Readers Write (Aug. 5): The U.S. Bank Stadium experience, GMO labeling, Obama's decorum, reporting sex abuse, elections, protesters

Turned on the TV to watch the first sporting event in U.S. Bank Stadium. Action was continuous, fast, colorful and electric. Oh, didn't I say that it was a soccer match? I was just referring to the constant advertising bombardment and distraction of the electronic signage all around the field, on the edge of the stands, throughout the match. NFL and Minnesota Vikings — please spare us from this during your games, or does money rule in raking in revenue for advertising?

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I went to the new U.S. Bank Stadium on Wednesday evening expecting to see a soccer game. What I saw instead was the back of people's heads blocking a soccer game. If you are in the upper deck and there are adults seated in front of you, you will be sitting in an obstructed-view seat. If you don't want to be bobbing and weaving for two hours, a third of the field will unviewable at any given moment. The makers of this stadium must have figured people would be happy watching half of the game on the Jumbotron. I was not. I'd like my family's $300 back, Mr. Wilf.

In his Aug. 4 commentary "We have national GMO label law, so let's look ahead," Cargill CEO David MacLennan says the company "needs to respect people's choices about what they eat." But as part of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Cargill has helped block state-level GMO mandatory labeling initiatives and took legal action to stop Vermont's GMO labeling law.

MacLennan writes that the federal GMO labeling law signed by President Obama last week "is about helping consumers make informed choices." But instead of requiring only clear, on-package labeling, the law gives the food industry the option to use QR codes, 800 numbers or websites for consumers to track down what they're eating. While MacLennan touts QR codes as a great tool for consumers, this option is blatantly discriminatory. A recent survey found that only 65 percent of Americans have a smartphone, with significantly lower ownership among low-income, rural and senior populations. Recently, university researchers found that fewer than half of consumers would scan a QR code to find out if a food contained GMOs.

An FDA analysis found the new law so poorly written that many GMOs may not be labeled and future food technologies such as synthetic biology would not be covered. Lastly, the law has no enforcement mechanism.

MacLennan writes that agribusiness should "better tell the story of food." Let's hope that QR codes — instead of greater openness and clarity — aren't how that story will be told.

The act of rolling up one's sleeves and getting dirty in support of a specific campaign as well as denouncing an opponent from the opposite party, no matter how incredibly justified that may be, just seems to tarnish the office. With others around the world shaking collective heads at what they are witnessing, Obama, now more than ever, needs to show decorum and solidity — to Americans and non-Americans alike.

Please, Mr. President, for all our sake, please look and be presidential until noon on Jan. 20. Lord knows you should have enough to do.

We are deeply grateful to the two brave men, now 16 and 21, who sued the former head of a Bloomington film company where they were sexually abused as boys. ("Two brothers are awarded $2.1 million from talent agent in sexual-abuse case," July 29). We hope their courage will prod other victims to step forward.

We suspect that many predators, like Matthew David Feeney, who was convicted of these crimes, gravitate toward "talent agencies" that claim to promote young "potential stars." Like churches and other institutions, companies that ignore or conceal suspected child sex crimes must be held responsible. These two young men are a rarity. Usually, it takes decades for abuse victims to realize they've been exploited, the harm is severe, the impact is long-lasting and the crimes are apt to be repeated. So they especially deserve praise for understanding all this quickly and taking action to expose wrongdoers and protect others.

The writer is director of SNAP — the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

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So John Howe, a candidate in next week's Republican primary in the Second Congressional District, is committed to "common sense" ("Howe gives GOP a pragmatic pick," Aug. 2). What does that mean? What passes for common sense too often just reflects unexamined opinions and prejudices. A few weeks ago on the Star Tribune's own opinion page ("You Don't Say," June 13), W. Somerset Maugham was quoted: "Common-sense appears to be only another name for the thoughtlessness of the unthinking. It is made up of the prejudices of childhood, the idiosyncrasies of individual character and the opinion of the newspapers." While political decisions, by their very nature, are often based on collective values or requirements for an orderly society, I prefer that otherwise our representatives approve legislation and budgets based on empirical data and carefully examined thoughts rather than commonly held prejudices or unexamined opinions.

A man who I work with, an African-American, was in one of the first protests, this one on Interstate 94. He was in the front ranks, facing the police, when rocks and bottles flew over his head from behind, aimed at the police. He turned to see who threw them and saw a number of people running away. He then turned back to the police, who eyed him menacingly. My friend was well-aware when he joined this demonstration that he could be arrested. But I don't think he was ready to be pummeled because of the actions of others.

Protest is part of the American tradition, and peaceful protest is the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but an effort has to be made to distinguish nonviolent protesters from rowdies, who, after all, are only there to see how much trouble they can cause ("St. Paul police union decries 'absolutely disgusting' behavior by some protesters," StarTribune.com, Aug. 4). Technology can help pinpoint this group if other marchers photograph them as they flee, which I don't think they would like, and then let's see if they are also willing to be arrested. I'm not so sure their courage extends that far.