This leniency just adds to the Bush stench

Anthony Buzard's comments ("Political Hit Job," July 6 letters) are emblematic of what is wrong with right-wingers in this country. In railing against the PG's supposed "left slant," Mr. Buzard omits a few choice facts. Regarding the "pardon" of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby: There hasn't been one, at least, not yet. But I won't hold my breath hoping there won't be. Nonetheless, a commutation is not a pardon.

Regarding Marc Rich: Mr. Rich never served in the Clinton administration. It is the leniency shown a convicted Bush administration official that has so many people incensed. If Mr. Libby were just another run-of-the-mill felon, the outcry would not be so great. But by treating an administration felon differently from the everyday felon, Mr. Bush added to the stench of cronyism and corruption surrounding his government.

Regarding justice in Washington, D.C.: Mr. Buzard rails against the "Democratic" citizens thereof. But if Mr. Bush is to be believed, he took issue not with the jury's verdict but with the sentence imposed by the judge -- whom Mr. Bush himself appointed. Mr. Bush had reportedly admired Judge Reggie B. Walton for his "tough on crime" stance -- I guess that's not what right-wingers want when it's one of them who's the convicted criminal.

I am sick to death of all the Republicans crying over "poor Scooter" and his family. The man was a highly paid, allegedly intelligent lawyer who should have known better than to lie to a grand jury. He could have easily avoided this whole mess by telling the truth in the first place. Instead, he chose to lie and should suffer the consequences.

DIANA SLIVINSKA
Ingram

---

For justice's sake

Rather than commute I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence ("Bush Spares Libby From Jail," July 3), perhaps President Bush and Vice President Cheney should have divvied it up and each served 15 months of it for him.

ROBERTA S. PREVADE
Robinson

---

Renegade veep

I'm writing with reference to Maureen Dowd's "Dick Cheney, Unto Himself" column (June 25). Dick Cheney's arrogant behavior and attempts to bypass congressional requests for information regarding accountability are of great concern.

What is even more vexing is that the majority of citizens are not outraged enough to call for his impeachment. Mr. Cheney may have found a legal loophole, but his actions defy the very spirit of our great Constitution. Our Constitution was specifically engineered to prevent a division of the government from behaving unilaterally without accountability to the other branches of government.

Mr. Cheney declares himself to be a special entity that can operate in the most covert manner without accountability to anyone. How outrageously contemptible of him! His behavior must not be allowed to go unchallenged. Regardless of his political affiliations he is an elected official and accountable to all the citizens of this country. That includes operating within the law, in the spirit of the Constitution and making information available so that citizens can determine whether his actions are acceptable to those who elected him to office.

JOHN BROBST
Marshall

---

Budget bungling

I am amused and yet angered that the politicians of Pennsylvania can't seem to get their heads together to pass a state budget ("Legislators Still Mired in Budget Disputes," July 6), yet they had no problem getting their collective heads together to pass an illegal pay raise in just a few hours.

Did we forget the pay raise?

BOB MABEN
Finleyville

---

Don't rush it

Two years out, many people still haven't learned the right lesson from the infamous pay raise. By calling for the General Assembly to deal with a last-minute legislative package that entails not only finalizing the budget but also passing a host of other legislative items creating massive new expenditures, the editors are not calling on legislators to "prove" that they have taken that lesson to heart, but rather asking them to repudiate it ("11th Hour," July 5 editorial).

The Post-Gazette proposes adopting a statewide indoor smoking ban that poses a very real threat to the economic viability of many restaurants and bars, passing an expensive and poorly vetted transit proposal that may not even be legal, embracing an energy plan that creates new costs for consumers and grants authority to direct alternative energy "corporate welfare" funding to a handful of political appointees and allocating $225 million over 30 years to the construction of a new arena for the Penguins -- by Sunday evening.

Our legislators owe it to their constituents to take a step back and consider these and other proposals carefully, not rush to get them all through in time for a summer break. If there's a lesson from the 2005 debacle, it's that conducting the state's business right -- with due consideration, transparency and sufficient time for constituent response -- is far more important than doing it fast.

JARED WALCZAK
Research Intern
Commonwealth Foundation
Harrisburg

---

Smoking ironies

I found it ironic that one of the people who was interviewed by the Post-Gazette for the story regarding the smoking ban at the hospitals ("Hospitals Begin Tough Smoking Ban," July 2) was outside smoking a cigarette while her son was inside battling cancer. What will she do when he goes home? I surely hope that she has enough sense to smoke outside.

I do not smoke, and I cannot imagine that sort of habit, but I can guarantee that if one of my children was fighting a life-threatening illness, the last thing that I would be thinking of is feeding my own addiction.

JENNIFER STEBERGER
Millvale

---

Lazy litterers

I park at Station Square and walk across the Smithfield Street Bridge on my way to work. I cannot begin to describe my anger at what I saw on my walk into work Thursday.

If you are willing to carry your cigarette pack while it has cigarettes in it, can you not be willing to carry it a little longer, empty, until you find the next garbage can? If you were willing to carry your fast-food meal to your perfect spot to watch the fireworks, could you not muster the strength to carry the empty bag to a garbage can? You bought a glow-in-the-dark necklace for your child; is the message that it is OK to leave the packaging sitting on the ground a good message for your child?

Station Square has garbage cans at various locations, so I am at a complete loss as to the litter people left strewn about. Without the garbage cans, I can only imagine how much worse it could have been, or perhaps I don't need to imagine it. The walk across the bridge was even worse. It is these times I am embarrassed to say I am part of the human race.

Imagine, Mayor Bob O'Connor actually felt Pittsburghers were going to be able to help him "redd up."

CHUCK BITTNER
Valencia

---

We welcome your letters. Please include your name, address and phone number, and send to Letters to the Editor, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222. E-mail letters to letters@post-gazette.com or fax to 412-263-2014. Letters should be 250 words or less, original and exclusive to the Post-Gazette. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity and accuracy and will be verified before being published.

---