Robyn E. Blumner
Courts must respect kids' parental ties
If you're like me, suffering from an Elian overdose, any mention of the 6-year-old Cuban boy is enough to send you running for your Pinball Wizard ear plugs and eye shades.

Editorials
Open gamesmanship
A full and open debate is necessary if boosters hope to win public support for bringing the 2012 Olympics to the Tampa Bay area.

Questionable courthouse behavior
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Edward Ward, who sent e-mail under the name of "Lover Boy," claims he didn't intend to sexually harass women at the courthouse.

Concert searches crossed the line
Attending a rock concert shouldn't be an invitation to be searched and manhandled by police. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office was reminded of this in an important ruling by the 2nd District Court of Appeal over the constitutionality of searches conducted at the 1998 Zen Festival.

Letters
Initiatives can rein in lawmakers
Re: On a perilous course, by David Broder, and In Florida, we have witnessed the failure, April 9.

Martin Dyckman
Education superboard may hinge on word
What's in a word?

Tim Nickens
Media didn't create negative campaigns
There is a difference between fair comparisons and negative attacks.