort of situation and losing all bearings of your previous life. Can you really blame him for doing everything in his power to survive, even if it meant doing the unthinkable for most people nowadays. Back in that period of time, what he had to do was very real and must have caused a lot of emotional turmoil for such a young man to get over. I grieve for every life that was lost to Gunter Grass' command and I hope the families of those deceased have fond memories of their loved ones.

Gunter Grass is a man, and all men deserve a second chance in their own right. I only hope that my input has landed somewhere in your mind where you can mull it over and see the points that I am trying to make. We all love Gunter dearly and I know even you would hate to see him gone. So instead of focusing on the negative let's rejoice in the positive and pretend as if the terrible bouts of information you have found never even existed. I hope my opinion has helped to lighten the load you have to carry.

Sincerely,
Nicole Kiss