Print edition: 
Communion should not be a weapon
The Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, R.I., Thomas Tobin, reportedly instructed Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., not to receive communion because of his support for abortion rights and — according to Kennedy but denied by Tobin — ordered diocesan priests not to serve Kennedy the Eucharist.
I am Catholic and consider myself 99 percent pro-life. I wouldn't want women in despair to resort to back-alley abortions if the practice were made illegal. Nor do I want prelates to impose special penalties on politicians. In my opinion, we are all sinners and it's wrong to impose a one-issue litmus test.
To be sure, I don't support Kennedy's permissive and extremist views supporting the widespread use of abortions for nearly any reason. I merely believe that a verbal admonition works better than denying communion. The denial of the Eucharist by the Catholic Church gives Kennedy a platform to cry crocodile tears, and it only stirs up more strife.
I feel that a person's relationship with Almighty God should not be held hostage or used as a weapon by clerics. The bread, which symbolizes Christ's body, should not be withheld in anger. I believe that the "pro-life message" works best via polite discourse when it is voluntarily extended, willingly received and gratefully accepted.
JAMES A. MARPLES
Esbon
Save republic
As a conservative who was not a fan of Barack Obama, I dismissed those who pointed to his radical roots during the campaign. I believed that if he went center left after winning the election, he would become a great president. But this hope went to horror quite soon, as he veered sharply left.
Those myopic citizens who are so blindly enthusiastic for cap-and-trade and the health care bills crafted by this unusual Congress need to take a few hours and actually read what is in those bills and picture what our country would look like in a few years if the bills were implemented. Our economy would be crushed, and the bureaucracy created in those bills, combined with the resulting desperation for energy and medical services, would result in massive corruption.
Democrats: Take your party back from the radicals who have hijacked it. GOP: Set your house in order. Let's work together to save our republic.
CAROL KRANTZ WEBB
Wichita
Insulting injured
My wife recently received a costly driver's education lesson at a local shopping center. She parked off center in a "handicapped parking" space, because the adjacent vehicle had encroached a bit on the space she was trying to use.
A few days later, she received a notice that she had violated a handicapped parking ordinance by parking on a "ramp." She has a wheelchair accessible tag on her car and didn't remember any ramps in the area.
The police provided this explanation: Her infraction was that she had a tire on a painted divider line, thus was ticketed for a "ramp" violation. Even though she had proper disabled identification on her car, she was fined $100.
We have always supported stiff penalties for wheelchair-accessible violators. But in this case, we feel the ordinance is a bit draconian for the crime.
Wichita: Penalize those able-bodied drivers with $100 fines when they illegally park in spots reserved for disabled drivers. But rewrite the ordinance to simply warn properly tagged and identified handicapped drivers when they encroach on a painted line. Stop insulting the injured.
JACK WITTLICH
Wichita
Great season
I would like to thank the Bishop Carroll High School football coaches and players for a fantastic season. They did "play like champions" against Hutchinson High School, which is a great team that will represent the area quite well this week in the state finals. As a parent of one of the Carroll players, I think they are all outstanding young men and deserve Wichita's thanks for representing the diocese, Bishop Carroll and the greater Wichita athletic league with their talent and sportsmanship all season long.
GREG LAW
Wichita
