Letters to the Editor

Shame on Gov. Rendell for ridiculing the NFL decision to postpone the Eagles-Vikings game on Sunday ("The right call," Tuesday). In a statement eerily reminiscent of President George W. Bush's cowboy-style declaration "Bring 'em on" during the Iraq war, Rendell declared that we have become "a nation of wusses" and compared us with the Chinese who he said would never call off the game.

As governor, he is charged with putting public safety first. Is it really more important that we appear tough   ? Yes, it was a tough break for Eagles players and their fans, but it was the only responsible decision given the circumstances.

Sherry Wolkoff

Marlton

marksher67@aol.com

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I appreciate Gov. Rendell's comments on how the delay of the NFL game in Philadelphia due to snow reflects badly on us as a nation. For an elected official of his stature to make such a comment is both rare and sorely needed in our society that increasingly expects to be pampered by government. His comments also go to the very core of why many Americans are disenchanted with the Democratic Party and their Nanny State mentality. Many thanks to this Democratic governor for these bold, yet simple and much-needed, statements.

Barry Levine

Philadelphia

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As a lifelong Democrat, I will be glad to see Ed Rendell leave office. His latest tirade, in which he essentially called everyone who cared about safety a wimp, was the final straw. It was an embarrassment to see him all over TV criticizing a decision that may have saved some lives and was in the public interest.

Marty Millison

Philadelphia

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I detest domed stadiums and do not believe football or baseball should be played in them. However, anybody who believes that the Eagles game should have been played is on the wrong page. Our governor, who moonlights as a sportscaster on Comcast, feels he had to chime in on the subject. Had the forecast come to full fruition, the game would have been a laughingstock of the sports world. Can you imagine how many accidents, heart attacks, fights, and maybe deaths could have happened? And that's for the sober folks.

In 1948 my father and I took three modes of public transportation to Broad and Lehigh, and then walked to 21st Street to watch the players help shovel the snow off the field so they could beat Chicago for the championship. They were used to work, since not only did many of them play two ways but they had to hold another job to make enough money. Can you imagine today's overpaid players lifting a shovel?

Harry F. Green Jr.

Collegeville

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The letter Tuesday ("Man up, Philly, and play football") could have been signed by Sarah Palin. I so love this new breed of tough-talking women who think they have the answer to all problems by having us all act like "real men." And who are these people the writer referred to who are going to be annoyed because they have to work on Tuesday night instead of Sunday night? She seems to think Philadelphia and the NFL shouldn't tell us what to do, but she can. The right decision was made.

Carolyn Hangey

North Wales,

hangey@aol.com

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Everyone knows our outgoing governor is a big football fan. So am I. But Gov. Rendell was out of line making light of the decision by the NFL and the city to cancel the Eagles' game. The governor should know that blizzards, driving, and beer don't mix. The call to postpone was the right one.

Jim Ryan

Meadowbrook

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The decision to postpone Sunday night's Eagles game to Tuesday may have been "the right call" from an overall public safety standpoint, but what about the decision to "flex" the game from its originally scheduled 1 p.m. kickoff to 8:20 on a late December night?

Did the NFL consider public safety in making that decision, knowing that it was likely to be far colder for the fans filling the stadium at night than during daylight hours?

From the point of view of the NFL and the broadcast networks, ratings trump public safety concerns every time.

Mark Baum Baicker

Carversville

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President Obama and the Democrats did really well in the waning days of the congressional session. It seemed like every day the president was signing some new campaign promise into law.

After taking a shellacking for months, suddenly the president is Michael Vick and the Republicans are the New York Giants, playing brilliantly for three and a half quarters and then stumbling.

Consider: extension of health-care benefits (not without cost and that fight is not over; the START treaty with Russians; the aid package to 9/11 responders, and the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."

Sounds like 28 unanswered points to me.

Daniel Deagler

Plumstead