Sen. Specter had a good reason to remain silent

The May 25 editorial "Off the Brink" criticized Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter for not announcing his position on the "nuclear" or "constitutional" option. It is not "absurd," as your editorial states, for Sen. Specter not to announce how he would have voted, had it come to a vote, because he had good reason to remain silent. There is too little of that practiced in Washington, D.C.

As the Judiciary Committee's chairman, Sen. Specter literally sits in the middle of strongly opinionated Republicans and Democrats. His ability to successfully arbitrate complicated issues addressed by the committee would be significantly compromised if his position on a highly controversial vote was unnecessarily divulged.

The Philadelphia Inquirer best described the senator's situation in their May 25 editorial stating, "the Republican senator was playing a game of wheels within wheels. Once enough GOP votes were lined up to avoid meltdown, he didn't have to stick his neck out and lose any leverage as Judiciary Committee chair."

Throughout the course of the debate on judicial nominations, Sen. Specter, in four separate floor statements, urged his Senate colleagues to ignore the "straightjacket" of party loyalty and vote their consciences. He argued that a vote on the constitutional option would ensure "mutually assured destruction" in the Senate.

Sen. Specter will continue his role as an honest broker -- working with both sides of the aisle -- because he believes it is not only in the best interest of the U.S. Senate but also in the best interest of the country.

BLAIN RETHMEIER
Press Secretary
Senate Judiciary Committee
Washington, D.C.

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Great guide

Thanks for the great May 22 article by Patricia Lowry called "A Glorious Heritage Written in Stone, Steel, Brick and Timber." It should be reprinted and made available in hotel lobbies and visitor centers. It has much meat in a small package and covers things we don't get in the usual flashy pamphlets handed out and called visitor guides.

BILL BRUNOT
Brisbane, Calif.
Editor's note: The writer is a native of Greensburg.

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Catholic doctrine

Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, Jr.'s screed "Seems Like Old Times" (May 31) -- bemoaning Rev. Tom Reese's forced resignation as editor of the Jesuit weekly America for straying from the tradition of Roman Catholic Church teaching -- is another example of misunderstanding of Catholic doctrine.

As any informed Catholic knows, Catholic doctrine comes both from Scripture and the Traditions (always with the capital "T") of the church. Together they comprise the Deposit of Faith, which Catholics hold to be the inspired word of God. The Traditions of the church are markedly different from traditions (small "t") in that they may not be changed or disregarded.

For example, it was the Tradition of the early church that served to clarify the teaching in the third and fourth centuries of what the Bible meant when it called Christ the Son of God. An example of a church tradition (small "t"), is priestly celibacy, which can be changed.

Mr. Dionne further selectively quotes the renowned religious historian Jaroslav Pelikan to support his position: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead... Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living." This quotation comes from Pelikan's book "The Vindication of Tradition" in which he "offers a moving and spirited defense of the importance of tradition" (Yale University Press).

W. GUENTNER
Pine

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Stop relay debate

Chuck Finder chose a strange comparison for the Penn Hills relay team's "second chance" at the 4x100-meter relay ("Debate Still Chasing Penn Hills Girls' Relay," May 27). Finder likens the relay to the botched baton pass for the U.S. women in the 2004 Olympics. I do not see the similarity in the two situations, since one was a qualification meet, and the other was the finals. If he wants to compare the three relay teams who scratched, making room for the Penn Hills girls, I think it more appropriate to compare them to Craig Stevens of Australia.

After Ian Thorpe (arguably the best distance swimmer in the world) disqualified at the Australian Olympic Trials, Craig Stevens offered his spot on the Olympic team to Thorpe. In the United States, people applauded the move. Why does an event at a state level have to be so debatable? We should be proud that there were 12 girls and three coaches who looked beyond the idea that winning is everything. Giving people a second chance to qualify happens more often than people think.

JARED ORTH
North Huntingdon

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Defending hybrids

I am writing in response to Matthew Clark's May 31 letter, "Hybrid Hype." Mr. Clark said he thought that hybrid cars were overrated and that some people were paying more than the sticker price. I own a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, which I purchased as new for $20,000. I average between 48-53 miles per gallon, highway, and about 44-48 mpg in the city. I use regular gas and have driven the car round trip to Florida twice. I have no complaints about my Honda Civic Hybrid.

Recently, my husband traded in his Volvo and purchased a new 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid for $21,000. He is very happy with his new car. We are able to save money on gasoline and drive cars that are better for the environment.

Mr. Clark and others are free to continue to drive large cars and SUVs. However, I suggest they stop whining about gasoline prices. Our country has to find a way to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. My husband and I are doing our part, and we suggest that it is time for others to do their part.

MARIE SEGAL
Worthington, Ohio

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Not welcome

What's this world coming to? Joyce Gannon wrote a May 27 article titled "Gays Welcome." She reports as if homosexual behavior is perfectly OK. Sexual contact between two people means between opposite sexes, not the same!

To write that this city is a "'welcoming and diverse' place for people with alternative lifestyles" is a disgrace. This city has enough problems; we don't need our normal kids to see this disgusting and abnormal behavior. Keep it in California.

BOB STAMER
Baldwin Borough

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Don't blame the homeless for blight

I am appalled at the use of such disparaging and disrespectful terms in your May 30 editorial "Beg the Question" about our street entrepreneurs. We are talking about people who for reasons unknown must rely on the goodwill of others to survive in our society.

You should describe the "real help" available to the homeless in Pittsburgh. Is it the type provided by the Murphy administration -- that is, a free property removal service that was devoid of any humanitarian care for their plight?

It is simplistic to blame the homeless for the run-down atmosphere Downtown. In Washington, D.C., New York and other major cities that are actually functional, the homeless and street entrepreneurs live side by side with housed entrepreneurs; and the separate groups appear to have formed a working relationship that permits all of them to make a living in a harmonious manner.

The real fault for the decay Downtown lies with the city fathers who could not attract businesses and who could not keep the businesses already there.

As for the Downtown Ministerium's Walk-in Ministry: Who needs religion with a cup of soup? Those people who resort to the streets need the compassion of a Christ, not the approach of wannabe do-gooders.

Your notion that we should call 911 to report aggressive begging smacks of Gestapo-style tactics and is contrary to everything that brought me to the United States from Northern Ireland -- namely, the ability to enjoy freedom. Such freedom includes my freedom to give cash to whomsoever I may, and the recipient's freedom to spend it however he or she decides.

PATRICK J. CORR
West View