PUBLIC FORUM : CRITICS OF PROMISE KEEPERS' RALLY REBUTTED.I am not a Christian, nor a Promise Keeper, but my brother is, and he attended the rally at the Washington Mall This article is about a shopping center in Pennsylvania. For the National Mall in Washington, DC, see National Mall. Washington Mall is an ailing enclosed shopping mall located in South Strabane Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, just outside the . I have seen a positive change in his life, as have family members of other Promise Keepers Promise Keepers is an international Christian organization for men, based in Denver, Colorado, United States, self-described as "a Christ-centered organization dedicated to introducing men to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, helping them to grow as Christians". . I guess this is why I was shocked at what I can best describe as a bigoted big·ot·ed adj. Being or characteristic of a bigot: a bigoted person; an outrageously bigoted viewpoint. big and intolerant reaction from people who describe themselves as ``liberal.'' I've heard the Promise Keepers described as rednecks, storm troopers, Nazis, etc. It's one thing to disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" a person's religious beliefs, but the prejudicial, narrow-minded response is baffling baf·fle tr.v. baf·fled, baf·fling, baf·fles 1. To frustrate or check (a person) as by confusing or perplexing; stymie. 2. To impede the force or movement of. n. 1. . My second shock came when members of the news media listened to these hysterical and extreme reactions and treated them as if they were legitimate complaints. They also didn't ask these grousers what they might do to solve serious social problems, which the Promise Keepers are attempting to do. What am I missing? All I can come up with is that I don't feel I'm a victim and I'm not paranoid. - Gerald Rhoades Canoga Park Richard Cohen Several people are named Richard Cohen:
n. Informal A startlingly chilly, unenthusiastic reaction, response, or reception: "The elections, however, amounted to a cold shower for the . . . ,'' Opinions, Oct. 8), mocks attendees at their recent rally for their supposed moral vapidity and just plain all-around silliness. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Cohen's implicit testimony, Jesus' teachings are just stupid and we'd all be so much better off if we'd only listen to him - Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. - and former Surgeon General The U.S. Surgeon General is charged with the protection and advancement of health in the United States. Since the 1960s the surgeon general has become a highly visible federal public health official, speaking out against known health risks such as tobacco use, and promoting disease Joycelyn Elders instead. Of course, the fact that Cohen and his modernist cohorts have presided over the bloodiest, filthiest, unhappiest period in memory is not supposed to weigh upon either our decisions or our loyalties, nor is the plain fact that he can show no secure foundation at all for the moral principles he espouses. We're just supposed to trust him and acknowledge along with him that sexual sin has no interior consequence for the soul, that we should all just learn to stop worrying and love the pill and then everything will be A-OK. - Jim Newland Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Anyone who feels that the Promise Keepers' rally was wrong for women should consider this: Daughters in a single-parent home are 164 percent more likely to have a baby out of wedlock wed·lock n. The state of being married; matrimony. Idiom: out of wedlock Of parents not legally married to each other: born out of wedlock. , 111 percent more likely to have children as teen-agers and 92 percent more likely to dissolve their own marriages than girls growing up in a two-parent family. Psychology will never develop a therapy to substitute for a loving and faithful father. Prisons cannot replace fathers any more than expensive social programs can. The solution is to restore the vocation of fatherhood so that children will have true fathers. - John M. Termini Granada Hills Hernandez's return I couldn't help but think, as I read about Los Angeles Councilman Mike Hernandez's return to work, that somehow sound reasoning has been displaced by heartfelt empathy. While empathy is an honorable quality, without sound reasoning backing it, it can be not only dangerous, but destructive. Hernandez's worth as an individual is not in question. Of course he is a worthwhile person. We have all made wrong decisions resulting in unanticipated consequences not only to ourselves, but also to those we love. What is in question here is his right and his ability to perform his fiduciary duties in the manner he took an oath to do. Just as someone who loses their vision would no longer be allowed to drive a school bus, should someone who loses their focus be in a position of making policy decisions that affect the lives of so many? I'm glad the councilman loves his job. But that is a love of something personal to him. He has a further duty. If Hernandez's love is truly for the good of his constituents - all of them, not such the ones yelling ``Mike! Mike! Mike!'' - he will voluntarily relinquish his seat, complete his rehabilitation program, assure himself and his constituents that he is once again capable of public service, and then run again. - Debbie Greenfield West Hills We can now add Mike Hernandez to the long list of public officials who refuse to take responsibility for their own disastrous choices (``Hernandez greeted by cheers, peers' silence,'' Daily News, Oct. 8). Incredibly, he has blamed his cocaine addiction on his alcohol addiction. He has yet to state precisely who is responsible for his alcohol addiction, but it no doubt has something to do with his parents, troubled youth, the system, etc. If Hernandez is truly sorry for his actions, he will graciously step down. - Kelly Benning West Hills Bruce L. Bialosky inquired in Public Forum on Oct. 7 ``why no elected leaders have stepped forward and asked for Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Hernandez's resignation.'' Bialosky has only to listen to Hernandez for an answer to his question. In a recent television interview, Hernandez stated that he was put under surveillance and arrested because he is a Latino. Question answered. - Venida Korda Van Nuys In light of Mike Hernandez's recent return to the City Council and his admitted use of drugs and alcohol, much has been said about my own status as a recovering alcoholic. