Job Opportunity

How does a 28-year-old (Joshua Steiner) whose only experience has been as assistant to the president of the New York Public Library and as an editorial intern at Teenage magazine qualify for a $97,000 job as chief of staff to the secretary of the treasury?

William T. S. Bricker

Towson

Evil Weed

The time for divestment from tobacco stocks has arrived. Already Johns Hopkins University, Harvard and many others have divested.

Maryland Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, the state medical society, own no tobacco stocks whatsoever.

In recent years the caucus of Women Legislators of Maryland has refused to accept tobacco industry donations. Its members recognized that this money was tainted, came with strings attached and was offered by an industry that, although legal, is not legitimate.

Divestment should be done primarily on moral grounds. The industry's continuing efforts to increase smoking rates among minors has been successful both in the U.S. and worldwide.

The effects of tobacco industry tactics in promoting this epidemic have been well documented in the medical literature and elsewhere.

The economic impact of a single institution divesting its tobacco stock is like a spitball hitting a battleship (although the divestment of the state and city pension funds may be more like a basketball hitting a battleship). The more important impact is that the role of the industry in promoting the epidemic becomes publicly recognized, with tangible results.

The day is fast approaching when all politicians will consider the acceptance of tobacco industry campaign contributions an embarrassing political liability. The death grip the industry holds on our political process will be loosened.

We have again seen the powerful tobacco lobby's influence on the health care bill in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The original proposal to increase tobacco taxes by $2 dollars a pack was whittled down to 75 cents, and finally to a paltry 45 cents phased in over five years.

This was a shameful capitulation considering that the higher tax was supported by 75 percent of the public.

Industry spokespersons will try to compare their product to relatively harmless "pleasures" like fattening food and ask: "Where are you going to draw the line?"

They can't hide the fact that theirs is the only product that is always dangerous when used exactly as directed, killing one of every three long-term heavy users.

Joseph Adams, M.D.

Towson

No Offices

The Power Plant could not be a better icon for Baltimore's expanding tourist industry.

Baltimore can feature a cutting-edge virtual-reality sports center in the Power Plant offering conventioneers and tourists a year-round entertainment choice.

As much as this city should value Alex. Brown, and find an acceptable way to keep it, it should not do so at the expense of the tourist and convention industry.

The Power Plant should not become an office building.

Steve Jeweler

Baltimore

Insensitive

Your editorial "Politically Correct Pensions" (Aug. 2) not only runs the risk of being politically incorrect but also insensitive to the health and longevity of human rights.

In your argument against divestment of state and city pension funds presently invested in tobacco companies, you contend that divestment in South Africa in the 1980s was a "unique human rights issue" -- one not comparable to other divestment efforts.

When an issue deeply affects human welfare in another country, we call it "human rights" and often are counted on the human side. But where the rights to make money conflict with the rights of human beings to health and happiness, our own country, government and media too often side with the rights of big business.

One wonders by what distorted value system it is more important to discourage apartheid than to discourage the makers of a drug that is the cause of suffering and death to many millions.

Your newspaper voices its fear that once started "there's no turning back." Some of us might answer that an increase in the momentum of socially concerned divestment would be a definite force for good in a society that badly needs greater investment in positive human values.

Your editorial ends thusly: "This money must be preserved and protected. That is the only purpose for setting up a retirement program."

Just like pension funds, the sole purpose of tobacco companies is to expand, preserve and protect earnings. Do you feel the consequences to people's health are therefore irrelevant?

Richard C. Berman

Baltimore

Nothing Hidden

Your July 18 article, "Zoning dispute embroils Hunt Valley Church," gave an inaccurate account of our group's efforts to follow the county's development process.

The prevailing rules and regulations governing the proposed construction of St. Mary's were always fully addressed by the church, its architect and engineering team.

Several valid sets of architecturally certified, full-sized building and engineering plans at about two dozen pages each were faithfully submitted to all county departments for review.

