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City needs swift
kick in the cans
I’d like to respond to reporter Lauren Fritsky’s recent article Recycling Rules.
Philadelphia will never have a successful recycling program as long as it has a "do as I say and not as I do" attitude about recycling. Where are the recycling receptacles on our streets and in our parks?
At our premier environmental event, the Philadelphia Flower Show, the exhibits were marred by overflowing trash cans filled with plastic soda bottles. Why were there no recycling containers in the Convention Center? I have taken empty plastic water bottles to airports in Chicago, Salt Lake City and Seattle because I didn’t want to throw them in the trash at Philadelphia’s airport.
Personally, I do not need incentives like RecycleBank to recycle. Helping the environment is reward enough. On the third Saturday of each month, the Friends of Pennypack Park collect paper and plastic behind Lincoln High School.
I only wish that they were able to do this event every week. That way, our recyclables wouldn’t be sitting in our houses for two weeks.
If only our city would lead by example.
Joy Ozer
Somerton
Way to go, Mike
In his latest film, SICKO, Michael Moore promotes a complete takeover of our health-care system by the federal government. Who does he think will be in charge of such a system if it is enacted?
It would be Bush & Cheney, and they would get some political hack to run the program. Does Mr. Moore remember FEMA with Katrina, the Veterans Administration with Walter Reed Medical Center, and the Medicare prescription fiasco?
Thank’s a lot, Michael.
Ross Schriftman
Maple Glen
Philly’s violence is all
about soft gun laws
In reference to the recent letter Gun Control is Unconstitutional, I would like to say it is all about the guns — if they were not as readily available and easy to secure, we would not have so many people being blown away on a regular basis.
In some states in this country it is as easy to buy a gun as it is to buy a candy bar across the counter.
If the Pennsylvania Constitution does say that the right to bear arms shall not be questioned, it does not say that the type and amount of arms cannot be controlled. If there is no limitation, then why not give us all hand grenades, bazookas, machine guns and semiautomatics to "defend" ourselves?
It is a disgrace that the Pennsylvania Legislature will not allow Philadelphia and other large cities to make their own gun laws in an effort to make living a little bit safer.
New York City, which has six times the population of Philadelphia but has the power to make its own gun laws, has fewer deaths because of gun violence than Philadelphia. And European countries, which have strict gun laws and do not have the albatross of a misinterpreted Second Amendment around their necks, have one-tenth the deaths because of gun violence.
The Second Amendment was written for the purpose of allowing the formation of militias when our young country was struggling to survive against the European powers. It was not intended to turn the country into an armed camp, with everybody a law unto themselves.
Walter Desher
Lawndale
Babies deserve
a chance to survive
In answer to the recent letter of Judilyn Brown, RN, Choice is a Beautiful Thing, it seems to me that Ms. Brown is picking around the small stuff to justify the awful procedure known as partial-birth abortion. She finds fault with the stated number of partial-birth abortions performed and with the gestational ages of these babies, many of which are viable and able to survive if given the chance.
That is the point of Amilia Taylor’s survival when she was born at 21 weeks gestation. She did survive. And many of these second- and third-trimester partial-birth abortions could survive if given half a chance.
What does it matter if the numbers are ten, a hundred or thousands? And what does it matter if doctors think these babies cannot survive? Obviously some do (as in Amilia’s case), and those aborted past 24 weeks have a very good chance at survival.
The procedure is barbaric and takes the lives of babies who can survive. And for that reason alone it should be banned. When I was in nursing school, we were taught to respect and nurture life. Whatever happened to America that we should be reduced to accepting such atrocities?
Elizabeth W. Maier, RN
Torresdale
Bush wants miracles
but won’t fund them
The Bush Administration’s promise for the No Child Left Behind law — that the federal government would do all in its power to guarantee every child in America, regardless of race, economic background, language or disability, the opportunity to get a world-class education — has been exposed as empty words.
Although the law requires public schools to lower the number of dropouts, President Bush cut all federal funding for dropout programs in his latest budget. The president has taken a page from the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale — in effect, demanding that teachers and school administrators spin straw into gold.
The requirement to reduce the dropout rate stays in place. Failure to do so results in sanctions against local schools, school districts, and individual teachers. But the money to help schools reach the goal and avoid the punishments no longer exists. It’s hypocrisy of stunning proportions.
Our association supports NCLB’s goals: raising student achievement, closing achievement gaps and providing every child with a qualified teacher. But our members are adamant that the law must be fundamentally changed and that the president and the Congress must provide the necessary resources if NCLB is to achieve its goals.
