Love Letters, Hate Mail

Adoption Coverage Lauded

Dear Editor:

I wanted to thank you for your series on adoption (See "Editor's Note" below). Your exposure of the myths and misinformation that is out there on the internet was very welcome.

As an adoptive parent I appreciated it. I was especially pleased to see Dillon International listed as one of your suggested information sites. We've been associated with Dillon for about 15 years now. We adopted one of our daughters through Dillon and I am now the Treasurer and a Board member.

One of the things my wife and I have always admired about Dillon is that they support an orphanage in those countries where they handle adoptions from.

Twelve years ago Dillon began to have a fund raising event, one of the main purposes of which was to raise money for orphanage support. They decided to have it on the Lunar New Year given their ties to Korea and China, even though they support orphanages in Guatemala, Haiti, India, and Vietnam as well.

Although Dillon has provided orphanage support since they began in 1972, several years ago they formed a new entity, OrphanCare International, in order to promote awareness of the orphanage support program.

Dillon and other reputable agencies see adoption as the last choice. For the homeless children in the countries where Dillon works, every effort is made by Dillon to help children remain with their original family or to be placed for adoption within their country of birth. Only when these options are not possible, are children then placed with families in the United States.

You have provided a valuable service to your readers. Hopefully as a result of your bringing attention to the needs of children in DHA custody, some of those children will soon find loving, caring homes.

Regards,

Wulf, David

(Editor's Note: For a number of years UTW has written regularly about and discussed the subject of adoption with our readers. And for the past decade, at least, provided awareness-raising, barrier-breaking coverage of the adoption process in major features and cover stories. Beginning this autumn, with last month's "Adopting an Attitude," UTW, 2-8 Nov. and continuing each week through 14-20 Dec. with our special two-page spread, "Christmas for Kids" our holiday gift drive for children in the foster care programs of DHS, we continue to enlighten and open minds to this important issue.)

Doesn't Like TV News or Direction of Brookside

Dear Editor:

So many issues, which one to pick...?

of every four stories covered on the PM news, is actually news at all.

As I am writing you the news is advertising its tomorrow big story. A weight loss pill and how it may have down falls. Surprise surprise, this town is not that ignorant and stupid. I have been here a year now and the news

literally spews common sense.

As I once heard " They have a wonderful grasp on the obvious." I mean please, the news just "reported" dead sea is dying. Ahhhduuuhh. It's dropping a foot a year, WHOOOOOOOOO CARRRESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a few topics for the News to handle. How come the part of Peoria opened the same day Starbucks did? Qinky Dink, I think not...

How about, what idiot decided to mess with Peoria to begin with? And what MENSA member decided black brick would be the way to go, geee it looks just like pavement. Then why did the city buy Black Bricks when they could of just bought some more pavement. I think the whole renovation of Peoria actually add 12 parking paces and two lights that aren't needed.

Now News you have a few more stories to report on. Follow the money I am sure it's lining some brother-in-law's pockets. If that's too much, how about find some drug addicts and follow them through rehab. Ya know people just might watch that.

I feel better now.

Katherine Dailey

Another Bush Basher

Dear Editor:

Our government (read George W. Bush) enjoys trumpeting the goal of democracy for all the peoples of the world. Really, I would enjoy hearing him give a dissertation on what he thinks democracy means. But my contention is that if the American people relish the existence of our democracy and enjoy the comforts of what we now have as a country, then we ought to get of our intellectual duffs and become a more integral part of what is being done internationally in our collective name.

The pieces have always been evident to those of us who scourge for news contained in media outside of the US. We do understand that quite a bit of what has been done and mostly in the wars we have fought, outside of the great wars, have been anything but necessary to our survival. And this Iraqi expedition is an example of my contention.

And while I am on the subject of war we might examine how many wars we are supposedly waging. The 'war on poverty', 'war on hunger', 'war on crime', 'war on drugs' and now the 'war on terrorism'. And we are not likely to win any of them.

But back to my original thought, because I have been able to put together the pieces, at least in my mind and the foundational thought is not my own but I had always been on the right track. We need to seriously examine the reasons for the series of incursions that our government has conducted in the name of national interest and national security and ascertain if our existence would have been any less secure had these battles not been fought.

My recent reading has added the word 'corporatocracy' to my vocabulary and it seems to mean the control of the global economy by a few huge corporations with the behest of and protection of our government through the CIA and our military. But in my reasoning when we add our recent theocratic tendencies to the mix, I get the feeling that the word fascism conjures the same meaning.

And so, when we look at our recent involvement in Chile, Panama, Bolivia, Venezuela and now Iraq, just to mention a few, there is a disturbing web that connects them to these countries' assets and the challenge for ownership by a few major corporations. The web also ties the loan activities of the IMF, the World Bank and the USAID strapping these countries with debt that they can never repay thereby making them forever in our control.

This is not a conspiracy theory on my part because the resulting loss of self determination by the peoples of these countries and the increase in world hunger and poverty is quite evident. And while these corporations pile up rapacious profits and their executives live a life of exorbitant luxury, the majority of the rest of the world, Americans included, have been reduced to being creators of wealth for the greedy lifestyle of an unconscionable few.

I know that there are many of us who will not take the time or make the effort to examine my premise but this attitude must change. Our White House is under the control of two oilmen, one of which was the secretary of defense when George H. W. Bush attacked Panama. So the mindset of those who believe in the building of a global empire is present in the corporate board rooms of the multination corporations as well as the very highest levels of our government. We need a change in the attitude of those who govern us and we need a change in the level of our involvement as citizens.

Democracy is a very complex type of governance and it calls for those of us who live under such a system to be totally involved. It calls for much more than simply paying taxes or going to the polls and casting a vote for one person or the other. It also requires us to be informed about the world in which we live and the details of our government's decisions and the action it takes on our behalf. Democracy calls for our total involvement. If we fail to do so, our lack of action will certainly lead to a world of constant strife, warfare, poverty and hunger and an America which is constantly fighting off fear and the enemy at our door.

Colin T. Bent

Channels Position

Dear Editor:

As Tulsa Chair of the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma, President of Express Test Corporation and talk show host of Liberty Talk Radio I would like to go on record that on Wednesday, December 6th, the Libertarians unanimously voted to reject approval for any public funding for the Channels Project.

We do not subscribe to the idea that it is the role of government to fund upscale living facilities, retail establishments, and entertainment enterprises with tax payer money that may only financially benefit a select few.

The very premise that we can tax our citizens to prosperity is absolutely preposterous.

The logic that we can attract the needed intellectual capital which this town so desperately needs by building this tax imposed boondoggle is misguided logic.

No one from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, or any major vibrant metropolitan area would uproot themselves just to live in the middle of the Arkansas River.

What we need is an economic base which would attract the talent to fill the jobs that are available, not entertainment facilities. This can only be provided through the free enterprise system which would create the demand for the needed intellectual capital.

Anything else violates the basic law of economics and should be held in suspect no matter how appealing the political rhetoric. Mr. Dan Hicks, Tulsa Architect, has proposals for improving the river front which incorporates the theme of the Channels Project, but involves only private funding at a fraction of the cost.

It only makes sense that if individuals are willing to risk their investment, then those individuals believe that the project is commercially viable. When a substantial majority of funding comes from the tax payer, there is no such assurance with its associated risk of failure. The unfortunate consequences include continued accelerating taxation solely to maintain failed facilities.

Therefore, we oppose the Channels Project as proposed.

Joe Cristiano

Libertarian Party of Oklahoma

Tulsa Chair