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Three cheers for
the Thon throng
With all of the bad things we read about our young people in today’s world, I have been totally impressed by the wonderful event that will take place at Penn State University Feb. 17 to 19.
More than 10,000 Penn State students will come together to cap off a year-long fund-raising effort to fight pediatric cancer.
The event is called "Thon," short for "marathon," in which more than 700 students will dance for 48 hours. No sitting. No sleeping. Just dancing. This is an amazing feat in itself.
Last year, these students raised the amazing amount of over $4 million to help children stricken with cancer. Since its inception in 1972, "Thon" has raised over $34 million and helped over 2,000 families.
I am particularly proud of my granddaughter, Kathleen McDowell, who has worked very hard for "Thon" during her years at Penn State. She even postponed her graduation in 2005 so that she could work on "Thon" for an extra year in 2006. She could have been working and making money in 2005, but instead, she decided to work for the kids.
Such self-sacrifice and dedication needs to be recognized. All the students at Penn State who lend their time and talent to help these cancer-stricken kids deserve the gratitude and support of our community.
Thomas J. Rowan
Modena Park
Cat rescue group
needs help
Our kitties, Itsy and Bitsy, were rescued from the Aramingo Avenue area at approximately four to five weeks old. The brothers tested FIV positive and had severe eye infections. Although they had visits to the emergency hospital, eye medications and antibiotics, Itsy was too weak, and crossed the rainbow bridge. Bitsy, who is partially blind, has thrived in his foster home and grown into a loving, playful lap cat who doesn’t seem to realize he’s sick!
Antibiotics have become a continuing part of his diet, and he may require surgery in the near future to have teeth removed. His medical bills are mounting and putting a financial strain on the rescue’s finances. With kitten season fast approaching, the demand on our resources will be overwhelming. We are requesting donations of any size to help offset Bitsy’s medical expenses. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
If you are able to help this little guy, please forward your check to Northeast Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 52395, Philadelphia, PA 19115 and write "Bitsy" in the memo section, or make your donation online at www.nar.petfinder.com. We are a small, all volunteer, non-profit cat adoption and rescue group, and all contributions are tax deductible.
Cindi DeMaio
Northeast Animal Rescue
It’s time to help
Man’s Best Friend
There is currently a bill in the state House of Representatives that will make it illegal to keep a dog tethered outside for prolonged periods. The bill includes other humane standards that will also help end the abuse and neglect of dogs by callously ignorant "pet owners" in the state. The bill is HB 1911.
We’ve all experienced the pathetic sight of some forgotten dog tied/chained to a tree with empty water bowls, encrusted feeding dishes, dogs that swelter in the summer’s sun and freeze to death in winter.
It’s time persons who mistreat their sentient companions through neglect and abuse get some hard lessons in return for their laziness and indifference.
Please ask your state representative to support and sign on to HB 1911. There are literally thousands of dogs who need this legislation passed.
Lou Peluso
Fox Chase
Why all the fuss over
Jeanne’s chickens?
I read your article about the city not allowing Jeanne Smith to have chickens in city limits (Out of chicken, Feb. 2 edition.)
I was bothered by several things. First of all, doesn’t the city have better things to do than worry about someone keeping chickens? Also, if the city ordinance didn’t go into effect until 2004 what happened to the principle of "grandfathering" practices that were in place before the ordinance took place?
How can the city officials selectively enforce an ordinance on one part of the population and not on another simply because something is part of the latter population’s culture? I thought a law was a law for everyone.
And lastly, if the state Superior Court already ruled on this issue, how can local government contradict the state’s ruling?
Elise Stires
Bustleton
• • •
The city took Jeanne Smith to court over her chickens in 2000 and the city lost. So then in 2004 they pass an ordinance that you can’t keep farm animals in the city. Why are they after Smith? She had the chickens before the ordinance. As long as she takes care of her animals she should be able to keep them. How much money has been spent on this case by the city of Philadelphia over the years?
A barking dog makes more noise than a chicken. Dog waste smells pretty bad, too. Will that be the next ordinance to be passed by City Council?
Ida Steer
Holmesburg
• • •
I feel the city should leave Jeanne Smith alone. She uses her chickens to teach children. Not only that, she has had them long before the new law was passed. This "grandfather" clause applies to every other law that is passed, why not now?
I believe there is more to this than chickens. What’s with Mr. O’Neill and his involvement? Why doesn’t the city go after people who don’t pick up after their dogs? That’s a law that’s not enforced.
Chuck Steer
Holmesburg
Students’ dreams dashed
by budget cuts
The next time you watch the TV or read your morning paper, there’s something that will be missing. Don’t get me wrong — you’ll still hear all about the crimes strangling our city, but I bet you won’t hear about this story.
