Free Press - December 20, 2007

Potpourri of Items:

Ann Hellman, Sister Maureen, Baseball Steroids, Coyotes in Milford, Palisades Karen Bedics

Dear Friends,

Good morning. First, Mighty Betsy and I wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas.

Today’s column is a potpourri of items, some serious…some not. First, I received a note from a Palisades teaching assistant who organized a “peace tree.” Second, Sister Maureen Turlish had an interesting comment about my pedophilia column concerning the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the state legislature. Third, the story about performance-enhancing drugs in baseball will give a permanent black eye to its reputation. And last, there’s a good reason why Quakertown won’t be getting nude dancing anytime soon.

But first, we saw Ann Hellmann last week. She had an interesting and accurate observation about men in the Christmas season. “Men will stand in the December cold, rain and snow all day long hoping to shoot a deer,” she quipped, “but ask them to take a saw into the woods and cut a Christmas tree, and all you get is grumbling!”

“Isn’t that true,” Jenny Bergman laughed? Jenny helps me keep the zillions of research files straight.

Item.

Someone must have shown my column about pedophilia to sister Maureen Paul Turlish. She wrote an op-ed piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer (Nov. 26), blaming the Philadelphia Archdiocese for legislative stalling concerning children sex abuse cases. Sister Maueen was instrumental in the passing of Delaware’s Child Victims Law, opening the statute of limitations window for two years.

She says that the Philadelphia Archdiocese is fearful of plaintiffs who could sue for millions. The Los Angeles Archdiocese paid $600 million in claims after the California legislature opened the statute of limitations window for two years.

“Thank you very much for keeping this in the public’s face,” Sister Maureen wrote. “And say a prayer for me, the wolves in sheep’s clothing are circling. They can’t discipline rogue priests but it seems this nun is an easy target to dump on.”

God bless you, Sister Maureen!

Here’s a sad item.

You undoubtedly saw former U.S. Senator George Mitchell’s 20-month report, filling 409 pages with condemnation of baseball’s involvement with steroids. The report identified 86 players who used “juice” to enhance their performance. It also pointed accusing fingers at every baseball team, its owners, and management in the majors.

I wasn’t surprised that players were using performance-enhancing drugs. You’ll find doping in every amateur and professional sport. Some athletes will try anything to give them an edge…and make their careers more profitable. It’s always about the money.

But of the 86 names listed, very few were recognizable names. Yes, you’ll find people like seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens in the report. But the vast majority of the identified steroid users were players who were not stars at all. Steroids didn’t help them one bit.

Did steroids make Clemens a better pitcher? Who knows? But steroids wouldn’t improve the hand and eye coordination needed for batters to break records. Batters need incredible eyesight and coordination to hit a 90-mile per hour fastball, not muscle power. It just seems like such a waste…and a terrible psychological blow to the game.

Item.

Quakertown won’t have to worry about an invasion of erotic dancing and public nudity. It has an ordinance that bans these businesses from operating within 500 feet of schools and churches. Fortunately, Quakertown has 26 churches (I think), which prevents “Coyotes’s” from moving in. (By the way, 26 churches proves that the borough is either the most saintly or sinful in Pennsylvania.)

Unlike Milford Township, which is facing the opening of “Coyotes,” Quakertown’s plethora of churches makes it impossible for evildoers to wiggle and shimmy their way into town. The 500-foot restriction and the immediacy of churches solve the problem.

Take that, “Coyotes!”

Then again, what happens if “Coyotes” begins to purchase Quakertown churches and closing them?

Actually, all the Milford supervisors need to do is to start a church next to “Coyotes.” If Milford has the 1000-foot rule, “Coyotes” is a goner. I like being helpful.

Last item.

I received this note from Karen Bedics, a teaching assistant at Palisades. “The students, teachers and staff at Palisades Middle School wished to spread the message of peace in our school and community by creating a Palisades “Peace Tree,” she wrote. “Middle school art teacher, Kim DeNato, came up with the idea of using a peace symbol template, which was copied on paper for the students to write their wishes.

“Each student wrote a goodwill wish for the world on their symbol,” Bedics continued. “Many decorated them with ornate designs and colors.”

She has been busy hanging them on the large fichus trees in the school’s main hallway. Bedics organized this good will project. After the wishes have been on display during the holiday season, she will mail these notes to the Peace Lighthouse in Iceland, and join the notes of peace from all over the globe.

Last October, his widow, Yoko Ono, dedicated the World Peace lighthouse to the memory of John Lennon. In his lifetime, the famous “Beatle” worked for world peace.

Bravo Ms. Bedics and Ms. DeNato! Your students will remember this project, forever.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith