Letters: Jul. 3, 2006

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The Pope's question brings up the eternal theological question: Does God micromanage the universe, or did he or she put humans on this earth with the freedom to make mistakes and the necessity to live with the consequences?

ROBERTA M. ETHEREDGE

Sunnyvale, Calif.

Watch Your Language

As a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Eastern Europe, I commend Charles Krauthammer for his excellent Essay in favor of making English the official language of the U.S. [June 12]. Bilingualism might have the effect of dividing the country. I sometimes feel even more like a foreigner when I encounter people who have no intention of learning English and assimilating into this great society. Uncontrolled immigration is the major contributing factor to bilingualism. Although I am an immigrant, I still disapprove of our government's irresponsible immigration policy.

DEIAN STANKOV

Clarksburg, Md.

English has been amusingly defined as the result of Norman men-at-arms trying to pick up Saxon barmaids. Its pragmatic, flexible nature has always been one of its great strengths. Make English the official language, and we will lose that strength. Why? Because then we must officially define what English is and is not. The French did this with their mother tongue, and what was once the international language of diplomacy has become increasingly unimportant.

JOSEPH POWER

Mountain View, Calif.

Hooray for Krauthammer! I grew up with a mother who didn't speak English. Bilingual government services allow parents to avoid learning it. But it is devastating when children are forced to be the family's interpreters. Try having to miss class because you have to interpret for your mother at her gynecologist's. Let's make it hard to function in our society without knowing English, and keep children in school, where they belong.

MARCIA DEL MAR

Calabasas, Calif.

As a bilingual teacher in El Paso, Texas, for 20 years, I found that the drive to learn English is strong, and that by the second or third generation, most immigrant Hispanics are English speaking and, better, bilingual.

PATRICIA R. CAMPBELL

Albuquerque, N.M.

Dinner at Your House?

Thank you for the article "The Magic of the Family Meal" [June 12]. I never dined with my family as a child, but even though it sounds corny, I loved going over to my friends' houses for what I called the "please-pass-the-potatoes meal." I grew up with a single mother who was in graduate school, and eating together was not always an option. Now I make dinner a special time for my family to share and discuss the day's events.

DAYNA CORONADO

North Hollywood, Calif.

Your series of articles on eating smart made a good case for healthful home-cooked foods. What it didn't address was the downside: someone has to actually cook those healthy foods. Cooking is tedious, repetitive and time-consuming. The last thing I want to do when I come home from a long day at work, tired and hungry, is wash, chop and prepare vegetables. And lest anyone blame my attitude on not being a stay-at-home mother, I don't like cooking on weekends either.

CHARLOTTE HOTCHKISS

Mabelvale, Ark.