Whether it's Vietnam or Iraq, the right-wing pro-war crowd never changes their tune.

The only thing missing from [Feedback, "War and Hell," Mike Trudeau, March 30, 2006] was "America: Love It or Leave It." Where is it written that Americans have freedom of speech only if they parrot the right wing's jingoistic bullshit? I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Trudeau, but you are part of a rapidly shrinking minority. Most Americans do not support the Bush Who Would Be King or his little ego trip in Iraq.

Disliking Bush and being anti-war is not treason. Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.

Terry M. Callen
Gloucester City, N.J.

Your "patriotism" is breathtaking. Perhaps you'd care to do your country the honor of going to your nearest recruiting place and going to Iraq as soon as possible since you support this b.s. war so much. What are you waiting for?

Donna Di Giacomo
Germantown

Philadelphia is on a roll for the first time since 1950 and you want to slow its progress? The condo developers are like a steady-handed gardener, pruning away the dead limbs to make way for the new growth [Slant, "Fire Sale," Duncan Spencer, March 30, 2006]. I applaud the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, one of the rare instances where the city government has allowed itself to be run like a business.

Sam Johnson
South Philadelphia

PNI would be better for the Philadelphia community if broken into in smaller pieces [Loose Canon, "Replanting Philly's Media Landscape," Bruce Schimmel, March 30, 2006]. Maybe if there are more people in control of smaller pieces of the PNI pie, local media will finally cover issues of serious community concern and provide a place for active debate about a variety of topics affecting the many communities of this diverse city. Hopefully diversity in ownership would lead to diversity in voices, something Philadelphia is seriously lacking.

Amy Johnson
Center City

I am a forensic engineer and have been in the sludge business for more than 16 years. Philadelphia should not consider a dryer for sludge [News, "The Sludge Factor," Jenna Portnoy, March 30, 2006]. The reasons: All dryers have exploded or caught fire; the end-product pellet is not stable and upon rewetting, is extremely odorous; natural gas costs are not coming down; and carbon dioxide releases into the air account for 36,000 tons/year of carbon dioxide contribution to greenhouse gases while lime stabilization is 4,200 tons/year. Anyone putting in a dryer is not considering the value to the citizens.

Sam Shepherd
Houston, Texas

I'm surprised the City Paper published [Slant, "Intimidation Factory," March 23, 2006], in which Christine Flowers writes, "They say that the only thing needed for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. It happened during the Holocaust, when the Jews of Europe were sacrificial lambs to a silent and complicit West. It happened in Rwanda, when the United Nations ignored the massacre of innocent Tutsis ..." Knowing how vehemently City Paper is against our involvement in Iraq and deposing Saddam, why does Flowers' fine justification for intervention against scumbuckets not apply to our deposing one of the most violent, bloodthirsty, volatile, unstable and murderous dictators on the planet?

Jerry Komar
Collingswood, N.J.

I really don't think Flowers understands what's really going on in the inner city. To think the citizens of these areas don't want to pick up a bullhorn and tell every dealer in the neighborhood to get the hell out is senseless. The problem is once this person is sent away, the Good Samaritan has to worry about the cousins, friends and other family members. Who's gonna help then? Speaking about it, especially from the outside like Flowers, is a much lighter load than actually living in it. Every day, I see a young generation that has forgotten about themselves and the fact that they could have a future if only they would try to have one.

John Robbins
Hunting Park