Air Supply

Feature: "In Search of the Smokiest Bar," January 11

Air Supply
Good story by Jen Chen. But please allow reference to notions Alexis de Tocqueville cautions from Democracy in America: "It must not be forgotten that it is especially dangerous to enslave men in the minor details of life. For my own part, I should be inclined to think freedom less necessary in great things than little ones ..." (borrowed from Jonah Goldberg's January 11 Kansas City Starcolumn).

There are much worse matters to deal with during the course of a given day than odors acquired from bar hops. That is, after all, what you generally do, isn't it? My nonsmoking friends disapprove of such government intrusion. They also don't jog alongside rush-hour fumes, as do some nonsmokers I see often. Michael Boyd, Kansas City, MissouriButt Wait
In my opinion, the Quaff downtown is the smokiest bar in town, not Buzzard Beach. Have you been there for a Friday happy hour? All the smokers from DST come over to smoke at Joe Quaff's bar!

Rick Guess, Kansas City, Kansas

Cig Other
I read your article, and I don't know — I think the smokiest bar might be Chez Charlie. When I get home the next day and open my record bag — which zips shut — it smells like Chez Charlie cigarettes. You have to take a shower, and all your clothes stink. It definitely has to be the stinkiest, smokiest bar I've ever worked in.

They claim to have a smokeater there, but I think it's just a shell. I don't think it works. James Trotter, Kansas City, Missouri

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

I moved here last year from Los Angeles, and I have seen many successful smoke-free bars in many great cities.

Kansas City is way behind the times. If you want to think we are a big city — or even semi-big — it's time we started acting like one. San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City and many more operate and thrive without catering to cancer-seeking, depressing, suicidal people who must smoke. I love KC but truly will not invite friends to visit because people smoking in restaurants and bars would appall them. It truly is the one thing that makes Kansas City inferior to other places I've lived.

I wish your article would have focused a little bit on better smoke-free places I could go to. Smoky places are the norm — who cares? — and it's sad that they would be proud of that.

KC would be fine with a ban. People need to stop being so backward and move forward to the future. So many more people who don't go out would then do so. Let the smokers be banished to the streets, where they belong. We need to stop glamorizing a habit that is disgusting, kills and pushes itself on innocent others. Seeing my mother die from smoking her life away has shown me it's not cool to hang out with a bunch of dumbass smokers.

Waiting, hoping, praying the ban comes very soon ... please happen soon! Sharon Braun, Kansas City, Missouri

Feature: "Back to School With Kris Kobach," January 4

Court Jester
We are plaintiffs in the suit against Valley Park, Missouri, regarding their ordinance on immigration and thought Kris Kobach's actual court performance should be open to the public.

On January 4, the court was hearing motions. Mr. Kobach stood up to argue one of the motions for Valley Park. Our attorney objected that Mr. Kobach had not followed the protocol for an out-of-state attorney. Apparently, neither Mr. Kobach nor any of his cohorts had taken the time to learn the rules, since the judge had to tell them what those rules were.

The judge told Mr. Kobach he could call the Supreme Court and see if he could get permission to argue, even though he had not been admitted. He left to do so, then reappeared to say that he was working on getting someone to file the necessary paperwork and pay the required fee. It was like being at the circus, not in a court.

After Mr. Kobach promised the judge that friends in Jefferson City were taking care of the paperwork, he was allowed to argue the most important motion of the day. He was asked to present his argument in approximately 10 minutes but spent around 45 minutes. He spent the majority of his 45 minutes arguing why the judge should follow the opinion in one specific case, which was later found to have been abrogated by the Missouri Supreme Court and which the Missouri Supreme Court has told lawyers not to cite and rely on.

The fact that Mr. Kobach was hired by Valley Park because of his "expertise" is laughable. The fact that he will be teaching future students immigration law is not. Florence Streeter, Manchester, Missouri Stephanie Reynolds, Valley Park, MissouriHis Fat MouthGloss Over
Charles Ferruzza hit it on the head with his review of Foo's (Fat Mouth, January 18) with one teensy exception: The younger mommies of Leawood wear Clinique, Shiseido or Bobbie Brown. Estée Lauder is strictly for the Lawrence Welk set. Just couldn't let this tiptoe by.

Lynne Hodgman, Prairie Village Corrections:Popsicles member Erika Marshall's name was misspelled, and Joel Kraft's CDBig Ideas was incorrectly named in last week's music feature ("Cold Candy," January 25).