Good for Jim Traficant

Good for Jim Traficant

EDITOR:

After reading The Vindicator’s Sept. 19 editorial, “True to form Traficant remains his own biggest fan,” I found myself saying “Good for you, Jim Traficant, don’t ever change.”

I was raised to believe before a person can love others, they must first love themselves.

Before a person finds good in others, they must first find good in themselves.

Before a person can trust and believe in others, they must trust and believe in themselves.

And before a person really knows themselves they must love and believe in God who created and truly knows all of humanity best.

As one of Jim Traficant’s many supporters, I will always admire his courage and free spirit.

Those who think free can never be imprisoned by bars.

MARY LOU JURINA

Youngstown

Traficant’s scary new fans

EDITOR:

An interesting thing has happened since disgraced former Congressman Traficant took to the airwaves and internet with his odd, meandering rant on Greta Van Susteren’s “On the Record.” The video is a YouTube hit, at least with neo-Nazis and anti Semitic conspiracy buffs. That’s right, the wonderful world of anonymous, consequence-free hatred has decided to accept Jim Traficant into its fraternity.

As of this writing there are 275 comments left by YouTube users, most of them by people who blog about shadow governments and “the Jews who run the world.”

This would be comical if it wasn’t so twisted. If I had the space and an R rating I could list some of the more brilliant comments, but I suppose I’ll have to work within the confines of what I have. Here are a few of the gems: “all media and politicians are whores of zion,” “Good for James Traficant for speaking the truth. ‘Israel’ is nothing but a squatter Middle East state. It has NO right to exist,” “Wake up white man...” This comment was left by a user whose screen name is ‘WatchTheJewWiggle’: “9/11 was done by Israel. Zionism is a sick ideology that has taken over America.”

What’s most interesting about citizen Traficant’s newest fan club is that none of these things are out of context and you need only read the first few pages of comments to find some of the most obscene, vitriolic assaults that you’ve ever come across.

I’m not implying that it was Mr. Traficant’s intentions to pander to the lunatic fringe, but he certainly has — literally overnight — become a darling of the downtrodden, misguided, racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, antigovernment, anticapitalist nitwits who troll the internet looking for evidence of a grand, unifying conspiracy. I suppose if he choses to run for Congress again he’ll have the neo-Nazi vote sewn up. After that, all he needs is another 49.9 percent of the people to vote for him and the majority will be his.

MICHAEL PHILLIPS

Canfield

Trustees have been working on Canfield sewer problem

EDITOR:

In response to a Sept. 13 letter, some residents on Summit Drive in Canfield Township expressed disdain about Canfield Township Trustees and the manner in which they handled a sanitary sewer project.

While only one trustee was named in the article, it sheds a bad light on the entire trio of trustees. When the problem was first brought to my attention (since I was not in office when this project was begun in 2003), I spent countless hours attempting to see what could be done to “fix” this situation — including the involvement of the named trustee. The sanitary engineer was extremely helpful throughout, and should be applauded for his efforts.

(A side note: a local developer complicated the situation with development plans that changed throughout the time frame from then to now.)

Here are some facts as they stand today: There is a bid date of Oct. 21 to begin construction for the final portion of the sewer to connect the two already-completed portions. Residents will have six months upon completion to connect. The township can, in the spring of 2010, apply for tap-in assistance. As for the final comment expressing frustration at seeing township dollars spent on a sewer for our new township park: First, we had no development issues to complicate our process. Second, we had no grant applications to hinder our progress. And third, the sewer on the Township Park will benefit all residents in the entire township, as well as folks from the city, and visitors from neighboring areas. Anyone will be able to use the bathroom facilities that connect to that sewer.

RANDY BRASHEN

Canfield Township Trustee

Canfield

Supreme Court flirts with redefining ‘corporation’

EDITOR:

As someone who believes strongly in civic participation, the idea that a corporation — which the Supreme Court in the past has called an “artificial entity” and that is made up of individual shareholders and employees with different political beliefs — could be allowed to spend directly from its massive corporate treasury on ads for or against a candidate is truly frightening.

A corporation is not, nor has it ever been, a person with voting rights. Corporations are not our neighbors, they cannot get married, they cannot die, and a corporation has never been a constituent member of “We the People.”

However, a decision in favor of the plaintiff in Citizen’s United vs. the Federal Election Commission — the controversial case that was reheard in Washington on Sept. 9 — would allow corporations to use their immense wealth to loudly promote or attack candidates through unlimited expenditures on ads.

Barack Obama sailed into Washington on a wave of change, buoyed by small donations he received from millions of American citizens. To suddenly decide that those voices should be drowned out by the massive accumulated money of a single “corporate person,” runs counter to the very ideals of a representative democracy.

DENNIS S. SPISAK

Struthers

Lethal injection is inhumane

EDITOR:

The colloquial definition of insanity is to do the same thing again and again expecting different results. Using this definition, the state of Ohio is insane to continue administering lethal injection.

Tuesday, we tried to execute Romell Broom. After more than two hours of unsuccessfully searching for a vein to administer the three drug lethal injection, Gov. Ted Strickland issued a one-week reprieve to Broom.

Reading Robert Mackey’s New York Times news blog on Broom’s experience, “botched execution described as ‘torture,’” makes us a bit sick to our stomachs. It makes us really sick when we then think about the fact that Romell’s case is not unique in Ohio. He is the third man in three years to have a botched execution, yet every time state officials stand by our lethal injection procedure.

It is time to stop the insanity. Gov. Strickland, please stop executions in our state until a humane procedure can be determined.

SUSIE and RAY BEIERSDORFER

Youngstown

Toll the bell for the innocent

EDITOR:

As the bells at St. Mary Church in Warren tolled recently to remind us of the execution of yet another convicted murderer, my thoughts turned elsewhere. When, and how often, do the bells toll for the more than 50 million babies who have been aborted since Roe vs. Wade became the law of the land?

Let us pray that someone, somewhere is tolling the bell for this most helpless and innocent victims,

CATHERINE O. SWAN

Warren