Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    Your review of Uncle Boudreaux's Cajun Cookin' restaurant in last week's paper was absolutely true [Food, April 20]. We had heard about it before, so on our way to Canyon Lake we went by Manor to try it. We liked it so much that we came back to Austin to eat there on Thursday of that week. On the way back to Topeka, we went by Manor again to eat there one more time.
    We especially enjoyed the catfish, the shrimp (both grilled and fried), the bread pudding, and the syrup cake. The gumbo dishes were also excellent.
    We highly recommend this restaurant. It is well worth the drive out to Manor.

Dear Editor,
    The recent tragedy in Virginia has brought out the puritans who wail about the media, video games, music, etc. Not wanting to be left out, I began an investigation into another crazed killer who some have blamed for the deaths of 600,000 Iraqis and nearly 3,500 American soldiers. I discovered he had in his possession a book that can only be considered a terrorist manual. In this book are tales of a man (really a young boy) who beheads an enemy and then drags the head back to a riotous, happy mob. There’s a story of a woman who lures a man to her bed, then drives a nail through his head while he sleeps. It glorifies a terrorist who with one blast (on a horn) blows up an entire city! There are lurid tales of sex and men with hundreds of wives and mistresses. There are stories of insurgents who wander into cities and massacre thousands of innocent civilians – yes, women and children. With a book like this in his possession, can anyone be surprised by George Bush’s actions? I think it’s time the man be given serious psychiatric treatment. I also think we need to ban this terrorists’ handbook – the Bible – before more people are influenced unduly and begin to hang blacks, torture gays, blow up federal buildings in Oklahoma City … oops, too late.

Dear Editor,
    Re: Chronicle Music Listings: I understand how difficult it must be to manage the information and functions constantly under your care. In particular, I turned in a change to our schedule, and your staff was able to publish it promptly. I've also noticed some improvements lately in your online Music Listings – thanks for your hard work and putting up with all the nagging details. The Chronicle is a great publication – among the best anywhere!

Dear Editor,
    Scientists say that honey bees are like the canary in a coal mine. I hope this is not true. But if so, the recent worldwide alarm being sent out by the "mysterious" disappearance of honey bees across America, Europe, and beyond certainly sends a loud message. Some have said that if honey bees disappear completely, man will follow in as little as four years. What's upsetting even more is that it's not just honey bees that are disappearing. Bumble bees, wasps, and other vital insects are declining rapidly as well. Disappearing means they've died. It's called colony collapse disorder. There have been a couple of historical incidences of bees disappearing from CCD but never in the magnitude we are seeing right now.
    I'm no scientist, but I suspect it's related to disruption of the bee's immune system that in turn affects the several pheromones they rely on for life. Chemicals, stress, and poor food quality takes its toll – much like it does on the human race. Bees have many special pheromones that help them with everything from reproducing to finding their way home. Chemicals definitely seem to disrupt pheromones. Much like they disrupt our own reproductive systems causing "feminine" characteristics on young boys, causing fish and frogs to lose their sex organs or to have multiple sex organs, causing breast cancer and other glandular cancers to proliferate. It's not a pretty picture of the future.
    What would happen if the pollinators were suddenly gone? It's estimated that this year we could see a one-third reduction in our food supply due to the honey-bee problem. And there's no planned solution in place. What happens if it is worse next year?

