This is on behalf of the family of Sam Rodriguez. We lost Sam to an unjustifiable shooting in Yountville on Dec. 19, 2005. It is now two-and-a-half months later, and the Coroner's Office and Sheriffs Department are still not releasing a report, or Sam's personal belongings to us, his family.

One of the perks of being president is commissioning a new rug for the Oval Office. President Bush has recently been telling visitors that he turned the task over to his wife with one admonition: The design should send the message that "an optimist works here." The pattern she selected, featuring a burst of sunlike rays, fills the bill.

Dear editor,

Dear editor,

Dear editor,

Dear editor,