We need the military presence, not more industrial parks

With local military units threatened with possible closure ("Base Closings Roil U.S.," May 14), Allegheny Institute President Jake Haulk claims that the announcement wouldn't be a hammer blow to the airport area or the region ("Economists Try to Put Closings in Perspective," May 14). Wrong! Richard DeKaser, chief economist at National City Corp. in Cleveland, adds that closed bases can return to life as office or industrial parks. I'm no economist or expert on military force structure, but I can see what's around me and the need for another office park is almost laughable. We have old empty industrial sites regionally that were once full of quality industry.

This idea of closing military bases and converting the property into something else is something else. The military presence in Western Pennsylvania isn't very large considering all the history behind settlement here. The military history here in Western Pennsylvania has been a long road. The first great road across the Alleghenies was Forbes Road, also known as the Pennsylvania Road. Forbes Road was established in 1758 to enable the British and American forces to capture Fort Duquesne. Forbes Road was a military road guarded by forts at strategic points to protect it from the French and Indians.

Today our airports are strategic points and the military presence. Certainly there could be any number of other things where the 911th Airlift Wing now sits. On the other hand, we could be building industrial parks where we once had industry.

If the federal government turns off the lights at the local military bases, the next generation of people in this region may find themselves in the dark without any industry or the ability to protect what is worth preserving. The 911th Airlift Wing is worth the land it sits on.

JAMES V. DERMITT
Moon

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Both let us down

I'm writing in response to the May 4 letter mentioning Sen. Arlen Specter ("Reason to Be Scared"). It praised the Post-Gazette's April 28 editorial that applauded the senator's "principled, independent stands" on issues, such as Medicaid funding ("Medicaid Mess: Specter and Others Should Demand Full Funding," April 28).

Sen. Specter may have had principled stands before April 28, but that very night he voted the Republican party line to cut $10 million in Medicaid funding for needy families, children and senior citizens. Three Republican senators, not including Arlen Specter, had the courage to buck their party in this close (52-47) vote, which approved the federal budget resolution.

When Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens needed them the most, Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum let them down. When that cancer patient is told that she cannot receive any more chemotherapy because her visits are capped and when the treatments are curtailed for mental health care, our citizens have Sens. Specter and Santorum to thank.

I am extremely disappointed with the senator's vote, and I hope that he will cushion the blow to his poor and elderly constituents in Pennsylvania when the actual appropriations are made.

THERESA CHALICH, R.N.
Lincoln Place

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The good side

I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the new format of the Post-Gazette. I truly enjoy the new column "Hot Topic" written by teenagers.

In the May 2 paper there was a column by Courtney Tague titled "Aim for Inner Beauty." In this day and age of lack of discipline at home, parents blaming schools for not educating children and schools blaming parents for not taking a stronger stand in raising their children, it is refreshing to hear from a well-adjusted young lady who has her priorities straight.

Thank you, Post-Gazette and Courtney, for showing us the good things about teenagers.

In this world of children being restrained by handcuffs, it is very heartwarming to see that not all children have discipline issues. In fact, I believe most of them are very focused and well-adjusted. It is refreshing to hear the good, rather than the bad, for a change. Thank you for showing us the good side -- the side that shows us good, strong morals and leadership qualities.

CAROL A. KEELEY
Robinson

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Grateful to sisters

After 112 years, St. Stephen Catholic School in Hazelwood will close its doors forever ("Parents Mourn School's Closing," March 11). While it saddens me to bid farewell, my overwhelming emotion is gratitude to the Sisters of Charity. The sisters have been the driving force behind the school, serving students and families of St. Stephen with unmatched distinction.

Amid school closings and dwindling numbers of nuns, the Sisters of Charity remained faithful to St. Stephen. Like true, loyal family members, when the school was in turmoil, they increased their support rather than pulling out.

The Sisters of Charity, especially St. Stephen's principal, Sister Anne Toomey, embody the lessons of Christ's teachings. One morning, when my son was attending St. Stephen, I overheard Sister Anne on the phone telling a student that he was late for school again. She said, "I am coming over to make sure you get moving!" I watched as she walked down the side of the building toward the house. The young man opened an upstairs window and yelled, "Sorry, Sister, I'm on my way." Several years later, this young man graduated from Central Catholic High School. I am convinced that Sister Anne played a significant role in his success. This story is just one small example of the legacy of the Sisters of Charity at St. Stephen.

Please join St. Stephen Parish in a commemorative Mass this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Come say farewell and thank you. I will be there with a sad heart but a grateful one!

KATHLEEN McKINNON
State College
Editor's note: The writer is an alumnus of St. Stephen Elementary School.

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Fighting to save lives

The last sentence of Joan Byrne's May 16 letter reads, "There are some 1,670 (as of May 9) fresh graves of [President Bush's] war dead waiting for his tears." Let me remind Ms. Byrne that during World War II there were, on the average, almost that many men killed in combat every single week of the 45-month-long war.

At that time we thought it was a necessary war to stop aggression and terrible violence, and yet, facing the fact that now Japan is a favored nation and there are men in this country who seem proud to be Nazis (instead of the scum every U.S. veteran thinks such men are), one might wonder. But what a different world we would now face if we hadn't fought and won. It wouldn't be pretty, that is certain.

Pacifism may save one's life, but it can mean an end of life for thousands of others through fratricide, patricide, ethnic cleansing and such euphemisms for wanton killing of innocents. Sometimes one must fight for what is right.

EDWIN J. BORREBACH
Bradford Woods

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The pope's concerns

In the May 13 column "The Pope and AIDS" by Nicholas D. Kristof, a young woman states: "I resent that they don't think of people like me, teenagers with AIDS or HIV." In contrast, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI very much concerns himself with his flock, especially those who are ill and heavily burdened. However, he concerns himself not just with our earthly life, but more so with our life to come, that is to say eternity.

"Let all be convinced that human life and the duty of transmitting it are not limited by the horizons of this life only: their true evaluation and full significance can be understood only in reference to man's eternal destiny." These words were found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In conclusion, if one is so interested in criticizing the Holy Father for his loving, stern ways, perhaps one should read from what he is basing his decisions upon.

KATIE ZIMMERMAN
Cecil

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This White House should think of the needs of citizens first

A May 10 article has left me dumbfounded but not speechless. The first paragraph stated that the Bush White House has approved free emergency coverage to illegal aliens ("Aid Gives Illegal Aliens Access to ERs"). Has this administration totally lost touch with the needs of the unfortunate citizens of this country?

As a postal employee, I am fortunate to have medical coverage for my family and me, although unlike many people think, this coverage is not free. All U.S. postal workers pay a biweekly co-payment to maintain this insurance. As you can probably guess, the payment rises yearly, along with the cost of just about everything else in this country. The irony of this situation is that my co-workers and I are the lucky ones.

In this country, 45 million Americans are uninsured, including almost 9 million children, and these numbers are growing daily. Projected cuts and higher co-payments for Medicaid are on the horizon, and the number of homeless people grows constantly.

The proposal of free treatment to illegal persons in this country is a disgrace and a slap in the face to the unfortunate citizens of our own country.

ROBERT A. FORGIE
Turtle Creek