Judge Alito has been shown to be a man of basic fairness
Letters to the EditorPublished November 20, 2005
Re: Mostly measured, but Alito can get fiery, Nov. 13.
Bill Adair's piece on Judge Samuel Alito was most enlightening. The latest Bush appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court seems to measure up to what our nation sorely needs in that exalted position: an individual with much knowledge and experience in weighty judicial matters.
To be sure, he is conservative, yet, judging from Adair's information, he has the one other desperately needed quality that should characterize the mind, soul and spirit of anyone assuming the office of judge at any level of our judicial system: basic fairness.
Our Constitution, if it is to stand the test of history, must be interpreted fairly, and this for the good of every individual citizen of our nation of today and tomorrow. I hope he fares well and is not too badly mauled by our U.S. senators during the coming tedious months. Something tells me he will.
-- The Rev. Desmond Daly, Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa
A city on the wrong track
Re: Baker's winning formula, Nov. 13.
Everybody loves a winner. I guess your editorial folks do, too. Maybe that's why one of last Sunday's opinion pieces lauds St. Petersburg's recurrent mayor, big Rick Baker, who now has "big expectations" on the wider political scene.
In the meantime, this heavy participant in "growth management," who apparently never met a developer he didn't like, will give us four more years of turning St. Petersburg into a monoculture of high-rise and waterfront privilege, where only servants will have to commute to work. The kind of growth we can expect looks, under the microscope, a lot like the growth of a malignant tumor.
What's too bad is that there's not much of a healthy loyal opposition to nudge the asteroid of metastasizing privilege and greed and ideological fantasy off its collision course with the planet.
-- Jon McPhee, St. Petersburg
More Times neutrality needed
I am a reader of both the St. Petersburg Times and the Weekly Planet. This week's edition of the Planet points out the unstated bias of the Times in the recent mayoral race.
I was rather appalled myself at the Times' lack of impartiality. Every article dealing with Ed Helm was negative. The only semi-neutral article I read concerned how the candidates used the information on crime in slightly differing contexts. (And even that article indicated Baker was more correct in his assessment than Helm). Baker, on the other hand, was the golden boy, whose own family issues and failures were left untouched.
Regardless of party affiliation, the Times should have presented a much more neutral platform for readers. It makes me think that the tail really is wagging the dog.
-- Brandy Stark, St. Petersburg
We must win this war
It's been a rough year, a year of mourning. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma and killer tornadoes have killed hundreds and devastated huge parts of our country. We weep for the heartbreaking death count of more than 2,000 soldiers. We yearn to have our military men and women home. We are nearly crazy with grief. We feel we can't take any more deaths. But we must.
Whether we agree on the reasons for it, or agree on lack thereof, America started this war in Iraq. We have blown their country to pieces, and while we have been there an estimated 28,000 Iraqis have died. We have done this. This is our war. We can lose this war. We must win it.
Pulling our troops out of the Middle East is not an option. America is invincible only when not divided. We must support this war as we did World War II, and every American must be prepared to sacrifice.
We shall forever hold our heads in shame if we do not keep our promise to secure in Iraq and Afghanistan the opportunity of the people to freely govern themselves.
-- Sandy Ericson, Clearwater
Who is wise about war?
Let's see: You have the vice president, who took every draft deferment available because he had "other priorities" during the Vietnam era, saying, "stay the course" in Iraq.
On the other hand you have a former Marine Corps colonel and veteran of the Vietnam War, Rep. John Murtha, saying, "It's time for a change in direction." Who are you going to believe?
-- Richard Feigel, Clearwater
Follow the leader?
Re: Veterans deserved more, letters, Nov. 13.
The letter writer described himself as "shocked and dismayed" that the St. Petersburg Times did not provide better Veterans Day coverage. I feel the Times was simply following the leadership of President Bush.
The president left Dick Cheney, a man who used a series of draft deferments to avoid military service, to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery while he flew to Tobyhanna, Pa., to deliver a political speech.
Veterans deserve better from both the Times and President Bush.
-- Dan A. Sparks, Redington Beach
Orchestra vs. sports
Re: Playing in the black - for now, Nov. 13.
Thank you for your fine editorial recognizing the importance of the Florida Orchestra to our community. We are lucky to have such outstanding, talented musicians under the leadership of Maestros Stefan Sanderling and Susan Haig as well as a conscientious and business-like executive director and board chairman.
I thought about the $8.1-million it takes to operate the orchestra for a year and the challenges faced to raise it and wanted to put that in some perspective. I went to the usatoday.com Web site that shows sports salaries and discovered that Simeon Rice, a member of the local taxpayer-subsidized professional football team was paid almost $8.9-million last year. That's $8.9- million just for him! The orchestra has more than a hundred musicians and support staff.
Does anyone see something wrong with this picture?
-- Henry Goldhammer, Palm Harbor
Learning more about Lucy
Re: Off with their heads, Jeff Klinkenberg writing about Lucy Morgan, Nov. 13.
In my 15 years of living here and reading the St. Petersburg Times, I've marveled at Lucy's reporting. What a treat to learn more about this remarkable woman from a favorite writer. I agree she's got some poison left in her pen and I'll be looking forward to a dose now and then!
Thanks, Jeff.
-- Karlyn S. Price, Palm Harbor