To the family and friends of Texas Army National Guard Sgt. Anthony Luke Mason:

Read in the Oct. 8 Star-Telegram about NASA spending $1.5 billion for the Mars Science Laboratory (maybe added on to the $400 million for the cost of the last mission and to add a new SUV-size rover to the mix). Oh and if we delay the mission to 2010 or 2011, it might add $300 million.

According to Allison Marks, the promotion of contraception in schools’ sex education would eliminate unwanted babies, and thus end child abuse. (See: "Abstinence-only sex ed not the answer," Sept. 27)

It is time to limit the terms of Congress. I do not believe that there are any valid reasons not to. The excuses — that bureaucrats, staff and lobbyists would run Washington and that seniority is a good thing — are no longer valid.

Take third choice

Fickes deserves support

Crowley school taxpayers sent a strong message by defeating the proposed tax increase. Rarely in the history of the district has such an increase failed. But student test scores, trust and confidence in leadership have seldom been this low. The vote is evidence.

Team Ridglea Masters Swim Team lost one of our active members last June.

In the United States during the 20th century, it was difficult to accept as reality that an organization or an individual would be willing to murder every school child possible to make a point or promote a cause or because they were dissatisfied with their lot or because their deity required them to do so. Today, these things are not only conceivable but happen throughout the world.

Once again, Star-Telegram reporter Chris Vaughn has written another heartwarming story about World War II veteran John Martinek. (See: "Another dream coming true for homeless WWII veteran," Oct. 4)

What planet is he from?

Curnock for Congress

I have always been proud to say that I live in the Crowley school district, until Saturday. Now, I’m just plain embarrassed. Until we rejected the school tax rate, I assumed that my neighbors understood that our property values are only as good as the quality of our schools.

Beverly Queen, Bedford city manager, recently negotiated a one-year lease agreement under which ARTSNET would occupy a taxpayer-owned building at Bedford Boys Ranch for a rental fee of $10.

Think about the judges

While the nation’s attention was focused on Wall Street and how this economic crisis effects Main Street, 25 U.S. troops died in Iraq last month.

Kerry Killinger, CEO of Washington Mutual, was finally fired from his job on Sept. 8.

Boy, did the Editorial Board botch it on its recommendation to re-elect the three Republican justices on the Texas Supreme Court. I have voted Republican for the last 29 years and will probably vote Republican in the current national election. I will vote Democrat in each contested Texas Supreme Court race.

Recently I cried for my beloved United States of America, which sadly I find is no longer united.

There’s a link at top right of D/FW Airport’s Web site that reads, "DFW Airport’s Response to Media/Travel Inquiries."

Travel spending and policies at D/FW Airport should be reviewed, but that won’t satisfy everyone.

I am disheartened to see that the blog attention on Passionate Prose in reaction to the letters "Dogs and police cars," Sept. 22, has been focused on the police and their willingness/unwillingness to follow traffic laws, as opposed to the plight of the stray dogs in that area.

As a child, I was taught that if I spent more than I had coming in, I was going to be in debt — the basic principle of economics. Now we are being asked to "bail out" those who left that principle behind because of greed or poor judgment. We are told that all sorts of dire things "may happen."

Like a ghost from a Dickens novel, former state Rep. Joe Nixon once again makes his periodic appearance in the opinion pages of newspapers across the state, rattling his chains about how "tort reform" is swell and should be preserved. (See: "5 years later, Prop 12 is a proven winner," Oct. 1)

All the Republican and Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates say they are against earmarks.