Letters to the Editor
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

‘See You In Court’
In The New York Sun editorial on the indictment of House Republican Leader Tom DeLay, you assert the Texas law banning corporate contributions to political campaigns is “by our lights, unconstitutional, violating almost every one of the prohibitions on the Congress that were contained in the First Amendment and extended, in the 14th amendment” [“See You In Court,” Editorial, September 29, 2005].
Your view has not been agreed to by the United States Supreme Court, which has upheld the over 20 state laws banning the use of corporate money in state elections or the federal law doing the same.
But if Mr. DeLay agreed with you, wouldn’t it been preferable for him to use his considerable power to try to repeal both the Texas and federal law? As opposed to what is alleged, simply violate a law that was inconvenient for the him to obey.
JERRY SKURNIK
Manhattan
Ferrer at School
While I normally agree with William Donohue of the Catholic League, I must disagree when he states that Mayor Bloomberg is “more of a Catholic than Freddy Ferrer.” Neither is a Catholic because both support abortion on demand, including partial-birth abortion {“Ferrer, In a Blunder, Takes His Campaign to a School,” Julia Levy,page1, September 29, 2005].
Mr. Bloomberg should not be given a pass on the right to life issue because he has stated that he wants the Republican Party to change its right to life plank; he has raised and donated money for the National Abortion Rights Action League, and he has opposed John Roberts’s confirmation for chief justice of the Supreme Court on the grounds that he may overturn Roe v. Wade.
Mr. Bloomberg has also participated in the “all-inclusive St. Patrick’s Day Parade of Woodside,” which is an exercise in hedonism. The only candidate running who reflects the values of the Catholic Church is Thomas Ognibene, who is also on the board of trustees of Christ the King High School.
Mr. Ognibene has a long record of support for vouchers for the parochial schools and is strongly pro life. Unlike Mr. Bloomberg, he would not stand at a party next to Kelli Conlin of NARAL.
I hope Mr. Donahue backs off on what appears to be support for Mr. Bloomberg. Neither Messrs. Bloomberg nor Ferrer represents the values of the Catholic Church.
ALICE LEMOS
Woodside, N.Y.
‘Faking It’
Davidson Goldin’s piece “Faking It” addresses several key points in this upcoming election for City Hall and the viability of the Democratic Party [Opinion, September 29, 2005].
While Fernando Ferrer has garnered dozens of endorsements from prominent city, state, and national Democrats, few have taken issue with the job that Mayor Bloomberg has done.
One gets the sense that many of these “loyal” Democrats are shouting for party unity for the sole purpose of appearing to be faithful Democrats so that when 2009 rolls around they’ll be in a position to remind party bosses that they were dedicated foot soldiers four years earlier.
All of this speaks to the major problems that have contributed to the slow and steady decline of the Democratic Party. Rather than fighting for clearly stated values, this crop of Democrats continually opts for politically expedient answers to politically-sensitive questions.
By constantly attending to opinion polls (a la Bill Clinton), the Republicans have successfully portrayed the Democrats as the party of panderers and flip-floppers. Thus the Democratic Party’s character has been irrevocably compromised. Until the party takes a principled stand and even a principled loss, the party’s candidates will always be hindered by sobriquets like “Flip-Flop Freddy.”
AMANDA KONSTAM
Manhattan
‘The Shakespeare of Music’
I thank Carl Rollyson for his warm review of my biography of Beethoven [“The Shakespeare of Music,” September 28, 2005].
If, however, he was mystified by a statement that Beethoven, experimenting with sonorities, achieved “the paradox of a climax that has no increase in volume,” that may be because Mr. Rollyson wrongly ascribed it to the Second Symphony. The quotation, on page 91, clearly refers to the first movement of the “Moonlight Sonata.”
EDMUND MORRIS
Manhattan
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