Letters, 9/23: Facts about penguins

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Creationists, when they’re telling biologists how to teach biology, don’t apparently seem to feel the need to be encumbered by any biological knowledge themselves. Case in point: Ward Hill in a recent letter tells us that penguins would hate the tropics and “would long for a rendezvous on an ice float north of the Arctic Circle.”

Alas, for Hill, there are indeed penguins that live right on the equator (on the Galapagos Islands), but none that lives north of the Arctic Circle. Penguins are Southern Hemisphere birds. Must have been a long swim from Mount Ararat!

Gerard Harbison, Hallam

A shot at government

Those who subscribe to Grover Norquist’s aim to shrink “government” until it can be “drowned in a bathtub” just got a real glimpse of this vision in New Orleans.

To paraphrase another simplistic slogan: Government doesn’t kill people. Arrogant, short-sighted, profiteering, dissembling, violence-prone, uncreative, self-serving cronyism kills people.

J. Christopher Blake, Lincoln

Commercials offend

Extreme violence, explicit sexual images and adult situations all characterized the television viewing of Nebraska football on a recent Saturday evening. However, these things weren’t part of the game itself, but rather the commercials that were played throughout the football game.

Thankfully, my children decided to go outside and play with friends rather than watch the game. Had they not, my finger would have continued to stay on the remote to change the channel at a moment’s notice rather than let them see some of the images that played during commercial breaks.

I spent a recent Saturday at the college football game, spending money and supporting the program. Families are doing this every week.

If families choose to support games from home by viewing them on television, it should be expected that appropriate viewing images are played throughout the game, including commercials. I hope attention can be given to this matter to preserve the integrity of family viewing of NCAA sporting events and Nebraska football.

Jane Stavem, Columbus

StarTran provides boost

As manager of StarTran, Lincoln’s public transit system, I want to respond to Jackie L. Brown’s recent letter regarding the StarTran school booster services. Booster services have supplemented StarTran’s regular route services for 10 years, offering public transit service to middle and high schools not otherwise served by the regular StarTran routes.

I want to clarify that the booster services are operated solely by StarTran. There are no formal agreements with Lincoln Public Schools for provision of these services. The schedules as to when the service is operated are, of course, coordinated with Lincoln Public Schools, and regular StarTran fares are charged to bus patrons.

The booster services are regular StarTran public routes, using the same urban transit buses operated on all other StarTran routes. Urban transit buses can safely accommodate passengers who stand.

About 800 students each day use the StarTran boosters and regular public transit routes to travel to and from classes. We work hard to provide safe, efficient and effective public transit services to all the citizens of Lincoln, and, particularly with schools again in session, look forward to continuing to serve the transportation needs of Lincoln’s many middle school, high school, and college students again this year.

Larry D. Worth, Lincoln

Transit manager, StarTran