To the editor:
I am writing this letter to urge anyone who has been sexually abused by a clergy, to come forward and get help.
On the second Wednes-day of every month, SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) holds group support meetings at the Public Library in Bellaire, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Survivors, family members and supporters are welcome to attend these confidential meetings. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
There is a definite need for this kind of support among survivors, family members and those who just care, in this area of Ohio Valley.
We feel there are many victims out there who are still suffering and still silent. Please let them know about this meeting also. Please encourage them to attend. There is healing when a victim connects with others who have similar stories, and this is a great way to receive unconditional support. Listen and /or be heard confidentially, in supportive accepting atmosphere, a local community/national network, by and for survivors and their important people.
We are reaching out to all within the Ohio valley area, and West Virginia.
For more information please contact Judy Block Jones, SNAP Ohio Valley Regional Director, 636-433-2511.
Our Web sites are www.steubenvilletruth.org/ and http://wheeling-charlestontruth.org/
Judy Block Jones
Marthasville, Mo.
A Christian view on health care reform
To the editor:
In the on-going heath care reform debate Chris-tians need to keep in mind a core value of our tradition, namely a disposition of compassion and mercy to the poor, the victimized, and the stranger at the gate. (See the Gospels for details!) The ways and means of caring for such persons vary. But without a heart inclined toward compassion and justice we simply don’t deserve to be called Christians (“Christ-like ones”).
After first asking it of themselves, Christians can and should ask: What kind of heart is our nation cultivating?
Many Americans who have been to Canada, Eng-land, or certain European countries are often shocked at the medical treatment we receive as guests. No insurance cards are required. Little or no payment is required and yet in most cases the treatment is as good as we get in this country.
Is it free? Of course not. It’s costly. But it’s been paid for by the citizens of those countries who have chipped in to make that kind of care possible.
T. R. Reid of The Wash-ington Post visited those and other nations to find out how they did it. The financial mechanisms, he discovered, differed from country to country. But what they had in common was a commitment to get it done.
It’s a complicated problem. But I believe our nation will figure it out. My faith is based on the universal manifestations of the great spirit of love and on the success of two nearly impossible projects our nation undertook in the past.
At one time, education in this country was private. Only the rich could afford it. There was no public alternative. In the 18th century Thomas Jefferson ur-ged an educational system for all. Jefferson’s idea was rejected. But the idea was too good to suppress forever.
It took a while but beginning in 1840 our nation committed itself to providing education for all. How? We all chipped in. It was an unprecedented undertaking. To be sure, public education is far from perfect but we keep working at it because we believe education is a right.
The other project was legislation to clean up our soil, air and water. In the 1970s a consensus emer-ged. Citizens demanded clean air, water, and soil as a right. We didn’t know exactly how to get it done. We simply told our representatives to get it done. And they did. Not perfectly but far better than it was. We have a right to clean air, soil and water.
Can we find a way to care for the health of all our citizens? I think so. And it begins with a longing to see justice and mercy done in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Randall Tremba
Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Presbyterian Church minister
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