Ethanol for fuel, as mandated by Congress a couple of years ago, has produced a multitude of unintended consequences. Food riots in Burma (Myanmar) and in Haiti; removal of rain forest to produce palm oil; food price increases this past year in the USA of about 35 percent for staples like eggs, milk, chicken and pork, and more.

Ethanol is a big mistake because it turns 30 millions tons of real food into inedible fuel. Now, in a terrible climatic aberration probably caused by La Niña, the Midwest of the United States is ravaged by storms and floods.

These storms have already damaged a significant fraction of the U.S. corn crop. The price of corn has risen very sharply: $8 per bushel now compared to $4 two years ago. Corn is now so expensive that the average ethanol distillery is losing 8 cents per gallon, even with the subsidy from the federal government. Ethanol, even with the subsidy, will increase the price of both gasoline and food.

All of these atrocious results came about because of Al Gore and his gang, and their fellow travelers, all spouting a malicious falsehood regarding carbon dioxide and the no longer operational global warming that stopped in 1998, more or less.

The result? Our presidential candidates and many congressional candidates compete to see who can sound more environmentally "sensitive" than the other. They are all lost in the fever swamp of religious environmentalism. They insist on remaining far away from rational discussion of environmental issues, fuel and food. This religious environmentalism will lead to starvation of many people worldwide this year.

Meanwhile, the caribou (and bears) in Alaska increase in number, while schmoozing around the oil pipeline that environmentalists told us would kill caribou by the gazillions.

This environmental religion kills more people than tornadoes do, and destroys more food than locusts can. May the good Lord deliver us from environmentalism!

W.T. "Ted" Hinds
Gainesville

Flags of other nations should fly equally
This letter is in response to Saturday's article, "Respecting Old Glory for Flag Day." Let me start by thanking the veterans, including those of VFW Post 8452, for serving our country.

The article and the sidebar are incorrect when they say "the American flag should always be the highest flag flown, whether or not it is on the same pole of another flag." This is only true when the other flags are state or local flags.

Concerning national flags, the flag code states the following in Title 4, Chapter 1, 7 (g): "... when flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace."

With the Fourth of July coming up, there will be many opportunities to display the flag correctly, but also many opportunities to display it incorrectly.

The U.S. Flag code is available online. Please take the time to read it completely, to ensure that you display the flag properly.

David Clough
Lula