Powerful words

Thank you, Jack Lessenberry, for that very nice tribute to Sen. Robert Byrd (“What kind of country?,” Metro Times, Feb. 19-25). His speech of Feb. 12, 2003 was indeed one of the most powerful orations I have ever heard by any senator.

In a time when we are constantly saturated by the nonsensical ramblings of a man who did not truly earn the title of president of the United States, it is refreshing to hear a true master of oratory at work.

The mainstream media will not truly cover anything — such as Sen. Byrd’s speech against rushing to war — that might anger Karl Rove, Bush’s “minister of information.” Because of that, I look to you and others in the alternative media that can give me a weekly glimpse at the real truth. —Mark Barringer, Farmington Hills

Heroic speech

Thanks for your kind words about my hero, Robert C. Byrd. Ever since he spoke on the Senate floor against the Iraqi War Resolution he has won my admiration.

I have watched him make three remarkable speeches against this war. They were eloquent and magnificently beautiful. I cried the first time I watched him speak. He kept holding up the Constitution and saying that the power to declare war was too much for one man. It was an awesome speech from truly a great man.

Too bad his reputation was tarnished by youthful misguidedness. He is brilliant. —Sharon Bivens, Virginia Beach, Va.

Printing the truth

Thank you so much, Jack Lessenberry, for reporting on Sen. Robert Byrd’s wonderful, eloquent speech. I, of course, had read it because I am on the Internet and my sites have all kinds of good information. But, I feel bad that the mainstream press didn’t choose to report it.

I hope someday we can look back on this as a very dark time in the history of our “free” press. Because if the press would print the truth instead of propaganda, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. They should be indicted, right along with this misadministration, when the shite hits the fan. —Char Evans, cevans5@twcny.rr.com, Little Falls, N.Y.

Voice of dissent

It’s not surprising that Jack Lessenberry casts his lot on U.S. foreign policy with former Klansman Robert Byrd. What Byrd should be getting from those truly concerned about world culture is the bird. The “box” this seemingly senile senator is worrying about is called planet Earth, and Arab terrorists have no place in it. It’s America’s job to root them out. Bomb Saddam to hell. —Martin Yanosek, St. Clair Shores

Editor’s note: Visit http://byrd.senate.gov, then click on the “Newsroom” link, then click on “Senate Remarks: We Stand Passively Mute,” for the full text of the speech.

Honest judgment

Thanks to Ann Mullen for the informative, but more importantly, honest article she wrote entitled, “Judging the Judge” (Metro Times, Feb. 19-25).

I have been in court on numerous occasions and have been shocked by the demeanor of many judges. Far too often, the judges are rude, arrogant, intimidating and mindless bullies. Their behavior seems almost antisocial.

We need to clean up crime, no question about that, and sometimes even harsh sentences are appropriate, but being a bully in the name of the people cannot be justified. Few people respect or believe in the judicial system because of this kind of behavior. It is not important how few convictions the appeals court has overturned for Judge Townsend, but that they had to overturn any of them. —Brenda Smith, Detroit

Good customer service

Recently, I posed to Jack Lessenberry a question or two about an article he had written a couple of years back. While he and I could not see eye-to-eye on the issue, I was none the less impressed that Mr. Lessenberry took the time from his surely busy schedule to reply to my questions.

That is the sort of service that will keep me reading your paper. I doubt other papers and writers even look over reader correspondences, yet alone respond personally to each one. —Jonathon Kecskes, St. Clair Shores