Letters

I don’t understand why people who go crazy about Pokemon, sip French wine and wear made-in-China sportswear should have any reason to protest against free trade. What the protesters do not realize is that free trade is sometimes the only chance for people living in developing nations to send their kids to school and to have a better quality of life, including, for example, running water and electricity in their homes. Now, as a result of the recent events in Seattle, we are seeing America not as a big brother who is concerned with the progress of the free world but more as a giant who is reluctant to let go of its protectionism.

Your articles on the demonstrators in Seattle failed to take into consideration the growing perception that the one person, one vote system doesn’t seem to bring any satisfying results. The failure to vote by large numbers of citizens isn’t the result of apathy; rather, there is a growing consensus, especially among the young, that the only way people can make themselves heard is through demonstrations, sometimes with the need for accompanying violence. Fortunately, the riots in Seattle were eventually brought under control. But what will happen when the groundswell of disaffection becomes so strong that the authorities who were supposed to represent these people can no longer control the situation?

Your report on the WTO and the demonstrations in Seattle was broad but lacked depth and analysis. It’s easy to see why so many disparate groups failed to find a consensus, given the background of a trading structure based on competition. Every nation is trying to maintain and improve its own position against the inherent economic domination of the wealthy countries. And American workers want to protect themselves from foreign competitors that are guilty of child-labor and pollution violations. The ecological situation is becoming more and more precarious while trade advocates pursue betterment through “globalization.” Seattle made us realize the need for serious talks about a consensus. The first fundamental step in this direction must come from the wealthy nations, which need to work toward alleviating the disadvantages of the poor and structurally handicapped countries.

After watching the protesters against the WTO in Seattle, I am reminded of a “left” that has always existed in the United States, even if it gets a beating from our push toward capitalism. But since it doesn’t seem as if Americans’ arrogance, guns or the WTO are going away any time soon, maybe we would feel more in control if the government and the WTO were forced to create “social facts” labels to accompany all (trade) products. Just as food is labeled with newly revised “nutrition facts,” social facts would finally let us know how many trees were killed to make our paper or how many children under 10 worked on a particular shoe. If we have a right to know what our cornflakes are made from, don’t we also have a right to know how our Nikes are produced?

Your story points out the leadership deficits of Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. But the nation’s problems, including high unemployment, go beyond them. This country is suffering from rheumatism, and its entire taxation and revenue system, as well as the antiquated citizenship law, must be radically reformed.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-04” author: “Paula Valdez”

You are to be congratulated on an excellent issue about the events of the past week and the stories tracing how the candidates entered the race for president and ran their campaigns. The material only confirmed the ravenous hunger for the presidency manifested by Al Gore in his willingness to alter his personality and mien instantaneously if it could garner votes. The Republican effort seemed to center on the desires of a group of power-hungry superannuated individuals (all of the elder Bush’s former advisers) to regain the perks of power and privilege by training and sponsoring an inflatable dummy. The tragedy of this election is not the struggle for the presidency but the fact that the richest and most powerful country on earth could not come up with better choices for leadership. Michel Wugmeister Stamford, Conn.

Your Special Election Issue, “The Winner Is… ,” brings two words to mind immediately: great cover! Jon Weis San Diego, Calif.

I just received my Nov. 20 issue of NEWSWEEK and at first glance thought that Chevy Chase was on the cover. What a remarkable resemblance the combination of Bush and Gore bears to the comedian! Since we haven’t been able to decide who will be our next president, I’d like to suggest that Chevy fill in in the meantime. Since he looks so much like the composite of the two candidates, I think he’d be the perfect compromise president. Jody Benedict Norfolk, Va.

Instead of “The Winner Is… ,” the descriptive phrase that appeared on your Nov. 20 cover should have read “The Whiner Is…” Presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore have acted more like spoiled, peevish children than true statesmen, displaying behavior that has become an embarrassment to our country’s proud political heritage. Kenneth L. Zimmerman Huntington Beach, Calif.

As an African, I’m amazed to learn that Americans, whom we considered to be well educated and intelligent, could be confused by a ballot paper. The implication is that the responsibility of choosing the world’s most powerful leader rests on voters who cannot even interpret the position of an arrow or a punch hole. How well, then, do they understand the issues they are supposed to base their decision on? If, after several centuries, this is the state of democracy in the most advanced country in the world, I can understand why it does not succeed in Africa. Andre Kruger Erasmia, South Africa

The American people have spoken, and despite the utter bewilderment of politicians and pundits alike, they have spoken loud and clear. What we want is continuity. We want the machinery of government to keep on functioning. We want the roads maintained, the defense establishment to keep defending us, the police to keep protecting us, the courts to keep sentencing the criminals and freeing the innocent. We want the Social Security checks to keep going out. What we have no overwhelming desire for, clearly, is for either party to carry out its political agenda. We’ve had enough of agendas and ideologies. We want no experiments, fixes, “improvements” or “bright ideas.” No tinkering with government programs that currently work, if only imperfectly. No posturing, promises or partisanship. No politics as usual. We want the two major parties to settle their differences and, if necessary, to make a deal. To rule by consensus. To form a “caretaker government” in the European style. We want an end to the paralysis caused by the electoral impasse. In short, we just want to get on with our lives. Mendel Cooper St. David, Ariz.

