Duped again, nice job on April Foolery

Awesome! As soon as I got too FEARA (Federal Environmental Anomalies Reserve Agency) I knew something was up (“Snake Bite,” March 27), and the names were very clever! Well done. This (issue) was sent to me by a freaked out friend who knows I ride that trail. Great job!

Cityview makes me proud of DM

I was compelled to send you my gratitude with regard to the well written article by James Strohman (“God and Gays,” March 20). I hail from a town Vander Plaats taught in and am from an influential family system constructed of gay members who took on raising my brother and I during our sibling’s battle with childhood leukemia. These selfless people made me who I am today.

I spent years wondering why people like Bob were so hateful toward people like my family, who were compassionate, selfless and far more qualified at parenting than even my own parents were. Bob Vander Plaats and people like him and his “Focus on the Family” followers are the reason I decided to study political science and law.

Bob is a self-promoting fame whore, and it felt incredibly refreshing to read your cover. As a member of our political infrastructure and a fourth-generation Iowan, it made me very proud and thankful to be able to pick up your publication in Des Moines.

What about the Muslims?

I see you left out what the Muslims think about gay lifestyle/marriage (“Gods and Gays,” March 20). Maybe you should have included it so when they are running the U.S. government, gays and Christians will be grouped together to suffer as Dan Pearl did. Christians believe we will all answer to God one day no matter what our choices in this life.

More Buck Turnbull, please

How great to see Buck Turnbull’s byline again (Guest Commentary, “42 Reflections,” March 20)! Like so many of us old enough to miss The Des Moines Register’s Big Peach sports section and the writers who made it so peachy, I sorely do. I also fondly remember the days when Buck’s son, Gary, and I were co-sports editors of the Roosevelt Roundup in high school.

Too bad Buck blew the photo opp with Jackie Robinson that day at Wrigley Field in ’47. But he sure became one helluva sportswriter.

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