In God's Hands

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In his column "A New Idea for Democrats: Democracy" [April 11], Joe Klein described the right of the Senate minority to filibuster as "a matter of process rather than substance, a pinhead of a principle most civilians find difficult to understand." I was appalled by that statement because protection of minority rights is at the heart of the U.S. Constitution, purposely put there by the Founding Fathers. I am not too stupid to see the danger of one-party rule, regardless of the party. It's ironic that the U.S. is trying to protect minority rights in the new Iraqi government while here at home Congress passes laws and approves budgets and judicial nominations with scant consideration of minority views. Klein advises Democrats not to be so obsessed with the legal system but instead to trust legislatures to solve thorny problems. After the congressional circus over Terri Schiavo, I am grateful to the Founding Fathers for having had the sense to create a judiciary whose members can focus on the Constitution, not the next election.

JANE MONAHAN -- Decatur, Ga.

Klein's call for democrats to "embrace democracy" ignores the historical need for the Judicial Branch to protect minority rights. Our Constitution lays out a clear guideline that has been clouded over the years by prejudice. Klein cites the civil rights movement as a time when federal courts played a key role in integrating public schools. Yet he goes on to say the "courts soon wandered into unlegislated gray areas," and he touts "popular constitutionalism," an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Americans of all stripes deserve equal treatment, irrespective of polling data.

BRYANT WILLIAMS -- Dallas

As an evengelical conservative, I think Klein made a great point about the Schiavo case. In this instance, in which there was a caring family and a dispute over personal preferences, why didn't the judicial system favor life? On abortion, those of us who believe in federalism (states' rights) are nearly as offended by the process of judicial fiat as we are by the abortion procedure. I would accept legalized abortion if the people in my state voted for it--although I would work to have it banned in a future election. But the passion we conservatives display on the issue is inflamed because an illegitimate judicial process resulted in an immoral conclusion.

RON BRISTOL -- Silverthorne, Colo.

Finally, some common sense on the abortion issue. Let's have a nationwide referendum to settle this democratically, once and for all. But with one change in the rules: only women can vote!

RON JONES -- Plainwell, Mich.

Klein may be right that the exploitation of congressional rules is strangling democracy. But pointing a finger at the Democratic Party rather than Congress as a whole is disingenuous. Led by Republicans, Congress meddled in the Schiavo case, using legal process and technicalities to counter the courts' decisions. Klein may not like the outcome of that case, but that is democracy.

LORI FUNDERBURK -- Apex, N.C.

Democracy in the U.S. has always meant protecting individual rights. Now that Republicans are in charge of the Executive and Legislative branches of government, we are lucky that our system of checks and balances still works and the judiciary is protecting our rights. The courts may go too far on occasion, but that is preferable to the tyranny of the majority that Klein seems to support.