Dear Editor,
    I know I speak for all of Austin and the Chronicle when I express how deeply sorrowful I am about the senseless tragedy that occurred last week at Virginia Tech. In addition to feelings of sympathy for all the students there and all their families, particularly of those who died, we have justified anger toward the weak and lost soul who perpetrated this act.
    Peter Jennings appeared on Late Night With David Letterman Monday, April 23. He was obviously asked on the show to speak about the shooting and his decision to broadcast the pictures and words sent to NBC by the shooter between the episodes of violence.
    Jennings apparently has no judgment about what is appropriate. His appearance was immediately preceded by American Idol ex-contestant Sanjaya, who performed the Top 10 list. Jennings joked that it used to be forbidden to say “sanjaya” on the air, that they had to substitute terms like “private parts.” I didn’t think the teenager was kicked off Idol soon enough, but I think Jennings comment was at least as racist as Imus’ “nappy-headed ho's.”
    Be that as it may, I am appalled that the decision was made to publicize the photos and rantings of the psychotic murderer. The entire incident was to garner attention as he left this world, causing as much damage and pain as possible. The decision to show those pictures was made for one thing, ratings. And the consequences of that poor decision could very well inspire other sick people who feel they have been ignored too long to consider seeking the same attention.

Dear Editor,
    Efforts to facilitate traffic flow in Oak Hill (April 20, p.10) [“Postmarks”] and on MoPac (p.19) [“MoPac Expansion Update,” News] are both doomed due to planners’ failure to think outside the box. The intellectual box in which they find themselves is the belief that transportation solutions lie in maintaining existing lanes devoted to auto traffic and then adding either more lanes, in the case of MoPac, or in the case of Oak Hill, waiting for commuter rail.
    Fortunately for Mexico City, traffic planners there thought outside the box and realized that devoting eight lanes to autos on their major north-south arterial, Avenida Insugentes, was only resulting in ever-longer traffic jams. Rather than building yet more lanes, they banned cars from one northbound and one southbound lane and allocated the lanes to 160-passenger buses. Buses on this one route alone carry 260,000 passengers a day. The plan has been such a success that five additional lines are now being added. Austin’s transport planners’ failure to adopt this already proven, off-the-shelf technology dooms us to wasting millions of dollars, exacerbating pollution, countless hours wasted in traffic jams, and the devastation of communities such as Oak Hill.
    My offer to the CAMPO board or any other traffic planners to accompany them on an inspection tour of the Mexico City rapid bus system is still on the table.

Dear Editor,
    This letter I am writing to you today is inspired by the loyal and dedicated members of Friends of Isla Blanca Park and the ever-growing voice from the coast of the lower Rio Grande Valley. Always thankful that Austin and your paper represent green ideals has motivated me to write this letter as an attempt to make more of us who love the Gulf aware of an atrocious event that is occurring in my hometown of Port Isabel, Texas. As Earth Day was celebrated this weekend, I thought it was an ironic time to share some upsetting earthly news. A piece of the Texas Gulf Coast is up for exploration of oil/gas. Well, the equipment is in the water, so I guess that means business. Bummer.
    The Laguna Madre is the official name of the body of water that is about to be tapped into. A petition I downloaded from the Save the Laguna Madre Web site (www.savethelagunamadre.com) informed me that the Madre, which is more familiar to visitors as the bay you cross driving over the bridge to reach South Padre Island, is the "last unspoiled hyper-saline bay system in the United States" (quoted directly from the Web site). I don't think I need to explain how or why this is upsetting, but I do want to elaborate that rising gas prices is a constant reminder to me on how desperate our society is to get the next quick fix of this resource. It saddens me to think that I thought something like this could never happen in my parents' back yard. Naive much?
    My parents are avid surfers who have passed on to me an immense appreciation of nature and our surroundings that runs in me so deep. Check out www.saveislablanca.com or www.savethelagunamadre.com if interested in helping preserve this area from intrusive resource exploration and future plans of gambling development.

Dear Editor,
    Well well well … another issue of the Chronicle, another mean-spirited review from the Cabinet of Dr. Jim Caligiuri [David Newbould, Big Red Sun, “Texas Platters,” Music, April 20]! Imagine that! I thought the Chronicle was here to support and nurture the local music scene. If so, what is the purpose of Jim Caliguri? He is obviously a frustrated musician who wants to get even for his own shortcomings by taking shots at people with more talent than he could ever hope for. What's the matter Jim Caligiuri, couldn't get the Drive-by Truckers to sign your Hondo III Les Paul copy? You know, the one you hold in front of the mirror while you lip-synch to your old Kiss records? You must be pretty fond of yourself.