I am a 14-year-old citizen of the United States, and I am thoroughly appalled at the election of the president in this year, 2000. Our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution to serve as the basis for our government. I honestly do not understand why neither Al Gore nor George Bush is willing to stop the madness that has gripped our country since the morning after Election Day. The results of an election in this country should not hinge on what a specific group of voters is saying. I am very sorry if the ballot confused some voters, but if people did not understand how valuable their vote truly is until after the results came out, and didn’t take the time, the few seconds, necessary to read the ballot instructions, then they do not deserve a second chance; nor do they deserve the privilege of casting a ballot to elect the person who will lead our country. Megan McMahon Cincinnati, Ohio

If the “W” in the republican candidate’s name should turn out to stand for “winner,” as it looks as if it will, it will be wonderfully ironic on multiple levels. Many people will look at this outcome as though George W. Bush had received a “gentleman’s C”–he did not really earn a passing grade but got the course credit just the same. And Al Gore, in an almost Shakespearean way, will have done his late father one better by having been turned out not just by Tennessee but by the entire electoral process of the country. You can’t make this stuff up. Jon Klippel Basking Ridge, N.J.

All those who whine that their vote doesn’t count no longer have that excuse. Anyone who didn’t vote and is either surprised or upset by the outcome will have four years to think about it. Chad Bleakley Oklahoma City, Okla.

Many Europeans find it unbelievable that the Republicans don’t seem to be interested in determining the correct number of votes cast for president and, therefore, the will of the voters. Trying to stop the recounting smells of “bananas” and reminds some of the dirty tricks of Watergate. Republicans are tricky and want to win no matter what the vote is. Is this the message of our leading democracy? Cyrill Wahrer Waldkirch-Kollnau, Germany

A significant side effect of this post-election purgatory is a priceless opportunity for Americans and foreign nations to learn how Bush and Gore will behave in office under pressure in unplanned, ambiguous situations, in activating their staff and seeing (or not seeing) the big picture. Close monitoring of the candidates will reveal the candidates’ personal style, strategy and tactics in real-time situations that the well-polished “official” campaign could not. Benny A. Benjamin Jerusalem, Israel

I think it’s absurd that nations around the world should lampoon the United States about the electoral mess we’ve witnessed these past couple of weeks. Sure, it’s ironic that we Americans, who proudly undertake for ourselves the charge of educating the world in nation-building, based on the model of our democratic system, should have an uncertain presidential mandate similar to what could happen in, say, Yugoslavia. But keep in mind, nobody provided the Founding Fathers with even the slightest model for how to do this thing we call representative democracy. All they had to work with was nearly limitless insight, coupled with the integrity of their convictions and a lot of hard work. And although after more than 200 years it would appear that the Electoral College is more of a relic than anything else, well, the Framers were just geniuses, not gods. Ed Zeltser New York, N.Y.

New York Wins–And Loses As a diehard fan of the Bronx Bombers, I snapped up your “New York! New York!” issue faster than anyone can say “Fuggedaboutit!” (“Play Ball,” SOCIETY, Oct. 30). We Yankee fans have had our pain and humiliations, too. Remember what George Brett did to a 98mph Goose Gossage pitch in 1980? What about the next year, when they squandered a 2-0 World Series lead to those Dodgers? Ughh! Then came a decade of mediocrity and “future Hall of Famers” like Matt Nokes and Kevin Maas. It’s nice to see the Yanks back on top and taking on the Mets (I loved what they did to the Red Sox). To all the clueless “heartlanders” who bash this great party, New York doesn’t need ya. Stay in the sticks. Peter Lightburn Montreal, Canada

I very much enjoyed all the articles on World Series 2000 in the Oct. 30 NEWSWEEK. I especially enjoyed the “Play Ball” article by Kenneth Auchincloss and “The Last Word” editorial piece by George Will. But I need to point out one serious error in the lead article. You say, “[David] Justice promptly went on a slugging spree, becoming the first player to hit 20 home runs for each of two different teams in the same season.” Did you forget about Mark McGwire? In 1997 McGwire hit 34 home runs for Oakland (American League) before he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he then hit 24 home runs in the National League. (As a result, McGwire led Major League Baseball that year with 58 home runs, but failed to hit enough in either league to win a league championship.) Roger W. Kane San Antonio, Texas

As I was expressing agreement with Sara Paretsky’s article “Evil Yankees, Awful Mets” (SOCIETY, Oct. 30), my friend, a diehard Boston fan, said: “At least we can take solace in the fact that whatever happens, a New York team is going to lose.” Bruce A. Kelly Taos, N.M.

