THE DAILY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer's name, city, and state.

*1* Terry Eastland's article, Blackmun's Constitution, raises an interesting question about the "development" of this "living document" over time: Why is it that sodomy is perfectly permitted by the Constitution, despite the fact that it is nowhere discussed in even the most vague terms, yet purely political speech, which is specifically discussed in the same Constitution and has been without fail protected by centuries of caselaw, can be drastically proscribed in the interests of a minor concern about "soft money" in campaigns?

The solution to the problem is to kill the "living document" paradigm. To the left, the Constitution is little more than a prostitute who, after much persistent plying over time, tends to lend itself against its own wording, to whatever crude modalities they currently wish to force upon society as norms.

The prohibitionists actually got an amendment passed, and their opponents got it repealed. It was a lesson. The lesson for judicial activists and their enablers is simply to read the document, rather than reading into it.

If the left, or anyone else for that matter, wants new meaning in the Constitution, they are welcome to write a new amendment to it . . . unless, of course, they are afraid they can't get it passed, and need the assistance of sympathetic or cowardly judges and justices.

--Peter Byrnes, Jr.

*2* After having returned from a week in San Diego and spending a couple of days aboard the USS Peleliu, LHA-5, with my son, ENS Chris Deitz, I was especially moved by Larry Miller's Semper. My son's ship had just returned from seven months at sea, three of them in the Persian Gulf, deploying U.S. Marines to Iraq. These young guys that serve their country do so with honor, loyalty, and a light-hearted seriousness that puts us all at ease and lets us know that we are in good hands. It is only when you realize the danger that they face every day that you realize the level of professionalism their lives require.

I spent seven years on active duty, in the Army, after graduating from West Point, in 1978 and thought nothing of the perils of the Cold War while serving in Germany. It is only now, through the eyes of a father, that I see my son as the protector of our country and our way of life. The pride I feel is equal to worry I have for his daily safety. But, like Miller's friend Russell Bates, they feel they are blessed for performing a duty they love.

My most sincere condolences to Larry Miller's family and to Russell's family for your loss. Reading Miller's piece made the week I spent with my son, that much more special.

--Skip Deitz

*3* I type with a constriction in my throat and a tear in my eye, as Larry Miller's article brought memories flooding back.

It is a dangerous business Russell Bates went about, and yet, as only young men can, he was glorious and valorous and purposeful and damn happy living the moment with the world at his feet.

I know, because I was him and while it grieves us to lose a fellow Marine, rejoice that he was what many dare and few attain, a United States Marine Corps Officer and Naval Aviator committed to the service of his country.

God speed and Semper Fi Lt. Russell Bates.

--Lt. Col. D. Miller, USMC (Ret.)

*4* There exist two major differences between the United Kingdom and United States that would at least delay if not prevent the Futile Care Theory from taking hold here. (Wesley J. Smith, Suing for the Right to Live) First, the U.S. healthcare system, though heavily regulated, is still largely private. Second, the United States is more religious than the United Kingdom.

In a private system, the patient (or their representative) is the doctor's customer; bad customer service (refusing to treat) will result in the customer taking his or her business elsewhere. In a government healthcare monopoly, the patient is trapped--yet one more reason to avoid socialized medicine. (Futile Care Theory may become popular with medical insurers, so the financial means to continue care may be lacking, but I doubt that the U.S. medical community will monolithically embrace this frightening new development in the culture of death.)

Futile Care Theory is another facet of the assisted-suicide/euthanasia movement that has become popular in the secular European nations. However, the United States remains the most observant Christian country (no disrespect intended to my Jewish friends) in the world. The country that went into an uproar over Terry Schiavo should still have the moral fortitude to oppose this ghoulish import from Europe.

--Jason Stonefeld

*5* Active duty military cannot and should not express their political opinions to the general public. (Hugh Hewitt, Rise of the Milblogs) Regarding "strictly military" matters, those are hard to define. I agree that the Pentagon could publish some guidelines on blogs. I am on active duty, 19 years now and about to go to Iraq. I share my assessments with family and friends (and would even do so at church) but not in a forum open to the general public.

--Scott Allen

*6* Each time I read about a freedom rendering event taking place in Iraq which results in the kind of jubilation and exultation these journalists felt, I am welled to tears. (Claudia Winkler, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing)

It is the responsibility of every American to praise the coming of freedom, and be particularly gleeful at the coming of freedom to those souls whose lives have been vanquished to the abyss of totalitarianism. Why then do liberals believe, while basking in this light of freedom, that the sacrifice of Americans soldiers for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan is not a worthy measure of our responsibility to the world community?

--Patrick Taylor

*7* I don't see Futile Care Theory becoming an issue in the United States without significant changes in the financial incentives. First, the risk of a malpractice claim for denying care is far too great. As I understand it, the risk (and the potential consequences) of a malpractice claim is not that significant in the United Kingdom or Europe.

Second, in the United States most providers are still compensated on the basis of services rendered, so the more care they provide, the higher their bill. Even if the bill is not collectible, the financial consequences of a malpractice claim typically outweigh the consequences of providing treatment without compensation. It's the health plans that are compensated on a capitated basis in this country, so the health plans are the entities that have the financial incentive to limit care.

--William Penninger

*8* I have been a public school teacher for 15 years, and like many, I began my teaching career believing in the necessity of homework. (David Skinner, The Homework Delusion)

But once my own children started school, I began to see that most homework is little more than busywork designed not to help my kids learn anything meaningful, but merely to occupy their time. Many family or non-school activities had to be curtailed so my children could get their homework done in order to preserve a grade.

Homework is an unwarranted intrusion into the private lives of children. It should be reserved for activities that meaningfully contribute to a child's understanding of what is being done in the classroom. Parents should reserve the right to let teachers know that homework will not be allowed to infringe on the life of the family.

--Bruce Blizard

*9* Thank you to Joel Engel for "This Is No Ordinary Time", the inspiring story about the Roosevelts. It was a fantastic read, as I read it, I could imagine the room and the muttering and mumbling going on and the feeling Mrs. Roosevelt gave to them, the feeling of, it is alright to need him, and to say so.

I do believe the president we have now will be seen in history as a great president. I respect his strength and his making decisions that may not make him look good, but are good for the country and the world.

We need him, just as they needed Roosevelt on that day where, in their hearts they knew they needed him, but being human, had to grumble and make noises.

--Carole Graham

*10* I'm trying to wrap my brain around how "conspiring to act as a spy for the Iraqi Intelligence Service" would get a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, while Jonathan Pollard's spying for Israel merits life imprisonment. (Katherine Mangu-Ward, Susan Lindauer's Work Record)

--Bruce Alter