Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

American False-Idol Worshipers

In response to Shaun Brady's article advocating an atheist president [Slant, "One Nation, Under [Blank]," Jan. 20, 2005], I give an emphatic "amen." However, I would point out that we have come close in the past with some of our greatest and smartest presidents.

Jefferson and Lincoln were both accused of being atheists, and they along with Presidents Washington, Adams, Madison and others were deists or at least nonbelievers in the divinity of Jesus Christ. If science had been as advanced in their times as it is today, their strong reliance on rational thought, as opposed to blind faith, would have made some, if not all, of them atheists. (But they never would have admitted it if they wanted to get elected.)
Elkan Katz
Center City

Screw the Surgeon General

In [Food, "Pack Mentality," Juliet Fletcher, Jan. 20, 2005], City Paper wrote "Some local bar and restaurant owners are happy with the proposed smoking ban." Sounds like bar owners really don't mind, right? Well, once you read the [whole] article, you find that the writer couldn't actually find even a single owner who was "happy" with the ban. One bar owner whose bar banned smoking on its own five years ago simply said that in his unique case it hadn't hurt his business, while another shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's going to happen."

So, what's with the misleading line? Simple. It's the propaganda game antismokers have learned to play very well: Lie about everything and use the money from taxes on smokers to make sure your lies get better play than anything an opponent says. Lie about the effects of secondary smoke and how the ban is being "welcomed" by people. Those who fight the bans are more honest: anyone with access to a computer can check out the disastrous effects smoking bans have had on real businesses, in real locations, run by real people simply by going to www.smokersclubinc.com/banloss3.htm. In New York alone, several of us who searched newspaper articles and e-mailed with bar owners found more than 160 businesses hurt by or closed down by their smoking ban.

The anti-smoking lobby has the biggest and most expensive microphone on the block, but the truth will beat them in the end.
Michael J. McFadden
Author, "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

Another Soldier's Story

Without ever meeting Specialist Patrick Resta [News, "March Madness," Mike Newall, Jan. 20, 2005], I know there is a lot of truth in what he says. As a veteran of the first Gulf War and a tour in Somalia, I know that oftentimes, our troops get sent to battle without the right equipment, supplies and training. And while the story of driving around a truck just to put mileage on it seems absurd, it happens all the time. I know because I've seen it. There is a constant need to justify troop presence in whatever "hot spot" our servicemen and servicewomen are. Sitting around and waiting, hurrying up and waiting, and other creative ways to kill (no pun intended) time are quite common. I'm glad Resta made it home safely, unlike many others who were unnecessarily and unwillingly put in harm's way.
Mustafa L. Rashed
Philadelphia

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