Dear Editor,
    In his story on the fight to stop Lincoln Property from replacing Northcross Mall with a giant Wal-Mart, Michael King quotes Mayor Wynn as saying “city staff is required to … approve a plan [and] there has been … no discretion whatsoever of City Council regarding that proposed development” [“Point Austin,” News, April 20].
    In truth, council and staff both have a legal duty to deny the site plan when, as here, the development would cause traffic to exceed the desirable operating level of nearby streets. LDC 25-6-141(B)(1). In addition, both the council and the staff have the discretion to deny a site plan when, as here, ”the proposed development may overburden the City’s street system.” LDC 25-6-141(A).
    Moreover, the city had a legal duty to deny the site plan because (as acknowledged by city legal department and the city auditor) the city did not provide the required legal notice to neighbors. In addition, city staff did not have authority to approve the site plan because it included a garden center and the city’s codes treat a garden center as a conditional use that must be approved by the Zoning and Platting Commission.
    The city staff acted on incorrect traffic information and incorrect interpretations of city code. The traffic calculations submitted by Lincoln Property and earlier accepted by city staff have been demonstrated to be low by 50%. Now that these deficiencies in the traffic analyses have been brought to light, the City Council should act on the new, truthful information instead of backing city staff’s increasingly indefensible efforts to bend the rules to facilitate a Wal-Mart development.

   [Editor's note: Attorney Brad Rockwell is representing Responsible Growth for Northcross in its dispute with Lincoln Properties, Wal-Mart, and the city of Austin.]

Dear Editor,
    Thank you for the coverage of both electric lawn-mower programs [“Naked City,” News, April 20]. The Central Texas Electric Lawnmower Program will take place this Saturday, April 28, from 8:30am-2:30pm at the South Austin Home Depot at 3600 South I-35 (Woodward Street exit).
    Clarification: all gas-powered landscaping equipment (including lawn mowers) contribute approximately 5-10% of the total air pollution (particularly carbon monoxide) in urban areas.
    Some differences between the CTELP and the Clean Air Force Electric Lawnmower Program:
    A gas-powered mower trade is required to receive the maximum discount with the CTELP. Scrapping the gas-powered mower is the main environmental benefit from these programs and is a requirement in most other cities.
    All CTELP event days take place within the city limits of Austin, so the sales-tax revenue goes to fund Austin police, fire, EMS, parks, and libraries. Sale events in Sunset Valley help fund governmental operations for that city and not Austin. The programs I have managed have generated about $41,000 in sales-tax revenue for Austin since 1997.
    The CTELP gives Grow Green landscaping info to all participants in the hope that they will build healthier landscapes by using compost and organic fertilizers instead of toxic chemicals. These chemicals included in weed-and-feed products can contaminate our creeks and water supplies because they contain atrazine.
    Finally, the CTELP is not funded or managed by the city of Austin. Electric lawn-mower programs have not received direct financial support for rebates from local electric utilities in recent years.

Dear Editor,
    I was wondering … if Mr. Black and SXSW submitted the “infamous” list to the Austin Fire Department out of altruistic concern for public safety, why don't Mr. Black and SXSW submit a list every day? I checked around. No list. AFD said they do not get one every day nor every weekend.
    I am starting to think someone is being less than honest about motivations, timing, and desired results.

