Mailbag

Calling it

With the First Amendment twisted into "separation of church and state," pornography's foul stench protected as "freedom of speech," and sodomy merely an "alternate lifestyle," I had despaired of anyone calling right, right and wrong, wrong until I read Mr. Veith's great column, "Black & right" (July 24). Star Parker has also noted that "the religious sensibility that animated the civil-rights movement is bound up in a biblical worldview that would no more countenance the radical redefinition of marriage than it would the re-imposition of slavery." -Frances M. Downey; Tucson, Ariz.

Cheers to the African Methodist Episcopal Church for voting unanimously not to allow pastors to perform same-sex marriages. I wish all professing Christian denominations had such integrity. However, with 2.5 million members AME is not the country's largest black denomination. The Church of God in Christ claims about 8 million members. -Jeff Symons; Flint, Mich.

Hats off

The backers of the Federal Marriage Amendment didn't "fail" ("On the record," July 24). One who stands for God's truth never fails. The ones who failed are those who did not take a stand on God's unchanging biblical principles. My hat is off to those who took a stand for this amendment. -Todd W. Taylor; Victorville, Calif.

Cool access

I was intrigued by Mr. Olasky's choice of words in "Clash course" (July 24): "A ramp . . . provided access for the disabled before access was cool." I, for one, thank God that it's "cool" to provide ­disability access every time I wheel my son down our ramp and then up into our ­wheelchair-accessible van. From there I can take him to our wheelchair-accessible stores, libraries, restaurants, concert halls, museums, and most importantly, church. We have a mandate to bring in the lame, the blind, and the deaf so that His house might be full. -Rachel Olstad; Phoenix, Ore.

Mother's day

I was horrified to read about the ­liberal ploy for universal preschool ("Ploys for tots," July 24). Children should be with their moms, not government or church schools, to learn the most important lessons at that age. -Holly Lewis; Spokane, Wash.

Not so funny

We went to see Anchorman after reading "Anchors away" (July 24). After 20 minutes, we were hoping that the worst of the crude humor had passed and that the "very funny sketch-level comedy" Mr. Coffin had promised would begin. But it didn't, and we could take no more and left. -Jerry L. Hatfield; Hereford, Ariz.

Noble mission

In Mrs. Cheaney's otherwise compelling column on the the Lewis and Clark bicentennial reenactment ­("Postcards from the past," July 24), she says that the venture, although "pretty cool," has "no practical purpose whatsoever." To the contrary, the expedition has a very noble purpose: to bring our history alive and make it relevant to people whose knowledge comes only from a paragraph or two in a public-school textbook. The leaders of the ­current crew (Meriwether Lewis is ­portrayed by Montana Army National Guardsman Scott Mandrell) say that their appearance in every little town along the ­Missouri is sparking a new passion for our American history. -Al Garver; Billings, Mont.

Party favors

I was, naively, shocked to find out that the newly formed republic in which I reside does not have representatives of the people. The ruling ANC appoints people at whim to different posts in the provinces and the people for whom they supposedly work have little say. Although our two-party system has its faults ("Throwing a party," July 17), I would not trade it for any other. Perhaps a grassroots movement from city up is the best way to work flaws out of our system, but never at the cost of the citizen's right to vote for an individual. -Cathy Egbert; White River, South Africa

Mr. Veith makes good arguments about not voting for any third-party candidate. But if the GOP hopes to get President Bush reelected, it needs to do something about the disgruntled conservatives who are leaving the Republican Party and planning not to vote for anyone. They feel the party has deserted them by not taking strong stands on traditional Republican values. -Jim Scanlon; New Braunfels, Texas

The Republicans and Democrats have made it virtually impossible for the "third parties" to participate in the political process. The Constitution Party has always been the one that stood for principle over politics. If for the last 20 years or so Christian leaders had made their supporters aware of this option, likely we would be living in a different (and better) country than we have today. -Lester B. Searer; York, Pa.

Too high priced?

According to "A decent proposal" (July 17), 80 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds admit to multiple exposures to hardcore porn; presumably the actual number is even higher. If the value of keeping kids safe from internet pornography is "priceless," why don't the American households that believe this simply unplug from the internet at home and then use the public library when one "needs" internet access? If we are relying on the government to ­protect our kids, we are just fooling ­ourselves. Or is protecting our kids priceless only as long as it doesn't inconvenience Mom and Dad? -Steve Berninger; Dahlonega, Ga.

Sly as a Gnostic

I have read two books debunking The DaVinci Code, but not until your article including information on scholars Pagels and Bloom ("Know nothings," July 3/10) did I realize what a serious onslaught Mr. Brown and others are making on our faith, while slyly pushing their own (Gnosticism) down our throats. -Stephanie Craig; Charlotte, N.C.

Plan of action

As an aspiring author, your "Quest for good fiction" issue (July 3/10) was very encouraging. I am 17 and narrowly missed the age minimum of your fiction contest. I sincerely hope that this is the beginning of a new plan of action and not just a one-time effort. As Bruce Edwards wrote in your publication four years ago, "Every society is shaped by aesthetic tradition for good or ill." We cannot let that tradition issue forth unchallenged in a culture that never ceases to launch "fiery darts." -Lauren De Vries; Pittsfield, Ill.

Con and pro

Please cancel my subscription. You have embraced media/entertainment reviews in the guise of informing the public, but those of us who take Christ's commands ­seriously cannot condone that under any premise. -Sally Bushhouse; Roseville, Minn.

I get so frustrated with Christians who have no knowledge of vital things that are going on. To WORLD, thank you. My renewal is in the mail. -Don Rosander; Metuchen, N.J.