Letters to the editor

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Richard D. Sloan, in a recent letter, wrote some nasty things about Catholics and Jews. While his complaint about questionable tax exemptions to various institutions has some merit, his far-fetched conclusion that “many Catholics and Jews led us into repeated wars to protect Israel ...”

His claim that Palestinian land was “stolen” and American Jews “misuse their influence to drag gullible Americans into war after war ... to protect Jews in Israel” is a total distortion of history. He doesn’t spare the Catholics either. He refers to the invasion of the Catholic Church. He calls for “Americans to wake up.”

“Palestinian land.” Not since biblical days has there ever been a Palestinian state. Until the Romans invaded the land and named it “Palestine,” the land was named Judea and Samaria. For centuries, the arid desert land was sparsely inhabited by Palestinian Arabs and Palestinian Jews. As the newly immigrant Jews gradually turned the desert green, both the Jewish and Arab populations grew.

At the end of World War II, the world, which with few exceptions had remained silent to the plight of millions of Jews, recognized that those who had escaped the furnaces were essentially homeless. It was then in 1947, after numerous studies and recommendations, that the British gave up their mandate over the territory and Palestine was to be partitioned into an Arab state and a Jewish state. The Arabs chose war, and instead of enjoying a prosperous 64-year-old state of Palestine, sitting peacefully beside Israel, we have the quagmire of today’s situation. So much for Jews stealing Palestinian land.

What presumed to be an assault on tax-exempt entities turned into a diatribe against Catholics and Jews. I wonder why.

Leonard M. Goldstein

Greg Mitchell is definitely not your typical story, and he was not your typical guy. Greg’s mission in life was all about teaching young people to expect more from themselves and to see beyond their present. It is rare to find someone like Greg with a giving spirit and unwavering dedication and enthusiasm for what he believed in.

Greg could translate his passion for both the kids and basketball into real-world life lessons. He was genuinely a good soul and truly cared about the futures of the young men he worked with. His lifelong commitment to helping at-risk youth was a gift.

He was a unique person who was equally at ease with both gang youth as he was with quote “the good kids.” He would treat the most at-risk kids with the same dignity and respect that he would show anyone regardless of their status in life.

Greg was a good man. He understood the importance of education and sports. He was a courageous defender of the weakest among us. Greg Mitchell, your efforts were noted and appreciated. Thank you, and rest in peace.

Jonathan C. Ray, president and CEO, Fort Wayne Urban League

The June 6 (68th anniversary of D-Day) edition of The News-Sentinel’s “The Rant” column had a rant to Bob Morris. It said Morris made them proud to be a Catholic. Why? Because at the bottom of the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend webpage there is a button to click to report sexual abuse but not on the Girl Scouts webpage. Could it be Catholic priests have a history of sexual abuse? I can’t recall any sexual abuse ever being reported about leaders from the Girl Scouts.

Charles Eberhard