The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Breakfast Talk

5.4.04 @ 12:01AM

NATIONAL CATHOLICS
Re: The Washington Prowler's Guess Who Didn't Come to Breakfast:

Your website is applauded for providing inside information from inside the beltway that isn't reported on anywhere else. But the 4-28-04 edition of the Prowler report contained several inaccuracies.

First and foremost, you state that Cardinal McCarrick refused to let us use St. Matthew's Cathedral. The fact of the matter is that we never planned, nor asked, to use the cathedral because the logistics of getting people from the Cathedral to the Breakfast would be impossible. The fact is that Cardinal McCarrick was very supportive of the breakfast. He gave his immediate approval to our efforts and would have been present if he had not been in Rome meeting with the Pope. Moreover, Cardinal McCarrick sent his letter of greeting and asked his vocations director to read it and speak to the group.

Secondly, Domino's founder Tom Monaghan wasn't involved in anyway with the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. The breakfast was an all-volunteer effort, apart from our official jobs, started by myself (who works for one of Mr. Monaghan's entities) and several other Catholics, who saw the need for a non-partisan gathering of prayer and fellowship.

Also, we never heard from anyone at Kerry's campaign asking to be invited to the breakfast. If they had asked, we would HAVE welcomed them to come and eat with us. Though, no Catholics, of either political party, who go against Church Doctrine on the matters such as abortion, would be allowed to speak at the gathering.

Regarding President Bush, we understand that he has a demanding schedule and we are very happy that he was able to send his letter of greeting and that Secretary Tommy Thompson was able to speak at the event.

Thanks for your coverage of the breakfast and feel free to contact me directly about the breakfast in the future. We plan on holding this breakfast every year.
-- Joseph Cella
President
National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

THE OLD NEW THING
Re: W. James Antle III's Hell of a Ride:

I loved the piece by W. James Antle, It describes what myself, my husband and many of my friends went through as well. Although we were more on the "geeky" side to start and many of us "played" with mainframe computers BEFORE the desktop revolution. (And I am NOT that old!).

It was indeed a "heady" time and I often questioned my own, and others' sanity to remain on active duty in the military (even if it was the Air Force) when so many peers and subordinates were getting out, joining the multitude of "dotcoms" and it seemed, making a lot of money!

By the time I retired, the "bloom was off the roses" and although I was doing an instructor gig at the time, even I could see (in 2001) that the jobs were disappearing as fast as patches of melting snow.
-- Sandra Dent

Mr. W. James Antle III''s article was very informative. It just shows that the dotcom boom did benefit more people than just the founder(s) of the company. It is a refreshing story and it does look like a modern day real life example of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." I just wish he had included his amount of pay at each job from beginning to end.

Thank You,
-- Jeff Brownell
Herndon, Virginia

W. James Antle III replies: Let's just say that the "Clinton economy" treated me well...

LOOSE NUKES
Re: Jed Babbin's CIA Independence Day:

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Economics, Business, Medicaid, Religion, Islam, Abortion, Law, Military, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons