Preserve arctic wilderness

KELLY MORGAN

WATERLOO - I've just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in our American democracy. As a volunteer for Alaska Wilderness League, I learned more about issues affecting the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Teshekpuk Lake special area in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the threats to polar bears and other marine wildlife from potential offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

I had the opportunity to meet with Todd Wolf from U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley's office and would like to thank him for taking the time to meet with me. The future of these areas is important to all Americans because they belong to all of us.

We must address our current economic, energy and environmental problems by building a clean energy economy while preserving our most treasured wild places. There's a better way to repower America than continuing our dependence on fossil fuels; all it takes is a little American grit and determination. I urge Braley to join Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., as an original co-sponsor of the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (HR39) to grant the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge the strongest protections possible. We owe it to future generations.

Start laying more eggs

RICHARD NOCK

CEDAR FALLS - Hello, I'm Barack Obama, the Head Fox, and I say this to you: Many eggs in the national henhouse are missing; the weasels ran off with them. I and the representative foxes from each state are working to fix this crisis. We will "ask" our state and local henhouses to "donate" more eggs to the national egg market to replenish the missing eggs to benefit the big business foxes. That will stimulate local egg-laying, resulting in more donations to the national egg depository. Any eggs too small to use will be returned to the local egg layers as a "token" of our appreciation. All will be well. I promise.

No one saw this shortage coming. Imagine that! The missing eggs just disappeared, as if by magic. I will look into it. I promise. We will punish those nasty weasels. Yes, we can! You bet!

Yes, the new cabinet fox I choose to oversee the national egg treasury did fail to donate enough eggs to the national depository until an unfortunate "oversight" was discovered. Let me say this about that.

Oh, wait! I just got a call from the military foxes. They say the weasels were spotted running from cave to cave in Afghanistan. Bombs away! Got to go. See you later. Oops, my fox advisers now believe the weasels may have slipped into Iran. Bombs away! It's gonna take more eggs, folks. Start laying!

Can't agree with editorial

CARL VANDER KOOI, M.D.

CEDAR FALLS - Regarding your editorial on March 12, on embryonic stem cell funding: I disagree with your conclusions for two reasons. First, adult stem cells, including those taken from the umbilical cord, have already been shown to help more than 70 diseases. Embryonic stem cells have no cures and cause cancer. Why not keep putting resources into something that is working?

Second, this is at the core an ethical decision. You rightly state that it is not a crime, but is it morally right to kill an innocent human for pragmatic reasons? You assume that the production of excess embryos is also morally right. I disagree. Pragmatism (utilitarianism) or public opinion is a poor way to decide ethical dilemmas. Even your headline, using the all encompassing term "stem cells," indicates that you do not present your case objectively. Public opinion polls would vary on the knowledge and the way questions are asked. For instance, if asked "Do you want to develop potential new cures?" or "Do you want to kill a human to develop cures?" people would respond differently.

Finally, President Barack Obama stated that the prior restriction on funding was done for political and sectarian ideological reasons. How cynical, disrespectful and misleading for someone like me, who has tried to carefully think through the ethics. I weep for my society that calls wrong right.

Madoff, legislators are alike

JOHN SCHLIMMER

JANESVILLE - These many people who feel that Bernie Madoff should receive a severe sentence need to consider reality. Folks gave him money with the expectation that he would take reasonable care with it and that they would receive a reasonable return on their investment. So how different is Madoff's handling of people's money from what legislators do with tax revenue (even revenue that won't be collected for decades, possibly centuries)? The only real difference is people gave Madoff their money voluntarily; that's not the case with taxes.

Now, start salivating for severe incarceration of the tax-and-spend legislators and stop worrying about Bernie.