Transcending torture
A photo essay

Letters
Media should focus on immigration
Re: Could this happen again?

Editorials
Farm bill must be fair to Florida
In the critical final days of congressional horse-trading over a new farm bill, Florida could be one of the big losers. Here is why: Both political parties and both houses of Congress are competing to boost subsidies for commodity farmers in key Midwestern states, hoping to sway voters. To pay for their extravagances, they are cutting other agricultural programs, such as conservation spending, that are of more benefit to Florida farmers.

In Zimbabwe, nobody wins
The nations of South Africa and Nigeria do themselves and the future of the African continent no favors by endorsing the recent sham elections in Zimbabwe. Every report to be believed coming out of Zimbabwe indicates that President Robert Mugabe's victory was a fraud. The continuation of Mugabe's illegitimate presidency will be a destabilizing factor in the region and another roadblock to an economically vital Africa.

Privatized neglect
The rush to privatize Florida's child-welfare system already has led to a fiasco that compromised the protection of abused and neglected children.

Bill Maxwell
Race summit is for regular folks
ELLENTON -- Here is a statistic that will surprise few informed people: Of the nation's 50 governors, not one is an African-American or Hispanic. Now, here is a statistic that may surprise even many informed people: Of our 100 U.S. senators, not one is black. If these two institutions were private clubs, their exclusionary rosters would be the talk of network news and the late-night lineup.

Robyn E. Blumner
Bulldozing the Constitution in a misguided effort to fight terrorism
If the FBI and federal prosecutors never made a mistake, there would be no need for procedural safeguards. No one charged with a crime would need an attorney or bail or a trial for that matter, since no one who's innocent would ever be arrested, detained or imprisoned.