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PrintSantorum shows that Republicans crave absolute power
If Rick Santorum really wants to let the truth be known ("Let's Set the Record Straight About My Record and Filibusters," May 18 letters), why is he trampling on it?
Santorum assures us that "for 214 years ... senators opposed judicial nominees. They voted no. They did not filibuster." What is he talking about? The Senate's own Web site states that when Lyndon Johnson nominated Supreme Court Associate Justice Abe Fortas to be chief justice, "floor consideration sparked the first filibuster in Senate history on a Supreme Court nomination." Santorum alleges that "claiming ... Republicans filibustered President Clinton's second-term judicial nominees is part of the smear campaign of the Democratic leadership." The senator has a point. Republicans didn't filibuster 65 Clinton nominees -- they didn't even let them out of committee, as American University law professor Herman Schwartz has pointed out in The American Prospect.
Contrast that number -- 65 -- with Santorum's complaint that the Democratic leadership filibustered a mere 10 of Bush's appeals court nominees. He also conveniently fails to mention that President Bush has gotten more than 95 percent of his judicial nominees confirmed. I suppose that when absolute power is what you crave, anything short of getting your way 100 percent of the time is simply not good enough.
And just to give some context: Priscilla Owen, the first judge for whose confirmation Sen. Santorum is so eager to blow up the filibuster, has a proven record of siding with big business over ordinary Americans, has been repeatedly criticized as a judicial activist (anathema to conservatives only when the judge is perceived as liberal, apparently) and is opposed by a host of environmental, women's rights and labor groups. Way to go, Sen. Santorum.
MICHELE FEINGOLD
Squirrel Hill
Same old stuff
Once again, the city of Pittsburgh will get exactly what it deserves. When will the residents of the city wake up? The likely answer is never.
Although Bob O'Connor, the winner of Democratic nomination for mayor in Tuesday's primary election, is not mayor yet, it is a foregone conclusion that he will be (Democrats hold an overwhelming majority in the city). City residents continue to elect officials that lack vision and are mired in failed policies of the past. O'Connor was a huge part of the problem in the past as a member and former president of City Council.
While I am not a resident of the city, this issue concerns me a great deal. As the city continues to go down the toilet with incompetent politicians at the helm, it affects the entire region. The city and the region have great potential that will never be realized unless we start to elect people who are not tied to the failures of the past and lack the vision to move the area forward.
Sorry, but Bob O'Connor is just not the guy who will take Pittsburgh to the next level.
Although I am not a Democrat, I am wise enough to know that it is unlikely that anything but a Democrat will be elected as mayor of Pittsburgh. There were several candidates opposing O'Connor who would have been a breath of fresh air for the city and would have brought new thinking to the mayor's office. Instead, you'll have the same polluted air from the past with no end in sight. Unfortunate!
SCOTT R. SLAGLE
Upper St. Clair
Understanding first
Thank you for running the May 17 article "Somalis Say Rights Violated," about the problems that Somali Bantu refugees attending city public schools have encountered, and the Education Law Center's official complaint brought on their behalf to the U.S. Department of Education. I was depressed to see that the children are being told to "go back to Africa" by the American kids in the schools. I think a couple of practical things could happen that will alleviate problems in the long run.
For the Bantu, literacy training in English is key, and the focus should be on helping their children succeed in school. Bantus typically have large families, so what happens now with the children will have a long-range impact. Helping them become productive citizens will prevent problems later.
As to the harassment the Bantu suffer in our community, they have already been through enough. Like the lost boys of the Sudan, these people survived for years in refugee camps, living in conditions that I don't want to think about. If Pittsburghers knew their story, they might feel differently about them. Perhaps it could be presented in an organized way to the American students at their school. View it as an opportunity for kids to learn about another culture. It is easier to hate people if you don't know them.
