And send Hartmann to Russia: After reading your article [Ray Hartmann, "Justice for John Ashcroft?" RFT, Dec. 27], I conclude that John Ashcroft is just the man we need for the job of U.S. attorney general. I would guess that you probably like Janet Reno.
As for Ray Hartmann and his leftist-communist friends, I recommend that they leave the country and go to Russia and live over there. It's more than time for the right-wingers to have their day. Bring on John Ashcroft! He's got a lot of work to do cleaning up the residual slime created by the most corrupt administration that this country has ever known!
Walter Windham
via the Internet
Fascists in motion: Ashcroft is about to be assaulted by the feminazis, the race Nazis, the anti-Christian Nazis and the elite-media Nazis. These fascists on the left will use the Goebbels playbook to publicly assassinate Ashcroft in the same way they assassinated Judge Bork and Justice Thomas.
People who pray, like Ashcroft, have just as much right to serve publicly as people like Sen. Joseph Lieberman, and I regret deeply that you and you staff would become involved in something as slimy as this pending character assassination. You are disgusting!
L. Espenshade
via the Internet
You're smearing a good man: What a screwed-up article! Anything to smear someone who is a good person.
Half of the stuff you talk about is not true or is very slanted. John Ashcroft has a extremely good record on civil rights in Missouri. Why didn't you write about that? Because you are a smearing a good man that you know is good. I guess you thought Janet Reno was a wonderful attorney general. She wasn't anything but a bagwoman for the Clintons.
Robert S. Meyer
via the Internet
Who's Counting?
The Pilgrim reference sounded familiar: In "The Buck Stops Here," [Bruce Rushton, RFT, Dec. 27], I found this sentence: "Although no one can say for certain, biologists believe there are more whitetails in Missouri today than when the Pilgrims landed." A warning bell rang in my head when I read it, because the sweeping statement sounded tremendously familiar.
After a few minutes of thought, I remembered a story from the Dec. 25 issue of the New York Times. In "Plan to Kill Coyotes Divides Colorado," Todd Malmsbury of the Colorado Division of Wildlife is quoted as saying, "There are more coyotes in this country now than when the Pilgrims landed." This is clearly a catchphrase among those who favor hunting. It sounds very impressive, but what does it really mean?
Where does this idea come from? Are there any statistics to back it up? Isn't it much more likely that nobody knows anything about the wildlife population in states like Missouri and Colorado over 300 years ago? Until I see recent, well-documented research which backs up this statement, I'm going to regard it as bombastic hyperbole. I'm sure other readers who keep encountering it will do so also.
Kiwi Carlisle
St. Louis
Stolen Elections
History forgives thieves: Fred Boeneker's letter ["Beat This!" RFT, Dec. 27] cannot go unanswered. Freddie B. wrote: "History will not look kindly upon the Election 2000 experience."
Horse cookies!
All aspects of history have a habit of repeating themselves. It is a well known fact that the 1960 presidential election was stolen by Kennedy, who benefited from the Democratic Central Committee juggling the total Illinois vote (mainly in Chicago). Does history look unfavorably on that election? No. Nor will history look unfavorably on the 2000 election.
Richard H. Gerding
Sappington
Better to Give
Cards ownership could learn from Symphony benefactors: The next time someone tells you that the Cardinal owners are just trying to help the St. Louis community, ask yourself which is better: the Taylor family of Enterprise Leasing giving the Symphony $40 million or the Cincinnati-based ownership of the Cardinals demanding $350 million.
Harold Bruker
St. Louis
Motoring Morons
Thanks for the bad press: Thanks a lot for, once again, publicizing the stupid, childish acts of yet another group of morons who are succeeding in their efforts to make all motorcyclists look like criminals [Bruce Rushton, "Speed Demons," RFT, Dec. 13].
You and your paper are just as guilty as they are. Hundreds of clubs and organizations are fighting a losing battle for public acceptance every day because this kind of crap gets free print. This type of stupidity has caused insurance rates for safe, sane and legal riders to skyrocket. Manufacturers are forced to put performance limits on motorcycles because the only time you hear about some megacycle is when it hurts somebody.
Please find something more constructive to publish about motorcyclists in the future. We really don't need any more bad press.
Tim Rinkerman
Seymour, Conn.
Streetfighterz should rent a lot or track: The article just plain pissed me off. Here are people who endanger innocent people on public roads. As a motorcycle rider and a drag racer, I find this kind of behavior is what gives a negative image to the sport I love. Instead of giving undeserved light to lawbreakers, how about showing them in court, getting their license taken away for about five years?
I have nothing against them riding like that or hurting themselves, if they choose to and if it's done in a controlled atmosphere. Let them rent a parking lot or a racetrack.
Kevin Ray
Mt. Vernon, Ind.
Bikers have enough trouble living down stereotypes: A motorcycle is like a car or, for that matter, a firearm, which, in the wrong hands, is a lethal weapon. If these "crotch-rocket aficionados," as you call them, were using firearms, would the RFT be hailing them as "firearm aficionados" or as "gun nuts" and cry out that firearms should be banned?
Performing antics such as these on public highways only serves to anger the general public and give them the ammunition needed to place even more restrictions on motorcycles and motorcyclists. It wasn't very long ago that a Missouri state senator introduced legislation to ban "crotch rockets" (the very bikes the Streetfighterz ride) because a friend's son was injured on his newly purchased crotch rocket while traveling at a high rate of speed.
Before anyone thinks I dislike motorcycles, I own two and have owned as many as five at one time. I ride 10,000-plus miles per year and have been riding for over 25. Motorcyclists have a hard enough time still trying to live down the Hollywood Easy Rider stereotype without articles such as this.
J.N. Benignus
St. Peters