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Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Because this is not Afghanistan, some in the military are mothers
I can only hope that when Joseph Morrash wondered in response to a photo showing a female sailor saying farewell to her family ("Military Mamas," Oct. 5 letters) why "women are permitted to stay in the service when they have small children," and went on to state that he thought our government was "family-oriented," he was doing so with a great deal of sarcasm.
If Mr. Morrash had paid closer attention to the photo, he would have also seen a loving and supportive husband and father. Women do not conceive children in a vacuum. Indeed, a child must have both a mother and a father. The fact that it is the woman who carries the child within her womb does not somehow absolve the male from further responsibility for the life that he too took part in creating.
The choice of a mother to work outside the home when she has small children is not an easy one to make. But if in so doing, that mother creates a strong, independent role model for her children, particularly her daughters, then I say she has done well by her children. This is not Afghanistan, where women are literally reduced to moving shadows within society, seen but not heard. If more fathers realized that they have an equal responsibility in the care and nurture of their children, the entire world would be a better place.
I applaud the young woman for having the strength and courage to take on the roles of wife, mother and sailor. I hope there are many more like her out there serving our country.
NINA KOHLER
Stand with Israel
The Bush administration began its response to the recent atrocities by invoking the concept of justice. "Justice will be done" became a common refrain of government officials. How dismayed I was to see two great injustices being perpetrated by our own government. Justice is much more than punishing the evildoers; even more important is the rewarding of the good.
Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon courageously and rightly rebuked the Bush administration for appeasing the Arabs at Israel's expense ("Attack Spurs Sharon Rebuke to U.S.," Oct. 5). The Bush administration's overtures to Iran, a country behind the Khobar Towers bombing, are a case in point. Washington considered Sharon's factual statement unacceptable and Mr. Sharon has now apologized.
Our government has also stated that Israel is to have no role in the military strikes now under way, despite the decades of terrorism with which the Israeli people have been plagued. To turn our back on Israel, a beacon of freedom and Western values in a sea of uncivilized barbarism, is to spit in the face of the Statue of Liberty.
As if the betrayal of Israel were not enough, the nation of Syria, a nation for which terrorism is a routine method of foreign policy, has gained entry into the U.N. Security Council for a two-year term. With this as the latest development in a litany of freedom-undermining actions at the United Nations there can be no illusion that whatever the United Nations stands for, it is not human rights or justice. The only real opposition to this travesty came from Israel.
If ever we are to win the war for freedom, individual rights and capitalism, it is Israel that we should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with, not the murderous regimes that are in fact the employers of the very same terrorists we are seeking to eradicate.
AMESH ADALJA
Don't demean sustainability
In Joe Kirk's exuberance to get the rhetorical high ground in the forthcoming public forums sponsored by the city of Pittsburgh and the Group Against Smog and Pollution regarding the Mon-Fayette Expressway, he has incorrectly associated the expressway with the concept of smart growth ("Let's Get Moving," Oct. 3 Midweek Perspectives). At the same time, he associates opponents of the proposed expressway's Pittsburgh and Monroeville branches with concepts of sustainable development that he claims translate as "sustaining our current state of economic stagnation and population decline"
As he certainly should know, the concepts of sustainable development -- which include mechanisms of smart growth such as those used in Maryland to make hard choices about where public funds should be invested -- really are capturing the interests of southwestern Pennsylvanians, our foundations and some of our elected officials.
Indeed, these concepts of sustainable development, when applied in economic development, may well be our region's ticket to a future niche in the "new economy." These concepts embrace investments that serve the long-term economic, social, environmental and cultural interests on local, regional and global scales. These concepts really call for new ways of living and working in which the interdependency of almost everything is respected.
Kirk would be prudent to lower his tone, stop trying to make the concept of sustainability a negative concept, realize that this expressway is just a few miles of toll road, acknowledge that there are environmental/community impact and financial issues that the Turnpike Commission has spent millions of dollars to identify and wait for the experts to explain how these negative impacts are going to be ameliorated.
If finishing the last two branches of the expressway have real values that are more important than our nation's needs to provide more secure transportation and business centers, we should support the project. By the same token, if either or both of the road's branches do not support solid sustainability concepts, we should support those elected officials who have the courage to say so and concentrate on how an expressway ending at Route 51 can help the economy of our depressed Mon Valley.
JIM DeANGELIS
Editor's note: The writer teaches a course in sustainable development at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is an associate professor.
Ridge showed support
I write to express our sincere appreciation for the leadership Tom Ridge has shown during his tenure in the governor's office. We will miss him, but certainly wish him the best and know he will do well in his new position as adviser to the president.
I write especially to praise Tom Ridge for his support of programs serving victims of domestic violence and programs providing legal aid to those with nowhere else to turn.
Ours is a nation that believes in "liberty and justice for all." However, without representation in our courts for people facing urgent civil legal problems, justice would be a lofty but unrealized goal. Legal aid programs across the state help provide representation for people with no other recourse.
Tom Ridge's recognition of the importance of this service to those in need and his support of funding for this program have proven him to be a true supporter of an important part of our nation's founding principles. His support for legal aid services and for programs for victims of domestic violence has also shown our governor to have been truly committed to protecting such victims. This is especially important to recognize now, during the beginning of October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
We are sorry to see Tom Ridge go, but felt it important to recognize just one aspect of the good work he has done as our governor.
SAMUEL W. MILKES
Last words not appreciated
With the devastating loss of jobs at US Airways and the trickle-down effect on numerous other job markets, I can't believe Tom Ridge would once again bring up the sale of the State Stores ("Ridge's Last Words to Legislators: 'Play Nice,' " Oct. 3).
The last thing this unstable economy needs is several thousand additional people out of work. The State Store workers perform a service for the commonwealth at modest wages. Most of us have been working without a contract for over five years and without a pay raise for more than six years.
We also contribute millions of dollars to the General Fund every year. Everyone is telling us to go out and spend to boost the economy, but this is hard to do when your job security is always under attack. I wish Tom Ridge all the best in his new position and believe he has more important issues to contend with.
JOYCE AMBROSE
Bravo to Diven
In response to the Sept. 27 article about legislative reapportionment "Diven Calls Party Chiefs Cowards and Thugs," I say "Bravo, Michael Diven, bravo."
BUD PRENDERGAST
Charitable giving will grow to meet the need
I thought the headline and the slant of Ervin Dyer's Sept. 28 article "Outpouring Worries Local Charities" misses the real story of American philanthropy and of generosity right here in Pittsburgh.
Rather than worrying about donors' overwhelming selflessness following the Sept. 11 tragedy, the many nonprofit leaders with whom my firm works every day are enormously gratified by this response, knowing that we all benefit from such an outpouring.
With very few exceptions, these are not dollars being diverted from worthwhile local needs; they are additional contributions made to an immediate crisis.
Research documents the uniquely American phenomenon that we always give more when a real need arises. We give more when there is a disaster of any sort -- natural or manmade. We give more when the market is robust and we continue to give more to causes about which we care even in times of recession.
Nonprofits and their extraordinary donors would have been better served had your article reported on how many families have actually increased their charitable budget since Sept. 11, in a demonstration of true compassion and solidarity, and in spite of the stock market. And we do this while we continue to support our local churches and synagogues, our food pantries and our shelters, our theaters and our museums.
We should all be proud of this generous response, now and always, and we reject those who so frequently predict impending doom, and who are always wrong.
ELLIOT S. OSHRY
Bethel Park
Butler
Squirrel Hill
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Legal Services
Harrisburg
Shaler
Blawnox
Executive Vice President
Ketchum, Inc.
Downtown