He lost a security clearance but got due process

I'd like to correct the author of the Dec. 1 editorial "American Way: The Accused Must Know the Charges Against Him." The editorial practically screams that Abdul Moniem El-Ganayni's right to due process was violated.

The Constitution states that "no person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law." So let's be clear about what exactly Mr. El-Ganayni was deprived of. He wasn't deprived of life, property or citizenship. He wasn't imprisoned. He wasn't prevented from seeking employment elsewhere in his chosen profession. He wasn't forced to leave the country.

He lost his security clearance. Rescinding a security clearance, with or without an explanation, is completely within the government's authority. Whether purposefully or not, the very title of the editorial is misleading because it communicates the idea that Mr. El-Ganayni was charged with a crime. He lost a security clearance! Can anyone show us where that is an inalienable right?

I would also point out that the editorial tells us Mr. El-Ganayni actually did receive due process in the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. The author should stop manipulating readers' emotions to promote his or her personal opinion.

DAWN PATTON
Canonsburg

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Soccer culture

Finally. Thanks, Bill Moushey, for the front-page article about soccer in Western Pennsylvania (" 'Soccer Wars' Worry WPIAL," Nov. 23).

I've been trumpeting the problems with soccer for years with nobody taking heed. Maybe now with the bright light of the Post-Gazette shining on it, soccer will be recognized for what it is and what it does.

The culture of soccer is inherently violent. Soccer, a milquetoast sport on the field, takes apparently normal fans and participants and transforms them into violent, irrational misfits.

Mr. Moushey's article is just the tip of the iceberg. This violent culture has been apparent around the world for many years and now this evil influence is being perpetuated on the youth of America.

Maybe it is the softness of the sport that leads to the problem. The article's examples of low numbers of expulsions in American sports that take much more skill and are much more physical show that the problem is not a societal problem but a problem with the "sport" of soccer.

High school soccer teams and youth soccer leagues should be shut down to prevent this violence from getting worse. If this shutdown does not occur it will only be a matter of time before America's soccer violence will reach the level of the rest of the world.

Hundreds of deaths and acts of violence have been caused by soccer fans around the world. School administrators, please act before it is too late.

FRED J. HARLAN
New Castle

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Our new energy

As usual, Tony Norman finds a way to spotlight an obvious contradiction in his column ("Bill Likes Luke; Big Bucks Flow," Nov. 25). He suggested skewed financial priorities in a community that can buy a $500 luncheon with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and President Bill Clinton while the long-standing peace and justice nonprofit, the Thomas Merton Center, struggles financially and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank cannot meet the demands of the hungry.

But I hasten to assure all that, even in the face of financial difficulties, the Thomas Merton Center is very much alive and well and has plans not only to continue our efforts but also to expand them in the quest for peace and justice. We are proud of our 37-year history of doing so and find that in these troubled times, there is even more of a need for our work .

Our recent successful and well-attended banquet has reassured us that our supporters and members are finding new energy and commitment to creating a more equitable and peaceful world. We pledge that war, injustice and hunger will not continue without our active opposition.

If readers are interested in supporting our work, we invite you to call us or to visit our Web site, thomasmertoncenter.org. We also ask that you continue to support the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

MEL PACKER
Interim President
Board of Directors
Thomas Merton Center
Garfield

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Power of perception

In the Nov. 28 article "Hospitals Embrace Laughter Therapy," the idea of strategically using laughter as treatment is presented as a novel idea. I would argue that it is merely a spin on the common tactic of diverting attention from the scarier parts of being sick. All forms of illness, including cancer, have very real biological bases, but our bodies' responses to them can often vary according to our disposition.

Consider the placebo effect of taking a sugar pill for a headache and feeling better because you thought it was an Advil. Think about premature newborns who do better when they are held or kids experiencing less pain when getting shots if they are distracted. Laughter is just another way of getting a person in a more positive mind-set, allowing the body to focus on living.

In any children's hospital one can see the healing effects of playrooms because they make kids feel a little happier and a little healthier, even if only for a second. Are adults not as receptive to the same powers of perception? I would argue they are and that laughter therapy programs serve the same purpose as those playrooms.

While just thinking happy thoughts and making jokes may not replace the efforts of modern medicine, one would be hard-pressed to show that it hurts. Laughter has been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and increase muscle function; why doesn't everyone just laugh a little more every day?

KEVIN PROCTOR
Squirrel Hill

The writer is a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh and also pursuing a master of public health degree at the university.

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Resettling refugees

On Dec. 1, a family of Bhutanese refugees was profiled as they begin their life here in Pittsburgh ("Starting Over -- in Pittsburgh: Bhutanese Refugees Leave Camps in South Asia for New Home Here"). As they resettle in Pittsburgh, this family joins the more than 350 refugees brought to our city this year alone.

Every year, the United States saves the lives of those who flee persecution in their native countries through refugee resettlement. Refugee resettlement agencies all over the country -- like Catholic Charities and Jewish Family & Children's Service here in Pittsburgh -- help refugees through the important and challenging process of learning life in America. Resettlement agencies and their community partners provide bilingual case management, acculturation training, job readiness seminars and housing assistance, among other support services, to help refugees make the transition.

JF&CS has been resettling refugees for more than 70 years, and there are many success stories of refugees working hard, owning their own businesses and homes and giving back to the Greater Pittsburgh community. Like Catholic Charities, JF&CS will be resettling Bhutanese refugees in the coming year. I wish the Gautam family -- and all other refugees to come -- much success as they become important contributors to our Pittsburgh community.

LESLIE AIZENMAN
Refugee Services Director
Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh
Squirrel Hill

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If Iraq 'works,' President Bush deserves credit

In his Dec. 2 column "Obama's Iraq Inheritance," Thomas L. Friedman says "the U.S. troop surge ... [has] brought a new measure of stability to Iraq" and that now there is a chance for "a reasonably stable democratizing government ... that has the potential to eventually tilt the Arab-Muslim world in a different direction" (I presume Mr. Friedman means a better direction.)

Mr. Friedman goes on to say that if "[Barack Obama] can pull this off, and help that decent Iraq take root ... nothing would do more to enhance the Democratic Party's national security credentials than that" (and, presumably, Mr. Obama's as well).

What chutzpah to suggest that "if Iraq works" after all, it is to the credit of the party (and person) that wanted to bring our troops home in defeat, a situation that would have been a disaster for the United States in that region and elsewhere in the world.

At this point, Mr. Obama and the Democratic Party can only "lose Iraq." If Iraq becomes a "win," it is due in large part to our much-maligned president who displayed a foresight, perseverance and courage (political not personal). that history will treat better than does our current media and public opinion. Of course, and this goes without saying, it's also due to our great military, which deserves our everlasting gratitude.

JACK MENNIS
Hampton

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