By The Associated Press

Excerpts of recent editorials of statewide and national interest from Ohio newspapers:

Our moral compass

The (Findlay) Courier, June 9

By now, most of us have seen the surveillance video of the May 30 incident in Hartford, Conn., in which a man was struck by a hit-and-run driver and left to lie in the street. Numerous people drove by without stopping. Others on foot obviously saw Angel Arce Torres, but didn't approach him. ...

So what of our moral compass? Are people losing a sense of right and wrong? It's entirely possible. As divorce and unwed parenthood have become more prevalent, many children have missed out on some of the moral training and example that once were the norm in this society. The popular culture -- many movies, much music -- seem designed to glorify the dregs of human behavior. Many churches have abandoned moral teaching in favor of more popular topics, and in any case, church attendance isn't nearly as widespread as it once was. ...

If the hit-and-run incident had happened here, would someone have helped? We expect so, though there's no way to tell for sure. Perhaps a better question is, "Would I have helped?" ...

Smoking in clubs

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, June 9

The Ohio Supreme Court did the right thing in snuffing out the Strickland administration's effort to allow patrons to smoke in fraternal and veterans clubs.

In a 4-3 ruling, the high court last week rejected the governor's attempt to exempt those clubs from the statewide ban on smoking in almost all public places.

Obviously pandering to veterans, the Ohio Department of Health exempted those private clubs from the Smoke-Free Workplace Act, approved by voters in 2006. A trade association that represents bar owners challenged the exemption in court and prevailed. Without comment, the Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling by declining to consider an appeal.

Voters left no doubt where they stand on the issue of smoking in enclosed public places when they approved the ban by an astonishing 2-1 ratio. The four justices who sided with those voters last week rightly weren't about to let anyone water down that message.

Air Force shake-up

Dayton Daily News, June 8

When Secretary of Defense Robert Gates fired the secretary of the Air Force and the service's top general on Thursday, June 5, speculation about his motives focused on a long list of issues he had with the service's leadership and on recent embarrassments the service has suffered.

That speculation is thoroughly understandable. ...

The country has been embarrassed internationally by two big-time mess-ups. At a time when Washington has been publicly worrying about nuclear technology slipping into unqualified hands and worrying about whether Russia is doing what it should to safeguard nuclear material, the following has happened:

-- Four high-tech nosecone fuses for nuclear warheads were sent to Taiwan instead of the correct shipment: helicopter batteries. Moreover, the mistake wasn't discovered for a year and a half.

-- And a B-52 bomber mistakenly flew six armed nuclear cruise missiles across the country. After that was discovered, little was done to prevent a recurrence, according to a report Secretary Gates received.

The secretary basically concluded that the Air Force has lost its sense of urgency about the handling of nuclear material. And he says that is a firing offense. Moreover, he clearly wants the world to know that the administration sees it as a firing offense.

He delivered another message, too: In an administration that has a reputation for circling the wagons when something goes wrong, for fighting back against critics, he's the exception. ...

Illegal immigrants

The Ironton Tribune, June 6

In Lodi, Calif., the death of a pregnant teenager pruning grape vines in a vineyard has sparked a vocal outcry from the farmworking community.

Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez was a 17-year-old undocumented Mexican immigrant. Her death has brought attention to the poor working conditions she faced with her employer, Merced Farm Labor, which has a history of violations. ...

Some employers justify the use of illegal immigrants with the excuse that they cannot find others willing to work the oftentimes labor-intensive jobs.

However, that is a convenient excuse for employers to hire illegals, drive down wages and increase profits. ...

In March, the Bush administration increased the minimum and maximum penalties for companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

It is a step in the right direction, but Congress needs to improve upon its miserable track record in this area and give some teeth to laws that will curb employers from hiring illegals. ...