Britain's Kid Troubles

Yes, it's true that we need to listen to youngsters and focus on helping them [April 7]. But at the same time, we need to introduce new laws to stop teenage crime. We need to be very tough on guns, drugs and alcohol. Parents and teachers should be given more of a role in building children's character. They should be allowed to take the actions they deem necessary for kids' benefit.
Hasan Raza Gondal, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND

As author of Scared of the Kids? , a book published in the U.K. in 2001, I am well aware of the concern about young people. A key question that is rarely raised when discussing young people is, What has changed about adults? Rather than asking what has happened to the young, we should be asking why adults have become cowards. Why do those on the left see "having a go" as vigilantism? Why do we rely on the police to deal with young people on the streets, the vast majority of whom are not criminals in any shape or form? The question of the common good lies at the heart of this debate — a question politicians appear not only unable to answer but also too nervous to touch with a barge pole.
Stuart Waiton, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

We Brits have all but given up on our disaffected youth. Their surly demeanor and vicious behavior represent a consummate failure of the Tony Blair-Gordon Brown era. The people who once famously claimed to be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" chose instead to be even tougher on the victims of crime. Some young hooded lout threatens you or your family's safety, so you clip his ear, and an army of social workers springs to his defense, while the full might and majesty of the law are brought down upon you, with all the consequent personal and financial penalties.
Robert Frederick Birkett, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND

Reinventing R.E.M.
I enjoyed Josh Tyrangiel's recent article about R.E.M., and I generally agreed with his assessment of the band's last three albums before Accelerate [April 7]. However, I completely disagree with the chart that deems Monster below respectable. Following Automatic for the People, R.E.M. ran the risk of falling into a rut. After two similar-sounding albums, what would its members do next? Their willingness to completely change their sound from mandolins to gutsy electric guitar helped establish R.E.M. as a group not afraid to challenge expectations. It is good to see in their new album that they are willing to do it again.
Henry Rosenberg, SOUTH WINDSOR, CONN., U.S.

Gore to the Rescue?
Joe Klein's article [April 7] provides a refreshing alternative to the dismal prospects facing Democrats in the current campaign. Al Gore has proven himself on a global playing field. Can the ordinary citizen be so strong as to bypass the delegates' nominee and write in Gore on the ballot in November?
Barbara Sturman, LEXINGTON, KY., U.S.

Klein states that the African-Americans who support Barack Obama will sulk and stay home if Hillary Clinton is nominated. What does he think we women feel? Although millions of us are angry that Obama couldn't wait four more years, we are not unwise enough to sulk, stay home or vote for John McCain.
Cecilie K. Bodnar, CANANDAIGUA, N.Y., U.S.

To Quit or Not to Quit I'm glad Clinton comes from a family in which quitting is not an option [April 7], but forging ahead without integrity is simply wrong. Many people believe they are the best person for any job. But to subvert the mandate of the voters and try to influence delegates directly will do irreparable harm to the country, the Democratic Party and the integrity of the process.
Adam Signore, MEDWAY, MASS., U.S.