Readers Write (Aug. 15): "Sesame Street" on HBO, Minneapolis street markings, Iran nuclear deal and Israel, papal visit, fishing in Minnesota

PBS just announced that "Sesame Street" will appear first on HBO starting this fall ("Now brought to you by the letters H-B-O," Aug. 14). Do we need a more clear way to define income inequality? If I can afford it, my children will see the newest shows. If not, it will be months (if ever) before they see the same content.

PBS has good financial reasons for taking this action. However, does this action fit its own mission statement? "PBS and our member stations are America's largest classroom, the nation's largest stage for the arts and a trusted window to the world. In addition, PBS' educational media helps prepare children for success in school and opens up the world to them in an age-appropriate way."

I live between 26th and 28th Streets in Minneapolis with my three young boys. For decades, these streets have been too wide with speeding traffic that is unsafe, noisy and polluting. They have been very difficult to cross on foot and have been death traps for biking. They have hurt quality of life for residents like my family. A couple of years ago, a 4-year-old boy, Jose Manuel Parra Rodriguez, was killed crossing 26th Street near Stewart Park. Kids should be able to go to the park without being killed.

I want to thank the city for making recent improvements to both streets, which include narrower streets, bike lanes and new pedestrian crossings. Though recent letter writers have been critical ("… room for confusion and frustration," Aug. 13) the changes have been a big improvement for my neighborhood and my family. It's great to be able to comfortably bike on these streets with my boys to connect to the Midtown Greenway. (I don't live on a street with direct access). It's easier to cross the street, and traffic is noticeably calmer. I also would add since the issues of obesity and diabetes are so present, creating bike lanes on these streets provides the opportunity to address health inequities within our communities. I'm glad the city decided that local residents' health and safety matter enough to have made these changes.

It is disheartening, to say the least, to see almost every letter submitter expressing support for the Iran deal use the opportunity to discredit and malign Israel, and accuse Americans who oppose the deal of disloyalty or worse. Last week, a writer accused Chuck Schumer, a Jewish U.S. senator who opposes the deal, of "treason," and referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "crazed." On Friday, a writer expressed the opinion that the deal "is to Israel's advantage," with no supporting analysis, then went on to castigate Israel for "abusing the civil rights of Palestinians."

That intelligent people continue to argue in favor of the deal by venomously attacking Israel and its supporters is disconcerting — more so because these attacks have little merit. The Palestinians living in Israel have the highest standard of living, and enjoy more benefits of a democratic society, than do Arabs living anywhere in the Middle East, followed closely by those living in the West Bank. The lives of those living in Gaza would also be much improved if they could free themselves from the grips of Hamas, but that is unlikely to happen as long as people like these writers look at events in the Middle East with anti- Israel biases.

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The writer is executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

I am delighted to hear that so many are scrambling to be present for Pope Francis' address to Congress ("Hottest Ticket in Washington? Seeing pope at the Capitol," Aug. 14). Then, thinking about the members of Congress and, particularly, the leaders, I wonder if this is just all about fascination with and desire to see a religious celebrity. Will those members who support the death penalty, who chose to withhold health insurance from poor children, who voted to cut food stamps despite the rise in child poverty, who have kept their heads in the sand about climate change, and who reject diplomatic efforts and beat the war drums actually listen to what Francis has to say? I hope that his Holiness' appearance before Congress will not be just another Washington photo-op. I hope that all members of Congress who hear him will take his messages to heart and act accordingly.

The recent closing of the walleye fishery at Lake Mille Lacs reminded me of another long-neglected problem facing those of us who love to fish and at the same time embrace all that an ever-growing, increasingly intrusive state government can provide to its citizenry.

That problem is the fact that Minnesota does not have a fishing commissioner. Separate and apart from the duties of the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, this would be an ad absurdum position to settle fishing disputes that arise from time to time by the very nature of the sport.

The need for someone to settle once and for all what is allowed and what is not when telling fish stories is self-evident. As we have all experienced, fishermen (the term is all-inclusive) have a tendency to exaggerate and in many instances outright lie. How many times has a 15-inch walleye mysteriously grown from when it was caught on Saturday to 19 or 20 inches by the time of the first coffee break Monday morning at the office? Or how about the guy who claims to have caught his limit — when in fact he caught the right number of fish but had to throw them all back because they didn't fit the slot limit?

Come March when the Legislature is once again in session, I hope to see members from both parties eagerly supporting this common-sense suggestion.