In response to "Minister rebuffs military, says he'll burn Quran" (Sept. 8) and related articles:

If minister's intolerance causes deaths, hold him responsible

If the Rev. Terry Jones goes forth with his religious intolerance he should take full responsibility for every life he puts in danger. He and his followers should be found guilty if anyone's life is taken because of his prejudice and irresponsible actions. Our forefathers would turn over in their graves to hear him say the Constitution gives him the right to burn the Quran.

Prejudice and intolerance are the root of all evil; this man is the devil himself!

John Uszacki

Charlotte

Teach tolerance by teaching all students about world religions

This is an act born of profound ignorance. It points out the need to include objective teaching of religions of the world in all our educational institutions - public and private.

Those private schools whose purpose is to indoctrinate with a particular point of view should at least acknowledge the existence of other points of view.

An objective study of religion, the bane of world peace, is an absolute first step in accomplishing a major goal of the "Prince of Peace."

Eugene S. Todd

Matthews

Learn to see the reverence in other religions; peace will come

Although I am a Catholic, I see and admire the reverence expressed by Muslims kneeling in prayer. If we maintain the attitude of reverence, we will reject suggestions that we burn the Quran or demolish statues of Buddha. From there, we can work towards peaceful solutions to our problems.

Steve Brosnan

Belmont

You can't just pick and choose when to apply First Amendment

First, let me say I believe the Rev. Jones to be a publicity hound looking to fill the empty seats of his church with like-thinking individuals.

That said, where was the federal government when American Nazis and skinheads paraded through the predominately Jewish streets of Skokie, Ill., with swastikas and other Nazi symbols? Why doesn't the administration get in an uproar over the burning of the American flag and desecration of Christian and Jewish symbols?

You can't grant First Amendment rights to one group and not to another for fear of offending any group - no matter how despicable one's actions may be.

Bill Gorman

Charlotte

In response to "Muslim family treasures Ramadan togetherness" (Sept. 6):

Keep articles about religious lifestyles off the front page

Religion on the front page representing any form is in the wrong place. I do not expect to see the lifestyle of any religion displayed as front-page news that should demand my utmost attention. You have a section of the paper devoted to religion, and that is where it belongs.

There are 12 major religions in the world, so are you going to give equal space on your front page to the other 11?

Charles E. Lutrick

Charlotte

In response to "CMS to play on the next two Saturdays" (Sept. 7 Sports):

Thank you for changing game schedules for Jewish holidays

I want to thank CMS for changing the dates of upcoming athletic events due to the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. This allows Jewish athletes to play and still go to services on these holidays. When my brothers and I played sports here 30 years ago, we missed games when these holidays fell on game nights. I'm proud that CMS considers multiple religions in their scheduling.

Jonathan Levine

Charlotte

In response to "Chess helps students; stop cutting things that benefit kids" (Sept. 6 Forum):

Chess club is nice, but CMS has greater needs in the classroom

To answer Forum writer Dean Tran's question, we cut into "children's intellectual opportunities" like chess to give children opportunities elsewhere. CMS couldn't keep everything with the budget cuts, and chess clubs are usually populated by smarter kids who won't suffer too much academically if we make them play chess at home.

I'm not denying that chess programs are valuable; I participated in CMS chess myself. However, it's far more valuable to increase teacher/student ratios during class to minimize children repeating grades than it is to keep extracurricular activities like chess clubs.

Emily DeHority

Charlotte

In response to "Mentally ill inmate dies; questions remain" (Sept. 7):

Don't let questions in N.C. inmate's death go unanswered

Timothy Helms was a mentally ill inmate from Concord who was beaten so badly he may have died from the wounds. He was kept in solitary for 571 consecutive days, which is against N.C. Department of Correction policy.

The doctor who examined Helms said his head wounds were consistent with those from a "Billy club." The prison facility said their guards did not use, or have, batons. Security cameras from that night show batons hanging from the guard's belts. Why would they lie about that if they were innocent of beating Helms, who had an IQ of 79?

What will Gov. Bev Perdue do about this? If this is treated like all the other cases, there will be nothing but talk. What a way to treat our mentally ill!

David S. Rains

Charlotte