Votes of Approval for Speakers at Convention

My 9- and 11-year-old daughters were so impressed with Teresa Heinz Kerry’s speech Tuesday night. They were bewildered that she had to assert that women can be “opinionated.” I’m so glad they think that expressing what they think is an obvious right. I never thought we’d be talking about “women’s roles” in the 21st century. When I was in college in the 1970s, it seemed that all those messy problems would be resolved in a decade or two. We’re a lot closer to where we should be. Women like Teresa Heinz Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton are continuing the fight to get us there.

Sybel Alger

San Jacinto

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Having just heard U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama of Illinois address the Democratic convention, I was amazed: Here is a man who, as he said, has “the audacity of hope” ... that phrase was almost drowned out by the applause for a previous statement, but it deserves to be heard and repeated over and over. The audacity of hope should be the rallying cry of all America.

Kenneth Tuxford

Redondo Beach

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I find it curious that a keynote speaker such as Obama was almost completely ignored by your Wednesday edition. You found it important to put Teresa Heinz Kerry on the front page but, evidently, felt that Obama was much less important in the overall scheme of things. Obama’s speech was galvanizing and inspiring and just may be the catalyst to create some degree of unity in our country, but may also be the catalyst to bring many previously apathetic people to the polls in November.

I feel that you have done your readers a great disservice by not including portions of his speech in a place of importance in your newspaper.

Susan Greenberg

Los Angeles

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I was surprised that John Kerry would risk being ridiculed by the tabloids by wearing a bunny suit at NASA (July 28). Doesn’t he know that the Bush administration is actively encouraging those high-technology, bunny-suit-wearing jobs to leave the U.S. and relocate to Asia ? He would have been much better off by playing dress up in a flight suit on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Jim Clements

Aliso Viejo

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I must take exception to the article by Rick Perlstein in which he claims the Republicans use wedge politics to advance their agenda (Opinion, July 25). At the Democratic convention, speaker after speaker has raised wedge issues -- the Supreme Court, Iraq war, healthcare, tax cuts (only for the rich), class warfare, 9/11 commission.

I wish the Democrats would realize they offer nothing but weakness and pessimism.

Dean J. Basler

Ventura

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Re “The Networks Don’t Like This Reality Show,” July 28: Maybe one explanation for the lack of viewers for the networks’ coverage of the Democratic convention was that it was not full coverage. I, for one, tuned to KCET to see and hear the early non-prime-time speakers. Once there, with its excellent coverage and commentaries, why change channels?

Sandra Smith

Yorba Linda