ABOUT A BOY

Thank you for writing this article and getting it published ("Saving Cyrus," November 8). This is a subject that should be receiving much more study and exposure. I am a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation and am aware of these possible links between vaccines and the current epidemic proportions of illnesses in our children. It is great to see this in the media where it will be seen by many who are not aware of this connection. You wrote about the subject fairly and informatively. I wish this possible problem was more known to the public; we place way too much faith in our doctors, the FDA, the Department of Agriculture and the pharmaceutical companies. Many people and organizations we tend to trust are really just in it for the money, but the public fails to realize that. Keep up the good work and thanks again.

Tim Bard

Tallmadge

HUNGARIAN FOR MORE

Erin, Erin, Erin. You, you Š (as DeNiro would say).

So, there I was, flippin' the pages of this week's Free Times and the word HUNGARIAN in your title ("Righteous Hungarian Secret of Cucumbers," November 8) naturally caught the attention of the Budapest Blonde.

As I proceeded to read your piece on Hungarian Ougorka Shalatta (that's Hungarian, baby, for cucumber salad), I couldn't help but think of how many f'in times I've eaten this, made it, my mother's made it, her mother's made it (I was even requested to make this at a Democratic judge's fundraiser at the BLONDE). Oh my God, girl, it's branded into these hunky hands and taste buds! So, I just had to take this article to my beautiful 86-year-young Hungarian mom and read it to her word by word.

Well, she nodded to the correct description of the recipe, gasped and chuckled at the wording; and when I was all done reading, her response was, "She forgot the fuckin' paprika!"

Thanks for a good laugh and tasty moment between my mom and I.

Ilona Simon

Independence

WILL CHANGED FACES RESULT

IN CHANGED POLICIES?

Election day is finally over. Many faces have changed at the federal and state levels. In the U.S. House, Democrats will replace Republicans as the majority party. Can we expect these changed faces in Washington to result in fundamentally changed policies? It depends.

By fundamentally changed policies, I mean basic laws and rules that provide We the People the ability to govern ourselves. Here are six suggestions for fundamental change:

1. Eliminate corporations from elections. Business corporations are creations of our government. Government has the power to determine what corporations can and cannot do. If We the People believe corporations are polluting politics (which they are), then getting rid of corporate political "contributions" (some call them "investments") is an excellent clean-up strategy.

2. Abolish all so-called "trade agreements" and start over. These agreements have never really been about "trade" but about who has the power to decide. That is, should the public have an authentic voice in deciding when, how, where and under what terms corporations can move from a community to some other nation or should corporations have the authority to make such decisions?

3. Eliminate the "Commerce Clause" (Article 1, Sec 8) from the Constitution. This nifty provision, exalting commerce above all else, has been used hundreds of times by federal courts to overturn local and state laws protecting the health, safety and welfare of communities.

4. Let people directly vote on major national issues. Many communities and states allow citizens to bypass politicians and place important issues directly on the ballot. Why not the federal level? Why shouldn't the public be able to have a vote on ending the war in Iraq or creating national health insurance?

5. Guarantee workers the right of free association. The First Amendment only applies in public places. Once a person sets foot on corporate property, the Bill of Rights is meaningless. Laws need to be changed permitting working people the right to freely organize without obstruction on corporate property. Why shouldn't it be just as easy for a group of people to form a union as it is for those who want to form a corporation?

6. Remove the U.S. Supreme Court's power of judicial review. The Supremes have come to have ultimate power overturning local, state and federal laws on an increasing number of important decisions with no checks and balances.

After elections, winning candidates often lower expectations of what "realistically" can be done. We should hear none of it. Our nation is a mess. It's time We the People take charge, grab the opportunity and force politicians to create real change that is so desperately needed.

Greg Coleridge

Director, Economic Justice & Empowerment Program,

Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee