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No parade, but
Memorial Day still solemn
The Corp. John Loudenslager American Legion Post, after a lengthy debate, sadly decided to discontinue the traditional parade through Fox Chase and Rockledge on Memorial Day.
The members cited the inability of their aging members to march, the declining number of Scouting units, and the severely declining numbers of spectators along the route as the determining factors.
The monuments on Huntingdon Pike at the city line and at the entrance to Lawnview Cemetery were decorated Friday evening, after which the post members, assisted by the Boy Scouts from St. Cecilia’s Church, placed flags on veterans’ graves in the Lawnview, St. Mary’s and Trinity Oxford cemeteries.
On Monday at 10:45 a.m., post members and the community are invited to attend traditional graveside honors in Lawnview Cemetery. The grave of honor will be that of Wallace Tittlemayer, a longtime member of the post.
The community is invited to attend a brief memorial service that will be held outside the cemetery office beginning at 11 a.m. At this service, the Loudenslager Post will present the Legionnaire of the Year Award.
At noon, post members will assemble in front of the post home at 7976 Oxford Ave. to raise the colors.
We will of course continue the tradition of the open house in the post home after the colors are raised at noon.
Roney J. Steele
Past commander
What were you
really thinking, Jim?
In the May 10 Letters to the Editor, Jim Laverty wanted to know why Girard College was unable to keep its mission to serve orphaned white boys, while other organizations like the United Negro College Fund are able to remain selective.
Although many details of Stephen Girard’s will remain private, the money that goes toward the funding of Girard College is managed by the board of Directors of City Trusts. Because the Board of Directors of City Trusts falls under the jurisdiction of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, it has to follow federal laws, which have prevented discrimination in educational institutions on the basis of race since Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954.
The United Negro College Fund is allowed to maintain its selective stance since it neither receives government funding nor is managed by a government agency. The same is true for Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby and any of the other people and organizations that Laverty mentioned in his letter. It is not an issue of reverse discrimination, but of private vs. public funding and/or operation.
If I were convinced that Mr. Laverty wrote simply out of a lack of knowledge, this letter would have ended with the previous sentence. However, the level of disrespect that he showed for the family of the late Marie Hicks suggests otherwise. Utilizing the media attention surrounding Mrs. Hicks’ funeral as a means of pointing out perceived discriminatory practices within our society is an example of opportunism at its finest.
It is important to note that Girard’s will also prevented the matriculation of females, but Laverty never mentioned that. In addition, since the first African-American student was admitted in 1968, there have been almost 40 years for him to voice his concerns about the changes to the admissions policies at Girard College, and address his obvious disdain for race-specific groups, but instead he waited for Mrs. Hicks’ funeral to reveal his thoughts.
The inclusion of groups like the NAACP, black caucus and black clergy and exclusion of the gender issue suggests that Laverty’s concern has more to do with his own issues with race than with the changes to the application of Girard’s will. It would have been a lot easier if he had just admitted to it from the beginning without tarnishing the legacy of Marie Hicks in the process.
Spencer Clayton
Castor Gardens
Beware the
copycat terrorists . . .
The recent busted plot by Islamic terrorists to attack and kill American military personnel at Fort Dix, N.J., brings home the hard truth — there are individuals who will continue to plot and plan terror attacks against us, both at home and abroad.
There have been some that have tried to downplay these six individuals because they had no ties to al-Qaeda. Whether this is true or not, it makes no difference. Timothy McVeigh was not tied to al-Qaeda but he still brought terror to America. Copycat terrorists will continue to exist.
The 9/11 Commission has stated that it is not a question of if, but when the next attack occurs.
These individuals have two things to notice — all were part of a radical and twisted interpretation of Islam and three were illegal aliens, allegedly coming across the Texas/Mexican border when they were children. These common threads should shine a spotlight on the need for immigration/border control. And American Muslims must stand up and be counted in opposition to those who have hijacked a legitimate religion to use it for their twisted and evil designs.
George J. Weber
Holmesburg
. . . Fort Dix civilians
were also targeted
In regard to your editorial last week (Ya better watch out), I have one question and one comment.
Question: If there were 10 men on the video at the rifle range, what happened to the other four? I haven’t heard that question answered.
Comment: I have been to Fort Dix numerous times. I keep reading that the terrorists were going to kill soldiers at Fort Dix. In my opinion they were going to go to the main PX area and kill as many people as possible, including women and children. Terrorists do not discriminate when it comes to killing Americans.
Arthur F. Kelly
Modena Park
Abortion foes
shouldn’t get to choose
In its May 10 editions, the Northeast Times printed two letters in favor of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld a federal law banning an abortion procedure. One of these letters disguised anti-abortion propaganda as "research" and called premature female infants "women."
