Tattoos give people confidence
It was because of my grandma telling me "No more tattoos!" that I wanted to see if everyone felt the same way she did or if my youthful interest in tattoos was simply a trend. It seems we have a fairly even split, mostly divided by age and class. I looked specifically into the self-confidence effects of tattoos and found that after being "tatted," most people feel significantly better about that part of their body and make an effort to actually show off that part. In a country where 45 million people have at least one tattoo, you would think more would be accepting and see the positive aspects. Tattoos are actually a huge boost to one's confidence and we, as a country, should work harder to promote self-belief and reliance and stop working so hard to make everyone feel socially sub-par. I personally have three tattoos that I love and feel great about and I would not get rid of a single one. This is the new age where tattoos and piercings are just an everyday thing -- truly works of art and should not be handled so harshly.
JUSTICE GORAK
Abortion and the Constitution
Do you know what the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade is about? When asked, people say abortion. Well, it's not. It's about the right to privacy. Many people mistakenly think the Constitution is a religious document. It's not. Our founding fathers, and especially the first five presidents, were for separation of church and state. An abortion will not ever occur in my family, ever. But I don't have the right to speak or act for others, and a woman should have the right of privacy in the first 20 weeks to choose whether to bring a fetus to term. But the question is: Are you really against abortion? If you have never adopted a child and taken it into your home and raised it as your own then you cannot say with all honesty you're against abortion. But I sent money to an orphanage. No, give real Christian love in your home. I've heard a number as high as eight in 10 people in prison were raised in foster homes. Furthermore, if you committed such a reckless act of conception, we should be able to do without your defective
DNA. DAVID BEAN, Chatsworth, Ga.
Mind your parts of speech
In the article in Saturday's paper about grammar and the use of "can" and "canned" when talking about signs in the grocery store, the writer erred in saying that "canned" was a verb. "Canned" certainly may be a verb, as in, "she canned the vegetables." However, when the phrase is "canned vegetables," "canned" is being used as an adjective. Similar adjectives used with "vegetables" might be "frozen" and "fresh."
JOHN BORDLEY, Sewanee, Tenn.