Being an engineer myself, I still cannot comprehend how a building could be constructed from a so-called original special exception plan that was only a mere five-by-five-inch sketch.

As for the landscaping of the premises, it was never mentioned by your reporter that the church was robbed of at least $2,000 in trees and shrubbery, putting the church at a temporary hardship.

Never once did the church think it was trying to legitimize the existing site plan. The hearings were only to clear up discrepancies and minor variances that may have caused conflict with the county and community. Nothing was hidden.

Jerry Sackleh

Hunt Valley

The writer is chairman of St. Mary's Church.

Why Fear the Powerless Black Man?

Every time you clutch your purse when you see a young black man, I feel the hurt.

Every time I see you cross the street because a young black man is approaching, I feel the anger.

Sometimes, on those occasions that I am at the mall or walking with my son, those times when I am walking a little behind him, I see the expressions on your faces. I see you cross the street because you may not realize that we are together.

I see the change in your facial expression, fear, distrust and sometimes hatred. At these times, I want to confront you, I want to tell you my anger and pain. I want you to feel the insult. Because, you see this is my son, or this is my brother or father.

But you say that this is only protection, safety measures in times of high crime and violence. If you do not do this for every young man, I say this is racism, prejudice in its purest form.

If I told my children to fear the white man because of his brutal and bloody acts of violence, what would you call me? You could not say that I was unjustified. After all, Jeffrey Dahmer was white, and he was a butcher and a cannibal.

If I said do not trust white religious leaders, what would I be then? Irrational? I think not. After all, Jim Jones was white, and look what happened to his followers.

You could say that Dahmer is only one man. You could say that Jones was not all white people. You would be right. I can say the same thing. I am right also.

After all, it is my son or brother who should be afraid. In this world of violence he is more likely to be a victim of crime than whites.

It is that black man that you fear who is more likely to be murdered. I am afraid for him.

If convicted of a crime he is more likely to get the maximum sentence than his white counterpart. In the employment or economic network, he is more likely to be a victim and forced to endure racism and prejudice with little or no recourse.

In the total scheme of American society, the black man has the least amount of power so, what is it that you fear?

Bonita C. Williams

Columbia

Old Saint Paul's

On behalf of those privileged to share responsibility for Old Saint Paul's burial ground at Redwood Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard, I am happy to affirm that there is no need for Charles J. Bury, Jr. (letter, Aug. 5) or anyone else to question our continuing commitment to the proud display of the Lewis A. Armistead commemorative plaque along with those of other notable men and women representing virtually every tradition, every conflict and every point of view in three centuries of Maryland history.

From Samuel Chase, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Revolutionary War hero John Eager Howard, Fort McHenry defender George Armistead, slave owners and freed slaves, civil, military and ecclesiastical worthies, the famous and the unheralded, all sorts and conditions down to those buried during the present decade, the memory of each and every one interred at Old Saint Paul's Cemetery continues to be honored faithfully.

Indeed, members of the Vestry of Saint Paul's Parish and its cemetery committee have been publicly honored by the Sons of American Revolution and other patriotic organizations for their stewardship of this historic site and those buried within its walls.

Most recently, in the continuing effort to preserve, restore and promote greater recognition of this burying ground and the history represented by its occupants, the vestry has sought and received approval from the Commission on Historic and Architectural Preservation for re-mounting of the north wall plaques, including that commemorating Confederate Gen. Lewis A. Armistead, which had been temporarily removed in order to accomplish authentic restoration of the wall itself.

As one of the clergy privileged to conduct the 1993 Armistead commemorations at their gravesite, I rejoice that such examples of heroism continue to be jealously guarded and honored.

Far from "hiding history" as Mr. Bury groundlessly fears, Old Saint Paul's seeks to fling the doors of history open for an ever wider and more appreciative public.

Rev. William N. McKeachie

Baltimore

The writer is rector, Saint Paul's Parish.