Does anyone remember that Mabel Ganal and her son were also shot by Orlando? Why are we so insistent that the victim "deserves" what she gets? And why is it that only female victims get blamed? When husbands "taunt and humiliate" their wives with extramarital affairs, husbands are not blamed if wives - under "extreme emotional distress" - kill.

Wendy Touchette has suffered the most horrible pain, both physical and emotional. But why isn't she suing her brother-in-law, David? After all, he was and still is Mabel's lover. Surely he is as responsible for the affair as Mabel.

Orlando Ganal is responsible for the deaths of Wendy Touchette's husband and children. To blame these acts on one of his shooting victims is typical of our court system, and supports the abuser's belief that, after all, it is her fault that he had to beat her.

Barbara Masse

Why not sue his parents, who did such a poor job raising him?

Did Orlando Ganal belong to a church or a union? Perhaps they should be sued for not giving him support during his emotional crisis.

Who was his employer? No doubt the employer should also be held responsible for not having noticed his level of distress.

Who among us has not been "taunted" or "humiliated" at some point in our lives? If your child breaks the window of a neighbor child who taunted him, do you refuse to pay for the glass? If I am humiliated by my teacher in night school, and I burn down the building, should the teacher have to pay the cost of rebuilding?

Orlando Ganal's crime was HIS action, HIS decision.

All of us have to take responsibility for our own deeds. Each of us has to take responsibility for how we act when we are angry or upset.

Phyllis Hanson

My husband and I regularly attended the Farm Fair for nearly 15 years. We stopped two years ago when it was moved from McKinley High School. We found the new Aloha Stadium location difficult to get to, the parking a hassle, and the whole production there more of an extension of the 50th State Fair.

The Farm Fair should be a place where children can learn about Hawaii's farming industry. It should be where all of us can enjoy purchasing locally grown plants and produce, and where families can play carnival games, relax and eat in the big tent listening to live, mellow music.

With the move to the stadium, the Farm Fair has lost much of its identity, charm and become little more than a glorified second-rate carnival.

One reason mentioned for the move was a growing problem with gangs at the McKinley site. If this is so, it is unfortunate that people chose to run away from the problem rather than confront it.

Let's hope that those behind the Farm Fair have learned something about this two-year disaster. Move the 1997 event back to McKinley.

Jane M. Verdugo

I've bought frozen foods from every supermarket chain on Oahu, including discount club stores. Signs of low quality are all too frequent:

• Frozen juices that go sour two days after mixing.
• Ice cream that's thawed and has seeped between the flaps of the carton's cover.
• Frozen peas that come in blocks rather than loose (also a sign of having thawed and been refrozen).
• Frozen dinners with the foods from different compartments mixed together as the result of thawing.

So here's my challenge to our food retailers: Guarantee that your frozen foods have never thawed and are of fresh-frozen quality, and I won't buy mine anywhere else! And I'll bet a lot of other consumers would do the same.

David Leake
Kaneohe