Mash Note

Lee's summit:Thanks for running an article about Carlos Lee! (This Week We Love, July 3). He is a fantastic guy and a great businessman. I look forward to seeing what other endeavors he pursues in the next few years. Kansas City is lucky to have him!

Shannon McKain
Kansas City, Missouri

Speed Bump
Cop to it: Everyone seems to take for granted that racial profiling is a huge problem (Kansas City Strip, July 13), but they never seem to hear some very inconvenient facts.

First, the vast majority of traffic stops in the state of Missouri are for speeding. Most officers don't stop a car for speeding unless it is driving 10 miles an hour or more over the speed limit, and at high speeds you can't tell if the driver is human, much less determine their race. The concept of racial profiling assumes that the officers stop drivers based on their race.

A North Carolina State University study found that black drivers are more likely to speed. Couldn't that be a factor in why more black drivers are stopped? Sure, contraband tends to be discovered more often on white drivers, but did the Pitch bother to check this out? Black drivers tend to have a higher arrest rate (usually due to warrants), and it's Cop 101 that you search a car whenever you arrest the driver. These searches are much less likely to yield contraband. Searches of white drivers tend to yield more contraband because the searches are based on other forms of probable cause, such as plain view or smell, or consensual searches.

As a counterbalance, I would recommend reviewing Heather McDonald's book Are Cops Racist? I will agree with one thing in the article, though. The best way to avoid getting pulled over, arrested, and/or searched is to have a valid driver's license, registration and insurance, and not have any warrants. I would echo Chris Rock and add one more thing: Obey the law.

Name Withheld by Request

Clean Plate
No foul play: Regarding Ben Paynter's "Say It Ain't Steroids" (July 13): I grew up with Chris Mihlfeld, played baseball with and against him since we were little. I wrestled with Chris at Winnetonka and was there when he first came out for the team. I worked out with him in the weight room, and I guarantee that he has as clean a reputation as any man I know. Those of us who know Chris would never question his integrity.

Mike Ewing
Pleasant Valley

Perfect Strangers
Mom's the word: Regarding Bryan Noonan's "Girl in Trouble" (May 11): What an incredible story. I had Spanish class with Aubrey Owen at Kansas State University. I remember thinking her life was "perfect" and was blown away when the story first hit the news. Now and then, Aubrey crosses my mind, and that's how I ran across the feature.

Wonderful work.

Courtney Cameron
Shawnee

Jumpin' Jive
He was catty: We visit David Hampton's Jumpin' Catfish on a regular basis, and I feel that Charles Ferruzza's review is way off base (Café, July 13). We feel this restaurant is one of the best-kept places in town. The employees are always friendly, and we rarely have bad service. You can't say that about many restaurants that you regularly visit.

Jennifer Mack
Lee's Summit

The Maine point: Well, Charles, it looks to me like you made up your mind about Jumpin' Catfish before you even walked in the door! True, the décor isn't for everyone, but outdoorsmen like David Hampton love it, and so do the kids. I have eaten at Jumpin' Catfish, all locations, for over 10 years. David strives to serve good food at a reasonable price and has something on the menu for everyone. I have found their food to be hot and delicious, their service great and their menu varied. There are numerous items on the menu that are not fried. They offer broiled and baked items as well. And their seafood is to die for! Have you ever tried their live Maine lobster flown in fresh every Friday? I felt that you really didn't go there with an open mind. I hope you will give them a try again, as Jumpin' Catfish is one of my favorite restaurants!

Elizabeth Grasser
Overland Park

Red State
More like Cabo Wow-Bo: Hey, Darryl Smyers, you obviously know very little about REAL rock singers. You didn't do a very thorough job of researching Mr. Sammy Hagar OR his outstanding career before you decided to bash him in your worthless article ("Hagar the Horrible," July 13).

HA! David Lee Roth is doing what these days? He certainly isn't doing anything positive or doing a 50-plus-show tour or releasing a new album of new material. DLR only wishes he had the vocals and the entertainment qualities that Sammy Hagar has.

Next time, you need to do a better job of researching your subject! By the looks of the crowd on Sunday night in Bonner Springs, many people would definitely disagree with your assessment of Mr. Hagar. Hope you caught the show ... you would have seen what a REAL rock singer is.

RED love to you anyway.

Jamie Collins
Benton, Kansas