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PrintAll political parties should play by the same rules
I will agree that Pennsylvania voters' choices are limited by ballot-access laws favoring Republicans and Democrats as indicated in the Post-Gazette ("Political Variety: Candidates Should Face the Same Petition Rules," Oct. 3). Factor in gerrymandered election districts, and the choice is often limited to one.
For the free and equal elections clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution to be truly enacted, the nominees of minor parties should be required to have the same number of signatures to be on the November ballot as those of the major parties, which is to say, none.
If the major parties wish to have a publicly funded nomination process, then it may be reasonable for candidates to demonstrate some support through signatures on petitions. The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania nominates candidates at its own expense.
A step in the right direction would be the adoption of the Voters Choice Act (www.Paballotaccess.org). This act would define minor political parties based on voter registration and help to give Pennsylvanians the choices they deserve for their elected representatives.
As a result of the current system, Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate Tom Martin must now run a write-in campaign, and I encourage voters to use this option to send an excellent representative of Pennsylvania to Washington.
MICHAEL J. ROBERTSON
Western Vice-Chair
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
Clarion County
Illogical suggestion
In regard to the Oct. 6 editorial "Meritorious Move: It's Time to Take Elections Out of the Sheriff's Office": Go ahead and throw the baby out with the bath water. That's the PG's solution to the problems in the Allegheny County sheriff's office.
When elected officials don't perform well, don't vote the official out of office -- get rid of the office itself. I can't see the logic here.
How is concentrating more authority in the hands of the chief executive of Allegheny County going to bring about an increased level of accountability and or significant savings to the public?
If doing away with the elected office is the answer to a bad public official, let's appoint a new U.S. president.
MARK YON
O'Hara
The writer is a juvenile court probation officer.
Not for the Amish
Regarding the Oct. 7 article "Amish Extend Hand to Family of Killer": What was the reporter thinking when she described the Amish act of establishing a fund for the killer's family as "unthinkable"? Perhaps what the killer did was unthinkable, until it happened.
Many of us struggle daily to live up to the teaching of great moral leaders through the centuries: forgiveness for those who have hurt us, as we ourselves would wish to be forgiven.
Give the Amish the respect they deserve and describe their act in words that convey the true meaning of what they are doing: courageous, honorable, inspirational.
ANNE WEBER
O'Hara
No credibility
The U.S. intelligence community told us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to our security. Now, the North Koreans had an apparently successful underground nuclear weapon test, and intelligence officials are telling us not to worry. North Korea, they say, does not have the capability to deliver nuclear weapons to American soil.
If I lived in California, I think I would be building a bomb shelter.
ED GRAHAM
South Strabane
What's the problem?
The PG's Moustafa Ayad is indignant that he was questioned by the FBI ("Me, Arab. You, Wholesome American Fearing for Your Life," Oct. 7 Saturday Diary).
He seems to know what the FBI should investigate. If it doesn't measure up to Mr. Ayad's standards, he'll just write about it in the paper. How unfortunate for the FBI agent that his name is in print, and everyone now knows he is a special agent.
What travesty exactly took place when Mr. Ayad was asked some questions in broad daylight, on a public street, and with witnesses?
How about not crying like a spoiled child and sucking it up? I'd bet that a burning individual jumping out of a World Trade Center tower would trade places with him in a minute. Or a soldier blown up in a roadside bomb might trade places with him, too
He always had the right to ask for a lawyer. How nice that he can joke and make light of the results from 9/11. The editor should have said to him prior to printing his piece, "Answer the questions without a trace of hostility, do not throw in a joke, and while in the land of milk and honey, everything can't and won't be used against you because you do have rights."
If the big, bad, mean FBI agent questions him again, he should let me know. I can purchase a one-way ticket to a better country for him, OK?
DIANNA MALITS
Baldwin Borough
Diary resonated
I wanted to write a small note of appreciation for Moustafa Ayad's Oct. 7 Saturday Diary ("Me, Arab. You, Wholesome American Fearing for Your Life"). I am very impressed with it on many levels, because it really struck a chord with those of us who do not often get to read the realities of what many of us in the Muslim community are facing on a day-to-day basis. And I am grateful that your newspaper provided a platform for allowing that to be effectively communicated.
NUSRATH AINAPORE
Outreach Program Director
Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
Oakland
A poignant salute
The Oct. 7 poem "Fringe Benefits" was awesome. It is obviously referring to World War II veterans, and the last paragraph, "Some still playing today in the 4th quarter with no time-outs," is heart-breaking.
My father-in-law is an officer at the West View VFW Post 2754, and every week there is at least one more funeral for a member. They have officiated at those of Pearl Harbor survivors, D-Day survivors and countless others who ensured that we all live in freedom.
We should all remember these words on Saturday, Nov. 11, when we honor all the "4th quarter players" whom we are blessed to still have with us.
God bless them and all our vets from every war.
KATHY SKALOS
West View
We receive more letters than we can fit into the limited space on the editorial page, so we'd like to share some additional letters with our Post-Gazette Web site readers.
City sideshow
The PG's front-page article "Mayor's Pick for Public Safety Stalled" (Oct. 10) shows that Pittsburgh has a long way to go to break free of the political nepotism that would be laughable if it weren't so detrimental to our region's development.
First, we learn that the new mayor may have nominated only a marginally qualified subordinate with close ties to his predecessor to be public safety director, a position that is also described in the article as being irrelevant. Then, we find that the nominee is accused of being involved in preventing discipline against a Pittsburgh police officer who happens to be the brother of his housemate.