Dear Editor,
    The 10th Cine las Americas International Film Festival is going on this week in Austin ["Travelogue," Screens, April 20]. At least a few of them are about indigenous peoples and their struggles.
    Thursday night at the Paramount Theatre I saw a Mexican film entitled El Violín. This exceptionally poignant drama is about a peasant guerrilla movement that had arisen to fight for their land and social justice. Unfortunately, this award-winning masterpiece was not even previewed or highlighted in this paper's last issue.
    There needs to be more films about this land's original inhabitants. A human race that was almost decimated, resulting in the worst holocaust in world history - an unimaginable horror that obviously Hollywood, academia, and literature don't consider worthy of attention.
    Unfortunately, most people of Mexico are still suffering and struggling for human rights because of the actions of NAFTA, globalization, and the greedy elite of that country and the U.S. The film industry should be more conscientiously responsible and inform us about real people, inhumane conditions, and possible solutions.

   [Marjorie Baumgarten replies: Since the festival's Thursday-Thursday schedule spans the coverage dates of two Austin Chronicle issues, the April 19 opening film, El Violin, was profiled by Belinda Acosta in the April 13 issue (“A Decade of Cine,” Screens), while the rest of the coverage appeared in the issue of April 20. We apologize for any confusion.]

Dear sir,
    I would like to know why politicians lie. I know – because they can – but I am not looking for comedic responses. With the convergence of city, county, and state governments in Austin, there is an abundance of politicians and ex-politicians and their friends and associates in this area.
    Is there any one of you willing to give an honest reply as to why you lied to the public and how you rationalized it in your thinking either before or after?

Dear Editor,
    I was new to Austin in the 1980s. Just turned 30, turning over a new leaf, and I had some crude, old “bad boy” tattoos on my arms that needed covering up. Rollo Banks [“Page Two,” April 20] was working here. He turned those ugly skulls and snakes into beautiful tribal designs. I came back to him for some dragons and other nicely done “oriental work.” I remember our conversations about oriental art and of the great Hori Yoshi, the Japanese master tattooist. Who will forget the covers of the Chronicle on every Chinese New Year done by him ["R.I.P. Rollo Banks," April 20]? I have Rollo's art on me now and forever, and I'm proud of it. Long live Rollo!

Dear Editor,
    On May 12, Hays County residents will have an opportunity to defeat a very bad road-bond package designed to make lots of money for the road engineers, the megadevelopers, and the lawyers who represent them at the expense of the people and land of Hays County.
    The Texas Department of Transportation – along with its minions on the Hays County Commissioners Court, Will Conley of San Marcos, and Jeff Barton of Buda – is trying to force some highly questionable and very expensive road projects down the throats of the citizens. They want to expand several state highways to near-interstate proportions, and they want people to pay for these state highways with property taxes. We borrow the money, we build the roads, but we have no say in their locations, designs, or funding options. This is a bad deal for the people but apparently a great deal for the road interests who contribute heavily to Barton and Conley to do their bidding. These road interests are the same ones who brought us Round Rock's overblown roads and development. Is this really the vision people have for Hays County?
    Hays County is still largely rural and has great open spaces and clean water and quiet nights for all of us to enjoy; let's not pave it over and lose it forever. We need road improvements, yes, but not supersized "highways to nowhere.”
    The smart vote is "no" on the road bonds. Not everywhere has to look like Round Rock, does it?

Dear Editor,
    I note with interest the following statement from Michael King in his recent article regarding the attempt of Wal-Mart opponents to rewrite the City Charter [“Point Austin,” News, April 20]: "What we've got here is an old Texas conundrum: property rights (i.e., capital) trump civic rights, and big property rights trump all. I continue to wish RG4N godspeed in their challenge of that institutionally anti-democratic presumption, certainly much larger than the Austin city limits."
    Hmmm … well, the Chronicle is famously liberal, and I suspect many (most of your writers) would feel right at home with the majority of the tenets of socialism, so I'm a bit surprised King seems to be unclear on the difference between it and democracy.
    Private property rights lie at the very heart of freedom – for if a man (or a company formed by man) is not free to dispose of his own property as he chooses (within the limits that he and his fellow men have defined in the laws they adopt for their society), he is not free in any real sense of the term.
    The elevation of the “civic” over the individual is, in fact, the very heart of socialism, and at its extreme, communism. And there is nothing democratic about giving a disembodied “collective” primacy over individuals and the business organizations they form.
    One need not be a fan of Wal-Mart, or unsympathetic to the plight of the Northcross neighborhood, to realize that, fundamentally, Wal-Mart (or the Marriott or Lincoln, if you prefer) has only the obligation to comply with the laws in place at the locale where it wishes to develop – and clearly, Wal-Mart has complied.
    You might not like the result, but there is nothing undemocratic about exercising private property rights under the rule of law.

