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OPINION It's not the heat, it's the stupidity Okay, we know the hot, humid weather can prompt individuals to do stupid things, but for two women to allegedly leave a frail, 97-year-old grandmother in a locked SUV and then go shopping defies any kind of logic. What were they thinking? Were they thinking? Perhaps they honestly believed this senior would be okay left alone for a little while. We have written in this space before urging people not to take their pets in the car when the summer sun is beating down. Too often we hear of dogs dying needlessly because the owner believed a window left open a crack would cool the vehicle sufficiently. We didn't think we would have to remind readers that leaving seniors or other helpless individuals in a stifling vehicle is also wrong. Indeed we received a press release from SPCA Monday reminding pet owners that high temperatures can pose a serious threat to pets. "Temperatures inside a parked car can rapidly reach dangerous levels even on relatively mild days, and even if the car is parked in the shade with the windows slightly open," wrote the SPCA. So it is unbelievable that one of our lead stories today is about a grandmother left gasping for air in a sweltering SUV. A server from a nearby restaurant offered the senior bottles of water until he was able to unlock the door. While the facts of this case will come out in court, the two women charged have told the media that it was an accident and they hadn't intended to be gone very long. It will be interesting to see what the courts will do with this sad case. Judges, unfortunately, can't instill common sense in the people that come before them. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Student apologizes for dummy tossing... Dear editor, This letter is in response to Alan D. Cole's letter entitled `School project, not funny' (July 5). I was involved in this incident and to be perfectly honest, I believe Mr. Cole's reaction was within reason. Had I seen something like this, my first reaction would have also been to phone the police. But when Mr. Cole came to see what we were doing, we explained ourselves and promptly apologized. Mr. Cole didn't want to hear it and rightfully so. We told him that we didn't mean to scare his family, but we were indeed filming for a school project. Still he was angry. He told us to wait for the officer and we (of course) did. We did make jokes about the situation because we knew that if we explained ourselves, the officer would understand. Sure enough she did but also told us that it was a poor decision to film the commercial on such a widely travelled bridge. We realized our mistake and apologized to the officer as well. She was very nice and understanding about the whole misunderstanding. We then explained that it was for an anti-smoking campaign and she thanked us for sticking around, then sent us on our way. We did not do this for entertainment, it was for a summative evalution for English Media. But Mr. Cole still seemed to think we were lying. If he would like to see the commercial, it looks great and it got a good mark. Exams were not over by this time, in fact they hadn't even started. Father's Day was on June 18 and exams began on June 22, so Mr. Cole didn't exactly have his information straight. I once again, apologize to anyone that we may have scared or shocked, but it wasn't intended that way. We could have gone about it in a better way, and all three of us realize that. I just wish that Mr. Cole had gotten his facts straight before setting out and trying to make us look like degenerates. Cody Kitchener, Georgetown ...mom defends young filmmakers Dear editor, As the mother of one of the trio of students Alan Cole was writing about in his July 5 letter, "School project, not funny", yes I do agree with him that throwing a dummy off the Mountainview Road bridge on a Sunday afternoon is not the smartest thing to do and had I known of this in advance I would certainly have suggested they go elsewhere. However, Mr. Cole, your facts are not correct when you wrote, "What kind of school project is even portraying such an evil act. School project? I don't think so, students were finished and writing exams." Well, Mr. Cole you were wrong on all three counts. It WAS a school project and it was not portraying an evil act; they were making a movie about the hazards of smoking. Have you ever heard the cliché "if someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you?" Well, the kids' movie related that to smoking and why people smoke when they've been told it is bad for them. I personally did not see the dummy but was told it was made from newspaper. As for the part of writing exams, again you were wrong. Exams did not start until June 22 and this incident happened June 18. Like most high school students they were scrambling at the end of the year to get their projects and summatives done. This trio has made many movies (and won awards) in the past and will hopefully in the future. The movie you saw them filming got them an A. They have there own production company and website, and are just starting to film their next movie. I'm sure one day I will be sitting in a theatre watching a production made entirely by these three great teenagers. Mary Lou Foreman, Georgetown