Letters to the Editor
A Congressman Who Cares About All Of His Constituents
Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak has provoked criticism and outrage from some due to his outreach efforts to the Delaware County Muslim community through CAIR. He has been attacked for agreeing to speak at a CAIR function, and for hiring a Muslim woman for his staff. We rightly condemn anti-Semitism in every form. How can we then make sweeping judgments based on unsubstantiated allegations against other religions? CAIR has denied most of the charges made against them.
Joe Sestak is never afraid to talk to people who do not agree with him. I heard him say in his campaign that he would talk to any constituents on any issues. If he had to respectfully disagree, he would explain his reasons. He has held meetings with his Republican opponents, even Springfield leader Charles Sexton, who has been investigated by the FBI. Sestak is a man of courage and integrity who says what he believes, whether talking to CAIR or to political opponents.
-- Nina de Angeli Walls, Ridley Park, PA
Vegetarian Diet as Kiddush Hashem
I enjoyed reading Lisa Kelvin Tuttle's review of
Mama's Vegetarian in
The Kosher Table.
As a lifelong Jewish resident in the
greater Philadelphia area, I'm regularly impressed by the variety of
meat-free dining options in our communities, something important to me
as someone who cares about animals.
Prominent Jewish leaders around the world are advocating for
vegetarian diets, and for good reason. The Torah is filled with
commandments about the humane treatment of animals. Sadly, most of the
meat, eggs and dairy produced in the United States come from
factory farms
where animals are abused in ways that would shock any caring
person. Confining animals in crates and cages that are so restrictive
the animals can hardly move for their entire lives violates Jewish
teachings.
PJV readers can learn more at
JewishVeg.com, a website that explains
our diet as kiddush hashem.
-- Jim Bernard Balk, Broomall, PA
Shoot First And Ask Questions Later
Hypothetically, suppose I agreed with President Bush's policy of
bringing democracy to Iraq in a pushkie. Let us take for granted that
former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Eric Shinseki knew what
he was talking about, when he told Congress it would take 300-400,000
troops to win the peace there. Then, I would have to conclude that the
"troop ripple" from 120,000 to 145,000 troops is not designed to win the
peace, or to bring democracy to the victims of Saddam Hussein. I
conclude, rather, that the Bush Administration's micro-surge is a
strategy to prolong defeat until he leaves office. I conclude that the
stability of the Middle East, upon which Israel depends, is not as
important to Bush as the appearance of toughness -- even at the
sacrifice of thousands of American soldiers, and the wounding or
maiming, physically and mentally, of many thousands more.
Sadly, Michael Schwartz's analysis
shows that our very
presence in Iraq has become an irritant, and even the forces which
Shinseki had projected in 2003 may not now be enough to win a peace
compatible with building an Iraqi Democratic Light Unto the Nations.
Too often George Bush's strategy is like the old "Far Side" cartoon,
where a live cowboy is holding a smoking gun, speaking to a dead man,
his hands flung to the side on the ground. The live cowboy addresses one
question after another to the corpse: "What is the capital of
Afghanistan?" "How many centimeters in an inch?" "What is your mother's
maiden name?" Off to the side, another cowboy addresses the shooter,
with the cartoon's caption, "George, you can't shoot first and ask
questions later!"
-- Ben Burrows
, Elkins Park, PA
The Philadelphia Jewish Voice welcomes the
submission
of articles and letters to the editor
letters @ pjvoice.com.
Please include name, address and phone number for
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We cannot publish every submission we receive. We
also reserve the right to edit submissions for length, clarity, grammar, accuracy,
and style, though we will never intentionally distort the author's intent.
Editor-in-chief Charles Smolover
editor @ pjvoice.com.
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