I loved Meghan Daum's column of Aug. 24 (Bad parent porn appeals to the smug). The media circus surrounding the woman who gave birth to eight babies never stops. Daum wisely claims that "bad parenting has emerged as its own entertainment genre." Is it really necessary to have front page headlines like Mom plans surprise for bully with supporting comments from a parent who gives her son "full permission to kick the snot out of the other boy (bully)"? Please leave this kind of story for the tabloids so I will not be assaulted with the kind of story that could easily incite violence in our schools.

Your article Should bullied kids fight back? (Aug. 24) struck a personal chord with me. I was bullied as a teen and lived in constant fear of my peers. I tried fighting back, even telling someone in authority at school, but that only seemed to make matters worse. Back then schools didn't have any anti-bullying programs or policies like they do today. I was made fun of simply because I was different. Yes, the name calling and the physical abuse hurt. But I wasn't about to change who I am or what I believed in. And why should I? The kids who bullied me were the ones who had a problem and not me. I made the decision not to behave as they did. I would help people and not hurt them. I wanted to make a difference in people's lives and in my community. And that is what I'm doing today.

We might give some thought, however, to an aspect of this story that few are considering. Justice Secretary Kenny Macaskill concluded his statement of explanation about the release by saying, "Mr. Al Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. It is one that no court, in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. He is going to die." Then, he added, "The perpetuation of an atrocity and outrage cannot and should not be the basis for losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live."