Mailbag

DRAW TOGETHER

After the attacks in Spain, the note from an al-Qaeda ally linking Spain with the United States constituted an attack on the United States and on our president ("Waving the white flag," March 27). Despite the vigorous discourse that is appropriate within our country, we need to draw together against the enemy rather than practice the me-first politics of Sen. John Kerry. If foreign leaders have communicated with him about foreign policy, he should disclose that to the State Department. If he expects us to trust him as president, he must erase our doubts that we can trust him with other very sensitive information. -Bob Whitney, Yakima, Wash.

At least Neville Chamberlain sought to negotiate with Hitler before his proclamation of "peace in our time."-David Cadwell, Chattanooga, Tenn.

It was inappropriate for you to criticize the people of Spain on your March 27 cover for their response to the devastating terrorist attacks. Far from a "victory for violence," I see their response as a refusal to perpetuate it. Would you also accuse Jesus of capitulation to Satan by submitting to death on a cross rather than leading the people of Israel in armed resistance to Roman rule?-Mark Nygaard,Fridley, Minn.

Cal Thomas's column ("Terror-ocracy," March 27) struck a chord with me. It was a reminder that the Europeans don't seem to be able to figure out that evil is evil and there is no way to appease it. You would think that they might have learned from World War II, when Hitler could have been stopped before he built an army capable of conquering all Europe.

-Josh Damon, 16, Atlanta, Ga.

GET A GRIP

I agree with Gene Edward Veith ("Identity crisis," March 27). We are indeed made man or woman and we'd better come to grips with it. It is just another way for mankind to throw out God.

-Doris Heyns, Cape Coral, Fla.

Referring to Ms. Bagger [the transsexual competing as a female golfer] as a "he" and a "man" only perpetuates the hate, misunderstanding, and prejudice against trans people. Please show them the same dignity and respect you would show any other oppressed minority.

-Sara Rook, Houston, Texas

MASKING DECAY

As a long-time observer of the gay and lesbian revolution, I have found its twisted logic to be deceitful and self-loathing ("Crocodile tears," March 27). Homosexual unions are vain attempts to mask the moral decay on which they are founded and blatantly sabotage God's supreme design.

-Pete Bovenzi, Syracuse, N.Y.

RIGHT TO DESTROY

Your report, "Mommy dearest" (March 27), shows that abortion extremists parasitically defend the right of a woman to destroy her child. Principles such as putting the self first and disavowing natural affection for one's unborn child induce the heart to be unfeeling toward life and personhood.

-Patricia Maurer

Ridgecrest, Calif.

BAD BILL

Your article on South Dakota HB 1191 ("Every vote counts," March 27) reported that the bill contained an exception for health to "prevent 'substantial and irreversible impairment to a major bodily function'" of the mother. Unfortunately, the bill left the application of that health exception to the subjective judgment of the abortionist, thus creating a gigantic loophole. The "health" exception, as drafted, meant it could have prohibited no abortions. You also reported the prediction that the bill would not survive legal challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed Roe vs. Wade 5-4 in 1992 and since then, one anti-Roe justice (White) has been replaced by one strongly pro-Roe justice (Ginsburg), leaving the Court 6-3 in favor of Roe.

The bill also repealed existing restrictions on abortion. This flaw could have left South Dakota with fewer abortion restrictions than at present if a court struck down the abortion prohibition with the "health" exception but upheld the repeal of current pro-life laws.

-Mary S. Balch, State Legislative Director, National Right to Life Committee, Washington, D.C.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

"Compromising positions" (April 10) discusses the problems that will result if homosexual "marriages" entered into in Massachusetts are transported to other states. Massachusetts has a valid statute that prohibits that from happening. It states that "no marriage shall be contracted in this commonwealth by a party residing and intending to continue to reside in another jurisdiction if such marriage would be void if contracted in such other jurisdiction, and every marriage contracted in this commonwealth in violation hereof shall be null and void." Even though Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has refused Gov. Romney's request to seek a stay of the Supreme Judicial Court's ruling in Goodridge, Mr. Reilly has acknowledged the validity of this statute. The situation in Massachusetts is bleak enough. Pro-family media need to report what light does exist.

-Jan LaRue, Concerned Women for America, Washington, D.C.

RIGHT ON

I loved Gene Edward Veith's review of King of the Hill ("Hill country," March 27). I generally find your movie and TV reviews to be right on and this is no exception.

-Paula Wood, Collierville, Tenn.

Thank you for your "Culture Beat" section. I think reviews of popular movies are just as important, if not more so, than reviews of popular books and CDs. It's amazing what one can learn simply by seeing what plots, characters, and situations people take the most interest in.

-Chloe Engel, 15, Bryson City, N.C.

DRAWING LINES

Thank you for the insightful and positive March 20 cover story on art ("What is art?"). At our artists' fellowship here in Southern California, we used it as a discussion piece, focusing on the changing nature of the arts and the need for Christians to support and encourage artists in their midst.

-Brian Nixon, Newport Beach, Calif.

Thank you for adding your voice to the call for a return of divinity to the visual arts. In the past decade, several collaborations of artists, such as the International Arts Movement and Christians in the Visual Arts, have been making their mark. Artists such as Slade Graves, Ed Knippers, Thomas Blackshear, and sculptors Max Greiner Jr., Beverly Paddleford, and J. Christopher White are drawing a beautiful, captivating line between the creation and the Creator, between the merely self-indulgent and the pursuit of inspiration that draws upward.

-Steve Chavis, Longmont, Colo.

VW (very witty)

In addition to standing for "Rich Site Summary," I've read that RSS can also stand for "RDF Site Summary" (where RDF = Resource Description Framework) as well as "Really Simple Syndication" ("Browsing but no browser," March 27). Don't you just love TLAs (Three-Letter Acronyms)?

-Art Bergquist, San Marcos, Calif.

CORRECTION

Iraqi resident Yussif Matty reports that electricity in his hometown of Kirkuk is "now much better and we do have it more than six hours a day and all the night" ("From dictatorship to development," April 10, p. 20).