James R. Weaver
President, Pennsylvania State Education Association
Trans fats are least
of her concerns
I read a recent article in the Times about the concerns that local bakeries have about the city law that would ban the use of trans fats in foods.
As a resident of Mayfair, I am tired of having to travel outside my neighborhood for gourmet treats or foods that support a healthy alternative.
My parents have lived in Mayfair for years, and they remember the avenue when you could stroll and buy a variety of quality goods.
Step outside your box, business owners! Don’t fear laws that will make a healthier life. Fear property owners that don’t care about the neighborhood. My neighbors and I are tired of everytime a new business opens on the avenue, it is either a salon, saloon or some sort of fried-food place.
Our politicians should help the people who reside here and work here. Eliminate some of the meters so we residents are not bombarded by parked cars cramming our blocks. Light Frankford Avenue better so that it attracts a wide variety of nice businesses to shop at.
Encourage and lobby for attractive, unique companies to move their business to Mayfair.
Mary Laurenzo
Mayfair
Only you can keep
our parks in top shape
In a recent song sung by Counting Crows called They Paved Paradise, there is a refrain that goes: Well, don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone; They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.
This song has an environmental message that is applicable to our neighborhood parks. Whether it’s Pennypack, Poquessing, Tacony, Burholme, Fluehr or the other area parks, we have bits of paradise that often go ignored, with some already "gone" from what they once were.
Over the years, the budget for Fairmount Park has been reduced to an anemic amount. The small staff can barely keep up with immediate priorities let alone spend much time on maintenance of the park. Friends groups try to help, but some of the groups struggle with low membership and poor participation from the community.
Some people take the parks for granted, enjoying their existence, and yet they fail to realize the amount of upkeep and care that our parks require, especially from abuse. Whether because of vandalism or misuse, the results can leave a scar on the landscape. Some people do not think about or realize the harm they cause with illegal activities such as ATV use, dumping their yard waste or leaving their litter behind.
What can you do to keep your parks clean and well-maintained? Let your councilperson and the mayor know you care about the parks and want funding restored so that the parks can get the care they need.
Call 911 to report dumping, vandalism, drinking parties or other damage. Help your local Friends group when they hold cleanups, or go out yourself and pick up the litter at your convenience.
Teach your children to respect the park and not to litter, chase after wildlife or damage plants.
Be part of the cure, not the disease, and take care of our parks so that they continue to be a paradise in our neighborhoods.
Alan Kaminsky
Bustleton
Stupid things really
get him ticked off
Some of the most stupid things people do regularly take place while they’re driving. And most of the time, even when we observe these behaviors, we zone them out.
Not me.
Here are some examples of such human stupidity, insensitivity, indifference and perilous practices, and what I believe legislators ought to consider doing to discourage the perpetrators:
(1) Individuals smoking in their cars while children are present. This is the equivalent of poisoning children (who literally are captives in such cases).
(2) Operating a motor vehicle with a cell phone in one hand, a cigarette in the other — and for those three-handed people, coffee, makeup or reading material in the other. In some states, just driving while talking on a cell phone is a violation of law.
(3) Parking in a handicap-designated space, either with or without a handicap permit, when the only person is a driver who is conspicuously able-bodied.
Penalties for first-time offenders should be traffic citations of some sort, fines and the receipt of a printed document (i.e. an official law-enforcement handout) listing the type of violation committed, its potential consequences and a list of more-rigorous penalties for similar violations in the future.
Arthur Gurmankin
Bustleton
Cultural genocide’ misses
the point of why folks are dying
By Rep. W. Curtis Thomas
Two weeks ago, state Rep. Steven Cappelli, R-Lycoming, was interviewed on World News Tonight regarding the escalating gun violence in Philadelphia. During the interview, Cappelli stated that the problem is "cultural genocide" and no matter what the General Assembly does, things will not change.
I was astonished, angered and offended by the nerve of his statement.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, genocide is defined as "the systematic, planned annihilation of a racial, political or cultural group."
Keeping that definition in mind, I want to know if the slaughter that took place last October at the schoolhouse in Amish country was "cultural genocide." Is the escalating gun violence taking place in Allentown, York, Chester and other municipalities in Pennsylvania "cultural genocide"?
My constituents and I want to know exactly what Rep. Cappelli meant by "cultural genocide." Was he speaking for himself, the National Rifle Association, the House Republican Caucus or all 203 members of the House?
