Regarding the editorial "Festival seating still too risky" (Aug. 4): Once again, the blame is laid on festival seating. But it wasn't festival seating that killed 11 people; it was mismanagement of the event. I don't care what type of seating is in place at a highly anticipated event. If you have people on the outside, and they think they are missing what's happening on the inside, and you open only one or two doors, you are going to have a stampede.

It's called cause and effect, Cincinnati. It's time to move forward.

Bill Donabedian
President/co-founder, MidPoint Music LLC

Levee should restrict who parks there

Parking has become a nuisance at Newport on the Levee. I have found out the Levee allows people to park in their garages that are going across to the Reds games. Those of us who go to a movie or grab dinner have nowhere to park but three to four blocks away and still pay $3. This has become an ongoing situation even for a late-night movie. If I wanted to walk four blocks or more, I would walk from my house. I think it is an inconvenience to city residents, and to remedy it, I would regulate the garages to levee patron parking only. It's unfortunate for the Levee that they only care for money, because it was a nice place to visit.

Melissa Gettys
Bellevue

Sharpton doesn't speak for all blacks

I heard the Rev. Al Sharpton's speech at the Democratic National Convention, and all I can say is: I'm black, but Sharpton does not speak for me. Neither does Jesse Jackson.

This is the 21st century - not the '60s. And to put blinders on and ignore blacks' need for jobs and financial success is a disservice and ludicrous. Blacks have voting rights if they want to participate. What they need is money - the ability to get it, keep it and use it.

Blacks have been on that stubborn, stuck-in-the-mud Democratic donkey too long. It's time to change to the elephant.

Angela Scott
Groesbeck

Gay marriage could lead to polygamy

The writer of the Aug. 4 "Your voice" column ("Gay marriage - what's all the fuss?") and anyone else who wonders "gay marriage - what's all the fuss?" needs to read their Bible and Marriage Under Fire by James Dobson. Gay marriage will destroy the traditional family that God created from the beginning of time. When people say yes to gay marriage, who can say no to polygamy?

Not many can say that polygamy is good for families. What will happen to children when gay parents divorce? Will they have to deal with four mommies and four daddies? Whatever happened to the argument and documented fact that children need both a father and a mother to grow up developmentally healthy?

Lisa Gilbert
West Chester Township

Bush playing politics with terror alert

The Bush administration should not play politics with terror warnings. I believed Tom Ridge's recent warning wholeheartedly until he proclaimed, "But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terror." Now we come to find that the information that prompted higher terror warnings is 3 years old. Why are we hearing about this now? A senior law enforcement official responded recently, "There is nothing right now that we're hearing that is new. Why did we go to this level? ... I still don't know that."

Patrick Frato
Hyde Park

Democrats playing politics with alert

I have something to say to all the Bush haters and to Sen. John "I did not say that" Kerry's pitchmen in the media concerning homeland security. It is unspeakably irresponsible to accuse this or any administration of raising the alert level in New York and Washington financial districts for political gain. Had the Bush administration before 9/11 received credible evidence that al-Qaida was planning to fly airplanes into the World Trade Center, they would have "moved heaven and earth" to prevent it. To not issue a warning based on such intelligence would have been irresponsible. Yes, politics is being played here - by the Democrats.

Avery Proffitt
Reading

9/11 commission report refreshing

Does anyone wonder why the American people have embraced the 9/11 commission report? Could it be it's the first thing in a long time that is bipartisan and seems to be genuinely concerned about the welfare of the American people?

Claire R. Giesken
Dent