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It was no surprise that Flowers defended Obama and Wright

Is anyone surprised that on Easter Sunday, Shanna Flowers defended Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright ("Furor over sermons needs more context," March 23 column)? I didn't think so.

She implied we need to listen to Wright's entire sermon before we rush to judgment. Well, no thanks. I don't think I could stomach an entire sermon listening to that kind of hate-filled language.

Of course, like so many defenders of Obama, she mentions Jerry Falwell blaming 9/11 on America. Falwell's comment was a one-time-only statement. He was pressured by the media to apologize. Have the media done the same to Wright? Of course not. They have tip-toed around the whole situation.

I think the Rev. Wright (and I use the term "Rev." loosely) is a person we should fear. He spews anti-American, anti-white and anti-government rhetoric. We should question the judgment of any person attending his church, and especially of a person seeking the office of president of the United States.

I canceled The Roanoke Times last year due to its liberal bias, but because my husband reads the sports I gave in and resubscribed. How stupid. If I want to read junk, I'll read the National Enquirer.

Only the negative school stories see print

I was disappointed to see the March 15 "Boxed-in lunch" story on Patrick Henry High School's cafeteria, casting yet another negative view the paper tends to shed on Roanoke city schools. The safety measures and resource officers are there for the security of all in today's world where school safety is a real issue nationwide.

On March 13, I attended a wonderful event honoring 46 outstanding Roanoke high school seniors. The Scholars' Recognition Dinner recognized these outstanding students and their own selected "scholar mentors" from the Roanoke City Public Schools system -- people who provided them inspiration and encouragement. Every one of these students has achieved remarkable things in his or her academic career, and I thank the city schools for celebrating their success.

Where was coverage of this positive story in The Roanoke Times?

Patrick Henry High School parent

Don't cage our schoolchildren

I read the article on Patrick Henry High School ("Boxed-in lunch," March 15 feature story). I was so upset. It made me cry to see the children behind bars.

Why are not all the parents putting up a fight on the cage? Our children and grandchildren are not animals. What if there was a fire or a shooting? What is wrong with the system? Do we not love our children?

Relief criticism was based on inaccuracies

Your March 23 editorial "Katrina's victims continue to suffer" relies on a March 14 Associated Press article regarding ICF International that was plagued with blatant factual errors.

We know that after the storm, no program is fast enough. But that story failed to acknowledge the significant progress made to date: The Road Home program has distributed $6 billion to more than 100,000 people in Louisiana, already the largest amount for housing reconstruction in U.S. history, at a pace nine months ahead of the schedule originally estimated by the state.

You ridicule our explanation concerning the increase in the ceiling amount of our contract to administer the Road Home program, ignoring that it was not a "raise" for ICF and certainly not negotiated in secret, as the AP falsely stated. It simply represented the increased amount required to pay our many subcontractors for the additional costs of processing the greater-than-expected number of applicants at the negotiated rate of our original contract.

Had you understood these facts, we think you would agree there is no reason for anyone to be "understandably flabbergasted" by the amendment to our contract.

Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Development ICF International

Cartoonist dares to mock God

In the March 12 comic strip "Dilbert," it appears that Scott Adams has some biblical knowledge as he characterizes this new character Hay-Soos as being the saver of Databases in search of 12 people to join him.

The Jesus I know is the only person who can save anyone. The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.

The Bible says we must have a strong and steadfast belief in the trustworthy message we are taught; then we will be able to encourage others with right teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. As Adams mocks God, let him know he will face judgment. I pray for enlightenment to the truth, as it would seem he is somewhat curious. I pray his hardened, obviously calloused, heart gets softened.

Give the public as good as it's giving others

I saw on the Internet that Medicare will be unable to pay full benefits by the year 2019 and Social Security by the year 2041. It's sad to think that this system we live under can spend billions of dollars on a stupid war and can't spend a dime on health care and retirement benefits for the people living in this country.

We should have the same benefits that the people running the system have. After all, we're paying for it. That's right, I said system we live under. I remember when it seemed as though it was a government by the people and for the people, and now it's nothing more than a system of lies and corruption.

It doesn't really make any difference who one votes for, it seems. After they get elected, they become part of the system.

War brings lots of costs but few answers

The dearest cost of any military conflict is the loss of civilian life -- the loss of innocent people who had nothing to do with this conflict.

The second greatest loss in this war is the loss of pertinence of the American Constitution, specifically with regard to due process for crimes perpetrated by the executive branch of our government and the collusion of the legislative branch by doing nothing about it.

The third greatest cost is in the deaths and the deeply disturbed lives of those who have served in this war; they and their families will be forever altered.

When will we learn that war is seldom the best answer?

Give the peasants some needed breaks

Bush's proposed $600 tax rebate to stimulate a sagging economy in reality is nothing more than a cheap buy-off of a peasantry with whom he has long since broken faith.

There are two ways the economy can be bolstered. First, allow credit card interest -- without having to take a second mortgage on your home -- as a deduction when filing year-end tax returns. Second, have the government put a $1.50 per gallon cap on gasoline.

Both measures would put more money in the hands of the consumer which, in turn, would free up dollars for places other than the gas tank.