Letters to the editor for Monday, July 28

I'm not surprised that U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann goes to Alaska and finds reasons to support expanded oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Her press release could have been written before she left.

But does she really think those of us who actually value preservation of wilderness areas would find her argument compelling that ANWR should be open for expanded oil drilling because it's covered with snow nine months of the year and in darkness three months of the year? The wildlife certainly doesn't care.

CHRIS BUBSER, MINNEAPOLIS

Bad analogy Michele Bachmann equates domestic drilling to a locked pantry filled with food and hungry children outside (Star Tribune, July 23).

A more fitting analogy would be a locked room containing seeds for citrus trees. The room is unlocked, and the seeds are planted on public land. When the trees mature in several years, some of the children will be able to eat one piece of fruit to supplement their diet. In the meantime, they are hungry, and never is a significant difference made in their diet!

RUSSELL L TUFVANDER,

NORTHOME, MINN.

Higher oil prices mean we need to drill in Alaska and offshore. No new ideas related to conservation or new sources of energy.

A huge federal deficit means we need to cut taxes -- even though that is why we are in this mess.

For conservatives and McCain, winning in Iraq means the troops need to stay. Losing in Iraq also means the troops need to stay.

If the crime rate is too high, we need more people carrying guns.

Maybe this is why so many conservatives are sweating out this next election cycle. The country is going to move ahead regardless of what these tired old conservatives may think.

I denounce and decry the racist comments on StarTribune.com tagged to the article about the city of Minneapolis settlement with five African-American police officers.

I feel sorry for these people. They are letting skin color or ethnicity stop them from seeing the whole picture.

I just want my neighbors and family who are called "of color" to know that most people in the Powderhorn neighborhood do not share such racist and bigoted views. We welcome and treasure diversity. We share the pain caused by racism, bigotry and classism.

The Star Tribune should rethink its comments feature online. It has become an online version of right-wing talk radio.

SHAWNE FITZGERALD, MINNEAPOLIS

BOB JOHNSON, SHOREVIEW

John's world tour With John McCain going nearly apoplectic over the press coverage associated with Barack Obama's world tour, watch for him to announce a whirlwind tour of his own to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, British Honduras and the Soviet Union.

CRAIG LAUGHLIN, PLYMOUTH

I find it ironic that Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley is claiming "same old politics" in his July 22 letter. Essentially he is blaming the two dominant parties for playing politics. Isn't blaming the other party for not agreeing with you the height of "playing politics"? And he's doing it in stereo.

Since political parties began, they are nothing more than coalitions. People have to work together to get things done, and the party structure exists so that a new coalition doesn't have to be built for every little challenge that comes along.

Political parties are far from perfect. But the truth of the matter is, in our political structure, they work and have since this republic began. All of our country's heroes, except George Washington, were members of a political party -- Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. If parties didn't work, something would have replaced them by now. And in most cases -- and in particular the Ventura-only Independence Party -- they have failed more miserably than that which they meant to replace.

JEREMY POWERS, FRIDLEY

Katherine Kersten's July 23 column, "Are the Twin Cities ready for 'sleeping dragon'? Dream on," is more fear-mongering intended to prevent peaceful protesters from exercising their rights. There should be more columns about the real atrocities that have already occurred in Iraq instead of imagining ones for an upcoming convention.