Family Values

Hostile fire:Regarding Jason West's letter about the article "A Tale of Two Soldiers" (March 9): A little bitch, indeed! I guess living in your parents' basement and playing on the Internet all day gives Jason West the moral authority to say how someone severely wounded in this war should behave. He is the first person to ever say that Tomas Young is a "disgrace to troops serving in all armed forces."

Since we have encountered many soldiers in our journey over the past two years since Tomas' injury — including his own brother, currently serving in Iraq — and none was disgraced by Tomas, I question where Jason gets his information. Perhaps Jason is like so many others who are for this war but cannot logically justify the bloodshed, so they resort to personal attacks on those who speak out against it. Any man who fights for his country is hardly a "spoiled, immature punk."

Thank goodness I raised two such patriots so that casual observers like Mr. West don't have to go to war. This frees up his time to play Halo and write absurd letters. When does he deploy?

Cathy Smith Tomas Young's mother
Liberty

Bitch slap: Jason West is the real bitch. How dare he say those things about a guy who actually served his country? At least he raised his fucking hand. I bet Mr. West thought about it and pussed out.

I am a soldier serving in Iraq right now, and Tomas Young is not a disgrace to me or anyone in my unit. To us, he is a hero. It is little bitches like Mr. West who disgrace our country and the brave who serve it. Mr. West wouldn't survive a day outside the wire over here.

Nathan Young Tomas Young's brother
Via the Internet

Team Builder
Save the stadiums: Regarding the Kansas City Strip of March 16: Have you been to a Chiefs game? The stadium looks like shit, and if Missouri doesn't build a new stadium, another state will. First of all, think of the revenue that a Super Bowl would bring to KC and think of how much revenue Jackson County brings in by taxing players' salaries. So what if the Hunts are getting rich by the deal? They own the damn team and are the reason why it is in Missouri instead of Texas. And that's my two cents.

Name withheld by request

Eat Up
Café hurray:I read with great interest C.J. Janovy's article about bringing in a restaurant in the style of the old Harvey House to our Union Station. And Richard Cargo sounds like just the right person to make it successful (March 9)!

I hope that it will be an eating spot that will be open 24-7 (if not at first, that they work to that end). I've been to our Union Station to drop off or pick up passengers in the wee hours of the morning or late at night. How nice it will be to be able to sit and have coffee and a piece of homemade pie while waiting. Or to stop in for a bite late at night on the weekends (or weeknights, for that matter).

Also, I remember the Fred Harvey Restaurant that they maintained in Newton, Kansas, for many years (after the original Fred Harvey left or closed). So I'm one who will frequent the new restaurant here at our own Union Station when it opens this summer!

Finally, "they" may be getting the message, as you stated, to infuse the building with local Kansas City talent and spirit!

David J. Draper
Grandview

Lonely Heart Club
For a good read, call a sex offender-turned lobbyist: Justin Kendall's article on David Owen ("The Lonely Guy," March 9) was excellent. The Pitch features never fail to entertain, and this one in particular was great.

Ryan Haas
Columbia, Missouri

A Grilling
You say panini ... :Mr. Ferruzza: In regards to the grilled Italian sandwiches served at many restaurants, the correct name for a single sandwich is panino. Multiple sandwiches are panini. There are no such things as "paninis." Many restaurants use the term incorrectly ("Three's Company," January 5), but there is no reason for you to continue propagating this mistake by using the terms incorrectly yourself. Please correct this and use your position to influence the public in a positive way.

Name withheld by request
Charles Ferruzza responds: Interesting question ...panino orpanini? In Italy, a panino can be a filled sandwich or, much more likely, the bread roll itself, with no filling. (I know —I bought both in Rome and Florence.) Two of these "sandwiches" would, of course, translate aspanini. Alas, we're not in Rome but in a country where spaghetti e purpetti is known simply as spaghetti and meatballs and biscotti — a generic term for cookies in Italy — is considered to be a particular crunchy pastry sold in coffee shops. Americans are notorious for mangling foreign words and pronunciations. Yes, I'd like Mercier Street in Kansas City to be pronouncedMerci-yeah, but it's not going to happen. The Pitch could changepanini topanino, but our readers are accustomed to calling the sandwich by it's vernacular name. Linguist Jeremy Butterfield agrees that most Americans treat panini "as a singular noun when its actually the plural of the Italian panino — literally 'a little bread.'" He goes on: "So what will the English language do with foreign words? The answer is: whatever it likes! That's what the English language has always done, and there's no sign of it stopping now."