海角大神

Battle against graffiti

Thanks for the March 20 People Making a Difference article 鈥淲hy graffiti doesn鈥檛 last long in this town,鈥� which depicted my fellow graffiti removal artist Alan Erickson. Many of us are not as committed as he is. Still, this will reinforce the good feelings of those who only occasionally repaint a local utility box.聽

For those wishing to join us, here are a few tips. Wear old clothes. Don鈥檛 paint over unpainted bricks; call the property owners about these. Cheap paint can be bought from the 鈥渙ops鈥� shelf at Home Depot, Lowe鈥檚, or other hardware stores.聽

Painting over graffiti is best done early on a Sunday or holiday, preferably in summer with a friend in an old pickup. You don鈥檛 have to worry about the traffic as much as you repeatedly stop and paint, and you won鈥檛 mess up your clean car. Most important, when you are done, reward yourself with a nice breakfast or cup of coffee.

John Stettler

Dallas

Library value

Regarding the April 14 online article 鈥淲hy libraries could soon need a national endowment鈥� (CSMonitor.com): My husband and I were just discussing this and the incredible value public libraries offer. If our society really does embrace diversity and an egalitarian attitude, allowing libraries to make more active contributions could be wondrous. Thanks for discussing this issue. Excellent article!

Micheline Ronningen

Happy Valley, Ore.

Finding truth

Regarding the March 26 Monitor鈥檚 View, 鈥淭rump and the question of truth鈥� (CSMonitor.com): This was well written. It helped me to consider the sources and encouraged me to read outside my 鈥渂ubble.鈥� I have been guilty of not doing that. I appreciate the tone of this editorial and its emphasis on the ability of 鈥渢he people鈥� to discern truth. The tone is respectful and encouraging.

Mitzi Brister

Stephenville, Texas