On beat

Your article about white suburban kids taking to hip-hop music was on beat ("Black man's world?" May 6). The chart showing how youth in the suburbs and the city make such similar choices shows that, although a person may be white and living in suburbia, he is not morally superior to city-dwellers, white or black. I'm a junior at an affluent public school and find it true that bored suburban kids "privately live highly self-sabotaging lives." Rock has lost its foothold. Hip-hop dominates my suburban school. -Tony McClure, York, Pa.

More babies

Joel Belz's column on the long-term consequences of conservatives having higher fertility rates than the progressive parts of society ("The new baby boom," May 6) was gratifying to my wife and me. With six children ages 3 to 21, we have done our part to promote our conservative principles among future generations. However, because the Muslim community also has high fertility rates, worldwide tensions between Christianity and Islam may increase. This is certainly a call for increased evangelism to the Muslim world. -Stephen Hinks; Beaver Falls, Pa.

People raised in a materialistic, anti-child, even anti-human culture won't easily be converted to the idea that they should have more babies. After all, if they won't have children for personal gratification, why would they do it for God and country? -Robin Schiefelbein; Kimball, Minn.

Heart holes

Andrée Seu mentions several defense mechanisms we use to make ourselves not feel as bad as we otherwise would ("This body of death," May 6). When things get really bad, I feel the "cocoon of numbness" she talks about coming on and I don't know how to stop. But she suggests that we feel emotional pain fully, as Jesus did in His suffering on the cross, so that we can trust in God through it and glorify Him. -Pauline Evans; Muscatine, Iowa

Mrs. Seu hit another home run with this piece. It hit me in the chest. We'll see if it put a hole in my heart. -John Bandow; Stratford, Wis.

Right of protest

Thank you for "Heartland uprising" (May 6). It is good to hear that other people share my opinion of these riotous "protesters." It is ridiculous to see people protesting over something to which they have no right. We need to know who's coming into our country for our safety's sake. -Chris Wilson; Leasburg, N.C.

We should not reward those who do not respect this nation's laws through guest-worker programs or any other forms of amnesty. -Dale Shattuck; Lansing, Mich.

I greatly appreciated "You used to be one" (April 15). I am very concerned about the lack of biblical perspective in our dealing with the "stranger" and "alien" in the land. Perhaps because my grandson's father is "illegal," my view may be somewhat biased. Naturally I want my grandson's hard-working father to gain legal status and eventual citizenship, but restrictive country quotas, long waiting periods, and negative attitudes make the process all the more difficult. -John B. Harley III; Allentown, Pa.

The leader

The sub-headline on "'Affordable' health care: Should Connecticut follow Massachusetts' lead?" (May 6) about universal health insurance plans should have read something like, "Should Connecticut make the same mistake as Massachusetts?" Massachusetts takes the "lead" in nothing except socio-political and economic manipulation. -Stu Mahlin; Cincinnati, Ohio

Tin whiskers

Your interesting article, "Get the lead out" (May 6), omitted reasons why lead-free electrical solder has degraded reliability. A major one is "tin whiskers," poorly understood conductive growths that can cause short-circuits or even failure. -Neil Andrew Six; Tucson, Ariz.

Far from reluctant

Far from "reluctantly" shifting focus to abstinence to qualify for government funding ("Abstinence under attack," April 29), Family Health International (FHI) was describing abstinence as the only certain way to avoid HIV/AIDS years before Congress enacted PEPFAR and coined the ABC approach. While indeed a "leading condom distributor," FHI, assisted by its local partners, is also a leading treatment and care provider to AIDS victims and their orphaned children. -Albert J. Siemens; President, FH; Durham, N.C.

Unavoidably liberal

Thank you for the article on the lack of academic freedom in America's universities ("Faculty follies," April 29). I spent 10 years as a professor in a mental health field at two major secular universities, earning tenure. The professorial life, with its freedom, status, and ivory tower independence, accommodates an adolescent indulgence in academic freedom. They want not merely tolerance of their own ideas, but validation of them. Faculty sometimes even openly expected that not only would all faculty be liberal, but that students couldn't avoid it once they were properly educated. -Mark Odell; Kalispell, Mont.

Physical factors?

I have nothing but compassion for teachers trying to keep order in the classroom and parents wanting the best for their children. But after 24 years of psychological practice, I see little benefit and considerable risk from all of the so-called psychotropic drugs, including the stimulant class used for unruly children ("'Hidden behind the forehead,'" April 29). Sometimes persons labeled ADHD function differently metabolically or otherwise, but this says nothing about causation and whether ADHD is a brain disorder. -Jeffrey C. Danco; Green Brook, N.J.

Thank you for the article on ADHD testifying to its real physical existence. While inattention or overactivity may be associated with chaotic parenting or failure to learn self-control, the brain is clearly impacted by physical factors. Firm structure and discipline as well as dietary interventions are often preferable to the current wholesale commitment to chronic stimulant medication usage. Having said that, intensive psychological intervention and the prudent use of Ritalin and its offspring are at times essential and literally "a blessing." -Philip Ranheim; Snohomish, Wash.

Bricked

Once again, with his column on whether we even want to preserve the society and culture we once had ("Made in the U.S.A." April 29), Mr. Belz has dropped a ton of bricks on us. His seeming pessimism is appropriate. -Frank W. Russell; Nalcrest, Fla.

Into the abyss

I loved Marvin Olasky's point about the effects of increased government security and contraception on European society ("Multiplier effect," April 22). As a missionary in Austria to people under 30, I have seen it firsthand. There are so few Christians who will actually have more than one child, if they have any at all. My team is attempting to change Christians' worldview, which seems to have slipped into the abyss. -Matt Rasch; Innsbruck, Austria