Maureen Dowd pauses from bashing Bush? Incredible!

I was cruising my way through the Oct. 12 Post-Gazette, got to the Perspectives page and just about needed the Heimlich maneuver as I choked on my English muffin.

Turns out that, get this, Maureen Dowd wrote an column about something other than what nauseating disgraces George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are ("Victimized by Gender"). Thought I was in the Twilight Zone. Why, why, Maureen?

So I reread the other sections more carefully and found that the federal deficit is at a four-year low ("Deficit Reaches Four-Year Low," National Briefs, Oct. 12). So could it be that President Bush, roundly and unrelentingly bashed by Ms. Dowd and the PG, might have done something positive and freaked Maureen into writing about something else? Maybe Iraq spending and the ever-despised "tax cuts for the rich" are not actually sending the country into a financial hellhole?

Since Mr. Bush is the worst president of all time and never does anything right (correct, Maureen; correct, Post-Gazette editorial board), I concluded it must have been a typo.

Tell you one thing, though. I'm sticking with Cheerios from now on.

JAMES F. CATALDI
Moon

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A good governor

How dare those protestors be so rude to our governor, Jeb Bush ("Jeb Bush Gets Rude Welcome," Oct. 7). He's not his big brother George nor is he his father, the other George.

Jeb Bush has done an outstanding job in this state, and more than that, he is a nice man, a family man, and is sincere. He lands at the site of a hurricane as soon as a plane or chopper can get in. He works with other volunteers. He has a real family with real problems of today's world. He is not a person who should be afraid to go anywhere because of protesters. What a shame.

By the way, Jeb Bush is a Republican. I am a 60-year-old Democrat.

SHARON TURK
Largo, Fla.

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Why do you?

The Oct. 4 letter by Catherine McGrory ("Why They Hate Us") was a pathetic attempt to again "blame America first." While we should be getting used to this from the left, such a horrible view of America never feels very comfortable, especially when it is so misguided.

Ms. McGrory has forgotten that it was the efforts of the United States that freed the people of Afghanistan from the tyranny of the Taliban. She has forgotten that the women of Afghanistan now have the right to vote and are now protected by laws that do not allow their fathers or husbands to kill them. She might have missed the WorldPublicOpinion.org poll late last year that showed that 81 percent of Afghanis were favorable to the U.S. military action that continues to keep them free.

While I would never lay claim to remembering all of the news I read, I certainly recall the important parts. I remember that the United States removed an evil dictator from power in Iraq who murdered hundreds of thousands of Muslims. I recall that we removed the threat of his sons who were famous for torture and rape rooms and were responsible for thousands of Muslim deaths themselves.

Our efforts to establish free societies, for whatever reason you attribute them (WMDs, oil, water, revenge), have saved more Muslim lives from their oppressors than any other effort in the last 100 years.

The question, Ms. McGrory, is not why Muslins hate America, the question is: "Why do you?"

ROGER ADAMIAK
O'Hara

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Invisible handicaps

Regarding the Oct. 9 letter "Handicapped Parking Spaces Are For People Like Me. (Care to Trade Places?))" by Gail Bouvy: Give me a break. You don't know me -- or people like myself with invisible disabilities, who are in need of parking spaces noted for persons with handicaps. You can't see a person's heart condition, degenerative arthritis, specific birth defects or any other types of disorders that require special (parking) help, but do not need "some kind of device to get around or use oxygen"

You don't know what kind of pain people endure every day for different reasons. To say, "If you can shop without using a device, a few more steps to the car will not hurt you." And how do you know that? Perhaps those few steps and the closeness of the car, may make all the difference in the world to someone with a disability. I have hidden disabilities and you would hate me if I parked in a designated space. So I ask again, "Do you know me?" I think not, so chill.

Surely those who park there illegally are dead wrong, no doubt about it. I actually agree with your last paragraph about people who park in such spots and are not handicapped "are no better than a thief," but you are wrong on the other counts. Would you like to see my doctor's report if we should meet up in a parking lot one day? I don't always use such spots, but there are days when I am most grateful for them.

VIVIAN ROBINSON
Point Breeze

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Don't assume

In response to the Oct. 9 letter "Handicapped Parking Spaces Are For People Like Me. (Care to Trade Places?)": Just as you can not judge a book by its cover, you cannot make assumptions about able-bodied individuals at handicapped parking spaces.

My parents are disabled. My father suffered a stroke and has a completely paralyzed arm and a partially paralyzed leg. He walks using a cane and his balance and speed are issues for concern. Sometimes a few steps can be a big deal. My mother lost her lower leg this past February and part of her foot this June. She moves from place to place sliding on board into a wheelchair.

As their helper, I can find myself alone at their car in a handicapped space. A common scenario is that we drive from our respective homes to meet at Monroeville Mall. I park and stand at the curb. My father pulls up and my mother gets into her wheelchair. We enter the mall while he parks. If he can find a handicapped space, he uses it.

If their purchases are cumbersome, then I take the packages to the car. Yes, there I am, able-bodied and at a handicapped parking space. Perhaps my mother starts to feel poorly and we want to move quickly, I push her to the entrance and get the car. My father catches up.

SUE MELLON
Plum

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Plates, not placards

In response to the Oct. 9 letter about handicapped parking spaces: I completely agree with the writer. I have a 8-year-old child in a wheelchair. I have had many elderly people shake their fists and wave their arms at me as I am pulling into a handicap parking space. Even though they might be elderly, they still can drive and walk. Also on the other end of the spectrum, I have seen many younger people throw the window placard on their mirror, jump from their car and enjoy the short walk to the store.

I think we need to go after the source -- the doctors who are signing forms for people that don't need them. Just because you are elderly or have had foot surgery, does not warrant the need for a handicap placard. The state is also to blame. You should only be able to get an actual handicap license plate. If you are taking a handicapped person shopping and you don't have a handicap plate, drop the person off at the door and park in a regular space.

When I applied for a handicap plate, I was told since the person cannot own a vehicle yet because of her age, only a placard can be issued. The state needs to change their procedures, and the doctors need to stop issuing placards to people who don't need them.

DEBBIE NEVEL
Baldwin Borough

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The Route 65 wake-up call: No more runaway development

My thanks for two recent opinion pieces -- "We Told You So" by Molly T. Lundquist, Midweek Perspectives Sept. 27; and "Pennsylvania: Loser in a Landslide," Brian O'Neill Sept. 28 column -- regarding the Route 65 landslide. They both told it like it is when it comes to runaway development in Pennsylvania.

It is past time for our officials to put the public good before the whims of developers and to stop the use of public dollars and other resources to subsidize these irresponsible plans.

I fear it is going to take more than a comprehensive county plan on paper to solve the problem -- it will take an enormous amount of political will to actually live by it.

Look at New Jersey, which already has a state plan designed to direct and balance growth with conservation; local officials still unbelievably allow development to occur even in environmentally sensitive areas like the Meadowlands, despite packed public meetings.

APRIL CLISURA
Greenfield