Voices carry

We look back at 2007 through the words of our readers, who sounded off on subjects from the Iraq war to the marriage debate, from the Sox to the Patriots, from 'The Sopranos' to 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force.'

Many of the following letters have been abridged from their original length. Original publication dates are given in parentheses.

AT THE Home for Little Wanderers, the child psychiatrists see firsthand what violence does to the children and families of Boston. A month ago, while sitting in our group home in Roxbury, I heard multiple gunshots within feet of the house and saw the fresh look of panic on the face of one of our boys when he came rushing into the house, just as the two shooters ran past him down the middle of the street. He was then faced with either walking home past that corner or missing football practice to take the bus. As your editorial "The science behind the violence" stated, the minds of children cannot cope with living in these micro-climates of extreme violence, much less develop normally. Unless we work together toward changing what is going on in our Boston neighborhoods, we are going to have a generation of "Vietnam vet" kids unsure of their future and trying to forget their past. (Jan. 24)

Dr. PHILLIP HERNANDEZ
Boston

MY HUSBAND recently returned from active duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has been puzzled by people who speak out - to his face - against our government's plan to increase troops or increase funding for troops but who say, "But I support the troops." Recently, he very quietly responded, "Really, that's great. Exactly how do you support the troops?" The person was caught off guard and had no answer. If someone you know has a soldier overseas, help out. Take the kids for an hour. Show up one night with a prepared meal. Shovel their driveway. Give them a shoulder to cry on, take them out for a night on the town. Ask them if they are OK. But the very best way to support our troops is to provide them with the much-needed personnel and materials to do their job and get out of there as quickly as possible. (Jan. 31)

JENNIFER BALDINO
Norton

THE ONLY way I could possibly support the "surge" is if all of the members of the Bush administration and all of the members of Congress who have sons or daughters, grandsons or granddaughters, brothers or sisters, or nieces or nephews of an age to serve in the military offer them to serve in Iraq as part of the "shared sacrifice" the president talks about. Otherwise, they should recognize the sacrifices that our troops (and their families) have already made and work to bring them home. (Jan. 31)

BETSY SMITH
Brewster

This trio of letters ran Feb. 4 in response to the furor over the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" ads.

AT LAST it is unmasked for what it truly is. It pervades our lives. We find it whenever we turn around for what we think is a better view of ourselves. It imbues us with fear, so much so that our lives are changed in accommodating it. It alters the flow of commercial traffic, often to the point of disruption. It even changes our perception of what art is, of what beauty is, even of the meaning and value of life. Social terrorism, thy name is advertising.

GLENN JENKS
Camden, Maine

TURNER BROADCASTING can't repay Boston or the country for helping to undermine public threat assessment. Placing LEDs on sites known as vulnerable to terrorism is reprehensible in today's world. Stunts like these demoralize and desensitize individual and family preparedness for disaster that is essential for our nation's security.

NANCY VINEBURGH
Bedford

I AM baffled by the response from the government, police, and media. It is sad that so many people seem so completely caught up in this climate of fear that they would overreact to a sign that had already been posted for about two weeks. The only thing I find scary from this whole event is that if those "devices" really had been bombs, we could have been killed weeks ago.

CONOR EVANS
Cambridge

AS THE sixth generation of the owners of Draper Knitting, I commend immigration authorities for the successful raid in New Bedford of Michael Bianco Inc. Companies that don't play by the rules make it harder for legitimate companies who are competing for the same government contracts. To the executive director of the Immigrant Assistance Center, who says we are "using precious federal resources to tear up families and devastate our communities," I ask: What do you not understand about illegal? (March 9)

KRISTIN DRAPER
Canton

I WISH your editorial "The mess after the raid" had used a stronger word than "disturbing" when commenting on the plight of the children of employees caught up in the storm-trooping carried out at the Bianco factory. Imagine going to work or school and then winding up forcibly separated, either detained or effectively abandoned, by sundown, unable to reach your loved ones. Nothing the authorities have done qualifies as merely "disturbing." It is all a nightmare. (March 9)

WENDY PALLISER
East Orleans

KURT VONNEGUT invented characters, worlds, clans, outrageous science, and ridiculous religions because he lived in a world that invented much lousier versions of the same things. It seems insane to now live in a world with no more of his madness. I had the honor of appearing with him in Manhattan in 2005. Kurt laughed heartily at a joke I made: "In the United States they teach us that socialism is bad . . . in public school." That was the best laugh I ever got. (April 14)

BARRY CRIMMINS
Cameron, N.Y.

BARRING INJURY, the Patriots will win the 2008 Super Bowl. The signing of Randy Moss has all but guaranteed it. He is an amazing talent and is terribly misunderstood by much of the media and self-righteous fans. I hope that the media here do not go over the top in prejudging him (as they did in the Globe Sports section in listing a timeline of his transgressions in two stories and a graphic). I was an eyewitness to the most "criminal" thing Moss ever did as a Minnesota Viking, and that was a one-handed sideline catch over Charles Woodson of the Raiders. Patriots fans are in for a real treat. (May 1)

LARRY THOMAS
Brookline

THE DEMOCRATS are in a tough position regarding the conflict in Iraq. If George Bush is able to settle the problem there successfully before he leaves office, he (and the Republicans) will get a lot of kudos for a job well done. If the Democrats force a pull-out now, before Bush leaves, it may create an escalation of violence in Iraq for which the Democrats will have to take responsibility. If there is no resolution before the election and they win the White House, then what are they going to do - pull out immediately and potentially leave the Middle East in chaos, or stay and vindicate Bush's policy all along? It's a lose/lose situation. (May 13)