The writer told the story of Amillia Taylor, born in Florida last October after 21 weeks’ gestation. Amillia weighed less than 10 ounces at birth. She was the length of a ballpoint pen. Amillia continues to thrive, and her progress calls for celebration.
However, according to a study published in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) in January 2006, babies born under 22 weeks gestation’ have a less than 11 percent chance of short-term survival. This figure does not address long-term survival, let alone the major complications of extreme prematurity. Basically, Amillia won the lottery. To state, as the writer did, that the court’s ruling "…will probably save thousands of women like Amillia from a dreadful death," is misleading and ludicrous.
The same letter invited readers to the Web site of The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) to learn the details of "partial birth" abortion. The NRLC is not a neutral source of information on abortion. On the other hand, visitors to the NRLC Web site can see where the writer obtained her 10-year-old newspaper quotes about the numbers of intact dilation and extraction procedures performed and the reasons for them. (Intact dilation and extraction is the medical term for "partial birth abortion.")
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, composed of 51,000 members who treat women and deliver babies, condemned the Supreme Court’s decision in a press statement issued April 18. The organization’s president decried the ruling’s disregard for women’s health and blunt assault on women’s reproductive rights.
After all, the desire to eliminate women’s reproductive rights motivates the anti-abortion movement. Anti-abortion activists view the ruling as the first step to banning all abortions, including those accomplished by a few minutes of suction aspiration in early pregnancy.
They want to ensure that no one ever walks through the door of an abortion clinic again, and are working hard to realize this vision. This decision is not theirs to make.
Judilyn Brown, RN, BSN
Mayfair
Who says you can’t learn
nuttin’ from these kids?
Claire Orr’s scathing letter last week (The public schools are a disgrace) was unjustified and submitted without forethought. I found it offensive and an affront to students and their urban lifestyle that has so enriched our schools and neighborhoods.
I implore Claire to take a closer look.
One of the most unrecognized aspects of the city schools is the built-in mentoring program.
Where else are your grandchildren going to be exposed to the life experiences of a 20-year-old sophomore? They would be well-served to absorb as much as possible. From experiences with the law and pharmaceuticals to effective communication and debating skills, to parenting, their fellow students have much to offer. It is a tough world out there, and mastering these skills will ensure that your grandchildren are not left behind.
The results are irrefutable. On Monday of the past week, while walking to work, my daughter experienced it firsthand. Two female academic prodigies from Wilson Middle School utilized persuasive communication tactics. After letting my daughter know how much they disapproved of her work attire, they went the extra step and threatened her with a beat-down.
Later that evening, we discussed the incident. A short time elapsed before their motive became clear to us. The encounter took place at 4:10 p.m. It was obvious to them that my daughter worked part time. They were displeased. My daughter should be working full time, thusly, more tax dollars would be deferred from her check to fund their Access account.
My daughter is working full time now and it is all thanks to the successful implementation of the lessons learned via the public school system that you so carelessly criticized. Charter schools could only dream of achieving such effectiveness.
Like the books written by third-graders but credited to Nobel Prize-nominated author, Tookie Williams, Claire should focus on the positives.
Karl Zenak
Rhawnhurst
Please save Lincoln’s Jr.
ROTC program
I agree to a great extent with the letters from your readers that refer to the state of our public high schools in Philadelphia. I am a single mother of three. I have a son attending Lincoln High School this year and another son will be attending in September.
My son is not one of the terrorist teenagers that are plaguing the surrounding neighborhood. He is a member of the Jr. ROTC program and loves it. He takes this program’s values to heart. He is a young man who believes in honor and integrity, which was taught to him initially by me, but enforced and proven by this program. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention (as well as to the parents of the other cadets in the program) that our Jr. ROTC program may be dismantled and moved to Washington High School.
In this day and age, I would think that the Lincoln High School principal would do whatever humanly possible to save this program. These kids get up early to practice their drills. They come to school as early as 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings for tournaments. They conduct themselves as ladies and gentlemen when visiting other schools and traveling back and forth to school. The school needs more programs like this one and more involvement from the kids and parents.
Jr. ROTC is not the first step to joining a branch of the military. It is a citizenship program. It teaches honor and integrity. It teaches respect for authority and rules. It also teaches self-respect.
The Philadelphia School District recently voted on the budget for the upcoming school year. The district budget will no longer pay any portion of the salaries for the instructors in the program. It has been left to the principals of each school to pay for the balance of the instructors’ salaries.
Lincoln High School claims that there is not money in the budget to pay for the program. The U.S. military branches already pay half of the instructor salaries, leaving the other half for the schools to pay.
I say, pay now or pay later. If this school does not continue this program, there will be more problems with kids not respecting neighbors’ property. There will be less respect for authority. Programs like this are extremely important to the welfare of our children and community.
