Mr. Bush is rejecting all reason with this folly

Thank you, Mr. President, for adding the long-awaited sixth chapter to the great book by Barbara Tuchman titled "The March of Folly." In it, she says, "If pursuing disadvantage after the disadvantage has become obvious is irrational, then rejection of reason is the prime characteristic of folly." We've all heard the retired generals and other military experts tell us how this "war" is either being badly managed or is not winnable, yet again this rejection of reason helps this march to continue ("Bush Beefing Up Force in Iraq," Jan. 11).

Ms. Tuchman states that this phenomenon "noticeable throughout history regardless of place or period is the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interest." So, we are no different than the Trojans inviting in the wooden horse or the Renaissance popes selling their indulgences or the British in 1776 and ourselves in Vietnam.

Every ditch digger knows that this decision to send 20,000 more troops into Iraq is simply a rejection of reason and is contrary to our own best interest. So why do our educated government leaders continue to ignore what they themselves know to be a fundamental truth? It seems that once again history will repeat itself and folly will continue on its march. The wooden-headedness of our president and other government leaders is proof.

"No experience of the failure of his policy could shake his belief in its essential excellence." Ms. Tuchman included this quote from a historian about Philip II of Spain, and it applies to Mr. Bush. This rejection of reason, the prime characteristic of folly, lives on.

STEVEN McINTYRE
Mount Washington

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The people's wishes

All we've heard about for months is President Bush's popularity, or rather, how it is at a record low because the American public does not agree with his handling of the war in Iraq. I thought this issue was settled in November when complicit Republicans were voted out of power in Congress and when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned.

Yet, Mr. Bush's new plan to increase troop levels in Iraq ("Bush Beefing Up Force in Iraq," Jan. 11) is just more of the same strategy he's been using all along. There is no justification for escalating a war when we've been on the wrong track all along. I wholeheartedly support the efforts of Democratic leaders to challenge this escalation. The people made their voice heard, and if the president isn't going to listen, the Democratic Congress will.

MAHNAZ HARRISON
Fox Chapel

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Bush ignoring us

The American people sent a loud and clear message on Nov. 7: Extricate us from the disaster in Iraq! Since the president insists on ignoring the voice of the country, what can we, the citizens, do?

We have to rely on the representatives whom we elected to carry out our wishes. We have to keep reminding those representatives what they are in Washington to accomplish, and they must do everything within their power to bring a swift end to this terrible war.

ELIZABETH S. STERN
Oakland

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Trust in God

I was disappointed and frightened by the president's long-awaited address to the nation on Iraq ("Bush Beefing Up Force in Iraq," Jan. 11). His words will not leave one person in the entire world unaffected. Therefore, I hope he will feel my love and concern in writing.

The "new course" that he proposes for Iraq is flawed and will lead to disaster. It will bring more death and destruction to friends and enemies alike. Most of all, it leaves God out of the picture.

Mr. President, I respect you deeply. You are daily in my prayers. Even on TV, it is obvious how lonely you must feel, separated from your fellow Americans and from the entire international community. Millions of people would love to help you, and pray for you, if only you would reach out to them. This is why I want to humbly ask that, in this moment of world crisis, you lead our nation by putting your trust in God and not in our military superiority.

We cannot ignore the important lessons in the Bible. God wants leaders to lead in humility and compassion. When Jonah preached the word of God to Nineveh, the king himself rose from his throne and laid down his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. When God saw this humility, he relented from the disaster that he had planned to bring upon them (Jonah 3).

In Isaiah 1:15-16, the kings of Judah are warned sternly about leaving God out of the equation.

Mr. President, you profess to be a man of God. Show the world that the words of the prophets are still true today, and pray with us that God will not forsake our nation even in its darkest moment.

JOHANN CHRISTOPH ARNOLD
Senior Pastor
Church Communities International
Farmington

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Imperious politicians

I just read that the state House Republican caucus created a new position for the former speaker of the state House, Rep. John Perzel. This has the appearance of "good old boys" politics Pennsylvania is known for. The Jan. 10 article online ("GOP Gives Defeated House Speaker New Post") stated that as speaker emeritus, Rep. Perzel will have an office and staff of three or four people, which is larger than the one or two people of other rank-and-file lawmakers.

Actions like this are why there was a shakeup in the state elections in November. It looks like the message has not gotten through to the House Republican caucus. I am not sure at this point what it will take.

I was hopeful things would change, but those hopes have been dimmed to just a tiny flicker of light now.

KAREN LEIPOLD
Moon

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About stem cells

The choice of headline for a Jan. 8 article on the advantage of stem cells garnered from amniotic fluid -- "Substitute for Embryonic Stem Cells?" -- confused me. The word "substitute" implies that embryonic stem cell research is the standard to which to compare all other stem cell research. This seems illogical considering that the science of today tells us that embryonic stem cell research has been unsuccessful.

Even after more than 20 years and many millions of dollars spent, embryonic stem cells remain extremely difficult, if not impossible, to designate into the cell type needed and have not yielded even one therapy or treatment to benefit patients. Embryonic stem cell experiments routinely create tumors and require the intentional destruction of human embryos.

Alternately, however, for years we have been learning of the great successes and positive results from research using stem cells derived ethically from adults and pregnancy-related tissue. Currently there are more than 72 treatments or therapies using these stem cells to benefit people suffering from illnesses or injuries.

If we want cures for devastating illnesses and if we expect the government to be good stewards of our tax dollars, we should demand funding and support for avenues of research that are both ethical and effective.

