Readers Write for Friday, Oct. 23

Mina Leierwood's Oct. 21 commentary, "A danger to our creativity," was as misleading as it was factually wrong.

At its core, art is an original creation. To present a tracing of another person's work as your own creation, as Shepard Fairey has done, is simply plagiarism and copyright infringement. It does not, and cannot, matter who owns the rights to the original creation -- it was not Shepard Fairey. Intellectual property laws exist to protect the rights of legitimate creators of works so that they might earn a living from their efforts.

Far from fleeing from those protections, creative people will go where they can realize their benefits. I can only hope that Leierwood is not promoting theft to her innocent students.

JOHN FECHENBACH, HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLO.

Once again Minneapolis -- this time in a commentary by City Council Members Betsy Hodges and Paul Ostrow, continues its propaganda war against the elderly police retirees who spent their lives keeping the city's citizens safe ("Minneapolis vs. pensions: An accounting," Oct. 20).

To clarify, a dispute about pension payments between the elderly police retirees and the city still exists. The city portrays itself as the victim in this dispute. A simple fact is the city has a $1.4 billion budget every year, which is far less than a $25,000 police widow pension. Who looks like the bully to you?

It is true that the state auditor has disputed the pension unit value, but the state auditor says the unit value is off by pennies, not more than $11 as the city contends.

The city's lawsuit is a direct attack on the vulnerable elderly police retirees, nothing more, nothing less. The same elderly retirees who gave their lives to make Minneapolis a safe place to live are not the problem; it is the spend-happy ways of city politicians.

MIKE SAURO, EDEN PRAIRIE;

DIRECTOR, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE

RELIEF ASSOCIATION

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It appears they take no responsibility for their votes or the votes of past City Councils for poor financial decisions.

Perhaps the entire council should look in the mirror and think about the raise its members are receiving before putting the blame for the city's poor financial status on the backs of fewer than 800 Minneapolis Fire and Police Department retirees or their widows.

NANCY HAGEN, NORTHFIELD, MINN.

Contrary to the allegations of Eileen Weber ("Seeking RN expertise at LPN prices," Oct. 19), the Minnesota Board of Nursing is not "under pressure to allow less-educated licensed practical nurses to do what registered nurses do now."

In 2002, Minnesota nursing educators requested that the Minnesota Board of Nursing address the issue of perceived differences between practical nursing practice, education and regulation in Minnesota.

While MNA might disagree with the approach to address the issue of incongruence and confusion, the purpose has been to ensure safety by clarity of roles.

GREGORY LANGASON, MINNEAPOLIS;

CHAIR, NURSING PRACTICE COMMITTEE

As a longtime subscriber of the Star Tribune, I read in astonishment the Oct. 22 article on the hunter who killed a 32-point deer with a bow and arrow. The article even reveals the details of how the animal was killed.

I am a nonhunter, so I'm not entirely objective regarding deer hunting, but does an article regarding the killing of a deer warrant front-page coverage?

RONALD RESNIK, BROOKLYN CENTER

As an election judge working in a location outside my voting area, I vote via absentee ballot. Here is how I voted and why:

I "hear" the silence from the incumbent Minneapolis mayor, R.T. Rybak. He refuses to debate his opponents; he must not be able to find his opponents for a chat.

His silence means that he is also not seeking to find me. His silence tells me that I should be listening to the candidates who are actually running for mayor. Those candidates managed to find me.

As a result, when I filled out my absentee ballot, I somehow could not find the oval adjacent to Rybak's name.

The Oct. 20 Letter of the Day, "Liberal intolerance costs Rush his dream of owning the Rams," nails racism's realities: Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

The "melanin-obsessed" Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson personify this adage.

Racism is an inclusive, human phenomenon -- neither exclusive to specific racial or ethnic groups, nor to specific political parties.

When it comes to racism, no one of us humans is holier-than-thou. Call it "rainbow racism."