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Letters to the editor, 08/08/06

Letters to the editor, 08/08/06

Those who don't like church rules can go elsewhere

Regarding women priests in the Catholic Church, everyone hears the passion from the advocates. However, passion does not make a position valid.

The "bishops" who performed the ordination ("8 Women Are Ordained Priests: The Catholic Church Rejects Validity of a Riverboat Rite," Aug. 1), and the women who submitted themselves, did so in open violation of church law. If you can't follow Catholic Church laws, leave the church, but continue to follow Christ. Find another Christian denomination. Arguing that there aren't enough men, or that they won't ordain Mother Teresa but allow a pedophile to perform priestly duties does not validate the idea.

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Every Christian should be following Christ; if your church says something in opposition to what Jesus said and taught, then find a proper church. Jesus came to be the mediator between God and man. No other individual can mediate for you: not a priest, not Mary, but Jesus alone. He is the final priest.

We look to Him only (not another man, woman or church) for our salvation. Yes, women may be elders and ministers, but biblical precedents including Adam, as well as New Testament references, would seem to indicate that God had a purpose in having a man in the final guiding position of pastor.

It does not mean that women are any less, because the Bible says that in Christ there is neither male nor female, slave or free, etc. It only means that for some reason God appears to want a man to be in the final position of authority of all who shepherd His sheep.

RICK CATIZONE
Scott

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Quite the opposite

PG columnist Tony Norman claims that Mel Gibson's statement of apology was "designed to prompt ... Catholic League demagogue William Donohue to defend him as usual" ("Booze-Fueled Tirade Hurts Gibson," Aug. 1).

It is not surprising that the column contains no quotes to back up this charge. Mr. Donohue released a statement calling Mr. Gibson's remarks "indefensible," "anti-Semitic and irresponsible" and "bigoted."

It is clear that the response of Mr. Donohue and the Catholic League is not at all what Mr. Norman would have his readers believe.

KIERA M. McCAFFREY
Director of Communications
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
New York, N.Y.


About commissary

Bob Casey Jr. has done it again. Once again he is trying to scare Pennsylvanians without provocation.

In his Aug. 2 letter ("Leadership Lapse"), Mr. Casey claims that the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility commissary and exchange is scheduled to close and that thousands of our active duty service members, reservists and their families will lose their commissary and exchange benefits because of this closure. This is categorically false.

On July 28, I sent a joint letter with the Western Pennsylvania congressional delegation asking for a meeting with the Defense Department to discuss the future of the commissary. On Thursday, I met with David Chu, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, who assured me that even though the Kelly Support Facility is closing, commissary services will not end for our military community. Furthermore, contrary to the vivid imagination of Bob Casey, the Department of Defense has no plans to end these services.

Unfortunately, commissaries are not funded by congressional directive. If that were the case, the Western Pennsylvania congressional delegation would have been able to appropriate funds for a new facility long ago. Rather, surcharges collected from commissary sales are used by the Defense Commissary Agency to construct new commissaries and operate existing commissaries.

I fought hard to save the 911th Airlift Wing from the chopping block and kept hundreds of jobs in Western Pennsylvania. And I will fight equally hard to ensure that the commissary in Pittsburgh never closes.

SEN. RICK SANTORUM
Washington, D.C.


Accommodates kids

Regarding the self-righteous, moralizing letters of July 30, in which the owners of SUVs were plastered with the labels of "socially irresponsible," "shallow" and "self-centered":

We are the owners of a Chevy Suburban, not because we simply love driving a very large vehicle that gets rather poor gas mileage but because we have chosen to gratefully accept from God the gift of five (so far) children. The Suburban is one of the few vehicles that can accommodate this many children in various car seats.

Of course, I write this letter with the realization that next week there could be another round of letters that will chastise us for having "too many" kids with whom we are overtaxing the environment, which seems to be regarded by some people as more sacred than children and even God.

KEN BOYER
O'Hara


Caring customers

The recent heat wave certainly created a challenge for those workers who had to endure high temperatures and humidity, including our letter carriers and rural carriers. They persevered and carried out their appointed rounds with our tradition of delivering mail regardless of weather extremes as they are trained to do.

To them, and the many other public servants and workers who carried on despite the tough conditions, we would like to say, "Thank you."

Stories abound about how our postal carriers provide assistance by keeping a watchful eye out for their customers along the way. But we wish to give special thanks to our customers who have done the same for our carriers during the heat wave. In many instances, we received reports of citizens providing water or some refreshment to our employees delivering mail.

These acts do not go unnoticed, and on behalf of all the employees of the Postal Service's Pittsburgh District, we extend our sincere appreciation.

We thank you for helping our carriers perform their duties through all kinds of extreme conditions that nature periodically unleashes. And we pledge to continue providing excellent mail service to all our customers.

KEITH BEPPLER
District Manager/Lead Executive
U.S. Postal Service
North Side


Bush's antics

I would truly like to know when the sanctimonious Ruth Ann Dailey is going to stop kissing up to President Bush and start honestly addressing "the flaws or problems that need to be addressed" in the embarrassing little man occupying the Oval Office ("Our Prejudices Diminish Public Discourse," July 31 column). She excuses our potty-mouth president's embarrassing antics at a recent lunch gathering at the G-8 summit because she "gets" him. Awwww, isn't that sweet?

My parents taught me not to chew with my mouth open or talk with my mouth full when I was about 6. I would like to think that this president of the United States might have been taught some manners, since his upbringing as the son of a diplomat was far more privileged than mine, as the daughter of a coal miner. Yet even my coal miner father did not use swear words at family gatherings, much less in conversation with world leaders.

There is simply nothing cute or endearing about a head of state behaving like a hooligan while ostensibly representing our nation. We deserve better.

DIANA SLIVINSKA
Ingram


The Gitmo abuses tarnish our nation and invite retaliation

I think Nick Redodno turned a few stomachs himself by his response ("Fair Treatment" July 16 letters) to Samuel Namy's letter ("Guantanamo Is a Shameful Chapter for Our Great Nation," July 12) concerning our alleged abuse of detainees of Guantanamo Bay.

Mr. Redodno defends our treatment of these prisoners who he says "had a role in the 9/11 attacks" and are being housed "in a tropical paradise."

The French penal colony of Devil's Island was also located in "a tropical paradise" but, like Gitmo, also had its dungeons, hell holes and shackles. Mr. Redodno and others of his persuasion need to be reminded that these detainees have never been charged with having a role in the 9/11 attacks, or anything else for that matter.

Our treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan and elsewhere takes away any claim we may have to being "a great nation" and invites retaliatory treatment against Americans, in or out of uniform.

Greatness will be accorded us only when we treat others as we ourselves would wish to be treated in similar circumstances, otherwise known as the Golden Rule.

MICHAEL SOLOMON
West Homestead


First Published: August 8, 2006, 4:00 a.m.

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