Readers Write for Thursday, Aug. 13

It seems funny that our "unbiased" news media never criticized the protesters who were hollering and screaming whenever someone from the Bush administration was trying to make a speech. In fact, the media helped spread this trash when President Bush was compared to Adolf Hitler. The TV news shows could not wait to air some screaming moron belittling the president.

Now it seems that our "unbiased" news media have a different view of protesters.

HAROLD OLSON, MINNEAPOLIS

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I am curious where all the anger and shouting is coming from on the health care debate. I hear the screams of "socialism" and "government control," and I wonder: Where were all these angry folks during the passing of the Patriot Act?

I guess its OK to bug American citizens' phones, track their spending and see what books they checked out of the library, but it's not OK to have a discussion about health care? How odd for us.

MARK MERSHON, MINNEAPOLIS

Sadly, recent public debate has led me to believe that many adults in our society don't have the intellectual rigor to understand proposed reforms or have a fleeting grip on reality. For any serious-minded adult to take claims of death panels or communism as fact is disturbing.

In addition, it is interesting how people have been so upset with the idea of a public option or government health care. They talk as if this were to happen our nation would likely collapse into a communist state. I am sorry; has nobody heard of Medicare before?

THOMAS LUCY, ST. PAUL

Eunice Kennedy Shriver was one of those people who showed us what it means to be a public servant without being elected. She is well known for her public work with the Special Olympics, but she was also, according to her husband, Sarge, the visionary and inspiration behind VISTA, the domestic Peace Corps.

Earlier this year the Kennedy Serve America Act passes and was signed by President Obama. It expands National Service and volunteerism. We can all model the Kennedys and make a commitment to serve.

Seems to me that Hennepin County is very wisely spending its money to help house chronic inebriates at Anishinabe Wakiagun ("Not always sober, but safe," Aug. 12). Cheaper than detox, safer than living on the streets, providing in-house medical care, private rooms, safe housing and hot meals, all for less than emergency calls on the street.

Do the math, even if you don't believe in the philosophy of helping those who need it most.

ANN MARIE MCINTIRE, HUDSON, WIS.

On Saturday, we received notice that three parking lots at the University of Minnesota will be designated preferred parking to the tune of $225 per vehicle for Gopher hockey.

This is outrageous and, frankly, discriminatory. They are telling me that I'm good enough to spend the $1,200 for two season tickets, but not good enough to park in the lot that I have been for the last six years or so. Why? The lot that I park in was doubled in size for football parking last year. It's never filled for hockey.

DAN ONDICH, ROSEMOUNT

In "Golf: It's more than just a game" (Opinion Exchange, Aug. 9), Max Heerman lists a number of reasons but I think falls short of proving that golf is a sport. I would like to suggest some more convincing benchmarks.

Like all other sports, golfers confront one another with spirited trash talk. They engage in hero worship and argue about various professional players' abilities and value. They purchase expensive equipment designed to overcome athletic ineptness. They avoid productive activities to sit in front of a TV and watch others perform at a level they never did and never will attain.

Two 25-year-olds riding around in a cart with a beer in each hand, that's a game. What's going on at Hazeltine this week -- that's a sport.