Letters to the editor for Sunday, May 11

I am one of those 50-plus conservative Democratic career women who is an ardent Hillary contributor. I am not working class, black or uneducated. Yes, the odds are against Clinton now, but she is the one who can beat John McCain. Barack Obama will get creamed against McCain -- Dukakis revisited.

My vote will go to McCain if Obama is our nominee. McCain is already salivating, using Clinton's playbook. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, please change your superdelegate vote. Hillary Clinton is electable; Barack Obama is not.

CAROLINE MARX, MINNEAPOLIS

Not enough has been said during this campaign season about the insidious effect of Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" on the voting process itself, and on democracy in general.

Limbaugh and many of his followers fancy themselves as self-proclaimed patriots who love to ramble on about the sacrifices of our military to preserve democracy and "our way of life." Well, our way of life holds a person's vote in high regard, and most "patriots" are quick to point out that our system of voting is largely what separates us from many "lesser" countries around the globe.

Negating even one vote through his scurrilous actions, Limbaugh dishonors our system and our military, and spits on the system he professes to hold so dear. His followers who cross over to vote in the Democratic primary in order to "bloody the candidates" are guilty as well.

If Operation Chaos has been as large a success as Limbaugh claims it has been, he should be prosecuted.

In June 2007, I was fired from my job as a campus supervisor at Prior Lake High School.

In August 2006, I was advised that a "parent" had complained about a discussion I had with a Prior Lake High School "student." It was alleged that his parents were uncomfortable because our discussion involved sexual abstinence and orientation. In fact, I simply reinforced the values and decisions he already had made on his own. But more important, the "student" was not a student but a 19-year-old former student. Nonetheless, I received a written reprimand containing many directives.

In December 2006, a student approached me to ask advice about his bisexual girlfriend. I addressed his questions for about two minutes. A janitor who was present reported the conversation to the administration. I received a written reprimand, stating that I could not discuss my "position on pre-marital relationships and abstinence." The reprimand stated, "These conversations include conversations on and off School District property as well as conversations both during and outside of your work hours." I was then suspended for three days.

In addition, I was reprimanded for a humorous statement made to a lesbian student. The student was not offended and defended me to the administration.

Despite the fact that no student or parent has ever complained of my conduct involving any Prior Lake High School student -- either on or off campus (other than the parent of the adult former student) -- I was terminated on June 18, 2007.

CHRIS LIND, SAVAGE

Katherine Kersten's fallacious argument about Grand Theft Auto IV "glamorizing our dark impulses" and suggesting that playing the game may lead to the manifestation of Nazi-like behavior is completely ludicrous (column, May 4).

I'm a 32-year-old video game player who has played all of the Grand Theft Auto games. Despite Kersten's stereotyped accusation, I am a responsible and caring father of three, and I'm faithful to my wife. Kersten and other paranoid nongamers can rest assured that there are many happily married, responsible parents like me who play so-called "violent" video games but don't fantasize about murdering people, roughing up strippers or partaking in brutal Roman-styled torturing.

The idea that these games "glamorize our dark impulses" and violence is completely wrong. Instead, they seem to satirize these things by offering outrageous weapons, missions and characters that represent reality no more than an R-rated blockbuster shoot-em-up action movie.

ERIC JAYNE, APPLE VALLEY

A person who takes a gun, enters private land without permission and without a license, is under the influence of alcohol and/or marijuana, and shoots at something before identifying it, is not a hunter.

There are other words to describe someone like this. "Menace" would be one of them.

By calling this man a hunter, you give all legitimate hunters a bad name.