Text Size:
A|
A|
A
Email
PrintThe mayor hobnobs when he should be elsewhere
While reading last Sunday's letters, I was aware of the importance of context, a concept many people seem wont to ignore.
Letter writer C. Englert asks what Mayor Luke Ravenstahl "is actually guilty of," oversimplifying the criticism of his priorities ("Stop Trying to Find Fault With the Mayor," July 8). There is nothing wrong with golfing, unless of course, you have sold yourself to be the "people's mayor," having plastered your face all over the city, and then opt for a leisurely (if ethically questionable) round generously gifted by UPMC, instead of listening to citizens on the serious subject of domestic violence.
A trip to New York? Why not? Oh, right. The trip was with billionaire Ron Burkle, who has a stake in the new arena. Remember that it was the Hill District leaders, whose community will be greatly impacted by the new arena, who were stood up for this adventure.
The letter writer's suggestion of jealousy as motivation for criticism is absurd and intellectually insulting to those who do not take ethical breaches lightly when viewed in the proper context.
To Mr. Ravenstahl: Enjoy hobnobbing with the "big shots"; just be wary of the "little guys" you dismiss in your rush to the fairways. Have the courtesy to, at least, feign interest in our concerns.
To letter writer Dave Paolicelli, who thinks playing golf is "the diplomatic thing" ("Good for the City," July 8): I believe the women of this city would agree that actively addressing domestic violence is a wiser form of diplomacy.
TANYA BENNITT
South Side Slopes
Turkey's choice
In response to Ronald H. Linden's "Defining Turkey," ("The Next Page," July 1), Turkey's political system is not exactly "democratic and tolerant." The government is partially democratic because, as mentioned, the military is responsible for four coups since 1960 and has threatened to intervene twice since 2002. Unlike democracies of the European Union, which maintain civilian control over their militaries, the Turkish military sits outside the civil authorities. This provides greater control over politics and means that whenever "Turkishness" is threatened, the military may intervene.
Next, the government is anything but tolerant. For example, Article 301 of the penal code, "Insulting Turkishness," is a serious offense. Professor Linden did not mention that charges were filed against Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk for merely stating, "30,000 Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in these lands and no one but me dares to talk about it." It is difficult for minorities to open a church, and the Greek Orthodox theological seminary of Halki remains closed.
Lastly, Turkey's ultranationalism remains a significant problem. For example, Hrant Dink, an Armenian writer in Turkey was assassinated because he was Armenian. The Greek Orthodox ecumenical patriarch receives daily threats because he is ethnically Greek.
These minorities are Turkish citizens and deserve to be treated as equals according to the Turkish constitution. Turkey has potential; after Mr. Dink's assassination, 1 million Turks marched in solidarity at his funeral. Will the Turkish government continue to be compelled by ultranationalist factors or will it adhere to a modern democratic political system that rightfully belongs in Europe?
PHILLIP SOFIS
Mt. Lebanon
Turkey saved them
Ronald Linden's "Defining Turkey" (July 1) has really done justice to its subject matter with a balanced treatise of many issues that modern Turkey faces.
However, Turkey's partial occupation of Cyprus was stated with not much of an explanation of why, perhaps for keeping the article concise. This might leave your average reader with a terribly wrong impression that Turkey simply has been flexing its muscles over a small neighboring nation.
What has taken place is that Turkey simply saved the Turkish Cypriot population from being wiped out. By international law, Turkey was one of the three guarantor countries to ensure the independence and the bicommunal constitutionality of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey invaded the northern part of the island on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot population that comprised 10 to 15 percent of the island's inhabitants. Turkish Cypriots were violated and marginalized beginning shortly after the creation of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960.
In 1974, however, they were at the brink of a total "ethnic cleansing," to use a contemporary term, after the Greek soldiers in the island threw out the civilian government, and were reportedly days away from annexing the island for the Greek junta government. The intentions of ethnic cleansing of the island from the Turkish Cypriots became obvious with the ultimate discovery and verification by the United Nations of several mass graves of missing Turkish Cypriots.
Had it not been for the intervention by the Turkish troops, the whole Turkish Cypriot population could have been wiped off the map of Cyprus.
KENAN CETIN
Green Tree
Ridiculous party line
Once again Jack Kelly shows that he is merely a flack for the Bush administration ("On Libby, Hypocrisy Rules," July 8 column). If there is any hypocrisy about I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's pardon, it is on the part of Mr. Kelly and the administration.
Railing against pardons granted by President Clinton, Mr. Kelly shows he still buys into the idea that there is no statute of limitations on blaming Bill Clinton -- as though they think that "because he did it we can do it." This from an administration that was going to bring higher morality to Washington.
I don't believe any of President Cinton's pardons were granted to individuals who were still active in government or his administration.
President George H.W. Bush granted pardons, too, some of which went to men guilty of participation in the Iran-Contra scandal. Was Mr. Kelly outraged by these pardons? I'll bet he was not.
Mr. Kelly states it was not a crime to disclose Valerie Plame Wilson's identity since she hadn't been covert for more than five years. I do not believe it is CIA practice or government policy to publish lists of former undercover agents. Does he think no harm could come to sources she had in various countries who are still working there?
If this outing had happened under a Democratic administration Mr. Kelly would have howled in outrage. Who is the hypocrite?
KENNETH L. KAUFMAN
Bethel Park
Pardon hypocrisy
Jack Kelly's July 8 column asks: "Where were the howls of cronyism during President Clinton's pardon spree?" The answer to that question is obvious. They were on the right, made by people who had no problem with Ronald Reagan's pardon spree.
STEVE MILLER
State College
The current drinking age is discriminatory
I was thrilled to see a much-needed article concerning America's legal drinking age ("For Collegians in Canada, Drinking Is No Big Thing," July 8).
The piece had many good points but failed to mention the real issue at hand: America's current legal drinking age is a rationalized form of age discrimination. The age of majority in Pennsylvania (and most other states) is 18.
Legally, a person is considered to be an adult and is held fully responsible for themselves beginning the day of their 18th birthday. Americans of the ages 18, 19 and 20 may legally vote, sign binding documents, marry, purchase tobacco and other restricted products, and are dying in this seemingly endless war in Iraq. How is it possible to consider a certain demographic of people to be adults, but then restrict their right to partake in a legal activity?
Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other advocacy groups that defend the highest drinking age in the world (America is the only non-Muslim country on Earth to impose a drinking age of 21) rationalize the law by saying that it prevents automobile-related deaths. The statistics vary, but even if this were true, it does not rationalize discrimination. If it were discovered that people of a different demographic, such as race or religion, were found to commit a crime more often than others, would it be legal to restrict the rights of its members?
From a legal, and social, standpoint, the current drinking age is too high, and it is time to end the discrimination and let legal adults be adults.
PETER MASTRACCI
Collier
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.
