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Parents and teachers know that consistent enforcement is critical. A child or student does not thrive with mixed messages; the policies of the home or classroom must be reliable to ensure effective management. Yet in adult relationships - and in relations between nations - the importance of consistency is often forgotten. This is certainly true of American policy toward Egypt, its closest Arab ally. While U.S. policies in the Middle East have never been dependable, let alone consistent, a recent blot on U.S. attempts to bring democracy and freedom has emerged in Egypt.

Sun's Hmong story was not an accurate portrayal of cultureKirsten Scharnberg's article "Surviving culture shock" (March 8) is the kind of media portrayal that caused me to start the Hmong Tribune.The article proliferates the idea that the Hmong are a backward, preliterate people who are isolated from mainstream society -- a novelty to be studied, occasionally, a group not surviving in American society.It may not be the writer's intent, but the damage was done. The article was unbalanced. This culture is full of success stories.

Would Bush pardon other '28-year-olds'?Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about George W. Bush's past "lifestyle" and alleged cocaine use. Using cocaine is a felony and there are no statute of limitations on cocaine as a federal crime. I believe that the media should stop asking him about his cocaine use in the past, as it is very clear he does not plan to answer that question.Instead, I suggest that the question for Mr. Bush should be: If elected president, will he issue pardons to the tens of thousands of men and women currently in prison as a result of cocaine-use prior to their 28th birthday?

An article in yesterday's editions of The Sun reported that Sgt. Stephen R. Pagotto was the only city police officer convicted of a fatal shooting in the line of duty. The article did not note that Pagotto's conviction was overturned by the Court of Special Appeals, the state's second-highest court. The state is appealing that ruling to the Court of Appeals, which has not heard arguments.

AT THE END of the classic science fiction movie "The Thing" -- after a group of American servicemen and civilians somewhere in the Arctic fricassee a critter from outer space -- the lone journalist in the group grabs the microphone of a short-wave radio."

The Carroll County Landowners and Homeowners Association greatly appreciates The Sun's article of Oct. 12 ("The defender of property"), focusing on the efforts we have made to procure a fair shake for the farmers and homeowners of Carroll County.Staff writer John Murphy was accurate in all that he reported (with maybe the exception of calling me "squat"). I am writing this letter to point out a few major issues that I discussed with him, but apparently due to space constraints and/or editing did not make it into the article.

Criticizing Winer's work on panel unfairI would like to comment on the May 20 article entitled "Winer urged to quit panel" by Matthew Mosk and Laura Sullivan. As a member of the Odenton Town Plan Oversight Committee, the reporters questioned me about Mr. Winer's involvement in the selection of the land for the regional library site.The article implied that Mr. Winer kept the fact that he was the broker and landowner from the committee.I stated that I had not personally heard any discussions about this issue, but that does not translate to hiding the information.

An article in Sunday's Maryland section describing the Historic Cadillac Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue did not mention the group that staged the event. It was organized by the Pennsylvania Avenue Committee, led by Chairman George Gilliam. The committee also sponsored a gospel, jazz and rhythm-and-blues festival at Robert C. Marshall Field after the parade. The article incorrectly reported that a separate Saturday event, Cool Jazz on the Avenue, was scheduled to continue Sunday. It was not.The Sun regrets the omissions and the error.

The rules of evidence deny juries data on victims, other chargesIn The Sun's interesting article "Jurors deliberating over trial experience" (Nov. 11), Erin Texeira reported on her post-verdict interviews of jurors in the robbery trial of former police officer Dorian Martin.The jurors said that they wished they'd had had more evidence. One complained that the Assistant State's Attorney "offered little evidence of the [victim's] character or standing in the community."After the trial, the jurors learned from news articles that the defendant had once pleaded guilty to the crime, and that he is accused of similar crimes against two other victims.

Editorial could push Baltimore's leaders to show leadershipThe Sun's "Getting away with murder" editorial (Feb. 14) provides a sensible, detailed road map for returning account- ability to Baltimore's floundering criminal justice system.In a city where passing the buck has been raised to an art form, it is refreshing to see one of our leading civic institutions take a clear stand on an issue that truly matters. Thank you.In fairness, while too many public officials, including our mayor and state's attorney, seem to expend most of their energy explaining why they can't solve Baltimore's crime problem, other city leaders have worked diligently for years to make the necessary reforms.

