It makes no sense to tip off potential thieves to cameras

Your July 25 editorial "On Camera: Employees Being Watched Should Know in Advance" about hidden cameras and their effect on employees is inspirational for all the thieves in this great nation.

If a thief is working for me and I attempt to identify him by use of cameras, your thought is that this is wrong. You want me to alert this person to the use of this investigative tool so that he or she will not steal during this time and after a while go back to the practice of stealing after the cameras are no longer there.

I wonder if your thought process is anywhere near that of the criminal who steals, robs, rapes or murders innocent victims on a daily basis and then expects forgiveness just by the use of the words, "I'm sorry."

I believe that the common good of all men outweighs that of a single person whose only intent is to commit a crime. It takes a court order to install cameras in any bathroom, dressing room or any place where privacy is expected without placing a notice advising of the presence of cameras in that area.

Please inform the person writing the editorial to leave the apprehension of felons to professionals and stick to writing liberal doctrines and articles that they are good at.

DALE B. LARSON
Peters

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Other ways

Joan Clark Houk, scheduled to be "ordained" a Catholic priest on July 31, has chosen a path of disunity ("A Challenge to Catholicism," July 12 Magazine). There are other ways of making your views known.

As a woman in the church I do not feel thwarted in my ministry because I cannot be ordained. The wonderful ministry that Joan has had within the church belies her claim that priesthood is needed to reflect the image of Christ to others. The ordained clergy are a minority called to sacramental leadership as deacon, priest, bishop or pope. My question to Joan is should that be something she seeks? In Philippians we read that "Jesus, even though He was equal to God did not deem equality with God as something to be grasped but rather He emptied Himself .... and became obedient even to death on the cross." Humility, self emptying, obedience, submission are the hallmark of someone following in the footsteps of Christ.

True reform can only come from within. Separation wounded the body Christ and today we have a fractured Christendom. Did women bring about reform within the church? Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Sienna were two among many.

Our greatest dignity is being baptized into Christ, the priest, with the right to worship, teach and lead. Every baptized Christian exercises this according to their call in life. I sympathize with Joan's feelings but I think she is wrong in her choice, being led by her spirit and not the spirit of God.

BERNICE DUMITRU
Director of Faith Formation
Church of the Resurrection
Brookline

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Self-righteous vote

Given the choice between tossing unused fertility clinic embryos into the garbage can or using them in the hope of finding cures for dreaded diseases, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum prefers the former ("Stem Cell Bill OK'D: Bush Set to Veto Lifting of Curb on New Colonies," July 19).

That alone should be enough to compel all Pennsylvania voters, Republican and Democrat, to vote against him in the general election and thus prevent him from doing more harm.

Mr. Santorum is, in essence, telling victims of diseases for which stem cell research offers hope, "I prefer that early-stage embryos be tossed away rather than used for medical research that might help you live. A tiny clump of a few cells destined for the garbage can is more important than you."

On behalf of people (not myself) suffering from Parkinson's and other diseases for which stem cell research holds hope, I implore Pennsylvanians to vote against Mr. Santorum and his poisonous self-righteousness in this fall's general election.

PATRICK PONTICEL
Coraopolis

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Sick of selfishness

Even as a registered Republican, I don't know if I can make it till November listening to Rick Santorum spending millions of K Street money on TV ads trying to reshape in the voters' minds his dismal political career.

Does Sen. Santorum expect us to believe that he is in the corner of the working man? He is behind big business and tax breaks for the wealthiest. We all know by now what he stands for -- corporate interests, self-interest and Bush interests. What a lackey. I hope no one in Pennsylvania is fooled by this arrogant, self-righteous, misguided phony. If in doubt, ask the residents of Penn Hills.

Let's make Mr. Santorum's defeat in November our last stand against yes-men who can't think for themselves and those who buckle under the weight of special interest money and political favors.

It's time to take our country back from the selfish, self-serving sycophants who prowl the halls of Congress, whether they're Republican or Democrat, and elect people who are honest and real. Is that asking a lot?

THERON AIKEN
Carnegie

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For nursing moms

Regarding the July 22 letter "Injustice to Babies": Only in America would breast-feeding be a controversy.

The U.S. government is spending $2 million on an ad campaign to promote breast-feeding, one with a pregnant woman logrolling and another with a pregnant woman riding a mechanical bull with the comment, "You wouldn't take this kind of risk with your baby, so then why take the risk of not breast-feeding." This is as ridiculous as it gets. America has one of the lowest breast-feeding rates of any industrialized country, and this sort of campaign is not going to help.

Although doctors, scientists and even the baby formula industry all agree mother's milk is best, not all mothers choose to, or can, nurse.

It is disgraceful that letter writer Maria Notaro was shown such disrespect at the Allegheny County Courthouse for doing what the U.S. government is promoting. What happened here is also an injustice to nursing mothers.

I do have one suggestion for mothers who have to nurse in public: It can be done in a way that is not revealing.

JANICE WHITE
DuBois

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Paying for what?

I don't know how many years ago I signed up with Comcast. All I do remember is that I paid $8 a month. I realize, like everything else, the price for TV service has continued to go up.

With Comcast, however, I am now paying seven times that much with very little difference except a mailbox full of its promotions and every channel, day and night, touting what wonderful service I'm not getting.

JAN PISHOK
Jefferson Hills