In 2005, local schoolchildren had their feet pulled from under them. They had their dreams crushed, hopes squashed and creativity tossed away into the city’s wastebasket. They’ve become another victim of number crunching, budget cuts inside the Philadelphia school system, a system that talks about the children’s success as their top priority but uses their mighty pens to cut anything that may cost them money, even if it may cost our children their dreams or their happiness.
One of our middle schools, Austin Meehan, is the scene of yet another budget cut by our school system. This new school year the children were told there was no money for their creative arts program. There was no money in the budget and they were not getting a grant, either. That meant there was not going to be another sold-out dramatic performance by these talented but now forgotten children this year. There was not going to be another year of meeting new friends and learning about new cultures. There was not going to be another chance to take that stage and become anyone you wanted to be or learn any new drama lessons.
However, the children did learn a lesson this year. It’s a lesson they’ll never forget. If it doesn’t make you money, it’s not important. It doesn’t matter if it’s something that will make you a better person or a better student. It doesn’t matter if it will teach you how to get along with other students or allow you to do something positive in your school. It really doesn’t matter if your grandparents want to see you on stage all grown up or if your parents want to tell everyone how proud they are of you. The bottom line is all that really matters to the system now, not a child’s smile. It’s a shame, isn’t it?
In this day and age when everyone’s asking what happened to our city and our people, ask yourself this question: What is more important to us, our children’s happiness or our balanced budget? I think you know the answer already.
Please help us save our children before it’s too late by contacting your local schools and politicians. Let them know your children’s dreams still mean something to you and they should mean something to them. Thank you.
John J. Ruppert
Mayfair
More socialist rhetoric
from the congresswoman
Extreme socialist U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz is full of leftist propaganda (Schwartz demands an end to Republican culture of corruption in Congress, Jan. 26 edition.)
She talks about corruption with Republicans. How about the corrupt Democrats in this city that you supported three years ago? Most of them should be in jail. Look at the corruption with the public schools. Are you going to investigate corrupt Democrats? You should — there are plenty here.
Schwartz wrote the typical Democratic rhetoric. What she said over and over again was, "What government can do for you." In other words, "How can government control your life today?" How about, "What can people do for their country, and what can people do to help themselves?"
Who are the "special interests" she talks about? Is it the ACLU that the Democrats are beholden to? What laws were blatantly broken? As I understand it, Bush still needs to get permission from the courts to wiretap. Bush does inform the Congress when beforehand. U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz is flat out lying to her constituents.
She, like Hillary, wants the government to control all aspects of health care. Remember when Bill put Hillary in charge of the program trying to get her to push it? Well, it didn’t go over very well with the American people. Another socialist idea!
The energy problem is the Democrats’ fault. They are keeping us reliant upon foreign oil. They go to their special interest groups like the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and PETA, along with the loony liberals who don’t allow us to drill for oil in our own country.
Democrats want the government to control our lives. Liberalism is a mental disorder! I think it is time for Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz to step down to someone who cares about family values, good morals, a strong military and life.
Gary Grisafi
Castor Gardens
Editor’s note: Mr. Grisafi, a Republican, lost bids to unseat state Rep. Mark Cohen in the 202nd Legislative District in 2002 and 2004.
The controversy over
abortion rights rages on
Whenever a liberal pontificates against pro-lifers, you can expect a tired litany of discredited arguments, and a recent letter by Pamela Wiese (Churches should stay out of my personal decisions, Feb. 2 edition) proves my point beautifully.
First, she writes that because "there is such a thing as separation of church and state," churches should stay out of private decisions. The one has nothing to do with the other. Many congregants first turn to their clergy when help is needed in making private decisions. Besides, the state has a compelling interest in reducing abortion, because abortion destroys its greatest natural resource, its very future as measured in the potential contained in unborn lives.
Second, she is completely confused as to what constitutes religious belief on the subject of prenatal life. The notion that life begins at conception is a scientific fact, not a religious tenet. When sperm and egg unite, a genetically complete human being has formed. Last I heard, when this process happens what is formed is not an embryonic car or chair.
Third, several interesting things follow from poor Pam’s claim that pro-lifers have no right to impose their religious beliefs upon other people. The opposite view of prenatal life, namely that life begins at birth, is a religious belief, coming from Judaism. This view of prenatal life forms the justification for abortion, because under it abortionists can, and do, claim they are not taking human lives and are actually performing a great benefit.
Taking Pam at her word, I pose to her the following questions: since no one has the right to impose their religious views on anyone, why should this view of prenatal life be reflected in the law and not the scientific one? And, just who is imposing their views on whom?
