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PrintCollege's choice of Bush ignores Catholic values
I was stunned, saddened, then outraged by the front-page news that President Bush will give the commencement address at St. Vincent College ("Bush to Speak at St. Vincent College May 11," March 27).
Is what Mr. Bush and his henchmen stand for -- an unjust war, torture, secret prisons, Walter Reed's criminal neglect of maimed troops, countless deaths, vindictive leaks, Hurricane Katrina, Halliburton, environmental desecration -- consonant with the values imbued by a Catholic education? I learned otherwise during my 16 years in Catholic schools, which nurtured my mind and spirit.
May the self-satisfied smiles of Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki and college President H. James Towey (pictured on Page A-6) fade away after the college's April 17 town hall meeting, designed "to give students a chance to voice their opinions."
EILEEN COLIANNI
Oakmont
A contradiction
From my brief time as a minor seminarian at St. Vincent (Prep '68), I carried away an awareness that my life as a Christian/Catholic should always be informed by the teachings of Christ, encapsulated in the Beatitudes (Sermon on the Mount). This knowledge forced me, as a young soldier in Vietnam, to question the validity and honor of America's mission there.
After the war, as a private citizen, I again held the government to a standard inspired by the Gospels. On tax fairness. On education priorities. On respect for the environment, workers' rights, availability of health care and wise and prudent use of our military.
Reading that President Bush will address graduating seniors at St. Vincent, I am embarrassed at the choice of someone I feel is a contradiction of all the humility and fairness asked of us in the Gospels. If college President H. James Towey's hope is an increase in applications, he may well be pleased. But what a hateful enclave that beautiful campus may become.
KEVIN M. FLATLEY
Findley Lake, N.Y.
Poor selection
Why would St. Vincent College want to have President Bush speak there? For a Catholic institution to have a man who is responsible for the war in Iraq speak at its commencement is beyond me. I thought all life was sacred to the Catholic Church.
ED KERESTES
Kennedy
He's ruining us
I was sorry to hear that my alma mater, St. Vincent College, has chosen President Bush as its commencement speaker. I believe President Bush, with his Iraq war, has made a monumental blunder that jeopardizes world security.
Empires come and go. This American empire has been in existence for a mere two centuries. That is nothing in comparison to previous world empires. Yet, President Bush, his administration and others swept up in American vanity would will this country to doom.
I recommend that St. Vincent soon invite Chalmers Johnson to speak on the idea of American empire and why it is at risk, thanks in part to President Bush. Mr. Johnson is the author of a trilogy on empire: "Blowback," "The Sorrows of Empire" and "Nemesis."
BRUCE BRADEN
Carmel, Ind.
Disgusting Dems
How can the Democratic leadership look at themselves in the mirror? They claim to be on the side of our troops in Iraq while they undercut funding for them and send money (pork) to their farming constituents ("House Sets Iraq Deadline," March 24). That will bring the troops home sooner?
Just as our troops are bringing pressure to end violence, we fold and run. Fund the troops for all they need until a proper solution -- which balances our efforts against terrorism and our efforts to get Iraq running as a sovereign nation -- has been fruitful.
WILLIAM H. KISER
Glassport
Just being realistic
In reply to "We Want Victory" (March 27 letters): Nobody wants the United States to fail in Iraq, not Democrats, not even liberals. But what constitutes "victory"?
With or without our continued money and soldiers there, the consequences of "victory" or "failure" will be the same: a Shiite-run theocracy closely allied with Iran and Syria. It will eventually use its oil as a weapon against the United States, eventually share Iran's nuclear technology and eventually sprout its own Hezbollah faction (al-Qaida will move on).
What a fine mess Laurel and Hardy -- I mean Bush and Cheney -- have gotten us into. Do we really want to spend one more dollar or one more American life "to win this war"?
ART WILAND
Monroeville
A big difference
In discussing the current controversy over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, columnists David Brooks ("Meltdown at Justice," March 23) and Charles Krauthammer ("Having Created a Scandal Out of Thin Air, Gonzales Must Go," March 24) referred to President Clinton's "firing" of all 93 U.S. attorneys when his term began in 1993.
Each new president appoints U.S. attorneys of his choice, a long-standing procedure and the reason the positions are considered "political."
If Mr. Brooks and Mr. Krauthammer don't even know that, their contribution to the civic discussion is ignorance. If they do know that, they misrepresent deliberately. A great choice for your readers.
KEE SONG
Oakland
We're pressing on
In 2001 the World War II Veterans of Allegheny County Memorial Fund Inc. was formed. A contest was held and a design team selected. The city gave us a site on the North Side, and we prepared to commence fund raising. At the last minute someone raised an objection to the site we had been given and we were asked to select another site.
This meant bringing the designers back to view the new site and adjust their design. We were delighted with the new site and the new design. Now the approval process begins again.
Since 2001 things have changed significantly. Part of the North Side is now the North Shore and the value of land has risen astronomically. The approval process has become more complicated. We must first show our design to and seek the approval of the Sports & Exhibition Authority, the Riverlife Task Force, the Pittsburgh Arts Commission, the city planning director, the mayor and City Council. Somewhere in there we must touch base with the county chief executive.
Our recent experience manning a booth at the Home & Garden Show has reinvigorated us, and we wish to acknowledge the thousands who stopped by our booth and shared with us stories of their fathers (and mothers) who served in World War II. Unfortunately, most of them said their parents were deceased. Nevertheless, they encouraged us to keep going, and we want them to know that we intend to! For more information, write to: ww2memorial@comcast.net.
SHEILA CONLEY
Oakmont
The writer is chair of the publicity committee for the World War II Veterans of Allegheny County Memorial Fund Inc.
An asset to the city
The comments supporting Cmdr. RaShall Brackney in Monday's paper ("Police Commander: Smart, Tough, Embattled," March 26) left out one important quality: practical wisdom.
Whenever Cmdr. Brackney addressed groups in south Pittsburgh (where she was Zone 3 commander), she exhibited not only intelligence and professionalism but also a detailed vision of how things were and how they could be made better. She had the ability to present complex material in a simple way, yet one that could grow in depth as she interacted with the audience.
One hopes that the event that has brought her to the attention of the news will be placed in the context of her past and hopefully future contributions to the communities she serves so well.
ROBERT CAVALIER
South Side
Respected officer
With regard to Cmdr. RaShall Brackney: This woman does more for the community in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Furthermore, a woman supervisor of men has to be tough or she'll get no respect ("Police Commander: Smart, Tough, Embattled," March 26). The same behavior by a man wouldn't be an issue.
ERIKA P. KREISMAN
Squirrel Hill
Port Authority, take a page from retailers: Lower prices
Has anyone ever considered that it might be worth a try to lower the transit fares, rather than raise them every time there's a cash crunch? Probably not, since bureaucrats know only one way to solve a financial mess: Raise taxes or fares.
Obviously, cost-cutting is important. But why don't our esteemed public servants take a page from successful retailers and lower the fares to attract more riders? Perhaps, with escalating gasoline prices, drivers will leave their cars in favor of public transit.
It's certainly worth a try, even if it's counter to everything that local government holds dear.
HARRY CHODER
Squirrel Hill
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