American Girl Dolls Come Clean

A few months ago, you ran a story about the support an organization called Girls Inc. was receiving from the company that owns and sells American Girl Dolls (“Shopping Wars: American Girl Dolls Boycott,” Nov. 20-26).

Based on the information in that story, I visited the website of Girls Inc. and confirmed what your article said about its support for radical feminism and abortion rights.

I was dismayed, as I had been a loyal customer of American Girl for close to 20 years, buying items first for my now-teenage nieces, and most recently for my 6-year-old daughter.

Being strongly pro-life, and believing that one should “put your money where your mouth is,” I sent an e-mail to American Girl and informed them that, much to my regret, because of their support of this organization, I would be returning $160 worth of merchandise I had just purchased for my daughter for Christmas.

I did return the items and, frankly, didn’t expect to hear from the company.

Shortly after Christmas, I received an e-mail reply from customer service informing me that the company does care about what its customers think and that they wanted me to know that, effective Dec. 31, American Girl had terminated its support program for Girls Inc.

They did say that this termination was in the ordinary course of events (and not driven by the negative publicity), but I wonder.

In any case, I thought you might want to know this as a follow-up to your story.

I also wanted to thank you for bringing the situation to my attention.

In my own small way, I feel like I made a difference.

Thank you.

Cindy Grim

Charlotte, North Carolina

Still Thinking About Terri

As someone who became deeply involved in the leadership of efforts to save Terri Schiavo, I commend you for your highly insightful editorial in the on the meaning and impact of her death by dehydration (“We Won’t Forget,” Jan. 1-7).

Our nation and our Church failed Terri and her family at this critical hour because those who wanted to kill Terri showed more resolve than those who wanted to save her. Our Church and nation need to learn from and repent of this failure.

On days six and seven of Terri’s 13-day ordeal, Gov. Jeb Bush, at the last minute, forsook his constitutional and statutory duty to protect the disabled and canceled a planned rescue mission by the Florida State Police because he lost his nerve at challenging a “court order” from a judge committed to killing her. Yet, on day one, the same Pinellas County Florida probate judge, George Greer, ordered Woodside Hospice officials to ignore Congressional subpoenas and remove Terri’s feeding tube.

Rather than act to enforce their subpoenas, these timid Congressional leaders, led by Tom DeLay, in an unprecedented action, subjected Congressional subpoenas to review in a state court.

Not surprisingly, Judge Greer and his Florida appellate court allies promptly denied these subpoenas.

Then U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez refused to take Terri into protective custody after Congress, in an unusually expedited process, passed legislation giving Terri a right to a new hearing on the facts in the federal court.

The federal courts acknowledged that Terri had a right to a new hearing, but they refused to stop her death by dehydration so she would be alive for this new hearing.

Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg diocese issued public statements on Terri’s situation that conflicted with Pope John Paul II’s clear teaching that those in Terri’s situation have a right to food and water.

The final effort to save Terri’s life in the Florida Legislature failed when six Catholic senators voted against saving Terri. Florida’s bishops were missing in action during these efforts.

Terri Schiavo’s fate should serve as a major wakeup call for our nation and our Church. The sad reality, I believe, is that a significant portion of Catholics are uneducated, ambivalent or opposed to the pro-life position in end-of-life issues.

Thank you for reminding us that the Terri Schiavo case reveals that much work and repenting await us.

Michael J. McMonagle

Lansdale, Pennsylvania

Really Present, Sacramentally 

Regarding “Christ Is Really Present — But How?” (Commentary & Opinion, Feb. 12-18) by Legionary Father Owen Kearns, the Register’s editor-in-chief:

A literal, physical presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist would include the physical accidents (“appearances”) of human flesh and blood: color, taste, texture, weight. Since these are not present, it is best to avoid confusion by referring to Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist as sacramental.

Father Stephanos Pedrano, O.S.B.

San Diego, California

 Long-Distance Runaround

Relevant to “Ratzingerian Studies 101” (Feb. 12-28):

I wanted to ask everyone to consider a situation most Catholic women now face: having to choose between a good Catholic college education and marriage.

There are many wonderful Catholic colleges out there, like Christendom College,  Magdalen College and Franciscan University of Steubenville. But if a woman is married and/or has children, it is the rare individual who can drop everything and move to the towns where these colleges reside.

Most of us are left out and must settle for a secular college or a non-Catholic Christian college that offers degrees through distance education.

Franciscan University does offer distance education, but requires that the student attend a full semester at the college.

How is this possible for a wife and mother or a husband and father? What about adults who can’t leave their jobs or who are caring for aged parents? Why should they be unable to obtain a great Catholic university education? Let’s not just focus on the youth but on all Catholics of all ages.

I would like to make a very serious request of all of the good Catholic colleges in America: Please remember the married folk and married folk with children.

Please don’t leave us on the sidelines.

We deserve a good Catholic college education just like the young single folks and you are the only ones who have the power to grant us such a blessing.

So, to all of the good Catholic Colleges out there: Please create a distance-education program for your degrees for the rest of us who would love to attend your colleges — but aren’t able to leave our hometowns.

 Michelle Therese

Via e-mail 

Nun Better

I loved reading “Catholic School Confidential” by Robert Brennan (Commentary & Opinion, Feb. 12-18).

I, too, had the privilege of being taught by nuns in the 1960s. With 50 children per class, we all learned to read and write, yet I never saw a nun wield a ruler.

Instead, I saw women who exemplified what it means to bring Christ to the world. They taught us the three Rs, along with self-discipline and charity.

They also taught us to see God everywhere and in everything. Being Catholic wasn’t something you did on Sunday; it was as necessary to life as breathing.

I did not encounter the post-Vatican ll turmoil until I reached high school, because the nuns who taught us were sure of who they were — and of what it meant to be Catholic. That might be their greatest gift and legacy. Their stability gave us solid ground to stand on in an uncertain world.

They loved us, and we knew it. That love “controlled” 50 unruly children far better than fear of a ruler ever could.

Kathleen Puckett

Castro Valley, California

Ecumenical Entreaty

I have to say, I think it was a bit beneath the Register to print Diane Sulpizio’s letter to the editor headlined “The Death of ‘Daniel’” (Feb. 5-11).

As an editor, you have an obligation to check the facts before letting something go to press.

Is there, for instance, any data you can cite to indicate that Episcopalian families are more deviant than other, non-Episcopalian families?

Historically, have cultures and nations where the principles of Reformed Catholicism taken root really been characterized by a “moral free-for-all”?

Or has the moral decline of the past few generations affected Protestant and Catholic nations alike?

Catholics are often very quick to point out that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice.

Does it make things any better to ape the actions of your detractors by making your Canterbury cousins another whipping boy?

 

Jacob Dell

New Haven, Connecticut