   [Michael King responds: I'm sure the Northcross neighbors inordinately imposed upon by the corporate property owners in their midst (well, not exactly, since they hail from Dallas and Arkansas, respectively) would be amused to learn from Mark Coffey, for whom ideology apparently trumps reality, they've stumbled one step short of communism. The sleight of hand he performs between "a man (or a company formed by man)" – as though there is no real difference – allows him also to blind himself to the difference between effective, substantive democracy and de facto corporate tyranny, unlike mythological "communism," a real and present danger to representative democracy. Moreover, it isn't even clear in the present case, as he insists, that Wal-Mart has in fact complied with the relevant laws or dealt honestly with the neighborhood and the city. Appeals to property rights in the abstract absolute are no more than special pleading for those who own the most property.]

Dear Editor,
    In response to the City Council considering banning plastic bags in Austin, I would hasten to add that paper bags are certainly not the answer, either [“Beside the Point,” News, April 20]. They consume more natural resources to create, use 93% more energy to recycle, and also contain petroleum (in fact, more than plastic bags, because they're twice as big). Where everyone got the misguided notion that they're somehow better and more sustainable, I have no idea. If the City Council truly wanted to make an impact, they would continue to let consumers choose which bag they wanted but just add a tax to them: If you charged 20 cents for every paper bag and 10 cents for every plastic bag, I guarantee people would start using the much more efficient, sustainable, and convenient canvas bags. But alas, just like everything else in this town regarding the environment (the mythical regional rail, the joke that passes for "urban density," and the preservation of reservoirs), it's all a lot of smoke and lip service and no real action.

   [Wells Dunbar replies: A note of clarification: The city is not proposing an outright ban on plastic bags but is creating a 90-day study period in which to contemplate ways to lessen their use – possibly including the tax Mr. Cox mentions – followed by a public comment period at City Council. As strongly as he feels, we hope he speaks up then, too.]

Dear Editor,
    Well it finally happened. Two of the least compassionate members on the Animal Advisory Commission are now the chair and vice chair. Last night a body of recently appointed members unknowingly elected two of the worst possible members as their newest officers. Carol Adams' dream has finally come true; she gets a chance to control something. And Dr. Howard Blatt is finally in a position to do everything he can to kill or limit free spay/neuter programs in Austin. Good people were asleep at the wheel and this atrocity occurred.
    For the last four to five years, I have done everything within my power to help to lower the kill rate at Town Lake Animal Center. When the state cut funding for spay/neuter programs, I was at the City Council meetings pleading for them to budget additional city funds to cover those programs which were cut by the loss in state funds. For four years now, I have set my alarm to go off at 5am every Thursday and Friday, so I can assist in the parking lot for the city of Austin's and Emancipet's Free Spay/Neuter Days in East Austin. I have personally trapped, spayed/neutered/rehabbed, and released close to 250 cats and around 50 dogs in East Austin. Many of the cats and all of the dogs I have worked to find homes for. On a daily basis, I have continued to feed and manage various colonies of well more than 150 cats at 10 different locations in the East Riverside area. I have gathered more than 1,800 signatures from Austin citizens on a petition of support for the adoption of a spay/neuter ordinance. I have sent countless e-mails to our City Council, state legislators, and federal representatives asking them to strengthen our animal-cruelty laws
    Who knows? Maybe I put too much of my time, money, and self into these projects, and as a result, I just cannot deal with this sort of back-stepping in the animal community. Under the old Animal Advisory Commission, this city made great strides in its efforts to lower the kill rate at Town Lake Animal Center. It saddens me to think that these new "leaders" will be in the position to take credit for the fruits of labor of their predecessors. If Austin has any hope of becoming a "no-kill” community, it will be in spite of these two instead of because of these two. I am in deep sorrow for the animal community of Austin, but my heart really goes out to the tens of thousands of animals that will be put to death under the leadership of Animal Advisory Commission Chair Carol Adams and Vice Chair Dr. Howard Blatt.