My family recently befriended a Bantu family who were special guests at the O'Hara Elementary international fair that was held in March. The father, Ibrahim Muya, described a bit of life as a refugee. In an unstable living environment, he said that they were unable to save food from one day to the next. Armed men moved through the camps at night, stealing anything of value. So when casually asked by someone if he minded the cold March weather in Pittsburgh, he said, "We like Pittsburgh just fine and are happy to be here."
CHRISTINE ASENJO
Aspinwall
Socialization matters
In response to "Somalis Say Rights Violated" (May 17): There's probably another side to the story; there always is. But these are serious allegations. What's puzzling to me is that Pittsburgh has a long history of educating immigrants. Have they all been placed in classes separate from other students for the entire day? If not, what led to treating these students so differently?
Many refugee students have not had schooling experiences, so they may not have had the opportunity to hold a pencil or engage with teachers in formal ways. Unfortunately they have not developed literacy in their own language, which puts them at a real disadvantage. However, isolating them from other students who serve as role models for the language they are trying to learn is an error. Schenley is a high school that has English as a Second Language programs and teachers. A significant part of that teaching must include the opportunity to socialize with other students in formal class settings where they have opportunities to listen to native English speakers as they engage in conversations.
When students are essentially ostracized from others, fear of the unknown is engendered; and bullies are given a license to bully. Cultural barriers as well as language barriers are opportunities not problems. A commitment to create a caring and stimulating environment for all students regardless of background is much needed at Schenley, if the allegations are factual.
CECILIA GRIFFIN GOLDEN
CEO, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh
Downtown
No special rights
Questions must be raised regarding Michael McGough's May 16 column, "Bullied Pulpit," about clergy and religious organizations keeping tax-exemption while engaging in partisan politics.
Is this really a problem? We've had clergy members of Congress (the Rev. Robert Drinan, a Catholic priest from Massachusetts, served from 1971 to 1981). We've had clergy run for president (Pat Robertson, Jesse Jackson). At least one president, Rutherford B. Hayes, was an ordained minister. And can anyone claim there's a dearth of televangelists in the media venting their spleens about politics?
Why should clergy receive a "special right" which no other citizen has? Because they invoke a deity in their pontifications? If Mr. McGough or I or some corporation or union wished to start a political action committee, we could. But we could not claim tax-exempt status to do so. Clergy are entitled to the same rights as everyone else -- but no more than anyone else. Remember, it is the not-tax-exempt taxpayers who are picking up "slack" of the tax-exempt. Why should our tax money be used to enable tax-exempt televangelists push their agenda with which we may disagree?
Where exactly in the Constitution is the "tax exempt" clause? There isn't one. The First Amendment no more guarantees clergy the right to spout opinions tax-free than it allows me to scream out my opinions in a church on Sunday morning.
America has mostly avoided sectarian hatred and bloodshed by protecting the religious freedom of all against special privileges for the self-proclaimed "elect of God." Let's keep it that way.
LEO NAGORSKI
Shaler
A dangerous bend on Veterans Bridge deserves attention
Regarding the May 15 motorcycle accident on the Veterans Bridge ramp from Route 28 ("Penn Hills Man Dies in Motorcycle Wreck," May 16): I can remember at least three other motorcycle accidents at the same bend that resulted in a rider's death by being thrown over the side of the embankment. I know this bend very well. I know you must really concentrate on keeping your vehicle correctly positioned in the lane (be it a four-wheel vehicle or two) to remain in control.
I am not an engineer, nor do I profess to know the exact angle needed for correct "bank" on a turn. I do feel, however, this bend is not correct. There is not enough of a bank built into it. When you enter this bend, it pulls you to the outside toward the wall.
I believe there is a fix out there. Maybe install large flashing signs to reduce speed to a virtual crawl, fence in the entire bend or rebuild to eliminate the problem altogether. Yes, it may be expensive to correct and these are hard economic times. But the potential for future loss of life, I believe, outweighs the money concerns.
KEVIN PAUL BARRETT
Whitehall