I’ll even make it easy on her by providing a hint: the so-called progressive view of prenatal life is popular among fashionable elites because it coincides with their notion of freedom as meaning everyone can do whatever he or she wants, and — what a surprise — their financial interests in the abortion industry. Just a coincidence, Pam?
George Tomezsko
Editor, Voices for the Unborn
• • •
Pamela Wiese thought she had a cut-and-dry answer on abortion and separation of church and state. Apparently, she thinks no one should follow the God-given commandment, "Thou shall not kill." Well, guess what. Pamela? Murder is a crime punishable by law in most civilized countries. Even atheists don’t go around killing people.
The beating heart of a separate human being can be detected in the womb at the time when the girl/woman has made the decision to abort her child. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop has made it clear that in his professional opinion this is an individual life of its own from conception.
You don’t need religion here, sweetheart. This is scientific proof of life. Go and see an ultrasound or listen to the heartbeat of a 1- or 2-month-old pre-born baby (doctors have these tools). Ending this life is murder. If you think murder of the innocent should be an acceptable practice, well then you need professional help.
Let us inspire future generations and awaken the misled of today. Roe vs. Wade, the "law of the land," can be thrown out, just as were slavery and segregation (past "laws of the land.") Injustice cannot go on!
Barbara Walton
Torresdale
• • •
In response to Ashley Dume-Charles’ anti-abortion feelings (Abortion is killing God’s creation, Jan. 26 edition), I would like to know how many children she has adopted? If all of these people that are out there protesting were to adopt, the orphanages wouldn’t be needed.
By the way, Father Behan was one of God’s creations, and if anyone should have been aborted, it was him.
Florence Rodgers
San Diego, Calif.
Officers were helpful
and professional
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about two officers in the 15th Police District.
When I got home the evening of Jan. 27, I had a telephone message informing me that I may be the victim of identity theft. After speaking to the person who called me, I telephoned the 15th district between 9 and 10 p.m. to seek advice as to what I should do. The officer who answered the phone — I regret that I did not get his name — was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Totally professional in his manner, he managed to keep me calm and told me exactly what to do. A short time later, Officer Mike Smith came to my house to take the written report. Again, this officer was very helpful and very professional.
At a time when violent crimes are rising in our city, I would like to thank these officers for taking their time and helping me so much. Through much research, I thankfully found out that I am not the victim of identity theft.
Kate McShane
Tacony
Don’t tolerate motor
vehicles in the park
A recent afternoon was very pleasant, so I took a bike ride through Pennypack Park.
As I was nearing the Welsh Road bridge by the bandshell, two guys came zipping along on a pair of mini-motorcycles. It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen powered vehicles there, but these were the largest ones I’ve seen to date. This activity should not be tolerated in the park. There were numerous families out with small children, and they have every right to not have to put up with motor vehicles on a bike path. There is no room in the park for these things.
I don’t know the solution, other than calling the police as soon as you see them, but if not stopped, this activity will only increase in frequency, destroying the appeal of an urban resource that should and must be free of motor traffic.
If you are in the park and see these things, get on your cell phone and report it. If the police get enough complaints, hopefully they will try to stop it.
David Schwartz
Bustleton
She’s seeing red on
Wilson paint job
I just finished reading the article in the Northeast Times Jan. 26 edition, Parties search for compromise with Wilson murals.
I submitted a letter in 2005 about this situation. I am not backing down on what I said in that letter.
Wilson principal Jim McWilliams is pictured in the Northeast Times showing the controversial murals (mosaic figures of children) around the school campus.
I do not have a problem with the figures — only make sure ALL nationalities are there. My beef is the painting over the bricks, the doorways are white, and the top of the roof is purple, yellow, orange. I do not care what you say the definition of the paint on the building is, it is just plain hideous looking.
It degrades the area and the school. Get up off your butts and powerwash the school. Fix the landscaping out front of the school, and the cement that needs to be fixed all around the school. Stop wasting money on things that are not of importance. Keep the mosaic figures, get rid of the stinking paint!
Kim A. McFadden
Castor Gardens
Let the police search
for the answers
When Mayor Street relocates/adds more police to high killing zones, what are the rest of the good Philly folks to do if they are in need of help? Call 911? I don’t think so.
Maybe they should go out and buy a gun (and permit) to protect their families and homes. Police can only react to crime. If they start to search the people who are most likely to commit violent crime, these same folks in North and West Philly will hit the streets about cops being abusive to folks in their "hood."
If you want to get the guns off the streets, you must let the police search anyone. It’s called "gut feeling," and good cops have it. All the overtime in the world isn’t going to do nada without this type of searching by police. I feel very sorry for the good folks in North and West Philly who work and obey the law all their lives, but when they stick their heads out of the front door, they fear getting shot by some punks. Let the searches begin!
Anthony "Tony Irish" Porta
Sebring, Fla.
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