Letters to the editor for Tuesday, April 29, 2008

My prediction: Al Franken will soon noisily withdraw from the Senate race while trashing the Republican Party for diverting attention from his message of returning competence to the U.S. Senate toward his tax problems.

Then, after writing a book -- "What's Wrong with Our Election System and the Misleading Misleaders Who Run It," he will return to the airwaves -- able to reintroduce himself to his admirers as a former Senate candidate and converse about what might have been.

He will become a Pagliacci-like figure who will claim his promising campaign was tragically derailed by the Republican-dominated local newspaper that brazenly printed stories about his past trivial bookkeeping oversights.

It seems like a future befitting our once-great former Minnesotan.

RAY ROSSBERG, EDEN PRAIRIE

Carrying GOP's water I am an enthusiastic supporter of Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Al Franken's competitor for the DFL Senate nomination. Despite that, I find your recent coverage of Franken trivial and slanted toward smear.

Nobody who knows Franken could believe that it was his intention to stiff his workers or avoid paying taxes owed. He had an accounting problem -- end of story.

Please drop this gossip and begin covering a serious Senate race.

CHARLES UNDERWOOD, MINNEAPOLIS

CNN should be commended for bringing us full coverage of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's speech at the NAACP Convention. Given how important the reverend has become in the presidential campaign, this was the only way to bring the discussion up out of the muck.

As a 90-year-old Catholic woman, I have to say that Wright was coming from a place I am not terribly familiar with.

As someone living in a pluralistic democracy, though, I think I have some obligation to understand how honest and well-meaning people unlike me think and feel. By passing judgment without at least trying to put myself in their shoes, I would not only be denying myself an opportunity to grow in grace and wisdom, but I would justify those who would judge me through ignorance and intolerance.

Listen to him I am frustrated with the public's lack of diligence to truly inform themselves of current issues vs. the quick-hit news stories being used to form important opinions. Case in point: the Barack Obama/Rev. Wright controversy.

Having listened to Wright being interviewed by Bill Moyers on PBS and learning more about his service to the country as a Marine, I found him to be informed, thought-provoking and patriotic.

Isn't this the kind of dialogue needed to address our many national issues in an open, inclusive manner?

DAVID WAGY, SHOREWOOD

With the rising global food costs from competition with corn-based ethanol, we are seeing a classic case of unintended consequences caused by actions based on good intentions. Since good farmland is a limited resource, let's stop calling ethanol a "renewable" energy source.

Let's phase out the subsidies. And to fight higher oil prices, why not start producing oil from Alaska, the continental United States and offshore? Increased supply will lower prices and discourage speculation, an important factor in recent price increases.

Now, there are two ways to give us a permanent "economic stimulus" package.

RICHARD J. PETSCHAUER, EDINA

The April 27 Star Tribune has impressed me with its tale of the money the Minnesota Twins stand to gain from the new stadium being financed primarily by the taxpayers of Hennepin County.

Carl Pohlad, already one of the richest men in the United States, will be raking in tens of millions of dollars each year at the expense of the people in Hennepin County, most of whom will never be able to afford to actually enjoy a game in the stadium.

EUGENE J. KELLY, ROBBINSDALE

One is enough How can Sid Hartman lecture Minnesotans about funding a new Vikings stadium (Star Tribune, July 27)? In the same paper, there is an article about how much wealthier Carl Pohlad will be with his new taxpayer-funded Twins ballpark. At the same time, Minnesota taxpayers can barely pay for their food, gas or housing.

WILLIAM SMITH, PLYMOUTH

I am appalled to think that the Bush administration would even be considering a military confrontation with Iran (Star Tribune, April 26). Hasn't it learned anything from the Iraq debacle?

There are enough moderates in Iranian society who don't want confrontations with us, and we must appeal to them through our own moderate feelings to keep war off the front burner.