“This is not necessarily a somberevent; I think this is more of acelebration, a celebration ofhumanity …”Michael J. Fox

The actor made the anniversary of 9/1 1 about helping others,participating with a host of celebrities in Cantor Fitzgerald’s Charity Day.The financial firm, which lost 658 employees in the attacks on the WorldTrade Center in 2001, has marked the anniversary of that day by raisingfunds for charities.

Cut lawmaker salaries,tax breaks to help deficit

As I see on television and read in thenewspaper, the Republicans are callingfor cuts in Social Security and other

programs to cut the deficit.I have an idea for all congressmen and

congresswomen. To lead by example, firstcut your salaries by 10 percent and get ridof a lot of your perks.Also, get rid of the Bush-era tax cuts.

They were instituted more than 10 yearsago so the wealthy and corporations coulduse the money they would have paid intaxes to create jobs. It’s been more than 10years now; where are all the jobs? An ex-ample: the Boeing Corp. reportedly re-ceived a $600 million tax refund last year,yet paid its CEO almost $20 million andearlier this year announced thousands oflayoffs.Something is wrong here. Is this Presi-

dent Obama’s fault, too?Leonard Gorto

Dallas

GOP chairman confidentof ID law implementation

The unorthodox method of “testing” theease of obtaining a photo ID card, asreported in Mark Guydish’s Aug. 14

article, in no way indicates the willingnessand ability of our commonwealth to assistevery voter in acquiring a valid photo ID.Nor is this legislation a “burden on thestate,” as is asserted by Sharon Ward,executive director of the PennsylvaniaBudget and Policy Center.The passage of this law is part of the

commonwealth’s responsibility to ensurethe integrity of the electoral process, andthe state has both the willingness andability to effectively implement this law,just as other states across the nation have.Despite erroneous and sensational

media reports, the new voter ID law is nota means to disenfranchise voters. Theongoing reporting of how this legislationwill keep people from the polls is bothfactually and morally wrong.Worse, the fear it has created among

voters actually might keep them awayfrom the polls because they are ill-in-formed as to how to comply with the law.Rather than pointing a finger at one

Pennsylvania Department of Transporta-tion center out of nearly 1,700 sites state-wide, it would be more productive to focuson what the commonwealth is doing holi-stically to provide every voter the neces-sary means to obtain a photo identificationcard.Although publicly derided for its efforts,

the Department of State has done admi-

rable work to educate citizens about thisnew legislation. Attending more than 100neighborhood events statewide, offeringfree photo ID cards for voting purposesand making necessary adjustments to thesystem, when needed, so that voters canefficiently obtain identification – these arejust a few of the ways the Department ofState is serving as the solution, not theproblem, for the people of Pennsylvania.With nearly two months until Election

Day, and through the continued support ofthe state’s efforts to educate Pennsylva-nians about this new legislation, I amconfident that all voters will be well-pre-pared and able to cast their ballots Nov. 6.

Rob GleasonChairman

Republican Party of PennsylvaniaHarrisburg

No need for roundaboutat Dallas intersection

It is said that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fixit.” Who decided that the intersection inDallas is broken? The intersectionworks. It is safe.If you ever have driven a roundabout,

you know that all traffic from each in-tersecting road must enter the roundaboutand travel in one direction until you reachthe road you want; there are no left turns.For example, in the proposed round-

about you could not turn left from ChurchStreet onto state Route 415; you wouldhave to turn right into the roundabout,which vehicles from five other roads areentering, until you could finally head southon 415. Can you imagine what that will belike at peak traffic hours?Six main roads come into the round-

about, including business exits – that is, ifany of the businesses survive after thisyear-long construction is completed.A roundabout is not safe. There are no

traffic lights to guide you, and getting intothe roundabout depends on the courtesy ofother drivers.During construction, traffic will be di-

verted to other roads that were not builtfor the traffic increase, and while I am onthe subject, why not use the money torepair our roads and bridges?

Pennsylvania seemingly has the worstbridges and roads in the country, and ifyou don’t believe me, just drive acrossPennsylvania’s borders. Spending millionson a roundabout that is not necessaryinstead of on roads and bridges that arefalling apart is outrageous.