A Los Angeles Times article about a brutal 1994 attack on rap superstar Tupac Shakur was partially based on documents that appear to have been fabricated, the reporter and editor responsible for the article said Wednesday. Reporter Chuck Philips and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, issued statements of apology Wednesday afternoon. The statements came after the Times took withering criticism for the Shakur article, which appeared on latimes.com last week and two days later in the newspaper.

Strong beat reporting is at the heart of quality newspaper journalism. The Sun's crime and criminal justice reporter, Julie Bykowicz, proved that last Sunday with a revealing article, "A `Back Door' Into Prison," which showed how prosecutors from Baltimore's state's attorney's office are using the court system in an innovative way to send lawbreakers free on probation back to prison - even after they are acquitted of a crime committed while on probation....

ARTICLE, PG 1D

Sometimes a newspaper article that seems like a straightforward follow-up to recent news events is, in fact, the product of weeks and months of effort aimed at producing the right story at the right time. So it was in The Sun last Sunday. David Wood, the newspaper's Pentagon correspondent, produced an incisive report explaining the challenges the United States will face if and when it pulls its military forces out of Iraq. One military official told Wood that a pullout would be like moving the city of Los Angeles - a startling comparison that put the scope of the mission into perspective for readers.

Parents and teachers know that consistent enforcement is critical. A child or student does not thrive with mixed messages; the policies of the home or classroom must be reliable to ensure effective management. Yet in adult relationships - and in relations between nations - the importance of consistency is often forgotten. This is certainly true of American policy toward Egypt, its closest Arab ally. While U.S. policies in the Middle East have never been dependable, let alone consistent, a recent blot on U.S. attempts to bring democracy and freedom has emerged in Egypt.

The Sun's March 2 report on a genealogical study indicating that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's forebears had owned slaves quickly became one of the most controversial articles the newspaper has produced in some time. The Sun's online version of the front-page article, "A new twist to an intriguing family history," was linked to a number of heavily trafficked national Internet sites - and the online readership was phenomenal. So was the volume of e-mail comments - both local and national - received by the newspaper.

Baltimore native Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has received considerable coverage in The Sun - and will continue to be in the spotlight for years to come. The Sun's Washington bureau has written extensively about her legislative agenda and political career, including her prominent role last week in expressing her party's opposition to President Bush's decision to increase the number of American troops in Iraq. Metro reporters have explored in detail her Baltimore political roots - she is the daughter of former Mayor Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr. and the sister of former Mayor Thomas L. D'Alesandro III - including a Jan. 6 article about her celebratory return to the Little Italy section of the city where she grew up. But no article about Pelosi, a California Democrat, has generated as much reader response as Sun fashion reporter Tanika White's Jan. 4 Today section centerpiece examining the House speaker's fashion sense and personal style.

A July 7 article announcing the planned closure of The Sun's three remaining foreign bureaus generated significant reactions from readers - because of the loss itself and because of the article's brevity and its placement inside the Business section. The story noted that over the next 18 months the newspaper's Moscow and Johannesburg operations will be shut down and that the Jerusalem bureau will be absorbed into the network of The Sun's corporate parent, Tribune Co. The Sun's Beijing and London bureaus were closed earlier this year.

On Nov. 29, The Sun published a prominent front-page story about Cardinal William H. Keeler's visit to convicted killer Wesley Eugene Baker, and the cardinal's subsequent appeal to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to stop Baker's scheduled execution. The article prompted two questions from reader Dennis Foster: "After seeing this big play on the front page, I'd like to know where The Sun played the stories about the murder of the woman who Baker was convicted of killing? And why does the newspaper give so much attention to the killer and opponents of the death penalty and not report on the victims and their families?"

Article was inaccurate, Mount Hebron girls say Regarding the article by Kate Crandall about Mount Hebron girls lacrosse ["At Mt. Hebron, winning so much it hurts,"Aug. 21], we wanted to let The Sun know that we were disappointed at the tone of the article, the inaccurate information, the misquotes and the quotes that were taken out of context. We literally spent hours talking to the reporter over the course of three months. While we did talk about the pressure of being on the top-ranked team in the nation and the dedication required to maintain that ranking, we also repeatedly emphasized the joy of playing together, the other aspects of high school life that we experienced and the excitement we feel about playing for our respective colleges.