Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Backdraft
The Juvenile Firestoppers Program in Philadelphia is one of the best programs the city has to offer. I felt that the program and the Fire Prevention Division weren't given credit for the good work that they do [News, "Pyro Techniques," J.F. Pirro, May 5, 2005]. In my opinion, this article could cause a lot of harm if it causes someone who needs help to not call because of a lack of confidence in the Fire Department.

Some information I provided was not presented in the context it was given. Firstly, I was not transferred out of the leadership of the Firestoppers Program because of budget cuts. I got promoted to Captain in March 2004 and left for an assignment in a field company. Fire Prevention already had a captain. I returned as the captain of the Fire Prevention Division five months later, but the captain is an overall supervisor and not involved with the Firestoppers Program.

Secondly, I never said that I was concerned about leadership in the Fire Prevention Division for Juvenile Firestoppers or any other program they sponsor. Lt. Mike Grant would have been (and remains) my choice to lead the program and does as good a job there as anyone ever has. Everyone in Fire Prevention does a great job and cares about the citizens they serve, especially children. The Firestoppers Program is no different than any other program. It constantly changes, evolving to suit the needs of a dynamic public. When I spoke [about] Fire Prevention being "thin on experience," I was speaking about three new members out of the nine Firestopper counselors who had not yet received full training but do the best they can so that no one is underserved. There is no way I know of to get anyone experience without letting them be "new."

Third, I never said that the budget process in Philadelphia halted the progress on a partnership with the J. Peter's group for a mental-health component for the Firestoppers Program. I said that Dr. Ted Glackman had identified a funding source and was moving ahead with our initiative and then just dropped out of communication. After the third meeting with Dr. Glackman, Dr. Paul Fink and myself, I had gotten promoted and left. I never knew what the outcome of that initiative was.

This program is vital to the safety net the city puts up to help children. From the Fire Commissioner right down to the firefighter in the firehouse, no person has ever been left needing the Fire Department for any reason! I would hate to think that they didn't call because of something I said.
Capt. Michael A. Carroll
Philadelphia Fire Department

Pirro responds: "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Carroll because he's obviously a stand-up, straight-shooting guy who wasn't afraid to be honest in sharing his story, a real rarity in city government and politics. We offered Grant and his staff multiple opportunities to contribute but he never did. It's a shame Mike Carroll, the fall guy, had to do the speaking for them in his effort to be honest. Throughout the article, it is stated that the Juvenile Firestoppers Program is one of the best programs the city has to offer. The bottom line is that Carroll once led the program and since then, budget cuts have shifted personnel, which landed him in another unit."
City Paper stands by Pirro's reporting, which was vetted through our fact-checking process.

Stayin' Away
It should surprise no one that many living in Philadelphia want to leave the city [WTF, "Outta Here, Vol. 1," Duane Swierczynski, May 5, 2005]. I happen to be one of those Philadelphians who returned and left Philadelphia at least five times since the mid-1960s.

In the last 40 years, we've had our share of disappointing mayors. Rizzo was the first to expose our schizophrenic attitude toward this city. Perhaps no mayor was loved as much as he was hated by Philadelphians. Rizzo was also the first mayor in the modern era — outside of any of the New York City mayors — to have a nationwide reputation. Unfortunately, he had the reputation of being a friggin' lunatic.

In 1983, Philadelphia made history by electing its first black mayor, Wilson Goode. At the time, who would have predicted the good people of Philadelphia also elected the first "Unibomber mayor?" After Goode, it appeared Philadelphia finally found its savior in Ed Rendell. No one can deny Rendell did some good things for Philadelphia. However, most of those good things were confined to about 2 square miles in Center City. As far as "Fast Eddie" was concerned, the rest of Philadelphia didn't even exist.

Now, Philadelphians have Mayor Street to thank for Philadelphia's current state of affairs. A city government led by a mayor who is perceived as being a weak leader, unattentive and unresponsive. A city government that's embroiled in one of the worst episodes of corruption in its history. A city that's been rated far behind such "great" cities as Detroit and Cleveland in economic growth. A city that's losing population faster than Baghdad. A city ranked as one of the most polluted in the nation. And perhaps more disturbing than anything else, a city where its neighborhoods have become virtual "killing fields" when it comes to its children's safety.

All of these issues and more (i.e., never-ending plans for the waterfront area, insane tax structure and its sports teams) adversely affect the mood of most Philadelphians. And we're surprised people are leaving? We should be surprised why people stay.
Jerry Komar
Haddon Township, N.J.

Sponge Unworthy
I just finished reading [Slant, "The SpongeBob Gospels," Nancy French, May 5, 2005]. On the whole, the woman appears to be intelligent, which is why it is so baffling that she seems to have missed the point of the SpongeBob video. It's about tolerance, not "moral equivalency" between heterosexual and homosexual family structures. She bends over backward to make us think she is politically correct in her attitudes toward gays, but her mask slips when she states that "the lesson that homosexual sex is wrong, however, will not come in a moral vacuum." Give me a bucket.

I, for one, am sick to death of the holier-than-thou, so-called "Christian" conservatives who feel they have the moral authority to determine what is morally acceptable. Wake-up call to Nancy: You holy rollers don't have an exclusive hot line to heaven.
R.J. Hall
Blackwood, N.J.

Oh, poor Nancy French! Her children are exposed to the fact that not everyone has one daddy and one mommy. Wake up, lady! Yes, there are gay people, and yes, gay people have children (I know this upsets some "Christians," but too bad). Stop using a popular children's program and the Philadelphia district's academic office (which is to be commended for its non-discrimination policy) as a tool for your bigotry. I have some advice for this nice "Christian" lady: Open up your New Testament, and tell me what Jesus said about homosexuality (hint: the same thing that is between your ears — nothing).
Frank Chille
via e-mail

Perhaps French would like to do a follow-up column explaining how she knows that "God wants children to have both a mommy and a daddy." Has she spoken to God personally? She could then explain how she believes that even though "homosexual sex is wrong," gay people should not be "forced to change." If it's sinful, shouldn't they stop?
Travis Johnson
Wayne

Reading something like this in a paper that has broad interests at heart, in a city based on tolerance is distasteful. French's allocation should be considered rude at best, openly hateful at worst. Her "freedom of conscience" is simply a pretentious way of saying freedom to judge others at your own inappropriate standards. She self-righteously feels the need to tell us how moral she is, then insists that others follow her orthodoxy. I have appeared in the arts section of this paper for promotional purposes on several occasions. My colleagues, after reading this diatribe, will be more than happy to no longer use this paper for their promotional purposes.
Daniel Elyar
Via e-mail