Dear Editor,
    I found an eerie similarity of Louis Black’s defense of himself and South by Southwest in his April 19 “Page Two” article with those of us defending America against stupid conspiracies such as the September 11 attacks being an inside job. Notwithstanding the pain that Mr. Black is now experiencing because of the inane conspiracy being perpetrated against him and SXSW, we can only hope that the lesson learned will be that irrational, hyperemotional conspiracy mongers must be exposed and condemned.
    Perhaps Mr. Black and his cohorts will now openly acknowledge the absence of rational thought of those falsely accusing our nation of the mass murder of September 11 and denounce them accordingly. Hope springs eternal.

   [Louis Black responds: Since it is clear that McDonald, among other readers, would never be so lame as to paint all with whom they disagree with the same brush, I appreciate his comments. Clearly, I have not been shy about my take on conspiracy theorists and their 9/11 conjectures. It isn't just that I don't agree. It's that I resent the arrogance with which they present theories as facts and condemn all who disagree as being complacent, complicit, and/or dumb. It's nice to be given kudos for taking this stand by McDonald. Now, maybe, with a less irrational bitterness, he'll reconsider my stance on a few other issues.]

Dear Wayne Alan Brenner,
    Your article about local composer P. Kellach Waddle [“The Music Is Pretty Much Incessant,” Arts, April 20]makes mention of such pertinent details as Waddle's ability to fire a rifle at age 3, his Pultizer nominations (twice), the fact that he's a genius (a whopping four times), and two different metaphors about his hair. Nowhere does this feature article discuss Waddle's actual music or composition. The article instead reads like a fluff piece from the pages of People magazine's classical music issue (sadly, such a thing does not exist). I expect this kind of writing about rock music – they have publicists, it's their job – but in the Arts section? Aren't there more vital and interesting things to talk about than hair and outdoor bathrooms?

Dear Editor,
    Rollo Banks: I only knew Rollo for about three hours, but I never forgot him [“Page Two,” April 20]. He gave me my first tattoo. He had long since left Austin, but he was in town for South by Southwest and ran an ad that he was available for custom work at his discretion. I had three friends that had already contacted him and had been turned down. I called and rambled on about what I wanted on my arm and was ready for the gruff “nope, not interested,” but after a pause, I was thrilled to hear, “Cool, come on over.” I had never met Rollo, so I was a bit intimidated by the big beefy bear who answered the door – but within minutes I realized he was very special. The stories he told, his sense of humor, and his way of looking at the world were unforgettable. After he was done, he handed me his card, slapped me on the knee, and said, “See ya around. That was fun.” Not sure why Rollo figured it was time to check out. I am sure he had his reasons, but he is still here – right here on my arm.

