CASINO LOCALE:
Re: George Neumayr’s Casino Country:

Awesome article, just what we are suffering in Jamul, CA.
— Jonathan Shultz

WAYS AND MEANINGS
Re: Francis X. Rocca’s The Third World Way:

Francis X. Rocca’s general comments on religious conservatism allude to many important additional issues. I would like to make three points:

1. Mr. Rocca writes of Anglicanism (Episcopalianism in the U.S.) and Catholicism in the spirit of one being the peer of the other. It is a healthy attitude, for Anglicanism, although “protestant,” is not Protestant. In fact the two have so much in common that, in this more “cooperative” era, one validates that other … or in the case of the “progressives,” one can help destroy the other.

2. Should any person actively engaged in any sexual relationship, outside of a marriage between a man and a woman, be knowingly ordained to the deaconate or priesthood, thus affecting “liberalization” of church-wide policy such a church, by one self-indulgent move in the guise of “fairness,” ceases to be a Christian church.

3. In the case of the Episcopalians in the U.S., holding to religious tradition is fundamentally serious. It was the Episcopalian communion (pre-Revolutionary Anglican) that exerted far-reaching influence on the ethics and norms that undergird the cultural foundation of our Republic. For our country to continue on into the future, such values must be continued in the lives of a significant number of citizens — citizens who depend upon their religious communion to be truthful, regardless of strong destructive social norms to the contrary.

4. For more on No. 3 above, read The Way of the WASP: How It Made America and How It Save It … So To Speak by Richard Brookhiser.
— Carl G. Pyper
Monett, MO

Mr. Rocca’s article on religion once more shows his complete ignorance of what Christianity is really about. Not once in his diatribe did he mention Jesus Christ, the Apostles, or even the Bible. Instead he launches into a conservative/liberal schism centered around homosexuality. Mr. Rocca seems to forget that God condemns sin for what it is and that homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord, as stated in the Bible, which while written by man, is the word of the Lord. Therefore the “Third World Christians” are not conservative per se, but follow their faith according to its tenets. On the other hand, the “white European and North American Christians” have fallen into sin and away from the tenets of their faith, which they try to pass off as progressiveness. The Christian faith is not subject to populous whim but to what is stated in the Bible. It’s about time a supposedly intelligent man like Mr. Rocca realized that.
— Pete Chagnon

THE SOUNDS OF MUSIC
Re: Lawrence Henry’s About Songs:

Lawrence Henry correctly points out the major difference between songs “then” and “now.” He mentioned Oldies stations.

Can anyone believe, twenty-five years from now, that there will be Oldies stations playing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” or anything from Britney Spears?
— Greg Barnard
Franklin, TN

What passes for music today (ad nauseam) is nothing more than the noise of clashing junk akin to Fibber McGee’s famous closet. Since I was raised in a home that valued light classic music and the big bands while my youthful musical interests strayed toward Dixieland, Klezmer, country and other folk music tastes, it came as a body blow when the painful “rock” hit the public market. My seminal moment came when I was standing outside Oregon’s stunning Timberline Lodge at night during a light snowfall and the earsplitting cacophony of “Rock Around the Clock” boomed out over loudspeakers. The strong urge to vomit swept through me. Over the years, things went downhill from there. There is no way that I would set a radio dial to today’s “top tunes” as what comes out of the radio is far too upsetting. It is too painful and disturbing; certainly not what my idea of what music is supposed to do for us.

I can remember songs we would sing around a campfire in summer camp or even those that were popular during WWII. We knew the words, the music and we could dance to the tunes. Can anyone repeat the words of, much less sing, today’s popular songs? What’s the point? Noise along with the mind-numbing beat of drums. I just don’t get it. Band leaders who have mastered maybe four chords of a guitar and dress like sex starved hobos dragging in millions of dollars while they screech and shout obscene words. Why are these talentless creeps so admired?

What is such a shame is that the technology of music recording is far beyond anything I could have dreamed of as a kid and yet it is garbage that one finds on today’s CDs. I do appreciate the remastering of the grand old tunes and the great artists and bands of yesteryear. I value my collection of old vinyl records and once in a while buy a CD of good music if I can find a treasure amid the trash in today’s stores.
— Al Martin
Depoe Bay, OR

Perhaps the recording industry would be able to recover if they actually started producing songs again. That is, if they could recognize one…
— Ross Kelsey

WELCOME TO MY WORLD
Re: Robert Garcia Tagorda’s An Affirmative Action Memoir:

Congratulations, Mr. Tagorda! You are now an honorary White Person (a person of no-color). You must now refer to yourself as a “Honky,” affect a deep-South drawl, and learn to drive race cars.

When I was in high school (class of 1971), my SATS were circa 1400, I was a National Merit scholar, and my father was unemployed. We were broke. Had I been non-no-color, it staggers the imagination how much money would have been thrown at me. The National Merit Foundation gave me exactly zero.
— Jim Stevenson

NETWORK NEWS
Re: Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder’s In the Business of Telling Lies:

One thing that has not, it seems, received attention is the conduct of Messrs. Sulzberger and Raines in the initial release they issued on the Blair scandal. In the midst of detailing Blair’s every petty cash peccadillo and creative comma, they found time to highlight editor Boyd’s “old-boy’s-club” fostering of Blair’s career. This is the only concrete example of management wrongdoing they initially chose to disclose; ironically, it is the only piece of genuinely professional behavior amidst the three of them. An African-American professional looked out for the career of another African-American man: how else exactly did the Jews, the Irish and the Italians make their way into the mainstream of American society?

