So, "about 200 people" attended Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury's talk on climate change. I wonder how many of them drove fossil fuel-burning vehicles to get to the library for this event.

"(Al) Gore has been making speeches and presentations to get Americans and others around the world to wake up to the dangers of climate change since the 1980s." Yes, but what has Al Gore actually accomplished? Could the problem be that he has accepted campaign contributions from the major polluters in 1992, 1996 and 2000?

He supported NAFTA and caved in on Kyoto when he was the vice president. And what did he do about transforming this country's reliance on fossil fuels into alternative energies? What did he even do about raising the miles per gallon fuel use in new cars and SUVs? Is Al Gore really concerned about the United States consuming 25 percent of the world's resources, with only 5 percent of its population, or is he more concerned about his career? Isn't anyone suspicious that this windbag just might be planning to run again in 2008?

Talk. Talk. Talk. I'll believe that Americans and their favorite politicians are serious about climate change after they've make some major changes in their lifestyles and policies.

Robert Simms

Corvallis

Peace sign wreath flap is disturbing

I read with dismay your article regarding the woman who had made her wreath into a peace sign, and whose community was up in arms about it.

How skewed have our nation's values become, that a symbol of hope for peace should receive such a horrible reaction?

As someone who is very proud of the family and friends who have served our country over the years, I cannot fathom how a symbol of the wish for peace is an insult to servicemen or their families anywhere! I pray for a day when no one will ever need to lay their life on the line again, as I'm sure everyone does.

Especially during this holiday season, this is a sad reminder of how far we actually are from "Peace on Earth, good will toward men." Aren't we celebrating the birth of the "prince of peace," after all?

Let's get our priorities in line. Harassing someone for expressing a wish for peace, in a nation founded on freedom, embarrasses me as a citizen of this country.

Liz Baker-Prose

Corvallis

Let Corvallis also head into middle

I would like to inform both left-wing Democrats and right-wing Republicans that America is moving to the middle. Yes. the Democrat party has taken both the U.S. House and Senate and, as a Republican, I should be upset, but I am not.

If you review the background of those politicians elected, you will find the majority stands in the center. Even left-leaning Nancy Pelosi has been forced to the middle in recent decisions not to back Rep Charles Rangel and his less-than-intelligent idea of a draft.

Maybe some of our own local extreme-thinking community members such as Leo de Vogel with his constant bashing of anyone not agreeing with him, and his "Rodeos-are-for-Republican's/DaVinci-Days-are-for- Democrat's" mentality could move a little to the center.

Perhaps Dan Ziegler, with his wants-something-for-nothing, "I-know-how-to-fix-our-schools-with-less-money" attitude may realize he alone does not have all the answers. If the community spent less time listening to these types of people and the groups that support them, maybe we could work together.

Do I really think either side will wake up and listen? No, not really. But maybe everyone who wants to move ahead and make change will. Maybe Independents, Democrats, Republicans and everyone in the middle will decide to take the time to fix what the left and right have created. Maybe its time for the middle to take America back.

Ken Real

Adair Village

Young people think '18' is adult

The editorial in the Gazette-Times last Monday suggested that we're not making much progress in our campaign to stop underage drinking.

We're not likely to, as long as "underage" continues to be defined as anyone under 21 years old. Young people between 18 and 21 have become so unreasonable that it's impossible to convince them that just because they're old enough to vote, join the work force, attend college, marry, make contracts, fight in the military and even be a bartender in some states doesn't mean they're old enough to drink alcohol.

Aaron Brown

Corvallis

Time for debate over warming past

The receding glaciers, warming oceans and loss of wildlife cannot be disputed. What folks dispute is our responsibility. (Oregon Secretary of State) Bill Bradbury says, "we've failed in terms of passing on a better place to live." But there are many who will say that's not our fault.

Watch: The same folks say it's not our fault that the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are going badly; that our people do not have adequate health security; that our kids are not doing so well in school. The list goes on.

It's time to put those who cannot handle responsibility aside, until their capabilities improve, and get on with the job of leaving our kids a better world than we inherited. It's called lead or get out of the way.

Robert G. Gourley

Corvallis

'Free market' does not exist in reality

When we're talking about markets and bankruptcy, the key word is "free." We don't truly have a "free" market. Our markets are influenced in many ways that are not "of the market's doing."

Bankruptcy is often a function of power and who has it and who doesn't. My small business's contracts with a certain local university are one-way contracts.

In other words, if the large institution decides to renege, they would out-lawyer me should I raise a fuss, even if their squelching on a contract should seriously damage my business. If my small business should renege on a contract, the large institution could drive me into bankruptcy with very little "felt" expense on their part.

Jules Cooper

Corvallis

Logic not part of Bush's mindset

Chris Foulke's Nov. 26 letter, "Bush should take the hint and resign," was honest, clear and real, but frankly, he lost me on the line, "Bush might make a logical step by heeding …"

The fact that he thinks Bush could spell the word logical, much less be that way, made me laugh out loud. I totally agree with him, but it will never happen. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. How sad for all of us.

Mary Rushton

Corvallis

Our foreign policy is an utter failure

You have to love our fearless leaders - on both sides of the aisle. We stage a pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, breaking most (if not all) international laws in the process. Then we make a series of disastrous decisions that lay the perfect foundation for lawlessness, violence and old sectarian hatreds to flourish.

Now we have the audacity to blame it all on the Iraqis! Certainly they should share a portion of the blame, but this is simply a transparent effort to make us look good in the face of what can only be described as a humiliating failure of foreign policy.

Steve Elder

Corvallis