Please write to the principal, alumni and elected officials. This program is a step in the right direction in a troubled school. Doing away with it cannot be a good thing.
Jeannine Standen
Mother of C/T Sgt. Thomas Standen
• • •
After reading the letter from Jim Duffy last week I felt I had to write. I agree with most of what Mr. Duffy wrote, especially about it only being a group of teenagers that are causing problems, but now everyone needs to know about a group of teenagers that are a great asset to Lincoln that Dr. Donley is willing to let go. That is the Jr. ROTC program.
The program has always been funded by the school district, and this year the schools themselves must fund them. Dr. Donley states that the funds just are not there.
Are you kidding me? There are other schools that have found the money. The ROTC program is the only academy that requires the cadets to maintain good grades in all of their classes AND maintain good behavior both in and out of school.
It is a program that has been a proud part of Lincoln for more then 30 years. The ROTC has won many awards at different drill meets, including three at the recent Citywide Tournament. They are required to participate in activities both in and out of school.
Lincoln has been fighting a bad rep for some time now. This is a positive thing to come out of this school, and now Dr. Donley is willing to just let it go. These may very well be some of our future soldiers. Do we really want to tell them, "Sorry, the program just is not important enough to save."
Come on, Dr. Donley, find a way to save a great tradition of Lincoln High School, a program that we all can be proud of.
With the state of our nation right now, do we really want to put out to people that the military academy at Lincoln is just not important enough to save?
Karen A. Hill
Academy Gardens
Rhawnhurst has been
waiting long enough
As a proud parent of two Rhawnhurst Raiders, I am extremely sad that our recreation center is still under major construction. It has been going on two years since Bock Construction has broken ground, and it seems as though it will be another two years before completion. This job has been plagued by many problems including work stoppages for use of non-union labor.
Why would Bock employ such companies knowing full well they were going to be on the receiving end of a picket line? Rhawnhurst is a neighborhood full of many union employees; this was a blatant slap in our faces. This has done nothing but hold up progress.
When you drive by the area it looks like a war zone. The T-ball field has been nothing but a huge mound of dirt for over a year. And now children and their parents must use Port-O-Potties instead of bathrooms during our sporting events. The city’s Department of Recreation does not even bother with our field because of the construction.
Things are not being taken care of, like our field. It has been up to the board of directors at our rec center to get anything accomplished at our field. Thank goodness for them.
When will our clubhouse and gymnasium be done? The ones who suffer are our children. They have no playground, no basketball courts, no clubhouse. It is about them.
Sports keep our children from running the streets and falling in with the wrong crowd. Sports build our children’s character and self-esteem. But it is very difficult to run a good sports organization with no facilities to use for two years.
The city of Philadelphia needs to own up to its responsibility of taking care of the George Pelbano Recreation Center and hire a company that will get things done and take care of this situation and get our kids a recreation center they can be proud of.
Jeanne Dearden
Rhawnhurst Raider
Miss the elephants?
Read a book
I would like to remind everyone that everything on this Earth is not put here for their children’s pleasure! Animals are living creatures that deserve to live in their natural environment without torture from humans. Zoos are here to educate people about the animals so they will be more likely to help save and respect them.
I suggest to all that are upset that their children will no longer be able to view an elephant at the Philadelphia Zoo, maybe a book or a computer will be good enough!
Everyone else that is educated about animal rights and welfare would like animals to roam free, and we really do not care if your child must have their viewing pleasure taken away because of this!
J. Iannaco
Frankford
Stop abusing the
placard privilege
Regarding Bob Gardner’s letter in the May 10 edition (Does a handicapped placard make you less handicapped?):
The letter I originally wrote was about getting into the Shop Rite store. No, I am not a doctor, but I know when people are abusing the placards. Just sit outside the store or any mall and watch the people run in and out.
I guess people who choose to take advantage of special parking is OK with you. I am not judging everyone, and the licensed plate vs. the placard has nothing to do with it. People should stop abusing the placards and easy parking.
George Morris
Mayfair
Taubenberger should
just say cheese
Everyone seemed to be concentrating totally on the Democratic candidates for mayor and basically writing off any Republican candidate. Now when looking toward the November general election, the Democrats should not take the Republican primary winner, Al Taubenberger, for granted.
I hope they realize that Taubenberger won the Republican mayoral primary in a landslide percentage far greater than any of Ronald Reagan’s. He fought off challenges from write-in candidates Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, who are more well-liked and more well-known.
After looking at all his previous candidacies, Taubenberger has now put together a long winning streak of one.
Yo, Michael Nutter and all the Democrats, "be afraid, be very afraid."
Mayer Krain
Modena Park
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