Readers Write (Jan. 13): Violence, sperm donor, art reviews, Sack cartoon

In "Video games cause violence? Unproven, Jan. 10," Christopher Ferguson exonerates video games as a cause of youth violence, but I remain skeptical. I'm convinced, though, that pervasive media violence is linked to rare and spectacular incidents like mass killings, whether committed by game-inspired youths or others.

I'm reminded of an incident in India years ago, where I followed current events in the many English newspapers. While we were in Gujarat state, an Australian missionary and his two young sons were murdered when their car was set afire by religious zealots with a gripe.

A thoughtful Indian got his opinion letter published, cautioning that all the hateful rhetoric about doing harm to -- even killing -- those with conflicting beliefs would predictably bring the rare nut out of the bushes to do just that.

It put labeling abortion providers as murderers in a new light and offered some understanding of the crazy snipers and bombers out to get them. So it is with media violence: too much of that, and people who go over the edge will fall in that direction with an implanted sense of justification.

We are being entertained at great cost to society.

RON CARLSON, LAKE ST. CROIX BEACH

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My response: Advertising increases sales? Proven. Is this connection the likely result of confirmation bias?

DALE R. SCHWIE, RICHFIELD

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I am a high school student and completely agree with Ferguson that violent video games do not cause violence. However, exposing children and young teens to violence before they can understand its seriousness must be addressed.

Video games are rated by the ESRB -- the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Television shows use parental guidelines controlled by the FCC to rate programs. Movies also have their own rating system, dictated by the Motion Picture Association of America. No wonder parents get confused about rating guidelines.

MOLLY BRENNER, PLYMOUTH

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So Mikki Morrissette, who founded the ChoiceMoms.org website and held herself out as an expert on single women having children on their own, at one point wanted taxpayers to be on the hook for her child's health care ("Just the sperm donor, or the legal dad?" Jan. 6). Perhaps she should have considered whether to have a child or start her business.

SUZANNE B. LIBSON, MINNEAPOLIS

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DAN SULLIVAN, MINNEAPOLIS

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The Jan. 6 editorial cartoon on the debt ceiling by Steve Sack was an insult to Star Tribune readers. The obvious implication was that the debt-ceiling crisis has been brought about solely by Republican demands. A letter to the editor on the same page by James Haugen was more informed and much less biased. Haugen blamed voters for electing people interested in their own political future rather than doing what's best for the country. Instead of trying to blame the political party we disagree with, let's examine our own conscience.

ANDY WESTERHAUS, BURNSVILLE

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MARK LASSWELL, EAGAN

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I'm a lifelong conservative Republican with a warning for my party. Our marriage with the gun lobby and the NRA is a fatal attraction. The public knows that without guns, a room full of students cannot be murdered. The public never hears of a drive-by stabbing, but as many as 25 Americans a day are fatally gunned down. The public is understanding that the gun lobby and the NRA are merchants of death. And when the mood finally shifts, as it will, people will vote for liberals even if they disagree with their doctrine because they don't want their kids fatally shot at school or a movie theater. This will leave the GOP with only the gun nuts.

Let us get ahead of this issue before the worm turns. Most guns used in massacres have only one purpose -- to kill people. If we have the political will, guns can be eliminated without violation of the Second Amendment. We are on the wrong side of this issue. The Republican Party must be the party of life and not the party of death.