Now that this election is over, is it my turn to call the candidates’ home phone several times a week and leave annoying recorded messages on their answering machines? Maybe on a Saturday while the candidates are trying to relax at home with their families, I can ring their doorbells every couple hours and litter their lawns with innumerable fliers.

FYI to the campaigners … the last thing anyone wants to think about on a Saturday afternoon (yes, even the one before election day) is politics!

Shelly Monasmith, Aurora

More of the same

I listened to Tom Osborne’s concession speech — such sincerity and such a contrast to Dave Heineman’s “victory” speech — one could close one’s eyes and it could be any politician speaking.

Just once I had hoped to see the vote go to a decent and honorable man who was not beholden to special interest groups and his party establishment. Instead we have just another well-fed GOP politician who is wed to special interest groups, money and his party establishment.

Dorothy Krist, Lincoln

A laughing matter

The other day I was reading the paper and saw a headline that read: “Changing party costs official his election job.” I thought even though I think it’s unethical to change parties temporarily just to try to effect a primary outcome of the political party you don’t agree with, it was my hope they didn’t fire this guy out of vindictiveness.

As I read the article and absorbed what had happened, I could not stop laughing! The people in the restaurant I was at thought I had lost it. It seems Dennis Womack, the Democratic Douglas County deputy election commissioner, got fired because his boss had no choice.

 Womack changed his registration from Democrat to Republican so he could vote in the Republican primary, and an election worker got wind of it. There was a slight problem, you see. The No. 1 legal requirement for the Douglas County deputy election commissioner position is that the person be of a different political party than the election commissioner! The commissioner is Republican!

Dennis should move as far away from Nebraska as he can, because people will bust out laughing every time they see him. This is a perfect example of “poetic justice” or “being too smart by half.”

Brian Kamler, Lincoln

Picture what you preach

We were delighted to read the fine article on bicycle commuting in the May 9 Lincoln Journal Star. It captured much of the joy and many of the rationales for biking to work in Lincoln. It was great to see the sidebar extolling the importance of bike helmets for cyclists and attentiveness for automobile drivers.

However, it was distressing to see that the accompanying photograph showed a bicyclist not wearing a helmet. We know the Journal Star does not like to use posed photographs, but it would have been so much more effective if the Journal Star had taken the time to find a bicyclist wearing a helmet to go along with the fine story.

Ann and Bob Brown, Lincoln

Wesleyan play politicized

For some weeks I had eagerly anticipated attending Nebraska Wesleyan’s production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Despite its off-putting title, this play is a melodic and charming examination of loyalty and courage, and is based on a real-life situation in my native Texas.

Imagine, then, my chagrin when it became evident that Wesleyan chose to use this delightful piece as a vehicle for yet another tiresome, offensive and puerile attack on Christianity and President Bush.

Nothing in the script or the original staging of the play supports the depiction of the character Melvin P. Thorpe as a crazed televangelist. Indeed, perceptive viewers will note several references in the dialogue that support his intended depiction as a muckraking investigative reporter with no religious overtones whatsoever.

Likewise, the governor of Texas lampooned in the production was, of course, a Democrat.

And please don’t raise the tired old cavil of censorship. No one disputes Wesleyan’s right to present the production in this manner. One may, however, question the judgment and maturity of those responsible.

Early in the play my party of three was entranced and fully intended to return for at least one more performance. Our plans changed as soon as it became evident that Wesleyan chose to value cheap political potshots over entertainment. Their choice also makes it unlikely that we will have enough confidence in their judgment to attend productions there in the future.

David A. Montgomery, Roca

Protests disrespect U.S.

I am the son of immigrants from Mexico. My family arrived legally in this country in 1965. We adopted American traditions and kept our Mexican culture. I am a Gulf War veteran.

My parents are now U.S. citizens, but I must say I have had it with immigrant protests. They all need some common sense!

Protesters should not be chanting “Si Se Puede” because it is offensive and disrespectful. They should be chanting “We Love USA” in English.

Then there is the issue of the National Anthem in Spanish; once again, very offensive and disrespectful. At a minimum, before and at the end of every immigrant rally the National Anthem should be played loudly in English with all of the immigrants standing in silence as a sign of respect for this country.

And I have to comment on the issue of non-American flags. How disrespectful is it to show up at a rally with any flag other than an American flag. I fly one flag at all times, a beautiful American flag.

And then there was the boycott of work and school. Simply put, if I am not sick, I go to work, and my daughter will not stay home from school to make a point for any illegal activity.

These immigrants have accomplished one thing, making the majority of Americans wanting illegal immigrants returned to their own country. I support limited legal immigration and I do vote. I am not insensitive, a bigot or a racist, I am just proud to be an American.

Francisco R. Martinez, Lincoln

NRA makes numbers lie

As a Briton and an American, I get rather tired of the pro-gun folks in this country spouting off bogus statistics concerning gun-related crime in the United Kingdom. For example, Beth Philson’s repetition of NRA-provided statistics concerning the U.K. in her recent letter to the editor. It makes the U.K. seem like some kind of lawless wasteland where every thug on the street is packing heat!

May I direct Philson to the official crime statistics from the U.K. Government Home Office (that’s the same as the U.S. State Department) report: “The Research, Development Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun Crime 2004/2005” (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb0206.pdf).

On page 71, third bullet (excuse the pun), note that there were 78 (seventy-eight) gun homicides for the entire United Kingdom (population — 60.5 million) in ’04-’05, up from 68 gun-related homicides the previous year. When the NRA and its gun-toting supporters say there was a 14 percent increase in gun crime in the UK, it sounds scary … when you see the numbers behind the statistic … not so scary, huh?

The latest data for the U.S.A from the Centers for Disease Control is 2003 (http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_sy.html). There were 30,136 firearm deaths against a population of 290,810,789 in 2003. In 2002 there were 30,242 gun deaths against a population of 287,974,001. Hey, that’s a 0.3 percent decrease. Wow!

So you decide, gentle reader. How violent (with regard to gun deaths) is the U.K. when compared to the U.S.A.? What would you prefer in the U.S.A next year — 78 gun-related deaths or more than 30,000? To put this in perspective, the U.S.A. would need a population of 23 billion people to get to the same gun death rate as the U.K. I know what I’d prefer, and I’m not 100 percent sure that putting more guns on the street is the answer.

Marcus Tooze, Lincoln