Calling Out The New York Times
Dear Editor: Kudos to The Tablet for calling out The New York Times for Christian Bashing on July13.
Distressing and hateful as this is, could anyone expect otherwise from the Times?
The Times long ago left impartiality behind.
That is its right as a newspaper, but we do not have to pretend otherwise.
The Times is a cheerleader for aggressive secularism and for anti- Christian voices in the Democrat party.
The last Republican presidential candidate endorsed by the Times was Dwight Eisenhower.
Enough said.
John G. Villanella
Southampton, NY
Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump
Dear Editor: I was appalled and distressed over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and the death of one man protecting his family and others seriously injured.
This took place at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. After former President Trump was shot in the ear and Secret Service agents jumped on top of him and when things were safe, and the sniper was killed, they carried Trump to safety while he was bleeding.
As he was led off the platform, Trump raised his arm with his fist and yelled, “Fight!”
He is, in my book, a courageous man who believes in truth, justice, and the American way.
I would like to praise the Secret Service agents who acted quickly to save the former president.
If he was killed, we would have lost a dedicated American.
This egregious, nefarious, and heinous action by a sniper is deplorable. As such, my heartfelt prayers go out to Trump and his family, the family of the man who lost his life (Corey Comperatore), and the families of those who were wounded.
May God please protect former President Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance.
Frederick Robert Bedell Jr.
Bellerose
A Father’s Responsibility As Well
Dear Editor: As we hear, read, and see publications for the Right to Life movement, everything is directed to the mother.
True, she is the one carrying the child, but she is not the only one responsible for the baby’s conception.
As biology tells us, it takes a male and a female to produce a child.
How about the father? What is his role in this? Why aren’t we directing dialogue towards him so he can encourage the mother to go ahead with the pregnancy.
Some men take no responsibility for the child they share in creating and just walk away leaving the mother alone with the decision and a child.
I think we should direct some dialogue towards the fathers.
It is not just the mothers who should have to deal with the very difficult situation of an unwanted pregnancy, let’s bring the fathers on board.
Maria F. Mastromarino
Manalapan, NJ
Capital Punishment Debate
Dear Editor: In your July 13th issue are two diametrically opposed arguments on capital punishment: a letter from reader Dolores Schmidt (“Death Penalty Yes or No”) and George Weigel’s column (“Rupturing Tradition By Way of Stealth?”).
Their disagreement proves our calling ourselves “catholic.” Both have helped me to resolve a lifetime of doubt and conflict, although not as the authors may have intended.
Drawing on a book and the writings of Sr. Helen Prejean, Ms. Schmidt makes a humanitarian/legal case to oppose the death penalty, also citing what she terms a plea from Pope Francis. Mr. Weigel, in contrast, calls that same plea a secret coup by his old enemy that has already eliminated all papal, scriptural, and traditional teachings that somehow compel the faithful to support the same penalty.
His authorities for that sweeping claim are not specified beyond a vague invoking of Vatican II and Romans 13; nevertheless, we are informed that these underpin our “entire Catholic tradition” (which, not so coincidentally, happens to agree with his own support of capital punishment).
I am now persuaded that the Church I would follow is a church that preaches mercy, rather than a contorted argument that demands the deaths of others deemed culpable. In the six decades since my Confirmation, I am not aware of a “tradition” upholding the death penalty, which has been debated all my life, and now continues to be.
Nor am I so presumptuous to require that my opinions be enforced by dogma. I rely instead on St. James 2:12, “The judgment is merciless on the one who has not shown mercy,” and on St. Paul (Romans 12:19), “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves: leave that to God’s wrath, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
Edward R. Dorney
Park Slope