Cob Smacked

If Pitch editor C.J. Janovy doesn't like the military adventurism detailed in her anti-Iraq-incursion column ("Uncle Sam," September 21), why is she running a dubious slam on ethanol in the same issue? "Ethanol Pushers" incorrectly concludes that ethanol will be of no help in the search for energy independence. Biofuels are evolving into substantial and valuable contributors to our domestic fuel supply.

We went into Iraq because we wanted a substantial military presence in the heart of the oil-producing Middle East. We also wanted to open up their oil reserves to Western market principles and investments in the hopes of undermining OPEC. Objectively, we're going to end up failing on both intentions.

Before you bemoan government subsidies, consider the hundreds of billions that will be pissed away on this emerging Middle East oil war. Plug in all environmental costs of our status quo oil addiction. And when you get into "net energy," don't just rearview-mirror assess what's already happened. Net energy on biofuels is increasing every year, while oil and gasoline will continue to diminish as we go further, deeper, riskier and smaller for more sour oil deposits globally.

Pending breakthroughs on cellulose-to-ethanol technologies will deliver multifold improvements in both carbon-dioxide output and net energy. Corn to ethanol is just a bridge — a bridge that wouldn't have happened without the Garnett facility and investors and subsidies that pale by comparison with the decades of oil and oil-related military adventurism. Robert Anderson,
Kansas City, Missouri

Crop Circles
Thanks for your series on ethanol. I appreciate the well-developed rationale and on-the-ground details that bring the story to light to a nonfarm audience.

One thing that gets a little bit lost is the true positive impact ethanol can have for farmers as an investment (not, as Carolyn Szczepanski correctly points out, as a way to increase corn prices). The story about Garnett, Kansas, handled this quite well, especially the part about the group of $1,000 investors earning back one-third of their money already.

The analysis of the federal farm bill and its commodity programs is where things get increasingly hairy. Those subsidies are paid through a complicated program based on the farmland's historical production and current market prices. It doesn't mean that Farmer John is subsidized 55 cents for each bushel of corn he sells. As you correctly point out, those millions of dollars in subsidies are paying to maintain corn production itself, but not necessarily corn producers.

Another problem is what to do with the leftover corn mash. Some agribusiness-corporate types are trying to use this stuff as a back-door method of increasing the number of feedlots: We've got all of this corn mash sitting around — let's build a 50,000-head cattle-feeding yard to use it up! That feedlot would be an environmental disaster.

Biodiesel is quite a different story, especially when it is created in small-scale production facilities owned by local people.

Again, thanks for the stories. You all are doing great work. Bryce Oates,
Columbia

Gas Bags
I want to compliment Carolyn Szczepanski on her thorough and informative article on ethanol. I learned a lot and will now be better able to evaluate political boasts about how ethanol is the answer to all of our prayers about energy independence. Thank you for your due diligence.

Susan Fischer,
Leawood Stage Capsules

Richie's Mom Speaks Up
Regarding Alan Scherstuhl's write-up of Over the River and Through the Woods at the New Theatre Restaurant: You guessed it! I am an orphan, so I could leave home to do Over the River.

The New Theatre is the closest thing I have to a family! Now that Happy Days is over, Drew Carey is gone and That '70s Show, too! Plus, I love Kansas City and all its flavors!

Love, Marion Ross,
Woodland Hills, California

Café, September 28

Technical Kaiyo
Charles Ferruzza is correct — Kaiyo is one of the best restaurants in town. My wife and I love the food. The dinner trays are great. Very fresh. We loved the soup and ginger dressing for the salad. The sushi is the best in the Midwest. The dining area is worth seeing. This is our favorite restaurant.

David Suddock,
Olathe

Correction: Benjamin Thorp's "ProLife 2005" at Paragraph Gallery's Stains, Fingerprints, Watermarks and Scars show last December must have disturbed us so much that we got our notes wrong. We spelled Thorp's name wrong, and the tunnel created from found mattresses was not a collaboration between Thorp and Brendan Meara but rather Thorp's work alone.