Women cannot be ordained in Missouri Synod Re: Supreme Court unanimously rejects government role in choosing ministers,” Jan. 13
I must make a small but significant correction to Ken Klukowski’s article. the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod does not require “permanent teachers at church schools to be ordained Lutheran ministers.” This is not possible, since the majority of called teachers at parochial schools are women who cannot be ordained ministers in the LCMS.
The LCMS does, however, ask that teachers be called by the congregation — an official process that involves prayerful consideration — as “commissioned” (unordained) ministers, a post which is open to women. This important distinction is found on page 11 of the LCMS’ amicus brief in this case.
Paul Blase
Alexandria
We handed Thomas to U.S. attorney ‘on a silver platter’
Re: “Indictments shouldn’t stop with Harry Thomas,” Local editorial, Jan. 10
This editorial about the Harry Thomas matter mistakenly asserted that a settlement negotiated by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General “would have let Thomas off the hook” had it not been for the U.S. attorney seeking criminal charges. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. Without our civil suit, there likely would have been no criminal investigation or charges.
With no criminal jurisdiction in such matters, our office conducted an intensive investigation and laid out the charges in a detailed 25-page complaint seeking full recompense for the money stolen from the District. We referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, setting it out, as former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova said, “on a silver platter.” We then swiftly brought the issue of the wrongfully diverted money to a resolution, getting Thomas and the private citizens who facilitated his efforts to agree to repay nearly all of the pilfered $400,000 — with all of the enforcement mechanisms accorded to us just as if a judgment had been secured after a trial.
In addition to his criminal sentence, Mr. Thomas will still be required to pay the settlement in our case. If we had not reached this settlement, we would still be litigating to recover the money in civil court, using up further city resources.
The editorial is also wrong to suggest that there is a “look-the-other way culture” pervading District government. Mayor Vincent Gray deserves credit for giving our office carte blanche to examine this matter and to bring all of the charges we thought were appropriate.
The Examiner is right to condemn Thomas’ financial shenanigans, but is wrong to say that the civil case against him regarded them as a “mere administrative oversight.” This was a serious charge, which our office uncovered, detailed and correctly characterized as fraud and conversion. On behalf of the Gray administration, we treated it accordingly, getting the full relief to which the city is entitled under the law.
Irvin B. Nathan
Attorney general
District of Columbia
Bring back three-commissioner government in D.C.
As an 85-year-old Washingtonian, I favor the former three-commissioner form of government. Just compare that system to the costs of a mayor and a city council.
Not only are we paying a larger amount in salaries, now we have all this money being stolen over the past few years by elected officials.
Yes, I think we should have representation in Congress, but bring back the commissioners.
Paul Brown
Washington
