Letters to the editor for Wednesday, Sept. 26

BOARD'S PR CAMPAIGN

It won't help

So now the Hennepin County Board needs a public-relations firm to help us feel its pain in acquiring the land for the ballpark (Star Tribune, Sept. 25)?

Maybe if taxpayers weren't so disgusted by the way this ballpark was shoved down our throats in the first place, we wouldn't have so much sympathy for the landowners who are getting hustled.

MARY ANN CROLLEY, MINNEAPOLIS

PHOTO COP

Crime-fighting tool

How can a program such as Minneapolis' "photo cop" be all that bad when, during a short period of time, it captured 25,000 vehicles running red lights, a deliberate act of violating established traffic laws?

Without "photo cop," we will soon have a new batch of 25,000 drivers running red lights whose actions will not be recorded. Most of them will be owners of the vehicles, not permitted drivers or drivers of stolen vehicles.

Is this the kind of driver that the courts really want on Minneapolis streets?

JAMES D. LYNN, BURNSVILLE

COLEMAN'S ATTACK AD

Free-speech opponent

I would like to personally thank Sen. Norm Coleman for pointing out in his full-page ad on Tuesday that exercising freedom of speech is a ridiculous idea.

In addition, it is comforting to know that with his recent Senate vote he was willing to employ totalitarian means to stifle a constitutionally declared freedom of Minnesotans and Americans everywhere.

Perhaps it is time for Mr. Coleman to "move on."

JOEL JACKSON, ST. PETER, MINN.

Listen up

Norm Coleman is truly grasping at straws if the only thing he can find to accuse Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken of is calling a ridiculous Senate vote just that -- ridiculous (a sentiment shared by many Minnesotans).

Coleman would spend his time and his money better by listening to his constituents and voting against the continuation of this disastrous war.

JANE SIMON, MINNEAPOLIS

Going negative

Message to Norm Coleman: Negative ads already? You better work on your résumé, because we don't like "ridiculous personal attacks" here in Minnesota.

ED DILLON, MINNEAPOLIS

His selective outrage

I do not condone the actions of groups like MoveOn.org, which ran the ad attacking Gen. David Petraeus.

But, on the other hand, I don't recall Sen. Norm Coleman running full-page newspaper advertisements or voting for a bill when the Swift Boat veterans smeared Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during the 2004 election.

MARK WEBER, MINNEAPOLIS

Good for business

A political figure (Norm Coleman) buys a full-page newspaper ad criticizing a political figure (Al Franken) for criticizing a group of senators who criticized an organization (MoveOn.org) for buying a full-page newspaper ad criticizing a political figure (David Petraeus).

Next, I suppose, an interested party with several thousand dollars to spend will step forward and buy an ad criticizing Coleman's criticism.

I am pleased to see that there's finally a strategy in place for stemming the alarming decline in newspaper ad revenues.

MARK JOHANSON, ST. PAUl

AHMADINEJAD AT COLUMBIA

More upfront than Bush

Now that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has shown the way, I look forward to President Bush being grilled by "60 Minutes" and Charlie Rose and subjected to a withering speech by the president of Columbia University.

Or is the Current Occupant (thank you, Garrison Keillor) more inclined to cut and run than defend his policies in an open forum?

BENNO GROENEVELD, ST. PAUL

Ignore him

If Americans were truly outraged that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was given credibility by being allowed to freely address an audience on American soil, we should have just ignored him.

We didn't have to attend the speech, and we didn't have to endlessly cover it on the news. Had we simply stayed away, showing our disdain for his message and philosophy, we would have dealt him a blow that penetrated his psyche.

But we pandered to him by our 24/7 coverage of his arrival, speech and aftermath. He's received everything he desired by his appearance: publicity, validation, accommodation, even acceptance.

Yes, we believe in free speech. However, free will is the corollary, and we did not exercise our right to ignore this arrogant despot, making him a nonevent.

Had we simply relegated him to the back page of the society section, his message would not be reaching the world as it now is.

KIM COOPER, ELK RIVER

Undeserving of forum

In his speech at Columbia University, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied that Iran is acquiring nuclear weapons (even though there is indisputable proof), refused to respond to questions about his support of terrorists, said he holds no ill will towards Jews (even though he wants to destroy Israel) and claimed that women in Iran are among the freest in the world (despite the evidence from Iranian women and international human-rights organizations).

So what did Columbia University achieve by hosting him? Free speech (and, more to the point, free association) is a given in our country, but one is still responsible for the choice of whom one invites to speak.

The simple fact is that Columbia offered a speaking platform to Ahmadinejad's propaganda.

MICHAEL GOLDENBERG, MINNEAPOLIS

THE MALIGNED PIT BULL

Finally, good news

Kim Ode's Sept. 23 article "Her pit's 'a lover,' not a fighter, owner says" was a refreshing piece of news media. I am a pit bull and Rottweiller owner who is tired of the irresponsible owners giving my dogs a bad name. As a loyal Star Tribune reader, I am pleased to see an alternative viewpoint being portrayed.

LORRAINE HANSON, MINNEAPOLIS