Impressed by Salukis

To the Editor:

A lifelong fan of Bison football, I had the honor to attend the NDSU vs SIU football game in Fargo, N.D. I wanted to relay our appreciation of your football team and the fans that made it up to our house to cheer on the Salukis. You have a classy team, and classy fans.

We met the father of Ryan Kernes at our tailgating area, and found ourselves cheering on when Ryan received for his pair of touchdown passes, in spite of wanting to win.

Coaches, players and fans, thank you for being a part of our initiation to this football conference. We love our football, and obviously you do, as well. I look forward to each of our matchups in the years to come. Good luck with the rest of your season; I will be watching to see how you do.

Scott Olson, Moorhead, Minn.

'Ulysses' shouldn't be mocked

To the Editor:

In "Once-banned books read publicly in Carbondale" (Oct. 3) one SIU Morris Library worker is quoted as saying James Joyce's "Ulysses" is the most boring book on the ALA's banned list, while an assistant librarian at Morris claims a judge "ruled it too boring to be obscene."

I assume they were going for cheap laughs at the expense of a literary masterpiece, because in Judge Woolsey's decision in "USA against 'Ulysses'," he wrote that "Ulysses," while "not an easy book to read," is "brilliant and dull, intelligible and obscure by turns." He also described "Ulysses" as an "amazing tour de force" and said it should not be banned because it is "a sincere and serious attempt to devise a new literary method for the observation and description of mankind."

It's unfortunate anyone in a position to defend great literature against censorship should mock a book that was ranked No. 1 on Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century list and is celebrated each year on June 16 (the novel takes place June 16, 1904) by readings around the world.

Richard Peterson, Makanda

Vote for change

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter as not only an American showing my support for a candidate, but also as a single mom who is finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Every day, I worry about my son and what the future will hold for him. With the economy becoming increasingly more unstable and the inflation of prices on simple things like groceries and gasoline, I'm finding that not only am I worrying about my son's future; I'm also worrying about my own financial ability to support my family during these tough times.

In today's tough economic times, our country is in dire need of a president who will strive to create jobs that will stay in America which in turn will create more opportunities, not only for me but for my child and the generations to come.

I believe the time has come to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. With gas prices soaring across our nation and in our communities, it's becoming increasingly more difficult for me to fill up my vehicle's gas tank so I can drive to work and be the hard-working American our country needs.

I believe the Democratic Party will help to bring the change our country desperately needs.

In this most important election Nov. 4, I pledge to cast my vote and let my opinion be heard. I will cast my vote for change by supporting Barack Obama.

Angie Keller, Sikeston, Mo.

What is Forby doing about Ameren?

To the Editor:

Why do I see Ken Burzynski all over the news and in the newspapers decrying this atrocious Ameren rate hike, but have heard nothing at all from Sen. Gary Forby, who is supposed to be representing me? I usually vote Democrat, but I am not opposed to changing that pattern when the situation merits.

Last year, the out-of-the-blue Ameren rate increase pushed my family's budget to the limit. We absolutely cannot afford another one and something must be done.

Rep. John Bradley is at least attempting to collar Ameren and its stooges on the Illinois Commerce Commission. What is Forby doing? I seriously would like to know. I have combed the Internet and can find not one quote from him about the Ameren situation more recent than November 2007!

Please, Sen. Forby, give me a reason to vote for you. Get on the news and talk about this. Show your constituents that you give a damn. Judging from my conversations with my neighbors, I am not the only one rapidly losing faith in the Illinois Democratic Party, and you in particular.

David J. Myers,Herrin