We should stop wasting time and money on embryonic stem cell research and recognize that adult stem cell research has proved to be the standard bearer for effective stem cell medicine.

SUSAN RAUSCHER
Secretariat for Pastoral and Social Concerns
Diocese of Pittsburgh
Downtown

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Enjoy this break

To all the people out there who lately have been wondering with bated breath what happened to winter ... To all the members of the media who in their articles and broadcasts are pining for the snow and are worried that there will be no more snow ever ... To all those weather people who are wondering when it will begin to feel like January ... To all the Pittsburghers lamenting the unusually warm temperatures this season:

I ask all of you this question: Are all of you people out of your minds? Heaven forbid we have a winter where we don't have to worry about shoveling mounds of slop, sliding on bad roads and crashing, slipping on unwalkable surfaces or scraping ice from our automobiles. Be careful what you wish for and stop with this "where are you winter?" whining, already.

VINCE PONZIO
Mt. Lebanon

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Speaker Pelosi's unstatesmanlike moment

Looking at the Jan. 5 photo of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., America's first female speaker of the House, was embarrassing.

Granted she may have earned the position; however, this is the third person in line for running our government and she appears to be acting like an amateur rock star.

Where is the professionalism of the position? Has she become so enthralled with power that this is what we should expect to see from this individual who could lead our country?

Sorry, I expected more.

DANIEL M. FELTER
Coraopolis

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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.

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Can 'Seinfeld' help our president?

In the long re-running series "Seinfeld," one episode shows the frustration of George Costanza and his ability to deal with everyday life. After so many years of making the wrong decisions, perceived by him and his closest friends, George decides to do exactly the opposite of his first instincts with great results. He tells a beautiful blonde that he's unemployed and lives with his parents. This gets him a date because he's so honest and his friends are surprised.

All the years of spinning the situations or stretching the truth came down to one deciding moment, not to worry about what his friends think. All these years his instincts were wrong; those surrounding him only made him spin the truth.

Now let's leap to reality and the situation with our current president, who by coincidence is another George and seemingly always doing the wrong thing, at least in the eyes of the media and, according to the polls, a majority of Americans.

How can we get Condi, Dick or Tony to make the president watch this episode of "Seinfeld" and then tell George to try the opposite of his first instinct? Maybe this will help him in the polls and make the American people respect him again. Oh, that's right, the TV George is constrained by his writers, whereas the real George is constrained by his writers and his perceived place in history.

TIMOTHY POTINGA
Upper St. Clair

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Crony power

Regarding "GOP Gives Defeated House Speaker New Post" (Jan. 10 online story): It's only the beginning of January, and it is already politics as usual, even with the changes in Harrisburg.

I have to give the speaker emeritus -- Rep. John Perzel -- and his cronies kudos for their imaginative way of getting him additional staff and perhaps better office accommodations. He couldn't keep the speaker's position or office, so he and his flunkies came up with Plan B, a term that Pittsburghers are so familiar with and probably all hate to hear. In this case, it gives Rep. Perzel a new title since none of the other leaders would step down from their positions for him ? what nerve.

I guess it's worth it to his fellow cronies, oops, I mean representatives, to bend over backward to help him. As the story noted, "He also has expertise in raising campaign funds," which is, after all, why the taxpayers pay his salary. To translate: We pay him so he can raise money for himself and his buddies. Who's got it better than he? Isn't change grand?

HERB HENNELL
West Deer

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Mass transit mess

Nuts to the mayor, nuts to the Allegheny County chief executive, nuts to the gaming commission, nuts to Gov. Ed Rendell and a real special nuts to the Port Authority. Come on, to cut the bus routes by as much proposed is impossible and not feasible at any point ("Port Authority Cutbacks Biggest in History," Jan. 4).

You wanted to open Downtown, so sure, cut the bus routes by all means. Maybe if the drivers and management took a pay cut, and the politicians would stop playing around and open some casinos, you could cover some costs. You want to lease the turnpike? Lease the Port Authority.

This city can't keep a hockey team, can't run mass transit, can't open a casino, can't do anything that may benefit John Q. Public. What a laughable mess!

LEE CARNAHAN
Plum

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Failure to lead

Allegheny Chief Executive Dan Onorato keeps contending, after he and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl failed to lead on the Isle of Capri plan, that he will get the best plan for the region regarding a new arena. That plan is already gone. Mr. Onorato must have skipped the semester on the time-value of money in his accounting curriculum because it will take years to recoup the immediate influx of $290 million to this region, even if the lofty prospects of the Don Barden plan come to fruition. This region needs the money now, not 20 years from now, when the benefit of slots revenue to this region (not Harrisburg or Philadelphia) even approaches $290 million.

Officials also say Plan B will use "very little" public tax money. This statement may be literally correct, but it is misleading and disingenuous. A substantial portion of the Plan B funds for a new arena will originate from a $100 million "economic development fund" controlled by Gov. Ed Rendell that will be derived from slots revenues. This is money that could and should have otherwise been used for our property tax relief if the Isle of Capri plan had been adopted.

Mr. Onorato's failure to lead has minimized the future financial benefits slots would have brought to the region and put the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins in peril, too. He deserves to pay at the polls next year as does Mr. Ravenstahl. Their political backside-covering comes at the expense of the hard-working people of the region, not just their own municipalities, and has cost us all.

JOHN J. DOWLING
Cecil

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