Vesta FountainDallas

Writer believes speechesshow Obama as apologizer

In John Watson’s column “And the Oscarfor hype goes to GOP convention” (Sept.2), he stated “(Mitt) Romney criticized(President) Obama ‘for apologizing forAmerica’ – which he hasn’t.”The following 10 apologies from Presi-

dent Obama in his first four months ofoffice regarding foreign policy and nationalsecurity issues clearly contradict Mr. Wat-son’s statement.1. To the Muslim world, Jan. 27, 2009:“We sometimes make mistakes. We havenot been perfect.”2. To the G-20 Summit, April 2, 2009:

“You’re starting to see some restoration ofAmerica’s standing in the world.”3. To France and Europe, April 3, 2009:

“There have been times where Americahas shown arrogance and been dismissive,even derisive.”4. To France, April 3, 2009: “When you

start sacrificing your values, when you loseyourself, then over the long term that willmake you less secure.”5. To the Turkish parliament, April 6,

2009: “The United States is still workingthrough some of our own darker periods inour history.”6. To the Americas, April 16, 2009: “The

United States has not pursued and sus-tained engagement with our neighbors.”7. To the Summit of the Americas, April

17, 2009: “We have at times been disen-gaged, and at times we sought to dictateour terms.”8. For CIA mistakes, April 20, 2009: “We

have to acknowledge potentially we’vemade some mistakes.”9. For the war on terror, May 21, 2009:

“Unfortunately, faced with an uncertainthreat, our government made a series ofhasty decisions. I also believe that all toooften our government made decisionsbased on fear rather than foresight; that alltoo often our government trimmed factsand evidence to fit ideological predisposi-tions. In other words, we went off course.”10. In Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009:“Rather than keeping us safer, the prisonat Guantanamo has weakened Americannational security. It is a rallying cry for ourenemies.”

Bill OstrowskiExeter

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 PAGE 11A

THE NONPROFIT Ci-tizens Alliance ofPennsylvania has es-tablished a website

that lists the campaign contri-butions from labor unions tomembers of the state Senateand House.It’s an effective strategy for

an organization that advocatesfor non-union and anti-unionpositions.But thewebsite, pau-nionmoney.com, doesn’t comeclose to giving a complete pic-ture of campaign contributionsto Pennsylvania lawmakers.A website run by Pennsylva-

nia’s Department of State pro-vides far more information, al-though it is more complicated

to navigate. The portal, atwww.campaignfinanceonlin-e.state.pa.us, covers state elec-tive office holders and candi-dates. Its reports includenames and contributions fromall donors, those who gave aslittle as $100 to high-rollerswhodonatedhundreds of thou-sands of dollars.This is a far better resource

for anyone who wants to knowwho is behind candidates foroffice. The research takes long-er thanglancing at the list com-piled by the Citizens Alliance,but it is time well spent be-cause it tells the whole story.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

OTHER OPINION: CAMPAIGN MONEY

Track donor buckson state website

PROPOSED: THEWilkes-Barre AreaSchool District shouldrender the debate

about funding the MeyersSpeech andDebate Teammootby using $20,000 out of thisyear’s $7 million surplus.Discussion: An explanation

of how the school board decid-ed in June to cut theannual $20,000 sup-port would be en-lighteningbut is irrel-evant. When 25 de-bate team supportersmade their appeal torestore the funding atMonday’s boardmeeting, it becameclear the board madethe cut without com-prehending the consequences.Interim Superintendent Ber-

nard Prevuznak conceded helacked any real understandingof what the team does. Teamfounders and head coachesKim and Ruth Borland ex-pressed understandable disbe-lief, as the team’s recurring suc-cesses are routinely reported inarea newspapers.Board member James Susek

said the board needed an ac-counting of the money. RuthBorland offered to provide re-ceipts for the last15years, sincethe team was created. She alsosaid an attempt to run thespending through the school’sactivities fund was rejected bythe school as “too much trou-ble.”Both Prevuznak and Board

