Letters to the Editor

Kerry’s Catholicism

Monday’s front-page story about senator and presidential candidate John Kerry’s rift with the Catholic Church on issues such as abortion, partial-birth abortion, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and the sanctity of marriage continues to grow (“Politics cloud Kerry’s Easter plans”).

Actually, the Kerry campaign is using the controversy for publicity. The American Spectator reported on his attendance at Mass in Idaho recently, attributing the following quote to a member of Mr. Kerry’s staff: “It was just a media-op. We set it up with some reporters that we knew were going to be there.” Catholics believe that when at Mass the priest consecrates bread and wine it becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine. The Mass is sacred to Catholics; it is not a media-op.

Sunday, Britain’s online Telegraph reported, “Last week, a defiant note sounded from Kerry’s campaign headquarters: ’Rome may not be thrilled with the senator’s position on some social issues,’ said an adviser, ’but the pope doesn’t have a vote in this election.’ ” This remark brings to mind the way Josef Stalin dismissed Pope Pius XII during World War II, when the pope was pressing for peace and justice: “How many divisions does the pope have?”

Mr. Kerry is using his immoral positions on issues to insult the Catholic Church and for publicity. In the long run, that is a foolhardy thing to do.

FRANCOIS L. QUINSON

Gaithersburg, Md.

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Maggie Gallagher in her column Saturday, “One victim or two?” provides insight on Sen. John Kerry’s extreme views on abortion. She reports that Mr. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (commonly known as Laci and Conner’s Law), which grants federal protection for pre-born babies whose mothers want them (while specifically excluding abortion), on the basis that the law may infringe on “abortion rights.”

Mr. Kerry voted in opposition to the polls that say 80 percent of the people want to grant legal protection to the pre-born and in opposition to a mother’s instinct to protect her baby.

Mr. Kerry obviously is beholden to the financial support of his campaign by abortion interests, but we will see if that translates into enough votes to overcome the people’s common sense.

WILLIAM LUKSIC

Rockville, Md.

A question of credibility

Letter writer David Haley’s allusions to grading Diana West in his classroom (“Address the issues, please,” Monday) seem calculated to establish his own authority, but they serve only as an indictment of his teaching.

He claims Miss West’s column “The tale of two tales” (Op-Ed, March 26) is an “ad hominem” attack, or an attack on the person one is debating. MissWestisaddressing Richard A. Clarke here as a source, not as a debate opponent. On the question of whether the Bush administration handled terrorist threats properly, Mr. Clarke is the primary source for evidence in support of the negative argument. The credibility of a cited source is a legitimate issue in a debate. Even if Mr. Clarke were to debate Miss West, citing himself as an uncorroborated source would still make him a fair target.

Mr. Haley’s charges of obfuscation and irrelevance also are false. The bulk of Miss West’s column deals with Mr. Clarke’s own statements contradicting his book and current testimony. Such material serves both to deny his current account and to call his credibility into question and thus is an excellent rebuttal.

BRIAN WAGNER

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

The real enemy

On Friday, officials in Spain found another bomb planted in a rail line between Madrid and Seville (“Explosives found near railway line,” World, Saturday). What? You mean electing a pacifist leader who promises to pull Spain’s troops out of Iraq does not satisfy those militantswhokilled191 Spaniards just weeks ago? You cannot appease blackmailers and terrorists. Only the destruction of those who hold liberty dear will satisfy their blood lust.

America’s enemy is not its president; it is a group of cruel murderers deeply entrenched in an ideology that calls for our destruction. Remember the charred bodies in Fallujah, Iraq. Americans, look at your enemy. Republicans and Democrats, put your politics aside and be Americans first. Stop cursing the commander in chief every time there are casualties in this war. You only embolden our enemies. War brings casualties, and we should pray for the safety of our troops each day.

Everyone, stop blindly drinking in the slanted news reports of the tragedies of this warwhileignoringthe tremendous victories being won. I thank God for a president who stands firm and leads the fight against those who want to destroy us.

CELESTE PARKER

Tulsa, Okla.

Letting the perfect be the enemy of the good

I must admit that I am just about ready to quit reading AndrewSullivan’s”The Weekly Dish.” In his Friday rendition, the part about the president (“Bush’s avoidances”) seems to be totally dedicated to what the president should have said.

Mr. Sullivan should understand that people are people, and I can think of a thousand examples of how I would have said things differently from others.

The nation has also added more than 300,000 jobs in the month of March, but what does Sen. John Kerry do? He carps that Mr. Bush has not solved every aspect of our troubles.

It is too bad that even in the most basic and mundane, as well as in the most important things, Bush critics cannot help from lamenting that what he has done or said, however good or proper, is just not quite enough.

JACK DORWIN

Livingston, Texas

A legacy of toadies?

As reported Monday in Inside theBeltway,Rep.Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, wants to provide for the continuity of Congress. He proposes that each elected representative pre-select a list of heirs. The obvious flaws in this toady-promoting system are numerous, but let’s focus on a true fix to the problem.

Each state of the union has a governor and, in most cases, a two-house legislature. Let the legislature choose the replacements and the governor sign off. The states also may allow for special elections. In other words, “states’ choice.” More fair, more representative — and hopefully fewer toadies.

J. MATTHEW PHIPPS

Gig Harbor, Wash.