Die, Peyote, Die!|Ponies Up|You Must Be Kiddin'|The VA's Other Side|Well, He Ain't Liberal

Die, peyote, die!

I would like to express my support for the ranchers to continue to fence their land and destroy the peyote plant ("The Flesh of God," by Russell Cobb, February 14). The main threat to true Native American culture is this evil thing. The only people that should be eating peyote are the people that live by it and can access it in the locality. For all other tribes, access, use and possession of peyote should be permanently banned. Not all tribes embrace peyote, and as an Ojibwe Indian, it is forbidden in our tribe. Anyone that says otherwise is a liar. The Crees of Montana are ardent followers of the Native American Church. They are not legally descendants of a federally recognized tribe; so therefore, their use of this product is illegal! Any peyotero that is caught supplying these people can face prosecution. Please, ranchers, help save the authentic cultures of Native America and destroy the peyote plant when you see it, and deny access to peyoteros. It's your constitutional right of liberty and privacy over your property [to] eradicate this menace from American society. I am a traditional, drug-free Native American. Please stop the peyote drug trade to northern tribes; this is not our original culture.

M. Gopher, via dallasobserver.com

Ponies Up

Great article ("Mustang Maniac," by Richie Whitt, February 14). Well-written and extremely interesting. Kudos.

Great article, Richie—good to see that people want SMU to be back on top. It's Dallas' only D1 school! And TCU—they're just a bunch of frogs. Go Ponies!

An absolutely outstanding article. It is so incredibly enjoyable to see something positive go on at SMU that is worth writing about. It's been far, far too long.

You Must Be Kiddin'

I am not willing to give up the great chemistry this team has to get someone else who is only there to get the Mavs attention ("Kiddin' Around," by Richie Whitt, February 7). This is a great team, and losing anyone, even off the bench, would be a bigger loss than a player like [Jason] Kidd can make up for. Maybe they aren't in the news as much this year, but they are simply relaxing and actually enjoying playing. That may mean more losses in the regular season, but come playoff time, the Mavs will kick some ass.

The VA's Other Side

I started taking my 77-year-old daddy [John R. Morris] to the VA [hospital] in Dallas back in 1995 ("Casualties," by Jesse Hyde, February 7). Our first visit over there was to check for a tumor, which they found that day and identified as cancer. He was admitted that same day with very little hope.

They scheduled treatment and surgery, and six weeks later he had the operation after rounds of chemo and radiation. Ten years, five surgeries and 13 great-grandchildren later, six weeks after my mama went to be with the Lord, he died. I don't think he would have made it another year without the VA. He received excellent care and was treated with the respect he deserved. He even made medical history, and some of the doctors in the end knew him from their textbooks. I am forever grateful to them because I believe without them we would not have had him that long. The Dallas VA has this family's undying gratitude. And my grandchildren had their great-grandpa for a time.

Well, He Ain't Liberal

I wish people would quit calling [Governor Rick] Perry a conservative (Buzz, by Patrick Williams, February 14). He's about as far from that (except on religion) as you can get. He is an opportunist who will say whatever it takes to get votes while lining his own pocket. I am a conservative and wouldn't vote to make the man a street sweeper.