President Maryanne Toole ex-pressed shockand surprise thatthe Borlands had not been noti-fied of the defunding. To besure, the Borlands bear some

blame.Proposedcuts in thedis-trict funding – whichmakes upless thana thirdof the team’s to-tal budget – are a biennialevent. When new board mem-bers are elected, someone al-most always sees the $20,000for a debate team as expenda-ble. The support shown Mon-day needed to occur during the

budgeting processand meetings con-ducted earlier thisyear.But the support-

ers provided over-whelming evi-dence of the valueof the investment:college scholar-ships, analytic andinterview skills

that proved invaluable in land-ing jobs, and a politeness andpersuasiveness the boardshould yearn to see instilled inevery student.Conclusion: It is obvious the

board needs to better under-stand the team, and the teamneeds to explain itself to theboard. The team’s numerousstate and national successes re-flect extremely well on the dis-trict while creating top-shelf ci-tizens. The board justifiablypinches pennies in this age ofausterity, but there is morethan enough money to providethe $20,000 this year to a teamthat has an all-volunteer coach-ing staff.Use the surplus this year, and

sit down with the Borlands tofigure out how to either contin-ue the funding next yearthrough small cuts elsewhereor how to curb the district’scontribution without harmingthe success of the team.

OUR OPINION: MEYERS TEAM

It is obvious theboard needs tobetter understandthe team, and theteam needs toexplain itself tothe board.

An argumentfor more debates

QUOTE OF THE DAY

PRASHANT SHITUTPresident and CEO/Impressions Media

JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZVice President/Executive Editor

MARK E. JONESEditorial Page Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

MALLARD FILLMORE DOONESBURY: FLASHBACK

➛ S E R V I N G TH E PU B L I C T RU S T S I N C E 18 8 1

Editorial

User: jmacintyre Time: 09-11-2012 18:30 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 09-12-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 11 A Color: K

“When we started out, we basical-ly served the homeless. Now, weare serving a great deal of theworking poor – people who justcan’t make ends meet.”

Ann Marie McCawleyThe retiring director of St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen reflected on 25 yearsserving the area’s hungry.

The power of our votescan help restore morality

Walter Camier’s letter to the editor(Aug. 24) lamented the fact thatAmerica is losing its sense of moral-

ity.He cites valid examples. And he correct-

ly places the blame in many of the rightplaces. For further proof, Mr Camier needlook no where but the front page of thesame edition of the Times Leader. Therehe will find an article about another poli-tician, Matt Cartwright, who has “comeout” with an evolved position on homosex-ual marriage. After thinking long and hardfor two months Cartwright can find noreason to oppose homosexual marriage.Well, first and foremost is that God re-

gards those unions as sinful. It’s the type ofbehavior that leads to moral corruptionthat abounds all across our country andworld. A good Christian should know thatand act on the tenets of his/her faith.

Mr. Cartwright could learn from hisopponent Lauren Cummings. She respectsGod and His Word more than the whims ofculture and society.Mr. Camier cites the watering down of

culture and real values. The problem is wekeep electing moral midgets who are will-ing to do and say anything for a vote. Sad-ly, there are few good men, even fewerpoliticians, who are real enough to standup for truth and moral and ethical princi-ples. This applies to individuals and na-

tions, as well as vote-seekers.We are the ones to change our culture

and moral decline. We have the vote.Don MorgantiniWright Township

Constituent supportsKaufer to upend Mundy

The constituents of the 120th districtdeserve Aaron Kaufer as their newrepresentative. He is pro-life and will

defend the unborn. His opponent PhyllisMundy recently received a donation of$250 from Planned Parenthood. See votes-mart.org. Why should we continue to havein office a representative who is anti-familyand supports the killing of its future citi-zens? On Nov. 6 vote for Aaron Kaufer. Onbehalf of the unborn who cannot speak forthemselves, they deserve better.

Ada MagniWest Wyoming

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 PAGE 11A

THE RECENT unrest inMiddle-Eastern countries,fueled by the offensivevideo denigrating theprophet Muhammad, againbrings to the forefront thevolatility and hatred among

people who know little about one another.The fact that a video made by a small

group of U.S. citizens could ignite such avehement reaction against all Americansseems incomprehensible. Americans whohave known nothing but democracy andreligious tolerance since our country’sfounding find it difficult to understand howthose who have recently achieved somefreedoms during the Arab Spring could turnagainst a country that supported their ef-forts to become more democratic. This isparticularly the case in Libya where wesupported the revolution that ousted a des-pot only to have our embassy attacked andour ambassador killed by a mob.Clearer heads seem to have prevailed, as

government officials in the Middle East areacting to protect U.S. embassies. Our admin-istration also is condemning the video whilewalking the fine line between those whoabuse human decency by producing it andtheir right to do so under our U.S. Constitu-tion.All of these actions, though, suggest how

