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ARCHIVES . Articles

July 27-August 2, 2006

Slant : Feedback

Letters to the Editor

Man vs. Animal

Barbaro and Damon Heggs both deserve to be mourned [Philly Blunt, "The Faces of Death," Brian Hickey, July 20, 2006]. Not necessarily in that order. Grief does not distinguish itself between two legs or four. Like Damon, Barbaro was also in the wrong place at the wrong time and his demise also was at the hands of humans.

I want to see this horse live because he deserves to live. Damon did too. I think when you break it down, whether human or animal, this world is totally screwed up and nobody walking on two legs or four is safe at any time or in any place. I also believe that for whatever reason, people feel it is much easier to fix a horse with a broken leg than to fix what is wrong with the world. I will pray for Damon's mother, she lost her son. As for Barbaro, I will continue to pray for him too because he is fighting to live.

Damon and Barbaro have a lot more in common than you would like to believe. Both are victims of human cruelty.

Dee Ianniello

Lansdale

Hickey's allegation that our concern for animals is responsible for the deadly Philadelphia [murder rate] flies in the face of logic. Great minds through the centuries have seen that the violence man shows to man is inextricably linked to the violence we have inflicted upon other species. Despite the sad facts of human behavior, many still claim that concern with our treatment of other species is irrelevant and exaggerated. Hickey should know that each year approximately 90,000 horses are slaughtered in foreign-owned slaughterhouses in the United States to pander to the appetites of Asian and European gourmands. There is negligible media coverage and a paucity of public outrage over this. However, this unmourned animal slaughter has not decreased the murder rate.

Gloria S. Feldscher

Plymouth Meeting

I wondered myself why a horse, while understandably adored by many, commanded far more press than a human being. I could understand national papers, but our local papers should feel a need to help the immediate society and address the problems that affect our citizens the most.

Sean Deeney

University City

Winter of Discontent

Finally, someone in the U.S. news media speaks candidly about what is going on overseas [Slant, "Winter in Beirut," David Faris, July 20, 2006]. The slow genocide of the Palestinian and Lebanese people would never be tolerated if this was the other way around.

Maysoon Dayoub

Drexel Hill

Faris states that these actions would not have happened if there had been movement in the peace process. What about disengaging from Gaza? Is that not movement? Did disengagement stop the Gaza residents from firing Katyushas into Israel? No.

Israel also left Lebanon and it gave Hezbollah six years to gather arms and leaders. Don't you realize that the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah, which have a huge sway over the politics of their people, do not want Israel to exist? This will not end until some moderate leadership comes to power that can control their people and talk reasonably about a two-state solution.

Jay Fabrikant

Queen Village

School's Out

I, like Lorraine Land, once attended Chestnut Hill College's PsyD program and can vouch for her terrible experience there [News, "Mind Games," Jenna Portnoy, July 20, 2006]. I am aware that there are other students like her that went through similar situations. I have since left the program due to the unethical behaviors on the part of its faculty and school leadership. It is amazing how private schools are able to get away with inflicting psychological abuse on their students; in fact, in the state of California the issue of implementing higher standards for private schools is currently being argued in the courts. Perhaps this more progressive thought will make its way toward the East Coast.

Melissa Brown

Fairmount

Correction

[Political Notebook, "Philly's Bloomberg?" Mary Patel, July 20, 2006] incorrectly stated that mayoral candidate Tom Knox does not attend town-hall meetings organized by his campaign. Knox does attend the meetings. City Paper apologizes for the error.

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