Time to take action on hunger in state, nation
Today is National Hunger Awareness Day, sponsored by America's Second Harvest.
In Santa Fe, we shall mark the day with an open house at the Santa Fe Food Depot,
which distributes food to thousands of people in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico,
and also is home to the Kitchen Angels.
Every week in New Mexico, 54,000 people seek food assistance through the emergency
food network of food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens -- nearly 20,000 of
these people are New Mexico's children. Are we going to support a living wage
in Santa Fe so people in our community can afford to buy the food they need for
their families? How about a "war on hunger" -- in our country and worldwide?
If we speak out about this to our national representatives and to our state senators
and representatives, can we, together, change the face of hunger and poverty in
Santa Fe and our state?
I believe we can.
Lydia Pendley
Santa Fe
Oily ethics?
High gas prices? It is the American and European oil companies that need more
money to protect their interests in Iraq. Big Oil is running the show there after
they stole the oil under the guise of "bad Saddam."
When will people wake up and get rid of their politicians? These folks are owned
by Big Oil.
Bill Springer
Santa Fe
Failing grade
We totally disagree with your assessment of Tony Gerlicz in your article "Grading
our principals"
(May 7). We feel that the criteria you used to grade these principals are completely
arbitrary.
The criteria don't accurately gauge Gerlicz' numerous strong points. He creates
an atmosphere where students are treated with respect by all authority figures
and other students. Due to charter school funding issues, he deals with far more
problems than any average principal.
Even with this restricted funding, he manages to get the most outstanding teachers
and innovative concepts, such as our mentorship program.
The reason we don't need new policies is because the existing ones work.
Neither of us exhibits "model" behavior and each has had his fair share
of detentions and suspensions.
Finally, we think that the writers of this article would benefit from a little
remedial English at Monte del Sol (not "de" sol) to improve grammar
and spelling.
Zak and Zain Gold
Monte del Sol students
Animal adoption
I was disappointed to read the letter by Salles Hale regarding screening for adoptable
animals from Watermelon Mountain Ranch.
As a shelter, we are fortunate to be able to utilize Watermelon Mountain Ranch
as a valuable resource for placement of animals when we are in an overflow situation.
Without them, many more animals would tragically be euthanized. We chose to partner
with them for their high level of integrity, focus on spay and neutering, and
their priority of putting the animals' well-being first.
They are careful with screening to ensure that an animal that has already come
from a stressful situation goes into a loving, qualified home. From their efforts
have come many success stories.
Hale should be ashamed for her portrayal of this stellar organization. There are
too many abandoned animals in this state, not enough homes, and not enough people
willing to help do something to solve this epidemic problem.
Julian McRoberts
executive director
Española Animal Shelter
Outrageous arrogance
I am outraged by Bishop Michael Sheridan's pastoral letter. His saying that Catholics
who support abortion rights' candidates might need a "public recantation,"
and that they are committing a "serious mortal sin, that disagreeing with
the Church on certain moral issues jeopardizes a person's salvation" makes
me think of the Spanish Inquisition.
What arrogant moral absolutism.
Has Sheridan forgotten how often Jesus condemned that kind of legalism?
And where is his preaching on the war in Iraq, which has killed thousands of innocent
Iraqi civilians? Does he acknowledge that this war contradicts every tenet of
the "Just War" theory long held by the official Catholic Church?
Can anyone imagine Jesus -- who came to teach universal love, compassion and forgiveness
-- turning anyone away from communion with him?
Fortunately, Bishop Sheridan can't know how we vote.
Amelie Starkey
Santa Fe
'Collateral damage'
"Collateral damage" is what Donald Rumsfeld called it when he was asked
about the possible Iraqi casualties that might result from the proposed "shock
and awe" campaign early last year. "Collateral damage" might be
inflicted upon civilians whose faces we cannot see from thousands of feet up in
the sky or within range of land-based attacks.
But today we see on television and in the newspapers the laughing faces of our
own young military people who abuse now-helpless men who are prisoners in their
care -- and I ask myself if these soldiers of our own country are not also the
"collateral damage" of our misguided policies in the Middle East.
Surely the Iraqi prisoners are dehumanized and victims of abuse, but our young
people are likewise the victims of policymakers who insist mistakenly that the
rest of the world yearns for our kind of democracy.
Dorothy R. Parker
Santa Fe
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