What words say about ourselves
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR September 1, 2013 5:16PM
President Barack Obama stands with Vice President Joe Biden as he makes a statement about Syria in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Updated: September 2, 2013 2:13AM
What do you think it says about our world that we have a word “uncouth,” but not “couth.” Ditto, “inept,” but not “ept.”
Leon J. Hoffman,
Lake View
As a Cook County Commissioner I, along with my fellow commissioners from the western and southwest suburbs, have the responsibility to appoint a replacement to the Metra board to fill the vacancy left by former Chairman Brad O’Halloran.
Like many of you, I am incredibly disappointed by the mismanagement, lack of oversight and political games that have occurred at Metra.
The Metra board is currently one director’s resignation away from not being able to maintain a quorum. This jeopardizes Metra’s future health and sustainability, as they could lose out on federal funding and other grant opportunities.
I would like to make the nomination process for a new director from Metra District 3, which encompasses the western and southwest suburbs, as transparent and open as possible. I am asking anyone who has an interest in filling this vacancy to apply by sending their resume and cover letter to my office located at 118 N. Clark, Suite 567. The only requirement is that you live in Metra District 3. However, exceptional applicants should hold an advanced degree, have management experience, and possess a background in regional transportation. This is a great opportunity to serve your community and be a leader.
Jeff Tobolski Cook County Commissioner 16th District
In a round of TV statements, President Obama has engaged in a campaign of limiting the scope and consequences of Syrian President Bashar Assad crossing “red lines” on the use of chemical weapons. Do you think we have telegraphed strongly enough that any strike on Syria would be a purely symbolic face-saving move for Obama? Perhaps after every bit of domestic political advantage has been wrung out of the situation, the president will further whittle down the U.S. response to sending Assad a strongly worded registered letter.
Ron Cobb, the Loop
The wider issue of Catholic Church’s gay-marriage stance
Mark Brown’s interview last week with Cardinal George provided some fascinating insights into the cardinal’s motives in opposing marriage equality However, there is clearly a wider issue at play.
The question isn’t why Catholic dioceses have particular rules about which groups they choose to donate to and endorse. It’s clear these rules are discriminatory and designed to exclude certain classes of people. The mystery is why every year millions of our taxpayer dollars support organizations controlled by the Catholic hierarchy that actively discriminate against individuals based on whom they love, how they regulate their fertility and how they choose to live their lives. That is the burning question and one our policymakers at the state and federal level have failed to confront.
Jon O’Brien President, Catholics for Choice
Thanks to Mark Brown for giving Cardinal Francis George more opportunity to explain and teach in his own words his position on gay people, our families and our civil rights.
My jaw dropped when Brown quoted the cardinal as saying, “The Chinese are not Americans, and they’re not Catholic. They know what marriage is.” What?
Perhaps His Eminence might want to go to one of his own churches, St. Therese Catholic Chinese Mission in Chinatown. Chinese and Chinese American CATHOLICS. Roman Catholic masses, in his archdiocese, are celebrated in Cantonese and Mandarin.
And, what about the Catholic Church in Communist China and the Chinese priests and sisters who serve our Church boldly and under great oppression. He likened gay people to Nazis and now denies recognition to Chinese Catholics.
Rick Garcia, Edgewater
