Readers Write for Monday, April 13

Why do we need a second U.S. senator from Minnesota? Sen. Amy Klobuchar has found the time in her busy schedule to accompany Sen. John McCain on a congressional "fact-finding" junket to Vietnam. Pure pork!

Earmarks are pork; congressional junkets are pork. Klobuchar should stay home until the Norm Coleman-Al Franken Senate race is resolved.

ARTHUR E. HIGINBOTHAM, MINNEAPOLIS

Prevention pays: That's the mantra of public health. Some youths in St. Paul have taken the admonition to heart. They successfully advocated eliminating candy cigarettes and bubble gum packed in lookalike chewing tobacco tins from markets in their city. These kids have the right idea.

Making tobacco use socially acceptable is one of the tobacco industry's greatest and most unfortunate victories. It has managed to turn a useless product that kills tens of thousands of people into a fashion statement, a right of passage or an article of rebellion. The work of the St. Paul teens to undermine that social acceptability is good work. These youths are true public health workers. Thanks to them and the City Council. I hope other cities follow their lead.

JEAN L. FORSTER, ST. PAUL

In spite of the fact that Minnesota is vastly in debt, I see our legislators are proposing to make things worse by passing yet another bonding bill.

Minnesota needs to learn to live within its means and stop buying and building on credit.

BRUCE NEWMAN, MANKATO

I was very disappointed that the April 9 article on elevation mapping ("Offshoring Minnesota map work,") detracted attention from the immense good that high-resolution digital elevation data are bringing to Minnesota.

Recent examples include the use of the data to quickly determine the sandbag lines for the Fargo flood and to efficiently select and install projects to clean up water in Blue Earth County.

As we enter 25 years of Legacy Amendment funding of clean-water projects, these data are needed across the whole state, not just in the Red River Basin, the southeast and the patchwork of primarily metro counties that currently have it. Topographic maps have been around for centuries. Bringing them into the digital age is essential if we are to do all of the water-related and other projects that depend on accurate, computer-based elevation data.

We have been studying genocide in my social studies class. We are also watching "Hotel Rwanda." I am amazed by how horrible the living conditions were -- and still are -- for people, and by how many innocent people were --and still are -- being killed.

The genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been going on for many years, but not many people seem to know about it. More than 1 million people have been displaced. Hundreds of people have been killed, and thousands of women and girls have been raped. Innocent people are dying and being tortured for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with them. If more people knew what was going on, it would be easier to get someone to do something about it.

SEBASTIAN HART, MINNETONKA

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is one of America's treasures and is part of our National Park System. Regrettably, as American Rivers and the St. Croix River Association pointed out ("Could St. Croix River become St. Crud?" April 5), that designation doesn't always equal protection.

To ensure that residents and visitors can continue to enjoy the river, including its recreational and inspirational benefits in this time of economic stress, we need to work together for its protection. Development must be handled carefully, and the day-to-day needs of commuters balanced with the important, long-term preservation of this local and national treasure. It can be done.