Rep. Weldon’s Link to Daughter’s Lobbying

Re “Lucrative Deal for a Daughter of Politics,” Feb. 20: Someone might remind Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) of the saying “show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are.” How simple-minded he must think we are when he tries to tell us that Dragomir and Bogoljub Karic, close friends of Slobodan Milosevic, are misunderstood humanitarians. While our Homeland Security dollars go toward frisking senior citizens at the airport, Weldon opens his arms to the truly wretched refuse of the former Yugoslavia so that his daughter can make a fast buck.

Weldon and his greedy colleagues in Congress can’t seem to tell whether something is unethical unless it is specifically legislated. More and more it becomes clear that the people running this country have only one interest -- making themselves, their families and their friends rich. They have no interest in doing what is best for America. By letting people like the Karics do business in the U.S., they send the message that our country is for sale to the lowest of the low as long as they can write a check to the right person. This disgusting, all-pervasive nepotism on the part of both Republicans and Democrats has got to stop.

Nora Doyle

Studio City

Thank you for your article on Weldon and his daughter. It is helpful to assign value to the nebulous term “family values,” which is a common mantra of the Republicans. It is measured in dollars.

Vic Spencer

Northridge

Last year the American Foreign Service Assn. recognized, through the Christian Herter award for constructive dissent, four members of the consular section at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow who resisted when Weldon pushed the State Department to grant a visa for Dragomir Karic to attend the National Prayer Breakfast.

Every year, the AFSA recognizes foreign service professionals who -- while often working under difficult and dangerous conditions -- have demonstrated intellectual courage through constructive dissent and risk-taking. We recognize colleagues who stand up for what they believe is right.

John W. Limbert

President, American Foreign

Service Assn., Washington