JAMES GREEN
Cedar Hills, Utah

I WASN'T even around yet when my grandfather placed the bet that changed everything. It was just after World War II, and he had just lost his baby boy to TB, and his wife was stricken. He bet everything he owned and all the money his brothers and in-laws had loaned him, and prayed for his horse to come in. What do you think happened? You know the answer. The house always wins. He declared bankruptcy and moved his wife and daughter to Indiana. Slowly, their life improved. Still he never lost the dream of the big win. From the time I could drive, I took him to the dog track with barely pocket change to place a few $2 bets. I remember the look on his face as he tore up the tickets and said, "Let's go home." Nearly 60 years after he placed that losing bet, I bought a home in Middleborough. I don't usually gamble with my future. Still, I should have placed a bet on the fact that life always comes full circle. Gambling could change my life again. Now, I may be the one who has to leave. (June 14)

SANDY RICHTER
Middleborough

THE CUT to black at the end of "The Sopranos" is exactly what Bobby Baccalieri and Tony Soprano were talking about in the first episode of this half season, when they were discussing what it's like when your number is up. It's nothing, just blackness. In the end, in the final episode, instead of Tony getting whacked, they whack the audience. Tony's story continues, but we no longer get to see any of it, because we have been taken out. (June 15)

ANDREW FRASER
Tempe, Ariz.

AS THE father of a heterosexual son and a gay son, I have been in great pain that one would have the right to marry and the other might lose the same right. I cannot adequately express my joy and relief in the leadership our elected representatives showed in their vote. We are a worthy model for our nation. Except for the two Father's Days immediately after my sons were born, this Father's Day will be my happiest ever. (June 17)

BILL HUDDLESTON
Newton

NOW THAT our Supreme Judicial Court, governor, and Legislature have taken it upon themselves to redefine "marriage," I wish they would let us know what a "father" is, so that we can know who can celebrate Father's Day today. I thought I was one, but I am not sure any longer, at least in Massachusetts. (June 17)

MICHAEL TERRY
Needham

READING ABOUT the Romney family vacation trip with his dog on the roof of the car for 12 hours was truly disturbing. It's said that the true measure of a person is how she or he treats children and pets, both of whom are utterly dependent upon others for humane, loving treatment. It is my guess that the terrified dog was overjoyed to see the Romney family when he was released. As a human being, I am appalled; as a dog owner, sickened. (July 1)

BONNIE ANDERSON
Boston

IN A time when people are called heroes just for doing their jobs, Andrew Tarsy stands out as a hero in the true meaning of the word. His willingness to stand up to the national Anti-Defamation League's politically self-serving refusal to apply the term "genocide" to the early-20th-century Turkish systematic murder of 1.5 million Armenians, and to publicly state that it was indeed genocide, cost him his job as New England regional director of the ADL. Tarsy answered to a higher moral good. (Aug. 21)

DENNIS J. NAUGHTON
Foxborough

CAN SOMEONE please inform New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick that the Patriot Act refers to government spying? (Sept. 16)

NAT CARNEY
Newton

I WAS greatly encouraged by the article about artist Martin Creed's "Work No. 227: The Lights Going On and Off," as I have been searching for venues for my own work: "Work No. 228: The Lights Going Off and On." (Sept. 17)

JOSEPH BARBIERI
Cambridge

AS A fourth-grade teacher, I see a fair amount of cutting in line. Tasers are not being considered. A full investigation of the process that led to the apparent use of excessive force at the University of Florida is necessary and important. Tasers are meant to be implemented to stop aggressive or dangerous behavior with nonlethal force. Student Andrew Meyer's behavior in questioning Senator John F. Kerry was neither. Senator Kerry showed little interest in the struggle in the back of the room, and many of his comments in the moment were flippant and irrelevant. Shame on Kerry for treating the abrogation of any citizen's constitutionally protected rights so callously. (Sept. 28)

NORAH DOOLEY
Brookline

DURING MY last year in Vietnam, I was in charge of US Air Force interrogation of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army prisoners. None of what President Bush labels as legal was legal under the Geneva Conventions, to which the United States is still a signatory. US Army, Marine, and Army of Republic of Vietnam personnel were constantly amazed at the interrogation results produced by the Air Force, and we were never allowed to touch prisoners, let alone head-slap them. Every human being has needs, and we learned those needs and exploited them. Neither Bush's bullying approach in the Mideast nor his unlawful interrogation program has worked. (Oct. 12)

FRANCIS X. STONE
Boston

THANKS TO the Red Sox, the same good things are happening in Boston in October 2007 as happened in October '04: People are connecting. All kinds of people look at each other eye to eye; they nod, smile, talk Sox, or share opinions - on the subway, in the grocery store, sitting in traffic, riding in elevators, walking down the street, whether in a suit or a pair of jeans. Yes, it's only a game, but it connects us, and we need it. (Oct. 28)

SUSAN GROSE RIOFF
Lexington

HERE'S A clue on how to protect the public from recidivist killers such as Daniel Tavares: Leave them in jail after they kill the first time, or put them to death. Then they don't have a chance to become recidivist anything. It's simple, though I'm sure the nuanced folks at your paper will have trouble wrapping their minds around this solution. (Nov. 29)

MARGOT HILL
Bonita Springs, Fla.

THE NIGHTMARISH commute on the evening of Dec. 13 brought out some of the worst in Boston drivers, but it also shone a light on the kindness of our city's residents. During my five-hour ride from Cambridge to Charlestown, drivers repeatedly cut each other off, pointlessly jockeyed for position in gridlock, and vented their frustration by yelling and honking at each other. On one particularly motionless street, however, a group of young Cambridge children came car to car, offering water and apples to those of us not lucky enough to be home yet. I want to thank them for reminding me that kindness warms even the coldest Boston night. (Dec. 16)

TRAVIS MARSHALL
Charlestown