Dear Editor,
    This is a response to the letter to the editor penned by Ron Deutsch in the April 13 issue [“Postmarks”]. Mr. Deutsch obviously doesn't understand what the intent of Grindhouse was.
    I am the editor/publisher of one of the most popular film and video trade magazine's in the world, iCOM Magazine. Film is my business. I generally have two words that come up frequently when I am discussing Quentin Tarantino, “insane” and “genius.”
    Tarantino is an amazing filmmaker, and I love his work. I believe that Tarantino's objective with Grindhouse was to put together two sub-B films with just enough insanity mixed in to have “Tarantino” written all over it. And I'm not ignoring Robert Rodriguez, maker of the incredible film Sin City.
    I feel that Tarantino was probably solely behind the concept of Grindhouse. It's just so Tarantinoish. These films are supposed to resemble the cheap, quickly shot B thrillers of the Seventies. And I think they accomplished that in flying colors.
    And there is a lot more to that film noise that Deutsch referred to as “film damage.” It is a very complex process. Rodriguez shoots in pure digital. No film at play. The mathematics required to create those film-noise effects in the digital domain would bust a good calculator – and it looked exactly like real film noise.
    The coming attractions between the two films perfectly matched that Seventies feel, and they were absolutely hilarious. When I saw the films, the crowd loved those fake coming attractions. They laughed repeatedly and loudly.
    So, Mr. Deutsch, lighten up. We only live once, and we need to enjoy each day. My advice, “Don't sweat the small stuff.”

Mr. Michael King,
    I am the president of the Austin Hotel and Lodging Association, and I wanted to express my thanks for your recent article on the Austin Convention Center and Bob Hodge [“Point Austin,” News, April 13]. I do think your article was the most honest representation of the situation that I have seen in any news article to date, and I appreciate your insight regarding the situation.
    Bob Hodge has always supported the tourism industry and the positive image of the city of Austin. The AHLA regrets the departure of one so committed to Austin and the tourism industry.
    The current situation is obviously regrettable, but I do have confidence in the ACC staff, Rudy Garza, and our city government to place the correct internal controls over the system to make it work better.

Dear Editor,
    This is a letter to Darcie “Clueless” Stevens regarding our [the Small Stars] masterpiece Tijuana Dreams [“Texas Platters,” Music, April 20]. How can you call Tijuana Dreams a "family-friendly album"? Here are some sample lyrics: "The bald policeman fingers/my Zig-Zag rolling papers/he says he wants to search the car” and “I had to buy someone else's piss to get the day job” and “They'll start their wars in the name of God/and drag you out to face the firing squad.” I don't care if you like the record, but get your facts straight.

P.S. p.s. We don't wear matching outfits.

Dear Editor,
    In regard to Barack Obama's comments on the tragedy at Virgina Tech, he brings up Imus' remarks and how we harm one another by things we say. I am sure this puts him in bad light with many of his Democrat colleagues. After all, they have made many degrading statements about a sitting U.S. president! At least one of the Democrats acknowledges the harm caused and recognizes it as an assault.

Dear Editor,
    Hearing Bush (and the U.S. news media) blather on about the 33 privileged college kids and professors murdered in Virginia seems remarkably absurd, when you consider that many people are shot almost daily in Iraq (191 yesterday), thanks to the horribly ignorant and irresponsible actions of our top politicians. An estimated 650,000 innocent Iraqi people of all ages and both genders have had their lives taken in the last four years, as a result of the U.S. invasion/occupation. Multiplying the number killed by a factor of 10 gives a conservative estimate of the number crippled in Iraq (at least 6.5 million). They did nothing to deserve such a fate. Where is the outrage over that? Bush and all the Congress people and senators who've supported that barbaric invasion/occupation need to be stripped of all their power and locked up. They are the world's most notorious menaces to mankind! If someone dropped 10,000 500-pound bombs on London and America's 10 largest cities, it wouldn't come close to doing the amount of damage that our invasion/occupation has done to the Iraqi people. The best thing we could do is kick the Bush regime (and all those who’ve supported the invasion and occupation) out of the White House (ImpeachBush.org and elect Dennis Kucinich (www.kucinich.us) as the next president. We desperately need leaders who can solve problems without bloodshed. The world can't wait much longer. We must not wait for the next elections. Today's American people have very much in common with the Germans under Hitler who were misled by their establishment, but we have to save ourselves. Impeach the bastards and end the occupation!