little most in the Middle East know aboutAmericans and visa versa. How can weovercome these chasms of ignorance? Whilediplomatic efforts to ameliorate this recentincident continue, in the longer run muchcan be solved through personal interactionamong people of different cultures and reli-gions despite the countries and institutionswhich tend to separate us.It may be a naïve approach, but it does

work. In August 2001, for example, my wife,

Tina, and I met a shy l8-year-old from Be-thlehem in the Middle East. When he walk-ed onto Misericordia’s campus, he was10,000 miles from his home. Tariq Adwan, aMuslim, had come to the U.S. to study bio-chemistry at the University. His father, SamiAdwan, was a professor of education atBethlehem University. Dr. Adwan and hisfriend and colleague, Dr. Ben Baron, a Jewwho taught at the University of Tel Aviv, hadco-authored a series of supplemental text-books for Muslim and Jewish high schoolstudents in Israel and Palestine. Thesebooks illustrated the commonalities andinterdependence among the cultures andreligions of the Middle East rather thantheir differences.Tariq came to Misericordia because of Dr.

Carol Rittner, a member of our Board ofTrustees and a friend of both Mr. Adwanand Mr. Baron. Sister Carol, a chaired schol-ar of Holocaust Studies at Stockton StateUniversity, knew the gentlemen because oftheir respective work in the Middle Eastpeace process.On the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001, Miser-

icordia held a prayer service in our outdooramphitheater. Afterwards, Tina and I askedTariq if he would like to stay at our houseuntil he felt more comfortable with theevents of the day. His answer was, “No, Iwould rather stay in the residence hall withmy new friends.”His statement struck an obvious chord.

Here was an l8-year-old Muslim brought to aCatholic college by a nun, who was closefriends with a Muslim and a Jew – co-au-

thors of a textbook designed to promoteMuslim and Jewish peace efforts. At thetime, Tariq was in a strange land with peo-ple who were just coming to grips with thefact that so many of their fellow Americanshad died in the worst terrorist attack in ourcountry’s history. And yet, after only l4 dayson a campus far from home, Tariq had somany new American friends that he feltcomfortable staying with them after thetraumatic events of 9/11.I recently used this story as part of a talk I

gave at the Scranton Cultural Center incelebration of Interdependence Day. Orga-nized by Dr. Sondra Myers, the Scrantoncelebration of Interdependence Day was oneof many worldwide that provided impetus tothe fact that global interdependence of peo-ple and countries isn’t an aspiration of ideal-ists. Rather, it is a brute force of facts that –like it or not – binds us together.Do small steps like those made by Tariq

Adwan and his new friends at Misericordiahelp to alleviate tensions among deeplydivided people? Do gatherings and dis-cussions in Scranton and elsewhere by peo-ple who are deeply concerned about thefuture of an interdependent world help tolessen the vehemence and violent demon-strations in the Middle East? Of course not,but they are clearly steps in the right direc-tion.Most importantly, they remind us that

while despots, tyranny, and religious funda-mentalism can sway minds momentarily, inthe long run interaction and understandingamong people can hopefully change thempermanently.

Michael A. MacDowell is president of MisericordiaUniversity in Dallas, Pa. He has been a champion ofthe spirit and culture of Interdependence Day sinceits inception.

Creating an interdependent world one person at a timeCOMMENTARYM I C H A E L A . M A C D O W E L L

IF THE TURMOIL in Iraqand Afghanistan does notmake the point, then theseeming chaos in theArab

world should invoke the oper-ative word: humility.For all of the economic and

military power of the UnitedStates, there are limits to whatcan be accomplished, orderedor presumed.This has been thecase for decades, but theworld’s capacity to go its ownway is all the more evident.Banishing theMiddleEast of

despots has cleared theway forbloody sectarian strife. Thecivil chaos and religious vio-lence in the Arab world has thehorrific echo of the Balkans,when Yugoslavia disintegratedinto long-suppressed political,ethnic and sectarian clashes.Grudges that dated to the 13thcentury were rekindled for po-litical gain and inspiration foratrocities.This time it was a disgusting

anti-Islamic video that was ex-ploited.The U.S. debate over the ap-

propriate response cannotstart with the default answer.The U.S. military was in Iraq in2006 and 2007when that coun-try turned on itself. Afghanis-

tan still bleeds.The role and opportunity for

U.S. diplomacy has never beenmore apparent. Comfortableworking relationships with au-thoritarian rulers precludedgetting to know the outsiders.As circumstances bring themto power, they can be virtualstrangers.Leaven theeconomic andpo-

litical tensions with ancient re-ligious feuds andwe andour al-lies can be clueless. Arming op-ponents of a hated regimemight be a good thing, butidentifyingwhich faction in themidst of rebellion should re-ceive the aid is no easy deci-sion.The tragic murder of Libyan

