Pickens acknowledges the need for drilling

Regarding the Sept. 22 editorial "Think, Baby, Think": Why did you mention only part of T. Boone Pickens' thoughts about this country's energy needs? Could it be the PG was "cherry picking" Mr. Pickens' ideas to support the PG's liberal political agenda?

While the United States does have only 3 percent of the world's oil reserves, Mr. Pickens also supports "drill, baby, drill." We will need more domestic oil in the next 10 to 20 years to supply our energy needs. Getting off of oil will not happen in a few years, guys!

You also failed to mention one of Mr. Pickens' major ideas in his Pickens Plan: converting our automobiles and trucks to natural gas, and to do that we must drill, baby, drill, because, in case you forgot, you must drill to recover natural gas, too. (Maybe those delegates at the Republican National Convention weren't so dumb after all.)

And the United States has tremendous reserves of natural gas. Mr. Pickens also talks of wind, solar and other alternative and renewable energy sources. It is the combination of all these energies that will rid us of our dependence on foreign oil.

Finally, while the rest of the world goes nuclear, we sit and do nothing with nuclear power. It has been 30 years since we built our last nuclear power plant, yet countries all over the world are going nuclear like crazy. We need to get back onto the nuclear bandwagon, too, if we are going to keep up with our energy needs and try to fill those needs as close to 100 percent as possible with domestic sources of energy.

Let's all think, baby, think and use every energy source we can, not just the ones that fit either conservative or liberal politics.

RICK PURCELL
Mt. Lebanon

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Are you listening?

In a Sept. 22 editorial "Think, Baby, Think," the Post-Gazette declared that support for more domestic drilling amounts to an "unthinking cry." You went on to say that "T. Boone Pickens has it right." Really? In Mr. Pickens' third TV commercial, he states:

"The big debate in Washington now is whether or not to drill. I say, 'drill, drill, drill,' but the debate misses the point. Either way, we'll still be dependent on foreign oil."

Mr. Pickens goes on to talk about developing renewable fuels. In fact, Mr. Pickens' plan to make use of all sources of energy to break our dependence on foreign oil sounds very similar to what John McCain said in his speech at the Republican National Convention:

"We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we'll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean-coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles."

In light of your lack of knowledge of the energy plans of both Mr. Pickens and Sen. McCain, I was not surprised to see an editorial in yesterday's PG complaining about Mr. McCain's decision to put our country first and temporarily suspend his campaign to go do his job in the Senate ("McCain's Move: He Cheats the Voters With His Campaign Ploy," Sept. 25).

The PG asks for more "debate," but you are clearly not interested in anything that John McCain has to say.

JOHN LEWANDOWSKI
Bethel Park

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McCain's dramatics

Cancel the debate? What grandstanding. As though it was John McCain's idea that Barack Obama and he get together to work on the economy. Fact is, it was Mr. Obama who called Mr. McCain at 8:30 a.m. to propose they get together on the problem -- yet John McCain grabbed the TV cameras, proclaiming his "country first" plan ("Unclear If Debate Will Go On," Sept. 25). Just another "shake-up" tactic -- like Sarah Palin.

Mr. McCain may have been a courageous POW, but during the primaries and this campaign he has shown barely controlled emotion and acted in a stunningly ignoble manner -- far beneath the "honor" and "integrity" he claims. And now this additional cowardice: trying to hide behind the faux cause of "country first" -- on an issue about which he has been forced to admit he knows little (reading Alan Greenspan's book doesn't count as "experience").

Anyway, Mr. McCain has already been told -- by both sides of the aisle -- not to come to Washington, that the partisanship his presence will ignite (to say nothing of his lack of knowledge) will only slow the process, which Democrats and Republicans are already hammering out, together. Mr. McCain certainly had no problem running for president while mismanaging a war. But if he suddenly can't handle two tasks simultaneously, why in heaven would we want him as the president who will have to untangle the complex mess his "greedy" party has created?

Mr. McCain should stop the drama. In the heat of his rush onstage, he's blinded himself to the reality: We'll not be fooled again.

DAR THOMAS
Whitehall

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It's about radicals

In a Sept. 18 letter, "Awful 'Obsession,' " Ted Popovich said he is "horrified" by the DVD's "anti-Muslim" stance. If he did indeed watch the DVD, he should have noticed that "Obsession" is about the threat of radical Islam, and not about peaceful Muslims. There was also literature sent with the DVD that clearly stated radical Islam is the focus of this film. Also, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD that says this program is about radical Islam and acknowledges that most of the world's Muslims are peaceful.

If Mr. Popovich doesn't know the difference between regular Islam and radical Islam perhaps he should watch this DVD more closely next time.

JAMIE ROACH
Bethel Park

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A new friend gone

I met Eva Thumshirn-Klimo just two days before she was tragically killed last Friday ("Woman Struck, Killed by School Bus," Sept. 20). We were picking up our daughters from day care Wednesday when I noticed her lovingly speaking in German to her child. I did my best to strike up a conversation in German with her. We quickly became friendly, chatted happily as we walked with our strollers and exchanged phone numbers as we said goodbye. I left knowing in my heart that we would soon become good friends.

In that short time, Eva told me about her work providing developmental aid in Afghanistan and that she was hoping to work with a nonprofit in Pittsburgh. We talked about the usual things -- our families, where we were from, and why she had recently moved here. I was left with the most positive impression of her. She was a warm, bright, vibrant, loving mother, with a passion for helping others. She didn't hesitate to make a friend that day and made me feel like we had always been friends. I thought of her several times over the next day or so, looking forward to seeing her again, and feeling grateful that she was so patient with my imperfect German.

Like the rest of the community, I was shocked at the news of her tragic death, and my heartfelt condolences go to her family. Although our friendship was short, Eva has truly touched my life. I hope that I can live my life embracing the wonderful qualities that I saw so clearly in her.

MAGGIE BRODERICK
Squirrel Hill

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Is throwing money at this crisis the answer?

Didn't we learn from the poverty program that we can't solve a problem by throwing money at it? Don't we know we can't rein in a spoiled child by indulging him further?

Looks to me depression is on the way whether we bail out Wall Street or not; I fail to see the need to enable all the "go-go, money's on the come" executives to ride out the hard times at a Mediterranean villa.

Rather than throwing $700 billion into the deepening morass of the easy-credit market, wouldn't it be smarter to spend even a measly billion or two on supporting transit, fixing roads and bridges, getting sewage out of our streams and rivers? Isn't that what we have going for us -- our convenient location, our setting, our stable supply of fresh water? Wouldn't that provide at least a few jobs, even without the villa?

We may lose a few banks, we may have to scramble to keep what money we have left, we may have to tighten our belts, but won't we learn to treasure a few old-fashioned virtues that our parents learned in the '30s, learn what's truly important, what's truly sustainable in the long run?

JON SMITH
Banksville

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