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The July 24 article "Lake Itasca — source or sham," exploring the idea that the Mississippi River starts in South Dakota, not Minnesota, was extremely interesting but lacking in much lateral research by the writer. The southeast-flowing portion of the Minnesota River may be one of the oldest rivers in this part of the continent. As the River Warren, it was integral in draining the melt-off of the last great ice age from Lake Agassiz. At the point in the river now settled by Mankato, the river turned south in its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. At some point in time, the river changed course and started flowing northeast to what we now call the Mississippi. You can see the geologic differences in the river valley terrain between Big Stone and Mankato, and Mankato and St. Paul. The valley in the older portion is much wider and more gently sloped. I can only surmise that the "Mississippi" was already flowing at the time the two rivers connected near Fort Snelling.

James Rose, Shakopee
LEADERSHIP AND JUDGMENT

More patience needed, or case of Castile shooting, clear enough?

D.J. Tice's July 24 column ("Those looked to for leadership should cool the rhetoric on race") was well-balanced, thoughtful and, from my perspective, a prescription for the behavior we should expect from not only our leaders but also from every citizen. Some politicians and citizens seek politically expedient and "popular" answers rather than waiting for a full investigation and facts before forming judgments. In addition, some of us rush to solutions without defining the problem we are trying to solve, determining the root cause(s) of the problem and developing the comprehensive solutions to overcome the root causes.

All of us, including me, need to choose our words and manage our actions carefully in order to channel ourselves and others to a more open-minded and less judgmental state of being. Rather than assuming the worst in others, we should assume the positive intention of others. We should reserve judgment until the facts demonstrate the truth. This is especially true for our leaders, because they set the tone for either restoring calm or inflaming already stressful situations.

John Buske, Eagan

• • •

I believe Tice was flatly wrong in his criticism of our elected officials for comments about possible racial bias by police. I am grateful for the public statements of Gov. Mark Dayton and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The killing of Philando Castile is a simple case, and we have enough "facts," easily refuted if wrong, to allow us to debate this terrible tragedy. Further delay arouses suspicion; I am suspicious of why there is so little news about it.

The reported facts are that a responsible, employed man who had a nonthreatening demeanor (confirmed by small children remembering him fondly) was driving with a woman and 4-year-old child when he was stopped by police and almost immediately shot multiple times until dead.

There is almost nothing that could be revealed about the man that would change the fact that his constitutional rights to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, to be protected against cruel and unusual punishment, and to be armed were infringed. This was a terrible error by one of our police forces that we cannot ignore.

The individual police officer may have been a bad cop, or he may have been a good cop who felt threatened, or he may have fired his gun accidentally or … .

But in any case it reflects on police department hiring, training, supervision, staffing or operational protocols or … .

This is a local problem that we must address publicly, and we must take corrective action immediately, not just for St. Anthony police but for all of our police departments. It is not a criticism of police but an appeal to find a way to restore broad respect for them.

Thomas Detwiler, Minneapolis