Conrad’s Cartoon on Furrow

* Paul Conrad’s Aug. 15 cartoon portraying Buford O. Furrow Jr. with the caption, “A faith-based compassionate conservative,” is both a direct insult to people of faith and a cheap shot toward Gov. George W. Bush. Surely The Times does not mean to imply that such people are to be equated with an evil person who committed such atrocities.

I understand that “right-wing religious wackos” are one of the few groups to not be granted tolerance in the grand scheme of political correctness, but this one goes way too far.

LEO WADSWORTH

Los Alamitos

* To criticize Conrad’s cartoon as knee-jerk is to give reflexes a bad name. No conservative embraces evil or insanity, as he would have you believe. This cartoon is simple-minded, if not brain-dead.

The juxtaposition of Sally Satel’s thoughtful, complex essay on madness and badness only highlights Conrad’s pitiful inadequacy on this awful event.

RICHARD ZALAR

Rancho Palos Verdes

* Conrad’s cartoon is repulsive. Furrow was on the extreme far right and cannot be compared to religious folks or conservatives in any way. Please don’t try to discredit religious and/or conservative folks. It’s a very low and unfair blow.

MARK COHEN

Huntington Beach

* Bravo, Conrad! This country has for too long been under siege by right-wing terrorists who call themselves Republicans. The shocking acts of violence that rock our country so often have their roots in right-wing extremism--i.e., the bombings of a federal building and abortion clinics, murders of abortion providers, burning of African American churches and Jewish synagogues. Not to mention violent hate crimes made easier by the GOP-NRA avalanche of available guns.

Our Congress is seemingly full of Buford Furrows. Many GOP members of Congress actively seek the support of hate groups and white supremacists. We need to ask ourselves, “What kind of country do we want?” A country where we must live in the grip of terrorists, fanatics and kooks?

SCOTT L. PHILLIPS

Norwalk