On the other hand, little Pinch, telling us we shouldn’t blame the publisher who runs the paper with all the sophistication of the cellar-dwelling anarchist on “That 70 s Show,” and Bubba Raines, weeping and lamenting that he once breathed the same air as Bull Connor, when push came to shove, rose to the demands of their beliefs by trying to dump the blame on the nearest black man. Lucky for them the Newspaper of Record doesn’t think there’s a story there…
— Richard McEnroe

SPECIAL MEN
Re: Jed Babbin’s Double Down:

During WWII, there was an outfit formed of both American and Canadian soldiers called the First Special Service Force. They took their training just outside Helena, Montana. They were a very clandestine outfit, thus the name they were given. This was intentional for security reasons. But they were highly trained in commando tactics.

This outfit was 1,800 fighting men strong but accomplished so much. Their first action in Italy was to take a mountain, Monte LaDifensa, that had stopped the entire 5th Army for about 5 months with huge losses. One company of 600 men climbed this mountain after dark and managed to either wipe out the Germans or send them off the mountain. They were used further by the 5th Army Commanding General, Mark Clark, to pave the way for his troops’ success in conquering Italy.

This outfit had large casualty numbers, but never gave up an inch of ground or lost a battle. From this outfit the modern day Special Forces was derived. Your article concerning the value of Special Ops troops made me remember this gallant outfit, and how valuable specially trained troops are to any army. Any President who does not realize this should not be leading a country or Commander-in-Chief of an army.
— Jackson Brannon

MORE ON MARTHA
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s Get Off Stewart’s Case:

I have been trying to figure out why the feminists and the liberal elites haven’t stepped forward to defend a woman who obtained their Holy Grail — BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING and she did it on her own!!!

It finally dawned on me that they hate the fact that she “made it” based on showing women how to do everything the feminists walked away from — making a lovely, comfortable HOME while BAKING COOKIES!!
— Mrs. Mary E. Quinn
Penfield, NY

MIXED BLESSINGS
Re: George Neumayr’s Hit and Run Liberals:

Did anyone really think they (the Catholic Church) would allow an honest man to handle the responsibility of searching out the truth and the solution to their sins??? Of course not. Stonewalling and deception is their game! Frank Keating was doomed before he began.

The church has gotten away with this tactic for far too long. They feel they are above the law, that all their dirty little secrets would never be found out, no one would have the nerve to question those wearing the collar. As long as they were able to get away with the crime, they kept it going, while using the parishioners contributions to pay off the victims and the adoring faithful, praying on their pity. Well, they have been found out, and it will not be easy for the flock to forgive. People will still believe in their God, but the trust they had will have to be earned. And the money contributed will have to be accounted for.

Yes, I am a life long Catholic, who graduated from Catholic School. One of these “monsters” baptized my mother shortly before my dad passed away in 1991—she thought she could not be buried with my dad if she were not baptized — he proceeded to do this before she was able to tell her children, and made himself her Godfather. Last year his name was among 6 local priests who were “relieved” of their duties due to behavior involving children. Though not of the severe pain the children suffered at the hands of these molesters, it infuriated me that his name is on my mom’s baptismal certificate. I commend Frank Keating for his attempt to right a wrong. He should hold his head high.
— Mrs. Rose Van Alstyne

It was so sad reading George Neumayr’s June 18 column, “Hit and Run Liberals.” For those of us older Catholics who knew the Church in America when it seemed to be the center of civilization, it is agonizing to see how the diabolical efforts to destroy the Church are gaining ground, largely through the actions of our highest Church officials like Cardinal Mahony, Cardinal Weakland and spineless bishops. I wonder where the Catholic Church will survive when the final demolition takes place? Nigeria? Korea? We know it will survive because Jesus told us so — but He did not guarantee that it would survive everywhere.

But in addition to feeling sad for myself, in seeing what is lost, I feel heartbroken for all those younger Catholics who will never know the beauty of the True Faith. They will never learn it – certainly not by following their American shepherds. I also feel the suffering that George Neumayr went through in having to write such a piece and having to admit the facts that he did. What a tragedy.
— Laurette Elsberry
Sacramento, CA

As a practicing Catholic, I want to offer my profound thanks for your consistent and persistent pursuit of the truth regarding the ongoing abuse cover-up by the Catholic bishops in America. You most recent piece on Bishop O’Brien is another gem of insight and clarity on the situation. I hope and I pray that there are Catholic clergy and bishops especially who are reading your columns and using them to fire their spirits for the Herculean task of cleaning out our Church. I firmly believe our Church will survive, but I also know that it will take a miracle and the heroic efforts of stalwarts like you for it to happen. God bless you!
— Mimi Hall Uhlmann