A few paragraphs later, we learn that the police officer admits he calls off work to do side jobs, but that the problem is not that he called in sick when he wasn't, but that "there's no rule against it."
Later in the story we learn that the Water and Sewer and Housing authorities have recently hired the son and daughter of the very same public safety nominee's housemate, who is also a senior secretary in the mayor's administration.
Makes me want to move to town.
VAUGHN GILBERT
Elizabeth Township
Kim Jong Il's mission
Why must the Post-Gazette continue to politicize President Bush's actions against North Korea ("Put to the Test: Bush's Nondiplomacy Fails on North Korea," Oct. 11 editorial), when most sensible people realize Kim Jong Il cannot be dealt with diplomatically? Your editorial stated that Pyongyang wanted bilateral talks with Washington because of President Bush's inclusion of the North in the "Axis of Evil," and Jong Il's fear that they would suffer the same fate as Iraq.
That couldn't be more from the truth. Kim Jong Il has consistently wanted one thing from the United States: money -- and a lot of it. It is a consistently poor, communist country that has no hope of growth under Jong Il, a known pornography-loving murderer.
He realizes his country has no hope under the current government and needs the United States to bail it out. They have limited exports and force their fellow countrymen in the South to amass huge armies and weapons systems on their border to protect themselves from North.
How do you expect the United States to engage Pyongyang in fruitful discussions when North Korea's own mother country -- China -- refuses to deal with it bilaterally?
It is not President Bush's job to bring North Korea to the table for meaningful discussions, but instead Kim Jong Il's mission to prove to the international community that he is not what he portrays himself as: a reckless, dangerous and out-of-control maniac and dictator.
FRANCESCO ROSATO JR.
Brookline
We should talk to every nation
North Korea has, for the first time, detonated a nuclear bomb. The blame for this lies right at the door of President Bush and his government.
The Bush administration's over-the-top rhetoric and refusal to hold direct talks with the North Koreans has brought us all to this point. And its reason for not talking is just stupid; that speaking with North Korea will confer legitimacy, as if President Bush alone has the right and power to confer legitimacy on any foreign leader simply by meeting with him.
I would ask if there are any foreign leaders who have refused to talk directly to President Bush even though he has, alone among civilized Western nations, tortured prisoners? The answer, of course, is no. Intelligent leaders realize that the present is temporary and that the status quo is unlikely to remain intact for long. Direct talks are always desirable, even with our adversaries.
There should be no nation that we do not have relations with. I would argue that there are times that direct talks are even more important with our adversaries than with our friends. I am appalled that the policies of the Bush administration are so parochial and shortsighted that now we face a possible arms race in Asia.
We must talk to the leader of every nation regardless of ideology, even if we have to hold our nose. I'm sure many Europeans feel the same about talking to our own dear leader.
GARY E. KAMINSKI
Elizabeth Township
Well-prepared Swann
Gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann successfully debated incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell on Oct. 4. In fact, the governor was ill-prepared to address issues and, instead, sidestepped questions by citing irrelevant statistics.
Mr. Swann doesn't have a governing track record. Nevertheless, he was eloquent, unflappable and articulate. Gov. Rendell was a good speaker, also. However, the governor failed miserably outside of spewing rhetoric that made for good smokescreen material and made for bad substance.
DAVID MARKS
Duquesne
Grammar matters
If Pittsburgh wants to be taken seriously as a first-class city, perhaps its new young mayor should go back to grammar school.
It was downright shocking to hear him state on a TV news show, in regard to the then-rumored retirement of the police chief: "Him and I" will discuss it.
JEAN CAMPBELL
Sewickley
Embarrassing incivility
The great city of Pittsburgh has taken an undoubtedly ugly turn. The manner in which the union folks and some residents of a once-great city treated Gov. Jeb Bush was shameful ("Jeb Bush Gets Rude Welcome," Oct. 7). It was indecent, uncivil and gross. I am embarrassed for your city (for our country), for what it once represented to this country, for those protesters and the parents who raised those bums.
Where I come from, those people would be called "zeros," losers. I wish, I truly wish, that America will wake up and begin acting like a civilized nation once again. God help your city.
ROBERT GETZ
Deerfield, Ill.
Horrible rudeness
I have been thinking about the loss of civility in our nation and especially in these times.
I was appalled at the treatment that Gov. Jeb Bush received as he came here for a fund-raiser. What a treatment of a governor of another state, that in order for him to get away from the protesters, he had to go to the Wood Street Port Authority station and be put in a supply closet until the Port Authority police could get the protesters out of there. What a black eye for a city.
There are certain organizations that say they are peaceful, but when it comes to protest, that is a different story. I understand that the protest was civil in front of the Duquesne Club, but some of the citizens of Pittsburgh should be ashamed of themselves and their treatment of a governor from out of state. I think he is owed an apology from the new mayor.
MILDRED PFEIFER
Bethel Park
Grateful to Murtha
After our son John was killed in Iraq, U.S. Rep. John Murtha worked with us to get funding for more vehicular armor for the troops. It was what our son asked us to do just before he died.
It was important to us as a family that someone in Congress listen. Mr. Murtha took our call when many would not. His loyalty to men in the field, his integrity and courage in time of war reaffirms what is right and good about this country.
Please consider this when you vote in November. Swift-boaters are on their way, but you can recognize the difference between disloyalty and dissent. Mr. Murtha has our family's gratitude.
BRIAN T. HART
Bedford, Mass.
