Letters, 6/29: Fell wasn’t an employee

 9 comment(s)  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

As I understand the issue, Paul Fell was an independent contractor. As such, the Journal Star would have the option of accepting or rejecting a cartoon submitted by him. Since he is not an employee, why does the Journal Star think they have the right to dictate what he does with his money?

In my opinion, he was the best cartoonist the Journal Star had or has.

Roy J. Martin, Lincoln

Contribution disclosure

As I consider the Journal Star’s position that a political OPINION cartoonist on the OPINION page of the newspaper shouldn’t have or support an OPINION, it occurs to me that I should perhaps come clean myself:

In 1973, Leon Satterfield contributed $5 to my campaign for the Lancaster County Weed Control Authority.

Yes, his check did bounce, but as he said at the time, “Rog, it’s the thought that counts,” and now we have come to understand that thought should have no place in OPINION.  At least not in the Journal Star.

Roger Welsch, Dannebrog

Too eager to kill debate

As a lifelong Roman Catholic, I just want to say how saddened I am by the Rev. Timothy J. Thorburn’s letter to the editor (“Protest just sour grapes,” June 21) defending our Lincoln Diocese from its detractors with ignorant fear-mongering that made the case for reform better than anything the excommunicated members of Call to Action could ever say or do. 

Thorburn accuses Call to Action of promoting a “lifestyle,” which he then blames for the sexual abuse of children that went unreported and covered up in our nation’s churches for so many decades. Rather than accepting responsibility for these literal sins of our Fathers against our own children, Thorburn obscures that issue by casting stones at those asking for more to be done. 

Worst is Thorburn’s embarrassing and insulting equivocation of homosexuality and the crime of pedophilia. The former may be a sin in the eyes of the church, but the latter is a crime against humanity. That a priest in modern, enlightened society can publicly make such a cowardly and shameless attack without rebuke is all that’s necessary to see there might truly be something wrong in our Lincoln Diocese.  

It also seems wrong that I should personally be put in a position to fear being made a target of Bishop Bruskewitz for daring to challenge a priest on an issue of public policy. I have no intention of ever partaking in any formal protest of the church, but what does it say about us that our spiritual leaders seem so eager not only to squash dissent but to kill debate?

Kyle Michaelis, Lincoln

No mention of concert

Last Thursday evening, Paul Jacobs presented a recital at First-Plymouth Congregational Church (UCC) as part of the American Guild of Organists’ Regional VI Convention, which was held in Lincoln June 18-21.

Paul Jacobs is arguably the best concert organist in the country (and perhaps the world). He flew straight from Australia to Lincoln in order to perform for our convention.

There was not a word in the Journal Star about the concert, and there was no review. There was a great article in Ground Zero on June 15 that was a summary of the convention events.

We do have a number of organ recitals in Lincoln, and notice is usually given to the Journal Star.  And most of our artists have not been world-class artists as is Paul Jacobs.

So I am disappointed that we bring a world-class artist to Lincoln to present what turned out to be an incredible concert, and there is no notice of it in the Journal Star, nor is there a review of the performance.

I would also mention that on July 1, I will become dean of the Lincoln chapter of the American Guild of Organists (which might explain my biases).

Jim Lytton, Lincoln