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Contents © 1998
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

May 1998 LETTERS

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I am responding to "Feed Them and Run Them out the Door" (April). I am familiar with Sister Winnie's mission and St. Vincent de Paul; I have utilized them both.

As I do not want to be identified with what passes itself off as "Christianity" these days, I am not Christian; however, I am a serious student of the Bible. More so than the majority of Christians I have had contact with.

Although I do not share the same religious beliefs and values as expounded by God's Extended Hand, they have helped many people get through some hard times. One cannot help but be impressed by St. Vincent de Paul's physical layout. They too have helped many people. St. Vincent's programs may not be "forced"; however, as with all these types of agencies strings are attached one way or the other. These types of social agencies have become a government-funded industry. The people who benefit the most are the ones on salary.

In particular, the obvious lack of screening meant that there were more human "debris" warehoused than on the streets or, better yet, in jail where they belong. The "Challenge to Change" course with psychological testing did not make sense to me -- cheap "psycho-babble" mostly.

These social agencies are far too dependent upon government funding that is geared toward drug addicts, alcoholics, and ex-convicts. They enable some of the worse forms of human degeneracy -- you would not want them in your neighborhood, would you? "They are all equal in the eyes of God" -- I don't think so. If the Catholic Church "loves" them all so much, you have plenty of real estate -- take them all.

-- Dirk D. Andersen
Escondido


WEEKS LATER THE COMPLAINTS BEGIN

I am responding to a Little Note in the April edition. I attended the New Exodus leadership workshop at our parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The first session of the ten-part series indeed comes across, at first appearance, as a liberal-against-traditionalist workshop. The reason for breaking Catholics into four groups is that the reality for parish leaders is that they will have to deal with these four groups. By identifying the four groups it is helpful to know where people are coming from. The series goes on to say that none of the groups are right or wrong, different maybe, but not right or wrong. They also point out that change is not always good. It's only change.

I feel I am more on the conservative side and I found the workshop to be very helpful. It gets into the nuts and bolts of leadership and then applies it to a Catholic level. If the person commenting on this workshop would have stuck it out, I have no doubt that they would have a different opinion. We also have to keep in mind that the series is 12 or 13 years old.

If this person, as I did at first glance, got the wrong impression of this workshop, it would have been a great opportunity to stay with it and witness to the group when things came up they didn't agree with. That is what the parishes in our community need. To not participate and just report it in News Notes is helpful, but we are called to witness where we are at. I think they would have been much more effective to stay with the group and interject how they feel. I have found that a lot of times people don't voice their opinion at the time something is said or done. The group takes that as an affirmation and weeks later when the groups plans are being implemented the complaints begin. If the complaints are waged in the right time and place I think we would be a closer Catholic community.

-- John Sawaya
San Carlos


I AM PRO-CHOICE AND PRO-LIFE

As a candidate for the 78th Assembly District, I greatly appreciate your publication of my views ("Little Notes," April). In referring to the April article several people have asked me what I meant when I said, "I"m pro-choice, and my personal choice is life." I suggested that pro-life people engage in a dialogue with pro-choice people. Pro-life people have made a choice. We have chosen life. If we can have a dialogue we can say, "I want your choice to be a choice for life as well."

After all, is it not true that a generous Creator gave each of us the gift of life? How many of us would have chosen to refuse ourselves these gifts: to breathe the air, to be held, to be loved? How then can any one of us choose to deny that gift to the most helpless, the unborn?

With the choice of life comes other choices. Whether to raise an unborn child and see the world anew through his or her eyes; whether to find a loving home so that the unborn child may know the gifts of love and life. These choices are easy ones when weighed against the life-long remorse that surely follows a decision to choose death over life. God has given each of us the power to choose between life and death every day. I am pro-choice because God also gave me a special power given to each human being: the power to make moral decisions of my own free will. I am pro-life because I believe that the right moral decision is to choose life. I hope that you agree with me.

-- Rick Wildman
La Jolla


I BELIEVE MR. WILDMAN IS REALLY A PRO-ABORTION CANDIDATE

Today (April 11) I spoke with Rick Wildman, who is running for Assembly in the 78th District ("Little Notes," April). I told him that the issue of women's rights is very important to me and asked him his position on the abortion issue. He told me that he is "pro-choice." He said that he believed women should have a right to choose. He added that he is personally pro-life, but supported the laws they way they were now and did not think they should be changed.

From this conversation I believe Mr. Wildman is really a pro-abortion candidate and would do nothing to further the cause of life. I urge any pro-life person not to vote for him.

-- Cheryl Sullenger
Director, California Life Coalition

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