Pro-choice voters, be practical on the Senate race
I read with great interest and genuine dismay the March 26 article stating that pro-choice women may sit out the senatorial election because both candidates are pro-life ("For Some Women, Senate Choice Is No Choice").
I have been pro-choice ever since I was a medical student when I saw a lovely young girl die in less than eight hours from the results of a street abortion. I vowed then that I would do whatever I could never to allow that to happen to anyone else's child.
I am voting for Bob Casey.
Rick Santorum represents so many things that I oppose that I won't recount them here. I would urge every voter to seriously consider the consequences of not voting or of voting for a candidate who has no chance of beating Sen. Santorum. The goal is to get him out of office and send a message to President Bush.
I think Mr. Casey still is the better of the two by far. Principles are fine, but practicality wins every time in politics. We have a great opportunity that I do not want to see wasted.
LYNNE E. PORTER, M.D.
Fox Chapel
Election unfairness
It was extremely disappointing to read the March 26 article "For Some Women, Senate Choice Is No Choice," saying some citizens would decline to vote in the U.S. Senate race because of a lack of choice on the ballot. Unfortunately, the same condition is found in other races across the commonwealth. Voters in Pennsylvania deserve to have choices when they make their decisions in November.
The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania has nominated Tom Martin of Centre County as its candidate for U.S. Senate. Many citizens throughout the commonwealth would find him to be an excellent choice to represent them in Washington. The problem is they may not be able to find Tom's name on the ballot.
Under current election law, this year minor party and independent statewide candidates must submit papers with at least 67,070 valid signatures in order to appear on the November ballot. This compares with the no more than 2,000 signatures required for major party candidates to appear on the ballot for the primary election, in which other candidates cannot participate. Major party candidates do not need anything further to be on the November ballot.
There are some things that can be done to correct this problem. One is to contact your representatives and senators in the General Assembly and ask them to support the Voters Choice Act, which would bring Pennsylvania election laws back to the constitutional requirement of free and equal elections.
MICHAEL J. ROBERTSON, Western Vice-Chair
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
Licking Township, Clarion County
Dearth of cabs
I am not a resident of Pittsburgh but visited the "Steel City" a few weeks ago for the first time in my life. From the Warhol Museum to the Pittsburgh Opera to Shadyside shops, I had wonderful experiences. The neighborhoods were as diverse as they were unique -- painting a rich portrait of where Pittsburgh has been and how it's evolving.
One aspect, however, deeply disturbed me: the lack of taxicabs. After a few drinks at dinner in Shadyside, I could not get to the South Side because I had no transportation. When I asked the restaurant hostess to call a cab for me, I was met with a blank stare and the reply, "You'll be waiting for hours." Why in a city such as Pittsburgh, which is peppered with fun dive bars and new restaurants and lounges, are there scant options for taxis?
Even more disturbing -- since my visit -- Pittsburgh natives have told me drunken driving is a real problem. They have either done it, or they have been in the car with someone who has driven while drunk.
Also, consider Pittsburgh's aging population. What if a senior citizen needed to get to a pharmacy quickly and did not have the ability to drive?
I urge the Port Authority, the Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau and others to work together to better serve the residents of Pittsburgh in terms of transportation options. Any progress in this area would also better serve visitors like me -- waiting 11/2 hours in the snow for a taxicab ? a cab that never came.
ALLISON BROWNE
New York, N.Y.
Among the skeptics
After reading Rob Stein's March 26 "Power of Prayer a Medical Mystery," I would simply say religion is largely energized by faith and science by doubt, and here we have real conflict.
I know of no true scientist who would advocate torturing and executing a fellow scientist for failure to embrace a particular scientific theory. The same cannot be said for religionists and their dogmas.
As for the healing power of prayer (let's not forget the placebo effect), I, as a skeptic, will probably believe when I see the limb of an amputee completely regenerate as a result of some religious intervention.
J.H. KILWEIN
Bethel Park
Editor's note: The writer has a Ph.D. in social work and a master's degree in public health.
Hunter unfriendly
An article in last Sunday's Post-Gazette stated that Pennsylvania Game Commission finances are weak ("Game Commission Finances Look Grim," March 26). Also the article states that, according to Melody Zullinger, executive director of The Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, hunters largely support fee increases.
Fortunately, Ms. Zullinger does not represent the majority. I work with a large group of hunters who don't believe in fee increases and who believe that the major problem with hunting in Pennsylvania is the game commission itself.
The game commission regularly treats hunters as second-class citizens. It imposes harsh fines for minor offenses ($250 to $500 fines for being within 150 yards of a structure) -- rules that make the chances of harvesting an antlered deer close to nil.
These issues along with the already absurdly high cost of an out-of-state license are just the sort of things that are driving people away from hunting, thus the decrease in revenue caused by fewer hunters and the fees they bring in.
What the game commission needs to do is become hunter friendly and attract new hunters and those they have lost to their Gestapo-like policies -- and perhaps even lower the cost of out-of-state licenses to attract more of these people, who also add to the local economy with their visits.
ANTHONY SERBA
Imperial
Brutal democracy
Well, for once you've got it right. In your editorial "Saved: An Afghan Christian May Have Cheated Death" (March 28), you state that "they're learning the hard way that democracy is not a tame animal." Democracy is "majority rule," so in a society of 100 Muslims, if one of them converts to Christianity and the other 99 say "off with his head," it's off with his head. That's a pure democracy.
It's also the "tyranny of the majority" that James Madison so greatly feared. Our forefathers wanted liberty, not necessarily democracy. It was the Sons of Liberty who dressed up like Indians and threw the tea in the ocean, not the Sons of Democracy. They decided that a republic, rather than a democracy, was a better way to ensure the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity.
What Afghanistan will need is a government, and particularly a judicial system, that is loyal to their constitution, and not to the Quran. That may take generations to achieve. A clan-based republic, like Britain began in 1215, with the House of Lords to balance the king, might work better than a modern parliamentary democracy for Afghanistan, at least in the foreseeable future.
Oh, and by the way, Islam and its Shariah Law started in the seventh century, not the fifth, so you're not completely right.
CRAIG B. CLEMMENS
Apollo
Our government has failed to help Katrina victims rebuild their lives
I have just returned from a week in St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana. I spent the week with remarkable college students and other adults who came to help. This whole parish lost every house and business. Our job there was to remove debris from houses and remove all walls and doors so the houses can dry.
These houses were under water for three weeks and have not been opened since early September.
The day we started our first house, we were told that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would no longer pay the contractor who was removing the debris. All the houses that were gutted the week before by our groups still had mountains of debris.
After my week there, all I can say is shame on you, FEMA; shame on you, Congress; and shame on you, George Bush.
Every person tells a FEMA story there. Their lives and homes have been destroyed by the wind, water and our government. Our government sees weapons of mass destruction and bird flu but can't see miles and miles of debris.
Our fellow Americans need our help. We need to go there and assist in the rebuilding, and we need to shout at our government for what it is doing. When I left, I promised to return to help in any way I can.
MARGARET FRANCISCUS
Mt. Lebanon
First Published: April 2, 2006, 5:00 a.m.
