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America should bring Roman Polanski home to pay the price for his crime. I'm not convinced that Polanski, being rich and famous, will get the same justice as other perverts. The rich can buy their way out of crimes they commit. America, don't let this sex criminal escape justice.

-- James R. Flinn, Richmond

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As a retired military officer with more than 35 years of service, it's hard for me to believe that President Obama appoints his own field commander in Afghanistan and then sandbags the general's request for additional troops. That is nothing short of a recipe for defeat. I've never known anyone in the U.S. military who likes the terms defeat, retreat, or surrender. It looks like Obama is laying the foundation for the use of those words unless he listens to his theater commander instead of the colleagues within his party. The American military always seeks total victory, nothing less.

-- Charles R. Elam III, Chesterfield

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The president and Congress are lying to us. The proposed health care plan is not about increasing competition as they claim. If they truly wanted competition, they would allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. Instead, they want to control our health care. They intend to redistribute health care just like they are trying to do with our personal wealth. Remember what Obama told Joe the Plumber.

-- J. Howard Humphreys, Richmond

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I have been going to the State Fair since I was 9 months old. I would catch two buses to get there. I have since taken my children and my grandchildren. It's nice the fair has a new home, but did the organizers stop to think about the inner-city families who got there by bus? Did they think about a lowor no-cost shuttle? To me, the State Fair is not fair anymore.

-- Barbara Reaux, Glen Allen

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Massachusetts Democrats have given the nation an outstanding demonstration of brazen corruption. Changing the process for appointing an interim U.S. senator -- as they have done because a Democrat is governor -- is beyond shameful. What unbelievable gall.

-- Lee Ellison, Richmond

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If you don't have to live in Eric Cantor's district to run against him, why doesn't Bobby Scott run in the Fighting 7th?

-- Jim Seay, Henrico

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It's easy to understand why Native Americans are complaining about being identified with the Washington Redskins. Their performance on the field leads me to believe the entire team is suffering from Mad Cow disease.

-- Mike Gilletto, Henrico

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Would I vote for this president again? Yes, I would. He hasn't been in office for a year yet. It's going to take a lot longer than one year to straighten out the mess that was left after eight.

-- Christopher Quinn, Richmond

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Remember when Halloween was innocent entertainment as a community vigil for All Saints Day? Certain recent sightings of Halloween store exhibits show marketers engaged in inducing consumers and their families to trade off Halloween for horrorcore imagery. Halloween is for children. It doesn't deserve horrorcore images.

-- Lyman Flinn, Henrico

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Bob McDonnell said recently that he hopes to fix Virginia's transportation problems with money from offshore drilling. He never mentioned the money he'll get from Santa Claus.

-- Ernest Irby, Henrico .