Ambassador J. ChristopherStevens illustrates the loss forboth sides. TheU.S. lost a cred-ible, articulate voice for its in-terests, and the Libyan peoplelost a caring, knowledgeable al-ly.Disengagement from the

MiddleEast andArabhot spotsisnot anoption.Diplomacyhasnever been more important.The U.S. must be willing to en-gage and listen.

The Seattle Times

OTHER OPINION: U.S. REACTION

Apply diplomacyto Mideast chaos

THERE ARE FEWthings nobler, morevital and more likelyto leave a person emo-

tionally drained than workinga shift in a soupkitchen. Seeingthe swath hunger cuts throughour society – seniors and in-fants, able-bodied and ailing –can hurt the hardest heart.AnnMarie McCawley didn’t

work a few shifts on such amis-sionofmercy, sheworkeda fewdecades. And she didn’t stop atopening canned goods and fill-ing plates, she managed thewhole operation – for 25 years.On Thursday the petite, un-

assuming McCawley steppeddown as director of the St. Vin-cent de Paul Kitchen, leavingbehind a legacy of dedicationscarcely seen these days in anyfield.Asked of her impact on the

kitchen and its clients, she re-sponded simply. “I neverlooked at it that way, I was al-ways just there.”Which, one suspects, is the

only way a person could do thejob for so long.It is glib to say no one should

go hungry in the world’s rich-

est country. It is equally glib todismiss clients of such kitch-ens as freeloaders. St. Vincent’sisn’t a governmentwelfare pro-ject, its compassionate ou-treach by the Diocese of Scran-ton. The kitchen doesn’t askthe cause, it treats the symp-tom. Personal history, politicsand religion are left at the door.McCawley’s retirement

shines a light on this need, andon the kitchen’s need for dona-tions: Please give.It also shines a light on a

womanwho rarely sought pub-licity.German scientist Georg

Lichtenberg once noted: “Ifpeople should ever start to doonly what is necessary, mil-lions would die of hunger.”Thank you, Ann Marie

McCawley, for doing morethanwas necessary, and for do-ing it a quarter of a century.

OUR OPINION: OUTREACH

McCawley fedgreatest of needs

The St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen39 E. Jackson St, Wilkes-Barre.Phone: 829-7796online:stvincentwb.org

T O D O N AT E

QUOTE OF THE DAY

PRASHANT SHITUTPresident and CEO/Impressions Media

JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZVice President/Executive Editor

MARK E. JONESEditorial Page Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

MALLARD FILLMORE DOONESBURY

➛ S E R V I N G TH E PU B L I C T RU S T S I N C E 18 8 1

Editorial

User: jmacintyre Time: 09-20-2012 21:33 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 09-21-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 11 A Color: K

“The Romney campaign is justgetting started.”Rudy GiulianiThe former New York mayor, who unsuccessfullysought the Republican presidential nomination in2008, attended Wednesday’s debate in Denver,

saying it represented a new start for Mitt Romney’s campaign becauseof the attention the debates garner from American audiences.

Reader: Don’t limit loveif you want my vote

This is in response to the letter to theeditor from Don Morgantini (“Thepower of our votes can help restore

morality,” Sept. 21).I will continue to vote against any poli-

tician who claims that, because “God” saysso, they will continue to deny the right tolove.You, sir, have the right to believe what

you wish, as I do.Consider your vote cancelled.

