INTERFAITH ACTION
Thank you for your article on the
invisible homeless and the Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network, RAIHN
(“Life on the Edge,” September 29). Joseph Sorrentino’s
words and pictures help us to see beyond our stereotypes of the homeless and to
overcome apathy and intolerance.
           I do want
to make one correction: The article states: “Families move to a new host
church every Sunday.” Indeed, RAIHN is supported by many generous
churches, but a Jewish synagogue also hosts families for four weeks each year.
In addition, the program receives support from the Religious Society of Friends
and Rochester’s Zen center. RAIHN
is truly an interfaith effort.
           Rob Shumsky, Beresford Road, Rochester
PRAISING PRITCHARD
Thank you for introducing your readership to City
Councilmember Bill Pritchard. It was refreshing to find such clear-headed
thinking about downtown development from a local government official.
           It often
seems like we never learn. No mega-project in recent memory has lived up to its
promises. Yet as a community we continue to be lured by the siren’s song of any
powerful individual with a clever proposal. A
discussion with a public official who can articulate what is good and bad in
downtown projects, solely in terms of their contribution to the community, is
quite welcome.
           Of
particular interest are Pritchard’s comments about the hollowness of large,
publicly funded projects. The city needs to get out of the business of picking
winners and losers: what to fund, what to destroy. Instead, City Hall should
adopt a facilitating role, as with the zoning reforms, to steer private
investment to where it is needed, and to encourage city residents to
participate and become stakeholders.
           A short
list of reforms should include knocking down barriers between departments and
agencies, becoming a service broker instead of a service provider, focusing on
infrastructure and streetscape, and relentlessly pushing real — assisted,
funded, and accountable — control of revitalization into the neighborhoods.
The era of big government is over, but City Hall has still not gotten the
message.
           Bill
Pritchard’s willingness to take a well-considered stand on the merits alone is
the stuff of real leadership. If he can adapt his guiding principles for
downtown development to the issues of city neighborhoods — safety, housing,
schools, jobs, and the like — he could well be a strong candidate in the
upcoming mayoral election. To do this, he will need to place individuals as
fully enfranchised participants in civic life on a par with individuals as
investors.
           Jim Fraser, Evergreen Street, Rochester
TALK RADIO WORTH LISTENING TO
I love talk radio. There’s nothing better than familiar
voices giving you your local news on your way to work. More importantly, talk
radio provides a venue for opinions to be heard, whether rational or
irrational. Unfortunately for those of us living in the Rochester
area, our choices have been limited to the right-wing conservative shows on
WHAM or the somewhat dull National Public Radio programs on WXXI.
           What a
pleasant surprise to find out that WROC-950AM has started broadcasting the Air
America Radio programming. Finally, those of us who consider ourselves to be
“left of center,” who are disenchanted with the way Bush has led the
country over the last four years, and who crave an alternative to the twisted
diatribes from the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, can find refuge
listening to bright, entertaining, critical thinkers who share our beliefs.
           With shows
such as the Al Franken Show, the Randi Rhodes Show,
and the Majority Report, Air America Radio and WROC-950AM have brought balance
to previously lopsided options.
           Thank you,
WROC-950AM! My love for talk radio has grown tenfold
because of you. Keep up the good work!
           Craig P. Ephraim, Fairport
SEPTEMBER 11
I am from Irondequoit,
but currently I am living in Santiago, Chile,
and the date September 11, 1973,
not 2001, is the date I refer to above. On this date a military coup, with
tacit US
support, ended the rule of Chile’s
democratically elected leader and put into place AugustoPinochet’s brutal military dictatorship.
           We welcomed
Pinochet’s government because he overthrew a
government from the extreme left and as such was helping us in the war against
communism. In time, democracy returned to Chile,
with some assistance by the Reagan administration in the late ’80s, but as with
the war on communism, we now continue to support many non-democratic regimes as
part of our war on terrorism.
           To the
citizens of many countries, we appear to be hypocrites in stating the
importance of building democracies in Iraq
and Afghanistan
while we quietly strengthen ties with the Saudi monarchy, the military dictator
of Pakistan,
and the strong-man despot of Uzbekistan
among others.
           By
supporting such leaders, we risk losing the moral high ground that our nation
traditionally has occupied. President Kennedy spoke of America
as a beacon to the world, a shining city on a hill, but from my perspective in South
America, it seems many people have mixed feelings because of our
support for non-democratic regimes.
           It is clear
that because of the war on terror it has been necessary to work with many
regimes that normally would not be viewed favorably. But we must also be aware
of the impact of these alliances on the image of our nation abroad.
           Peter Johnson, Santiago, Chile
WHAT IF OUR GOVERNMENT FAILS?
I do not envy John Kerry’s position. Should he win the
election, he will inherit a mess, and in all likelihood he will be blamed for a
lot of it. If he loses the election, the mess will be even worse. I hope he
wins, and I bless him for trying.
           I would
like to suggest a campaign strategy for Kerry, a way to communicate with the
American people as he makes his case. Our government is a business of the
people, by the people, and for the people. The masses of us pay for this
business (with our taxes). Many are employed by it. And most expect and need
the benefits our business offers (education, unemployment insurance, social
security, health care, infrastructure, protection, and a fair hearing).
           Our
government is a cooperative. We all participate, we all have a voice and vote,
and we all should expect to benefit from our contributions.
           Why, then,
are so many Americans seemingly willing to vote against their own best
interests? Why are we allowing the Bush Gang to pull an Enron on us? By every
possible indicator, our government is under attack. A corporate raid is afoot.
We are heading for bankruptcy.
           Our
executives are spewing myths for truths. They are purposely using personal and
religious preferences and freedoms as the main issues while blatantly
dismantling the corporation. As a people, we are angry, divided, and
misinformed to such a degree that we cannot see that the king has no clothes.
By the time a unified outcry begins, it may be too late. I hope it is not too
late already.
           Why are we
giving away the corporation? Where will we all turn if our government fails?
           Tom Policano, Hillbrook Circle, Pittsford
WRITING TO CITY
We welcome and encourage readers’ letters for publication.
Send them to: themail@rochester-citynews.com or The Mail, City Newspaper, 250
North Goodman Street, Rochester14607.
           Our
guidelines: We don’t publish anonymous letters — and we ask that you include
your street name and city/town/village. We don’t publish letters that have been
sent to other media. While we don’t restrict length, letters of under 350 words have a greater chance of being published. We
do edit letters for clarity and brevity. And in general we don’t publish
letters (or longer “op-ed” pieces) from the same writer more often than about
once every two months.
This article appears in Oct 13-19, 2004.
