Let me say up front that I am avid supporter of our police, and while Josh Woodland’s response to Travis Simpson’s letter complaining about the Daily’s Welcome Back directory may have been an asinine act of absurdism, he is essentially correct. Mr. Simpson, you have made much ado about nothing. It would seem to me that the DPS officers involved in the photo would have been the first ones to complain if they had felt they were being unfairly portrayed as abusive or unwelcoming to students. When I saw the cover of this issue, I took it for what I still believe it to be: an attempt to make a light-hearted and humorous cover to what is an otherwise dry collection of information and advertisements. And why not? Even in the best of worlds, the relationship between the young and any authority figure, benevolent or otherwise, will be somewhat strained. If anything, this cover bridged a gap between police and students through the gratuitous use of humor. Had Mr. Simpson said nothing about it, I doubt the average resident of Ames or Iowa State would have given a second thought to this “controversial” photo. You should be less eager to play thought police. When the subject matter is as benign as this, you simply look like an ass who nothing better to do with his time. And finally, to quote the unusual Mr. Woodland, “lighten up.” Charles Shanks

Ames