Judges, be tough on drunken drivers

Thank you, Judge Scotillo. Your five-year-plus sentence to the driver in the drunk driving death of 15-year-old Monika Skrzypkowski couldn't have been more just. We need many more strong judges like you.

Recently, a 6-year-old girl in Chicago lost her life because an impaired motorist hit her and her aunt while they were crossing the street. He had more than 40 citations for a variety of offenses, and who knows how many offenses he got away with. Had he been locked up long ago, this 6-year-old might still be alive.

People who drink (either alcoholics or those just out for a good time) need to realize that driving a car while drunk is no different from taking out a gun and maiming or killing someone.

Thirty-seven years ago I lost my 19-year-old brother, William (Bill) Learnahan, a sophomore at Southern Illinois University, to a drunken driver. He never had the chance to graduate from college, get married or have children. Because someone chose to drink and drive, my brother, along with many, many other people, was not allowed to reach his full potential.

Because someone chose to drink and drive, my family has spent 37 years shattered by the sudden loss of my young brother. While Kevin Schuh will spend five years (or less) away from his family, I find it hard to mourn for them when innocent people like Monika Skrzypkowski and my brother are lost forever.

You can advertise "Don't drink and drive" all you want, but I firmly believe that lessons will be learned only when offenders are taken off the street and put away for a good long period of time.

Maureen Koziol

Mount Prospect