I am glad my wife and I attended the rally with Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ("Bachmann, Palin dazzle the faithful," April 8). Not only did we enjoy being part of this immense crowd of true American conservatives, it also gave us the ability to compare the reality of being there to how your paper chose to portray the event. BOB MAGINNIS, EDINA

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In seeing Palin and Bachmann together, I was not surprised, but troubled. The two both rely on cheap media sensationalism rather than coherent knowledge of the issues. They speak of "freedom," but seem to be quite out of touch with its true meaning. Their strengths seem to be limited to shouting contests in which they only bash the opposition instead of advocating solutions of their own. Their abuse of the sound bite is contributing to the anti-intellectualization of the country. I may be young, but I feel patronized by their attempt to be "normal people." I want my leaders to be scholarly, intellectual types, not my next-door neighbor. CHRISTIAN WHEELER, EDEN PRAIRIE

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Bachmann brought high-profile political celebrities, 10,000 people and an expensive evening of mingling and photo opportunities to downtown Minneapolis. I can't help wondering why she didn't hold this event in her own district. The economic activity and publicity spurred by that many people coming into the Sixth Congressional District to spend the day and possibly overnight in a hotel would have gone directly to the pockets of those she purports to represent. JEFF KOCUR, RICHFIELD

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Bachmann and Palin remind me of the "Thelma & Louise" movie. Two reasonably bright and attractive women go on a road trip to protest what they don't like about conditions at home, but without any alternate plan, things get messy and they end up going over a cliff. Both shows, fortunately, are just entertainment, and not a lesson for dealing with reality. ED BRIESEMEISTER, DELANO, MINN.