Kevin O’DwyerKingston

Obama’s mismanagementmakes ‘winners’ of some

When I graduated college in the early1990s the economy was in a reces-sion, but my friends and I managed

to find jobs in our field of study. At 26, Iwas married, had two new cars, boughtland and built on it the following year. Thiswas common among my friends and manyothers, so it was difficult to set yourselfapart and get ahead. It was just as compet-itive then as it is today.But it turns out today that you do not

need to be competitive to succeed; all youneed is for others to fail. I came to thisrealization by watching the unemploymentnumbers over the last four years and get-ting aggravated. Then I realized this is agood thing – for those who have jobs.With the Obama administration increas-

ing regulations, cost and uncertainty onbusiness, businesses refuse to hire. Hispolicies in four years have propelled meabove 28 million of the unemployed andunderemployed. The ideological beliefs ofbig government and wealth distributionhave destroyed the middle class and madethe poor poorer. While I am accumulatingwealth and paying down debt, 28 millionhave been accumulating debt and arespending their savings. In the last fouryears I went from being in the top 20 per-cent of wage earners to the top 15 percentjust by maintaining my current employ-ment.The end effect is seen in the unemploy-

ment number: above 8 percent for the last46 months. A majority of graduates fromcollege will not have a chance. They willbe stifled by accepting lower-paying jobsand jobs outside their fields of study. Theywill be removed from future competitionand never regain this lost wealth. Remem-ber where I was at age 26.With Pennsylvania Democrats who still

believe their party is that of the JFK eraand the young voters thinking “wouldn’t itbe cool to have a black president” – not my

words but those of a 21-year-old who votedin the last election – Pennsylvania will goDemocrat and help secure another fouryears.President Obama will continue his pol-

icies of fundamentally transforming Amer-ica and people will accept the new normalof high unemployment and record highrecipients of food stamps, welfare anddisability. And just like that, they willbecome wards of the state – permanentlyremoved from the pool of competition –propelling me toward the top in the nextfour years.Thank you, Obama, and good luck in

November; I am counting on you.Jason Bella

Exeter

Democratic loyalist listsreasons to retain Obama

With the 2012 presidential electionright around the corner, the choicefor president is clear. President Oba-

ma has shown during his administrationthat he is fully behind us; Mitt Romney hasnever been with us.While President Obama was working to

successfully rescue the auto industry (andmore than a million jobs), Romney said weshould let Detroit go bankrupt.While Obama has doubled Pell Grants

and invested in community colleges somore young people can obtain a degree inorder to get a good job, Romney’s planwould drastically reduce the number ofPell Grants.While Obama passed Wall Street reform

by passing legislation stopping unfair andmisleading credit card rate increases andfees, setting higher standards for taxpayerbailouts and setting more rules for banksthat want to play “financial roulette,” Rom-ney wants to roll back those regulationsand let banks and Wall Street gamble withpeople’s money.While Obama signed the American

Recovery Act, which is partially responsib-le for triggering 30 consecutive months ofjob growth, Romney opposed the recoveryact and said we should let the housingmarket hit the bottom.We saw the true Romney while he was

speaking to a group of wealthy donorswhen he stated that “… there are 47 per-cent who are with him (Obama), who aredependent upon government, who believethat they are victims, who believe thegovernment has a responsibility to care forthem ... My job is not to worry about thosepeople. I’ll never convince them theyshould take personal responsibility andcare for their lives ...” According to the TaxPolicy Center, the vast majority of thosepeople not paying income taxes either paypayroll taxes, are elderly, make under$20,000 a year or are active-duty combatsolders.While there are many other issues I

could mention, I feel these are the mostimportant issues that demonstrate BarackObama is the right choice for America.

Thomas M. ShubillaPresident

Luzerne County Young DemocratsPlains Township

Suit against VA hospitaldismays this proud vet

Iam writing in disgust regarding theperson suing the Department of Veter-ans Affairs Medical Center near Wilkes-Barre.This individual apparently deployed to a

combat zone and returned with mentalissues. Join the club! Some of us servedtwo, three or more year-long tours and,yes, many returned with emotional prob-lems such as post-traumatic stress dis-order. This is no excuse for becomingaddicted to drugs and committing crimes.Even more repulsive is the audacity toblame one’s actions on an agency thatexists to serve.I do not work for the VA nor am I related

to anyone who does, but I have receivedservices there for the past eight years. Myexperiences have been positive, and I havebeen treated by professionals at all levels. Iam grateful for the privilege of receivingmedical treatment at such a facility, andNortheastern Pennsylvania veterans arevery fortunate to have a health care centerof this caliber in our region.Some veterans travel great distances to

receive treatment at the Wilkes-Barre VA;however, a veteran is not compelled to goto the VA and may choose his or her ownhealth care-delivery system – which begsthe question in this case, if this person wasdissatisfied.This lawsuit debacle seemingly demon-

strates abuse of the legal system and is anembarrassment to at least one veteran –but I doubt that I am alone.

