It's time to heed Pope John Paul II's wisdom

Recently, we experienced the tragic milestone of 3,000 U.S. soldiers killed in the Iraq war/occupation. It is tragic beyond words. We have lost so much in this war Pope John Paul II called "immoral, illegal and unjust."

We lost the good sense to say that a pre-emptive war is asinine. We lost our moral compass in trying to defend the killing of innocent Iraqi civilians numbering anywhere between 50,000 and more than a million, depending on your source. We lost our nation's soul by having our soldiers kill in our name for purposes we could not and cannot validate.

And now George W. Bush wants to increase the spending for the war to create a "surge." This seems more like an act of a desperate gambler than a statesman. This is not strategy; it is insanity. Call it a "surge," call it a "final push," call it whatever pleasant phrase you like, but what we will end up with is more brutal killing, of our own and others, with no end in sight.

Pope John Paul II said, "Violence and weapons can never resolve the problems of man." George W. Bush should heed this wisdom. We should beg forgiveness for the devastation we have wrought. We should repent. We should vow never to initiate a pre-emptive war again. As lessons go, this one has left a lot of lives in its wake. Have we learned our lesson yet? God, I hope so.

SCOTT FABEAN
Mt. Lebanon

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Get us out

I totally agree with Thomas L. Friedman's Jan. 4 column, "A Hanging, a Funeral: Final Rituals for Saddam and Ford Underscore the Need for the U.S. to Get Out of Iraq." The time has come for our troops to come home.

There will never be an end to Iraq's war. It's apparent that the Iraqis want to run their own country -- why not let them? We need to realize that and bring our courageous men and women home to prevent any further loss of life. To continue to send more troops is senseless and unnecessary. President Bush, the time has come. "Bring our troops home!"

SHARON SCHNEIDER
Shaler

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Focus on transit

I think Allegheny County and the city of Pittsburgh need to get their priorities straight. It is unbelievable that trying to find funding for new stadiums and getting casino gambling are more important than preserving public transportation resources.

If I can't get to work, I lose my income, and if I don't have an income, how will I even be able to buy a ticket to watch a hockey, baseball or football game, let alone have the means to walk into a gambling casino?

LOUISE WILSON
Oakland

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Step up, Mr. Barden

Dec. 20 started out unlike most winter days -- the sun was shining, the temperature balmy -- but by 11:50 a.m. the sky turned an ugly gray and an inescapable winter depression set in. This was the hour we learned the Isle of Capri lost its bid for Pittsburgh's lone slots license. It truly was a dark hour in Pittsburgh's history because the majority of its inhabitants supported the Isle of Capri plan.

But if we live in the past, we have no future! Therefore it's time to move on and congratulate Don Barden of PITG Gaming for his winning bid. Mr. Barden, my hat's off to you! Your approach was brilliant; you calmly sat back and allowed the Isle of Capri supporters to slay a giant in Harrah's, then upped the ante by promising Hill residents redevelopment. But with each victory come new challenges, and your latest is no different. So ask yourself, do I leave a large percentage (70 to 80 percent) of the populace feeling bitter, or do I offer an olive branch and truly mirror the Isle of Capri plan?

History also requires leaders, yet some of our elected officials were absent for this historic event. Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said he would not choose one plan over another, fearing the winner of a plan he did not back would be unwilling to work with the county. Mr. Onorato, your rationalization is inexcusable; it is your duty to make a decision, and the winner of the slots license has everything to lose by being uncooperative.

ED ROHM
Ross

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Awaiting more taxes

I am so excited to hear the terms and conditions of "Plan B" for a new arena ("New Arena Hopes Advance on 2 Fronts," Jan. 6). Let me guess: sales tax will increase to 8 percent, realty transfer taxes will increase, courthouse recording fees will increase, local income tax will increase, obtaining a license for your pet will increase, etc.

I can't wait to pay more in taxes for yet another sporting venue that I'll never step foot in.

LIN STEFFANUS
Sheraden

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New possibilities

Thank you for keeping the issue of women clergy in the public eye with Ann Rodgers' piece on Jan. 2 ("Faiths Seeing Wider Spectrum of Female Clergy"). As part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests' Initiative, I would like to comment.

1. We Roman Catholic Womenpriests want to avoid clericalism and renew how ministry is done. One way to do that is have other means of financial support. We hope to live well to minister, not to minister to live well.

2. God language is still an issue. Catholic teaching (section 370 in the Catechism) is specific that God has no gender; therefore, insistence on male language for God comes from a patriarchal ideology. Personally I use language in prayer that does not distract the hearer.

3. Catholic teaching excluding women from the clergy is intentionally complex. The maleness of the 12 apostles (mentioned in the article) is only one of the "convergent indications" created 30 years ago knowing that no "indication" could stand on its own. In 1976 the pope's own biblical commission stated that there is no scriptural basis for excluding women from ordination, and we can be sure it knew the story of the 12 apostles. This teaching is a house of cards.

Women clergy bring new possibilities for cooperation among religious communities where we can find common ground. I look forward to this continuing development.

JOAN CLARK HOUK
McCandless

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Big trouble ahead

Your Dec. 29 editorial "The Dismal Dollar" does not adequately describe the economic harm Americans could experience within the next few years. The director of the International Monetary Fund said the U.S. absorbs 70 percent of the world's external savings. Yet the current accounts deficit (U.S. indebtedness to foreign entities) doubles every five years. This obviously cannot continue.

Deutsche Bank warned that capital flows into the United States could dry up, causing the U.S. dollar to plummet, interest rates to increase, stock markets to dive and a downward spiral of this chain reaction. Alan Greenspan speculated that foreigners would pull their money out, causing the dollar to sink and stock markets to plunge. Americans would pay higher interest rates at the worst possible time, and the U.S. economy could lurch to a halt. The IMF warned of "significant risks" to the entire global economy. It warned that the U.S. net external debt could equal 40 percent of its total economy within a few years -- an unprecedented level of external debt for a large industrial country.

Underfunding for Social Security and Medicare at the same time as the exploding external debt makes the fiscal outlook far grimmer. The Institute for International Economics and Robert E. Rubin support the IMF outlook. Warren Buffett said that the United States is destined to become not an "ownership society" but a "sharecropper society."

About the only people disagreeing with all this are in the Bush administration. They could lose their jobs if they spoke differently.

BRUCE SUNDQUIST
Monroeville

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Justice demands no skimping

I write in response to the Jan. 5 article "Public to Pay $465,270 Tab in Moonda Case." While this dollar figure may sound large, I believe that it is reasonable for taxpayers to foot this bill. Indeed, I'm glad about it.

Donna Moonda is on trial for her life. Death penalty jurisprudence is extremely complex and demanding. At least two lawyers, plus a psychiatrist, a mitigation specialist and perhaps other investigators are necessary to mount a competent capital defense.

A capital defendant advances through a series of one-way doors. If certain legal arguments are skipped at trial, those doors slam shut. Appeals are not "do overs." Legal strategies that are lost at trial are usually lost forever. It is crucial, in capital trials most of all, to get it right the first time.

Those who oppose capital punishment, or oppose the way it is administered in this country, can be supportive of these expenditures. Those in favor of the death penalty should be supportive too. If Ms. Moonda is convicted, she will almost certainly appeal. Being able to show that she received competent representation would cut off arguments that her conviction should be overturned because of ineffective assistance of counsel.

A half-million dollars might sound high, but constitutional rights -- like a defendant's right to the effective assistance of her lawyers -- are expensive. I am glad to live in a country where a judge can choose to enforce a defendant's rights, despite their cost.

PAIGE H. FORSTER
Regent Square

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