Letters | EVEN MORE ON BARBARO: HE WAS JUST A HORSE

RE CAROL White-Piazzo's

Feb. 6 letter:

Enough already with the outpouring of emotion over the death of Barbaro! The latest entry into the maudlin "All hail Barbaro!" fiasco actually states that "we all went through the recovery process with him" and "he was the hope for all of us to be stronger."

What?! Most people I know who live in the real world don't draw their inspiration from a hobbling horse. What could this animal have done to elicit such over-the-top feelings from Ms. White-Piazzo? Oh, I know. He ran around a track a few times while people wagered money on him.

Gimme a break! I don't know about you, but I stopped caring about this horse the minute he pulled up lame.

Steve McGrath, Philadelphia

Frank Keel wrote that Barbaro never held out for more money, never did steroids, never did sit-ups for media attention, never demanded a trade to another farm and never accused anyone of horse-on-horse crime.

I feel ya, brother! But one question: Was he a talking horse? I mean, since you knew so much! The war, politics, education, violence here in U.S. cities - and you want to talk about horses?

Give this guy a tissue.

Laurence Barberra, Philadelphia

Frank, you're half right when you say you're dumbfounded over why people would question the outpouring of emotion over Barbaro's death.

Your comparison of Barbaro to a spoiled, overpaid athlete misses the point. His demise, though sad, is irrelevant in the grander scheme of things.

Let's face it, he was a horse! A well-kept, well-fed, well-trained horse - that's it.

He didn't put his life on the line fighting drugs, putting out fires or protecting our streets. He has not lost a loved one to the horrors of war. He did not fall victim to the senseless violence of gun warfare. He was not struck down by a stray bullet.

He did not struggle with the lack of funding for a proper education. He contributed nothing to society. I'll say it again, HE WAS A HORSE!

Frank, you're dumfounded? How about just plain dumb.

Steve McGrath

Philadelphia

Suck it up

Guy walks into the Oreck vacuum-cleaner store and selects 19 of those 8-pound wonders.

Clerk asks, "Will that be cash, credit or OPM?"

Jim Acton

Collegeville