The Church cares

Persons at different echelons of society keep alleging that the Church is uncaring and ineffective in its ministry. I am not authorised to speak for the Church. However, I claim the right to speak/write as a member of a church body. The Church frequently invites persons to attend its various worship services. Very few accept these invitations, including teenagers. Many of them have no time, care or interest in spiritual and moral fitness.

When pregnancy results from their unwise choices, the Church is blamed for not assisting. Are some of these accusers aware that there would be far less of these cases if the values expounded by the Church were accepted and practised? The Church will continue to assist as much as possible in these unfortunate cases. Abstention is still 100 per cent effective.

Dillard Daley, dildal_41@yahoo.com, Via Go-Jamaica

Try meditation

In the United States, psychotherapists, anthropologists and other practitioners of that discipline, are experimenting with meditation as a remedial `tool' for inmates who have been incarcerated for serious crimes such as murder, homicide, etc. From all reports, the results have been very encouraging, so this is an area where Jamaica ought to be looking as a part of the crime eliminating policy.

The nature of many of the recent crimes being committed suggests that the perpetrators are completely out of control of their emotions. They are completely desensitised where morals and the value of human life are concerned. I do believe that meditation can play a crucial role in this. Over to you Colonel, et al.

- M. Edwards, melly_ja@hotmail.com, Kingston 6

'NEW foreign policy'?

As the euphoria of the presidential win by Obama begins to subside, we should examine his pronouncement on his foreign policy plans.

He has promised unwavering loyalty to Israel. While he mildly supports the idea of a Palestinian state, he has not expressed any urgency in ending Israel's despicable occupation of Palestinian territory. He seems to favour expanding an unwinnable war in Afghanistan and does not seem to be bothered by the increasing toll of civilian deaths recently deplored by the Afghan president.

He intends to follow the Bush policy of denying the sovereign state of Iran the right to develop nuclear weapons when they are under the threat of Israel's nuclear arsenal. He has failed to reveal any plan to lift America's crushing sanctions on Cuba.

Other than his commitment to remove troops from Iraq, his foreign policy appears eerily similar to that of the Bush regime.

- R. OSCAR LOFTERS, lofters1@aol.com, Via Go-Jamaica