Alcohol, gambling at church festivals wrong

The Roman Catholic Church in our community needs to take a look at the message it is sending to young people when they serve alcohol and offer gambling at their church summer and fall festivals. I think the message these church festivals are sending to the young people is that it’s OK to drink and gamble if you want have a good time.

Alcoholism and gambling have destroyed so many families in our society. College administrators will tell you that gambling among students is becoming as serious a problem as drinking. The Catholic Church is against abortion and preaches that we should protect the fetus. However, alcohol is still sold at these festivals when scientific research has shown that even moderate drinking of alcohol and maybe only one drink can produce fetal damage.

One festival organizer admitted to me that you bring in more money if you sell alcohol drinks and offer gambling. Of course I understand that it may have to do with a lack education among clergy. A report, “So Help Me God: Substance Abuse, Religion and Spirituality,” that was published in 2001 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that only 12.5 percent of clergy received any education on alcoholism and substance abuse while preparing for the ministry. However, the report found that 70 percent of the Catholic clergy surveyed considered alcohol and substance abuse to be a very important issue among their congregation.

I ask that treatment programs in the community make more of an effort in reaching out to the local churches and educating the clergy. I ask that parishioners who agree with me contact their local pastor and festival organizer and tell them that you will not support a festival that serves alcohol and has gambling.

The Aug. 27 letter, “Drinking, gambling not what festa was about,” stated that the highlights of his church festival were actually the homemade food, entertainment and a chance to spend time with friends. Then why offer drinking and gambling? Or is it all about the money?

Arnold Schultz

Rotterdam

Democrats’ army of fleas can’t win energy war

Dixie Lee Ray, former governor of Washington state, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, assistant secretary of state in the U.S. Bureau of Oceans, member of the zoology faculty of the University of Washington, and a recipient of the U. N. Peace Prize, when asked about solar energy as the answer to the energy needs of this country gave the following reply: “In biology, there is a term — “biomass” — which refers to the total amount of living material in any body or collection of living things.

Thus you can compare the biomass equivalents of different species; for example, there is the same biomass in the body of one elephant as there is in 100 million fleas. Now, if you need to pull a very heavy load, would you rather harness one elephant or 100 million fleas? Provided of course, that someone builds flea harnesses at a price you can afford to pay, and provided, of course, that you can make all those fleas hop at the same time and in the same direction!”

Barack Obama’s energy plan consists of spending taxpayers’ money on making flea harnesses and training fleas to hop in the same direction at the same time. Solar, wind, geothermal and all these so-called green energy sources all have a niche, but are not elephants. Nuclear energy is the only non-hydrocarbon-based energy source which is capable of meeting our current and future energy needs — needs upon which our security and future growth is dependent.

This November, the voters of this country have a choice. They can vote for the fleas or the elephant.

A.J. Angelino

Scotia

Downtown smoking ban plan for Sch’dy is lunacy

This is in response to the ridiculous Aug. 23 letter from Jane Wilson about banning smoking on city streets.

Being an employee who has worked in downtown Schenectady for years, I can assure you that discarded cigarette butts are the least of the city’s problems. I’m sure Ms. Wilson is unaware of these problems since she only “visits” the city, as she states, and has not seen the more vile and disgusting items one can encounter while strolling down the city streets.

Does the Bowtie Cinema have noticeable outside receptacles for butts, etc., since the only place to smoke is outside?

The smoking ban law has successfully accomplished its goals to ban smoking from restaurants, taverns, public parks, etc. However, let’s not ignore the fact that tobacco smoking is still legal.

I urge the fanatical nonsmokers such as Jane Wilson to start focusing on more valid and dangerous issues that we are subject to every day — other than the horrific possibility of stepping on a cigarette butt.

C. a. Howard

Rotterdam

Support for SHS football coach well deserved

Re Aug. 28 article, “SHS scholarship announced”: Kudos to Frank Gallo for recognizing the accomplishments of Coach Carmen DePoalo and his coaching staff. Thank you for awarding a scholarship back to the school, although the one taken away was never awarded to a Schenectady High student.

It was nice that the Gazette acknowledged Mr. DePoalo’s generosity. I, as a Schenectady Pop Warner, parent would like to also add to the list of Coach Carm’s accomplishments, his 40-plus years of volunteer work and coaching that he has given back to his community, and most of all the hundreds of children lives that he has touched.

Good luck, Coach Carm and Schenectady Patriots , for another winning season; we can’t wait to watch you shine!

Sheri L. Mayfield

Schenectady

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