He certainly wasn’t speaking for me.
The fact is that the NRA and the 1995 Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act have created an environment that is threatening the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians. A young constituent recently explained to me that on any given day he could go to Northeast Philadelphia and illegally purchase a gun with no problem.
The fact that a teen can purchase an illegal handgun as easily as he can buy a bag of chips is a crime. However, the fact that gun traffickers continue to flock to Pennsylvania to sell their weapons of mass destruction with no legal repercussion is a major part of the problem.
Before passage of the 1995 Pennsylvania Firearms Act, Philadelphia and other municipalities in the Commonwealth had ordinances that set reasonable limits and clearly defined what was needed to legally own a firearm. The 1995 law pre-empted those local ordinances and ushered in the climate of violence that exists today.
Cultural genocide? Spending millions on building new prisons instead of properly funding education is cultural genocide. Supporting the NRA instead of protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth with reasonable gun-control laws is cultural genocide. To keep raising the Second Amendment as an excuse while coldly turning your back on the mother whose child has been shot down in the street with an illegal handgun is cultural genocide.
The right to own a rifle to hunt with has absolutely nothing to do with owning a handgun. Handguns are not used for hunting — unless you’re hunting people.
Rep. Cappelli and those who support his position must take responsibility for what is happening in Philadelphia, Amish country, Allentown, York and Chester.
The Second Amendment argument is a farce and a diversionary tactic for something more sinister.
Maybe my colleague is correct. The question is, will he continue to support and perpetuate the cultural genocide he spoke of by turning a blind eye to the escalating gun violence, or will he do the right thing?
Who is really committing cultural genocide? I suggest that Rep. Cappelli and those who agree with him look in the mirror.
That’s where the answer lies. ••
State Rep. Thomas has represented the 181st Legislative District since 1989 and is majority chairman of the House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Patti’s Pet Grooming owner:
It wasn’t my shop
I am writing in regard to the letter to the editor last week entitled Grieving cat owner has words of wisdom.
First and foremost, my heart goes out to Mr. McGee, the owner of the cat, for his tremendous loss, especially under such unexpected circumstances.
I would like the readers to be aware that my grooming business, Patti’s Pet Grooming, located at 8054 Frankford Ave. in Holmesburg, was not the establishment involved.
Holmesburg is bordered by Academy Road to the north and Sheffield Avenue to the south. I believe I am the only pet grooming shop on Frankford Avenue in Holmesburg. I believe Mr. McGee was referring to a salon located in a neighborhood near Holmesburg but not specifically in Holmesburg.
I have owned and operated my business for over 16 years and take great pride in the attention to detail, service and ability to identify stress in every pet we serve.
As a pet owner, you do need to know your groomer’s reputation. I encourage owners to obtain references. Cats, especially, are naturally equipped to groom themselves: a barbed tongue with which to lick, forepaws they moisten with saliva and use as a surrogate washcloth, and teeth to dig out tougher debris.
Grooming can help you screen your cat for any problems that may be developing on the skin.
However, many cats do not take fondly to being groomed by any tools but their own, which can be stressful to the animal.
Be certain you use a groomer who has experience handling cats and knows how to recognize if they are stressed.
Patti Zukowski-Garttmeier
Patti’s Pet Grooming
Don’t let the Pennypack
music festival end on a sour note
This letter is to praise and applaud all those involved in the Pennypack Park Music Festival, namely all the board members, park rangers, vendors and those who give up their time to schedule, perform, clean and donate to this family-oriented bi-weekly festival.
The festival was revived by civic and business leaders of Northeast Philadelphia back in 2001. The festival not only plays tributes to some of the most influential music artists of our time like Elvis and the Rolling Stones, but there are also local bands who rock the park like Mike LeCompt, Sensational Soul Cruisers and Blackthorn.
Unfortunately, this may all come to an end. Although this is technically a "free" festival with many people dedicating their hard work and time for free, the festival needs financial support for permits, sound equipment, cleaning, bathrooms, etc. Well, festival-goers, they are coming up short!
Therefore, those who are attending and NOT bucking up need to reach into their pockets and give a little something ($5 a person would be ideal). A lot of people are giving up time with their families and friends to put on a fantastic show for us every other week. Also, everyone really needs to step up and CLEAN up after themselves!
Let’s show the city that the Northeast can come together and keep the music alive! This is a great festival and it would be a shame to see it disappear.
Kathleen Howard
Fox Chase
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