INAPPROPRIATE!

Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll is interviewed by a reporter at the funeral for Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Goodrich in Carnegie.

Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette ran this story last Saturday.

The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq is furious with Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll for showing up uninvited at his funeral this week, handing out her business card and then saying "our government" is against the war.

Rhonda Goodrich of Indiana, Pa., said yesterday that a funeral was held Tuesday at a church in Carnegie for her brother-in-law, Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, 32.

She said he "died bravely and courageously in Iraq on July 10, serving his country."

In a phone interview, Goodrich said the funeral service was packed with people "who wanted to tell his family how Joe had impacted their lives."

Then, suddenly, "one uninvited guest made an appearance, Catherine Baker Knoll."

She sat down next to a Goodrich family member and, during the distribution of communion, said, "Who are you?" Then she handed the family member one of her business cards, which Goodrich said she still has.

"Knoll felt this was an appropriate time to campaign and impose her will on us," Goodrich said. "I am amazed and disgusted Knoll finds a Marine funeral a prime place to campaign."

Goodrich said she is positive that Knoll was not invited to the funeral, which was jammed with Marines in dress uniform and police officers, because the fallen Marine had been a policeman in McKeesport and Indiana County.

"Our family deserves an apology," Rhonda Goodrich said. "Here you have a soldier who was killed -- dying for his country -- in a church full of grieving family members and she shows up uninvited. It made a mockery of Joey's death."

What really upset the family, Goodrich said, is that Knoll said, 'I want you to know our government is against this war,' " Goodrich said.

She said she is going to seek an answer from Gov. Ed Rendell's administration if it opposes the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Knoll was traveling yesterday, away from the Capitol, and couldn't be reached. But an aide said she "extends condolences to all families who have lost loved ones" serving in the military.

Without having talked to her, the aide, who asked not to be named, said, "The family members of fallen soldiers are in our hearts and prayers. Our prayers go out to their loved ones in their hour of grief."

Asked to comment on Goodrich's complaints about Knoll's conduct at the funeral, the aide said that "would be inappropriate."

Do you believe that???

How could anyone be so insensitive and tasteless?

For Knoll to show up uninvited and tell a grieving family member of a fallen Marine DURING his funeral Mass, "I want you to know our government is against this war," is one of the most heartless, offensive, and boorish things I can imagine.

Knoll came in while Holy Communion was being distributed. That means she not only crashed Joey Knoll's funeral Mass; she had the gall to show up toward the end of the service.

Then, she had plenty of time to meet the press afterward.

To behave the way she did is positively unconscionable.

To top off her inexcusable conduct, Knoll's aide initially said it would be "inappropriate" to comment about it. In other words, while the aide felt it was appropriate to say that Knoll "extends condolences to all families who have lost loved ones," discussing Knoll's shockingly rude display wouldn't be right.

It was Knoll whom acted inappropriately!

After a firestorm of criticism APPROPRIATELY ensued, Knoll decided to apologize.

Also from the Post-Gazette:

Knoll apologizes to Marine's widow

Lieutenant governor says she regrets her appearance at funeral upset family

HARRISBURG -- After setting off a swirl of protest over her appearance at a slain Marine's funeral last week, Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll yesterday apologized profusely for unintentionally causing the Marine's family any additional pain or distress.

Knoll yesterday wrote to Amy Goodrich, widow of Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, saying she was "incredibly upset" after learning through press reports that the Goodrich family was offended by her actions.

"I wanted to assure you once again that my intention was not to add to what must be a tremendously heartbreaking, difficult period," Knoll wrote. "I have attended dozens of funerals to offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice."

Gov. Ed Rendell, during appearances in Pittsburgh yesterday and throughout the weekend, came to Knoll's aid, saying he has confidence in her ability to perform her job.

Knoll said she offered a business card to a Goodrich family member "as a sign of my willingness to help the family through this difficult time in any way I can. To do anything that was deemed insensitive was completely counter to my intent."

What a load! If Knoll wanted to help the family, how is saying, "I want you to know our government is against this war," going to accomplish that?

Rhonda Goodrich, sister-in-law of the slain Marine and the one who raised the issue of Knoll's conduct in a letter to the Post-Gazette, said yesterday she was still puzzled by Knoll's handing out her business card to a Goodrich family member and then doing television interviews outside the funeral home.

"If she wanted to offer the family help, why didn't she go talk to Joey's wife Amy or his parents?" Rhonda Goodrich said. "She handed a card and introduced herself just like a politician handing out fliers."

Rhonda Goodrich said Knoll's action showed "a big lack of judgment" and said she should apologize to the Marines also.

According to Rhonda Goodrich, Knoll told the family that "our government" is against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not so, Knoll insisted. "I will continue to support our troops in my role as lieutenant governor and support our president as an American," she wrote. "That I somehow conveyed an impression that was interpreted as other than that will forever be saddening and upsetting to me."

Of course, Knoll can deny the comment. It's a case of she said/she said.

Let's assume for a moment that Knoll didn't make that statement. Her behavior was still highly inappropriate. She didn't bother to pay her respects to Joey Goodrich's widow or his parents, but she had time to go before cameras and be interviewed.

She treated his funeral Mass like a photo-op, not a solemn rite.

Rhonda Goodrich said she had no political motive in raising concerns about Democrat Knoll's appearance and statements at the funeral.

Goodrich said she's a registered Republican but added, "If [Republican U.S. Sen.] Rick Santorum or President Bush had showed up, I would be all over them, too."

Goodrich, who lives in Indiana, Pa., was part of a protest in October about an appearance by liberal, anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

She said the program should have included a conservative spokesman to offset Moore, who had just released a film harshly critical of Bush.

"I wanted balance in the IUP program," Goodrich said, but strongly denied she had raised complaints about Knoll for political reasons.

It really makes me sick that Rhonda Goodrich has come under attack from those assigning political motives to her complaints. Once again, the Dem smear machine chugs into gear.

Suggesting that Goodrich is acting to score political points for the Republicans is to suggest that she would exploit the death of her husband's brother. That's a horrible charge to raise.

I also have a problem with Governor Ed Rendell's statement: "Nobody can tell me Catherine Baker Knoll is not a caring and decent person. I know she apologizes for any misunderstanding that her actions caused."

Hey, Ed!

It's not decent, nor is it caring, to crash the funeral Mass of a Marine, hand out a business card, and make political statements. That performance was guaranteed to cause the family pain.

Rendell is certainly no Ridge.

I have faith that the Goodrich family is receiving condolences and expressions of gratitude for Joey's service to our country from the residents of Pennsylvania, as well as from Americans throughout the United States.

VERY APPROPRIATE.