Letters

Senators shouldn't grandstand for media I read, with interest, "The swing senators to watch in trial" (Jan. l3), about the two US senators who are pushing for impeachment proceedings to be open to the public. I agree with them that the proceedings should be open to citizen scrutiny. However, I also believe that since members of the Senate are acting as jurors they shouldn't be permitted to continue speaking out on national TV talk shows. Our senators should restrict their deliberations/discussions/debate to the courtroom - which is the Senate chamber. How would our nation have reacted if the O.J. Simpson jurors (or for that matter any jury in a criminal case) had spent time during the trial holding press conferences, participating in debates, and grandstanding before the media? Should we sequester the senators until they make their decision? Paul Feiner Greenburgh, N.Y. Britain and a united European state Regarding "Europe united, but who runs it?" (Jan. 13): Why does it seem as though Americans are keen to see Britain subsumed within a united European state? Those European countries that have joined the euro have given up their economic independence and handed control to the European central bank. They all agree on progress toward a politically united European state. Most Brits, on the other hand, have no desire to give up British independence. Many of us still believe in free trade, and think Britain should trade wherever she can get the best deals. Most British trade is outside the EU. What is it that causes so many Americans to want to see Britain tucked away as a region in a federal Europe? Britain has had a raw deal from its former colony since the 1960s: British emigration to the US has virtually been halted. American policy on Northern Ireland has been determined by Irish-Americans. Hollywood has replaced the stock German and Russian stereotype villains with English stereotypes. American foreign policy has for years pressured Britain to commit national suicide by joining a European superstate. Britain is geographically on the edge of Europe. Her identity is a product of many influences, including European, but unlike most of her European neighbors, she looks outward across the oceans rather than inward. For better or for worse Britain is a country of the world rather than Europe. Americans who want Britain to disappear into Europe are engaging in wishful thinking based on a radical misunderstanding of the identity of the British people. Paul Rowlandson Londonderry, Northern Ireland No isolation here In his opinion article "Making Religion Relevant" (Dec. 29), Ray Schroeder suggested that the general anonymity of the society has spread into the churches, leading to a general sense of isolation even within many congregations. The author proposes an experiment to deal with that isolation: that a few members of congregations volunteer to "venture out into (other members') homes for a friendly visit." That experiment was tried, proven successful, and adopted as routine many decades ago in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where hundreds of thousands of pairs of adult and youth members, male and female, have a responsibility to visit four or five other families or individual members every month. One really problematic part of present-day religious searching is that many people are looking just to be served by a church, rather than recognizing that a sense of belonging largely comes in giving, not receiving. Donald L. Gibbon Pittsburgh, Pa. The Monitor welcomes your letters and opinion articles. Because of the volume of mail, only a selection can be published, and we can neither acknowledge nor return unpublished submissions. All submissions are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include your mailing address and telephone number. Mail letters to 'Readers Write,' and opinion articles to Opinion Page, One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115, or fax to 617-450-2317, or e-mail to oped@csps.com