OIL SPILL

BP undermined scientists' research

Craig Pittman missed a crucial element in his report on the BP oil spill -- the yearlong delay in allocating funding for critical research, especially from BP's promised billions ("The oil spill: What we know a year later," April 20).

So, whether from bureaucratic bungling or deliberate foot-dragging, a year's worth of critical data-gathering has been forever lost, meaning the final picture won't be as complete as it should have been.

GEORGE MUELLNER, PLYMOUTH

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OBAMA's BIRTH

Picking on the president? Enough!

What's all the fuss about President Obama's birth certificate ("'Birthers' again earning derision of many in GOP," April 21)? Give it a rest, will you?

He was born in Hawaii, which was a state at that time. He has willingly given birth information to anyone who asks. Don't you naysayers have better things to worry about, such as the economy, health care, the war, pollution, school shootings and oil reserves?

I'm tired of reading about all this.

PETER CLARK, ROSEVILLE

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ARIZONA LAWMAKERS

Does Minnesota need a state weapon, too?

The Arizona Legislature is going to name an official state weapon. I was wondering whether Minnesota might do the same. In fact, I suggest a statewide competition. I will start it off by nominating sarcasm.

MIKE FINLEY, ST. PAUL

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TIGER GRANDPARENTS

We need to speak out for the sake of kids

I couldn't agree more with the letter about Tiger Grandparents ("Tiger Grandparents unite!" April 17). I'm a Tiger Grandparent. Having a son and daughter-in-law who are teachers, and having two grandsons in school, I can see that quality education should be a top priority for the state.

Where are our future leaders going to come from if we keep shortchanging our students on the most basic of needs? We need to help them learn the importance of taking care of themselves and others. So, c'mon, let's grrrrowl away!

LILLIAN IVERSON, BROOKLYN PARK

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BOOK CONTROVERSY

Crackdown on 'Three Cups of Tea' too much

I find it laughable that the government is checking up on Greg Mortenson, author of "Three Cups of Tea," because of alleged incorrect information about his nonprofit company. They think he compressed too many events together -- making his whole book suspect.

Give me a break! Are these the same government officials who have been sending billions and billions into Afghanistan for years without any accountability whatsoever? Please, tell us whose Afghan pockets have been truly lined with American tax dollars. Then we can revisit the Mortenson fiasco.

DARLENE THYEN, PAYNESVILLE

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ORGAN DONATION

Asked for jarring data during a time of grief

In a recent letter, the writers stated that they "have never heard a family say they were sorry their loved one was a [organ] donor" (Readers write, April 18). I'm not sorry my husband was a donor, but I'm not happy about it, either.

My husband died very suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 59. When the coroner asked me if I wanted to donate any of my husband's organs, I wasn't in any shape to make important decisions or to process information. Still, I agreed.

Later that evening, I spent close to an hour on the phone with the organ donation agency and answered detailed questions about my husband's family, travel and sexual history. I was reeling from the shock of his death, and there were phone calls I needed to make.

Instead, I had to try to remember all the countries he'd visited and when he'd been there. I was also asked to consider the possibility of any extramarital affairs he might have had.

Certainly, it's good to know that people may have been helped by my husband's corneas and/or skin tissue, and I understand the need for the information I had to provide. But what was already the worst night of my life was made even more horrific by that phone call.

So if you want to be an organ donor, make sure your family has easy access to a written list of all the traveling you've ever done and all the sex partners you've ever had. And if you don't want to do that, then let them know that they can decide about donating your organs.

It may not cost anything (unless the agency refuses to reimburse the funeral home for any extra "repair" work that needs to be done), but it will take a toll.

BARBARA E. BURCHILL, WINONA

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MEDICAL DEVICES

Story was one-sided and missed the big picture

The recent article on the medical-device industry was uninformed and a one-sided smear ("Safety vs. innovation: Regulators face a tension between approving products quickly and ensuring they're safe," April 17).

The story mentioned a 1 percent recall rate on medical devices and questioned whether that was an acceptable failure rate. The story also emphasized the failure of one hip implant, but didn't mention the majority of success stories.

Nor did the story mention the millions of people who have been saved by pacemakers and defibrillators.

Defects are part of every human system, and they are, and will continue to be, part of the device industry. But these defects are limited. We tend to forget that before these innovations, patients died or were crippled from their conditions.

Now, it seems people have an unreasonable expectation that if their bodies break down, they have the "right" to be fixed.

It's a privilege and a blessing to have medical devices that return our deteriorating and disease-stricken bodies to function in an overwhelming majority of patients. We shouldn't lose focus on this.

WALLY DANIELSON, SHAKOPEE

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