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. Ten years ago, I publicly recognized I had a problem with alcohol and sought help. I did this voluntarily, to prevent my problem from affecting or interfering with my work as a city official. In the ensuing 10 years, I have not touched a drop of alcohol. Recovering from this illness is a long, hard road, and I wish Councilman Hernandez well in his endeavor. - Richard Alatorre councilman, 14th District Los Angeles Undue fear of snakes The Oct. 7 letter (``Dog-eating snake'') by Laurie and Michael Stopol regarding their fear of living two doors away from a boa constrictor boa constrictor largest of all snakes; squeezes its victims in a deadly grip. [Zoology: NCE, 317] See : Deadliness is a classic example of the paranoia and phobia phobia: see neurosis. phobia Extreme and irrational fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. A phobia is classified as a type of anxiety disorder (a neurosis), since anxiety is its chief symptom. that sadly is still present in many people with regard to snakes. While there are many myths and folk tales about snakes, especially large snakes, they are in reality much safer animals to live around than dogs, horses and, for that matter, people. Hundreds of thousands of large constricting con·strict v. con·strict·ed, con·strict·ing, con·stricts v.tr. 1. To make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing. 2. To squeeze or compress. 3. snakes have been kept as pets in residential neighborhoods during the past 40 years, and no human has ever been killed by his or her neighbor's escaped, nonvenomous snake. There is no verified record of a boa constrictor killing a human. As the son of a biology teacher, I have learned about and been around many different types of animals. I love large dogs, but I must point out that realistically, the Stopols' child would be in much greater danger if they lived near a German shepherd or a golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). than from living near any nonvenomous snake, especially a notedly nonaggressive species such as the boa constrictor. - Steve Gates Granada Hills I just read the letter from my neighbors, Laurie and Michael Stopol, regarding their concern about me getting back my pet boa constrictor, Alissss. The incontrovertible in·con·tro·vert·i·ble adj. Impossible to dispute; unquestionable: incontrovertible proof of the defendant's innocence. in·con fact is that Alissss is nowhere near big enough to consume a small child. I would like to thank all of my neighbors who did cooperate and granted me permission to search their premises and those who actually helped me search for Alissss. If more people had cooperated in that respect, the tragic accident that took Babette's life may have been averted. - Angus Johnson West Hills `Abuse of cats' In regard to ``City ignored abuse of cats'' (Daily News, Oct. 7): Doris Romeo blamed the squalor and neglect of the cats and dogs Cats and Dogs A slang term referring to speculative stocks that have short or suspicious histories for sales, earnings, dividends, etc. Notes: In a bull market analysts will often mention that everything is going up, even the cats and dogs. on a live-in employee who cared for the animals while Romeo was busy with her catering business and maid service. Excuse me. Romeo needed to ``cater'' to these animals and dispatch some of her maids to the Van Nuys residence. How dare she blame this mess on one person? She claimed that she took in the sick, the abused, the crippled, the old and the homeless because she loved them. If she ``loved them'' so much, she should have visited the residence herself several times a week. - Marion Winkler Winkler may refer to:
Sherman Oaks When are people going to start taking responsibility for their actions or lack thereof? How can Romeo even dare to say ``I do this because I love them'' in the same breath as she denies knowing the conditions of her kennel in Van Nuys? How many of the animals were spayed spay tr.v. spayed, spay·ing, spays To remove surgically the ovaries of (an animal). [Middle English spaien, from Anglo-Norman espeier, to cut with a sword or neutered neu·ter adj. 1. Grammar a. Neither masculine nor feminine in gender. b. Neither active nor passive; intransitive. Used of verbs. 2. a. ? The underlying problem is pet owners who do not realize the need to spay spay v. To surgically remove the ovaries of an animal. spay, spey to remove the ovaries. See also ovariohysterectomy. spay hook see spay hook. or neuter neu·ter adj. 1. Having undeveloped or imperfectly developed sexual organs. 2. Sexually undeveloped. n. A castrated animal. v. To castrate or spay. neuter 1. and those who discard their pets when they get sick, or old, or they just don't want the responsibility anymore. We need to stop blaming the government for not protecting us from ourselves. - Suzanne Petersen Granada Hills The incompetence of Gary Olsen, the retired general manager of the Los Angeles city Department of Animal Regulation, is inexcusable, and it's doubly aggravating that he'll draw a $65,000 annual retirement check. - Mike Laskavy North Hollywood Metrolink study defended Rarely am I in agreement with Los Angeles Councilman Hal Bernson on an issue, but his suggestion of a Metrolink-type rail service across the Valley is a good one. It is certainly not divisive, as the Daily News suggested (``Bernson's train disaster,'' Editorials, Oct. 2). I see no consensus to divide. I think your attack on his suggestion was excessive and unwarranted. All the councilman really wants is some sort of rail service now, not five or 10 or however many years in the future. I, for one, would like to see some real ridership numbers. Until now, the only justifications for the enormous amount of money we have spent are questionable projections and sheer speculation. You should give the councilman credit for working on the problem, not just being part of it. - R. Walton North Hills |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion