Open Forum

Thank you for the article of Sept. 26 regarding the Ageless Wonders. A number of our people play regularly in spite of physical infirmities.

We are remiss having not included Bonnie Muzik, Brainerd Parks and Recreation Department and Paul Bloom, Community Education, for their help in getting the Ageless Wonders program started and off the ground. The success of the program was and is because of their expertise.

Volleyball begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the First Baptist Church gym.

As to my long life, Proverbs 9:10-11, is an explanation: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by Me thy days shall be multiplied and the years of thy life increased."

Jack Phillips

Baxter

(Only one of the many wonders)

Children need to practice lessons

In the past few days, there have been a number of Vox Pop complaints from parents of too much homework for our local school children. Apparently they do not understand that it is the teacher's job to explain and/or demonstrate whatever subject is being taught and the children then need to practice that subject, be it reading, writing, or arithmetic.

Perhaps the complaining parents should be reminded that having the children complete their homework assignments is optional. If they should so opt, they then should have their children practice some very important phrases, such as "do you want fries with that?" or "Welcome to Wal-Mart," and don't forget to have them smile as they practice.

John Barthel

Baxter

Another Minnesota stadium plan

The Sunday paper had a cartoon that inspired me to think about financing of domes, etc. How about every new stadium built in a major metro area be required to have a minimum of beds (cots) and food (MRE)s and water (H2O), first aid medical and some monkey suits to cover victims' bare behinds, to be used in an emergency such as the gulf flood, or terrorist attack, chemical exposures etc.

If the Twin Cities area is hit with disaster each stadium should be required to be able to shelter a certain percentage of the entire population. The more stadiums the fewer beds they each need to provide.

Larry Roscoe

Brainerd

Why are churches not protesting?

It's surprising so many Christian churches allow the bloodbath that is Iraq to go on and on without protesting.

We've allowed people to come to power who aren't sane and their cults see no hypocrisy between an almost hysterical defense of embryos and fetuses, while vaporizing thousands of children, and killing men, women, and the earth. If Jesus were alive today, surely he'd be shocked or angered at what is happening. Likely he would sue nearly every Christian church for falsely using his name and philosophies, just like Motorola would sue me if I claimed anything in their name.

We've allowed the most sleazy and dishonest to come to power. We had the "thousand points of light" and a "kinder, gentler, nation" guy come to power. Then his worthless "compassionate conservative" son also. Between those two we've started three wars.

The fellow in between was only marginally better, blowing up an aspirin factory, and killing how many others to distract the nation from his personal problems. Wasn't this an act of U.S. terrorism?

We've waged continuous terrorism and war on Iraq and the Middle East for at least 14-15 years. Remember "shock and awe?" Terroristic slogans are as cheap as the people who use them.

After the lies of WMD, the goal was to remove Saddam Hussein, not that it was our business. He's gone, so why are we still there? If leaders don't have the intelligence to know how to get out, they should never go in. Iraqis aren't greeting us with flowers, as the insecure fascist "fibbers" in power would like us to believe, and we so willingly and gullibly accept, to assuage our own voting consciences.

Many people in Iraq long for the better days under Hussein. What does this say for us?

A. Martin

Merrifield