Teri DelBalsoWapwallopen

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012 PAGE 11A

THISWASA debate forthe green-eyeshadecrowd. If you tuned inWednesday night to

see President Barack Obamaand Gov. Mitt Romney offer in-spiring visions for the future,you heard more numbers thanyou did paeans to America.The bottom line on engage-

ment with an American publicnot five weeks from ElectionDay: Romney was alert, ener-gized and confident. Obamaslumped his shoulders, smiledmostly to himself and for somereason kept staring down. Hewas that guy at the meetingwho’s surreptitiously checkinghis email.The exciting 2008 candidate

of hope and change? Gone.Even the larger-than-life Amer-ican eagle hanging behind thetwo candidates seemed per-plexed.This was, though, a serious

exchange blessedly shy of re-hearsed jabs.Romney moved fast to keep

viewers fromstraying toESPN.By 9:12 p.m., he already hadevoked Vice President Joe Bi-den’s gaffe of the week: Rom-ney suggested that under Oba-ma’s policies, the middle classhas been “buried.” Not until9:24 did Obama retort with hisown one-liner – that the Amer-ican economywas soundwhenhis fellow Democrat Bill Clin-ton was president.Throughout their economic

discussion, the two menprobed repeatedly at each oth-er’s perceived vulnerabilities:that Romney, a man of im-mense personal wealth, favorsthe rich. And that Obama, hav-ing pledged four years ago tohalve the federal deficit, failed.But as the night wore on, it

was Romney brimming withideas and offering that hewould rather work out specificsolutions with Congress nextyear, not issue ultimatums tothe legislative branch today.

Chicago Tribune

OTHER OPINION: ELECTION 2012

Romney shinesin first debate

PITTSTON AREASchool District teacherunion vice presidentRocco D’Angelo should

do two things quickly:• Issue an apology to district

parents and students.• Step down as vice presi-

dent.Well, there is a third action he

should consider:Learnthedefinitionof“irony.”D’Angelo penned a

letter to union mem-bers following the jus-tified disciplining of ateacher who had ber-ated a student. Themissive starts out well-inten-tioned, urging teachers “to con-duct ourselves in a professionalmanner.”“We must all be on our ‘A’

game and ride this one out as agroup proudly showing our uni-ty,” D’Angelo wrote. “Since weall seem to get painted with thesame brush by the public, let’stry giving them nothing nega-tive to paint with.”Good advice any time, not on-

ly after a public embarrassment.But then D’Angelo wrote thesortof thingthatgives thepublicsomething “negative to paintwith” – thus the irony.Theteacher’sverbalabuseofa

student had been recorded on acellphone, which is why the dis-cipline was swift once the evi-dence was provided. D’Angelo’sresponse: Strictly stick to a pol-

icy of no personal electronic de-vices in school.Forget the utter impossibility

of enforcing such a rule with to-day’s inconspicuous cellphonesand cameras. And forget the no-tion of actually using such de-vices to engage students in a les-son. D’Angelo is fundamentallysaying teachers should have the

right to misbehavewithout fear of be-ing caught on cam-era.Here’s a thought:

A teacher alwaysshould behave asthough on camera.It’s called “being

professional.”D’Angelo then went from pet-

ty to demeaning: “I fear that stu-dents and parents will now,more than ever, try to implicateus in their misplaced blame fortheir own inadequacies as par-ents.”There arepeoplewho look for

any opportunity to bash teach-ers, andparentswhoblametheirchildren’s failures on teachers.But as surely as all teachers donot bully students, all parentsandstudentsdonotuse teachersas scapegoats.It’s that “broad brush,” and

D’Angelo’s use of it insults everytaxpayer in Pittston Area, andevery teacher in his union.He proved himself undeserv-

ing to be a union officer; if hedoesn’t voluntarily step down,members should compel him to.

OUR OPINION: PITTSTON AREA

Union VP meritsboot for his gaffe

A teacher alwaysshould behave asthough on camera.It’s called “beingprofessional.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

PRASHANT SHITUTPresident and CEO/Impressions Media

JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZVice President/Executive Editor

MARK E. JONESEditorial Page Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

MALLARD FILLMORE DOONESBURY

➛ S E R V I N G TH E PU B L I C T RU S T S I N C E 18 8 1

Editorial

User: jmacintyre Time: 10-04-2012 21:00 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 10-05-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 11 A Color: K