Whither Women’s Studies? The Oct. 30 article “A Crucial Test For Feminism” (SOCIETY) contains claims about Colgate University’s women’s studies program that are misleading. The article repeats a claim by Joan Mandle, a former director of the program, that she lost her position because she “insisted on rigorous academic standards” and “rejected such ‘feminist orthodoxies’ as the rule that at least half the readings in women’s studies courses be written by women.” In fact, she was replaced because she chose to be away from campus for three consecutive years. For the first year, we were appointed acting codirectors. When she asked for a second year off, the dean of faculty appointed Prof. Kay Johnston director for two years. Prof. Marilyn Thie currently holds the position. The women’s studies faculty at Colgate is diverse, with male and female teachers and scholars drawn from academic departments across the university. Mandle’s implication that these teachers do not insist on rigorous academic standards is insulting, not only to the program, women’s studies faculty and former and present directors, but also to the departments that are home to the courses that are cross-listed in women’s studies. As for “feminist orthodoxies,” Colgate’s program is far from rigid on the matter of course reading material: we have an informal rule that half the readings in a women’s studies course be written by or about women. We think it would be odd to have a women’s studies program in which the reading material didn’t meet at least those very liberal minimum standards. D. Kay Johnston Associate Professor of Educational Studies Marilyn Thie Professor of Philosophy and Religion Colgate University Hamilton, N.Y.

In your article on women’s studies, I am the person you identify as “a women’s studies professor [who] refused to enter a sorority house where she had been invited to speak on sexual harassment.” To set the record straight, may I say that during my tenure as chair of the Sexual Harassment Panel at Colgate University (a position I held from 1991 to 1994), I gave workshops to any group that requested them, including fraternities, sororities, the student senate and the residential advisers. I also have a well-known policy of not accepting invitations to the events in sorority and fraternity houses. This policy is based on the fact that I have spoken and voted against the continuation of the fraternity/sorority system at Colgate on numerous public occasions and could think myself nothing less than a hypocrite if I then accepted their hospitality. My opposition to this system is based on 15 years of experience watching Colgate students (both male and female) break into tears in my office because they were not accepted into the “right” house, and hearing all too often, “I’m really interested in this topic but I don’t have time to do any more research because of rush.” I can assure you that no one at Colgate was denied access to information about sexual harassment under my administration. Mary H. Moran Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair, Department of Sociology and Anthropology Colgate University Hamilton, N.Y.

As a junior at Hamilton College, I am quoted (or should I say misquoted?) at the end of your article “A Crucial Test for Feminism.” I would like to correct the false impression you have given of my views on this issue. Your reporter seems to have ignored all the positive arguments that I made during our interview about women’s studies, and the one negative comment I made was included but completely misinterpreted. Contrary to what your article says, I did not choose to minor rather than major in women’s studies because of its “negative connotations.” I made this complex and difficult choice because women’s studies is a narrow discipline and I thought I could expand my options with a major in sociology. Within the sociology field I will have the added benefit of a background in women’s issues. I do admit that there are many negative connotations associated by some people with women’s studies, but I feel strongly that there should not be. I believe that my women’s studies classes have helped me to see the world in new and critical ways and to explore the different issues that women of all races, classes and sexual orientations face. Jessica Ambrose Clinton, N.Y.

Corrections In a review of exciting moments in the history of Subway Series (“Let’s Go to the Videotape,” SOCIETY, Oct. 30), we said that three Subway Series had a best-of-nine format. We should have specified that we were speaking only of post-WWI series; there was, in fact, another best-of-nine series in 1903.

Guest writer Sara Paretsky said in “Evil Yankees, Awful Mets” (SOCIETY, Oct. 30) that the Kansas City Athletics became the Oakland A’s in 1966. The change occurred in 1968.

George Will wrote in his Oct. 30 column “Oh, Swell: New York Wins Again” (THE LAST WORD) that the 1954 baseball season consisted of 152 games; there were actually 154.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-23” author: “Sammie Sanders”

Election Dissection It is amazing that a country like the United States doesn’t have a system to settle elections that are so close to call. In India, there have been many similar situations. We count all votes manually, and when the contest is very close, there is mandatory recounting until the tally is consistent and observers of contesting political parties are satisfied. Margins have been as close as seven votes. We also find it surprising that, although there is still time until the January inauguration, George W. Bush wants the whole thing to end quickly. It is not the speed with which votes are counted that is important, it is the accuracy. B. Pradeep Nair Bangalore, India

While the (supposedly) most technologically advanced country in the world struggles to finish ballot counting, the world watches–first with amazement, then with amusement. If Americans are unable to find themselves a president, there is always the possibility of revoking independence and returning to the monarchy. It would have the benefit of clarity: Elizabeth II would be your queen, and Tony Blair would be your prime minister. Patrick Bauer Assel, Luxembourg

In France Ralph Nader would have been eliminated in the first round. In the next round the majority of Nader’s support would have gone to Al Gore, and Gore would be president. In the United Kingdom Gore and Nader would have formed a coalition, and Gore would be president with Nader landing a plum job. In America even though a lesser number of people voted for George W. Bush, he may end up as president. The American system is flawed. Derrick Ruffell Hong Kong

Election 2000 has become a black comedy. I’m so filled with disgust at the manipulation of the law and the election that I can’t bear it anymore, and I believe most Americans share that sentiment. Enough already with the recounts, hand counts and appeals. While Gore may have received the popular vote, he has lost the public’s backing with his legal maneuvering. Stephanie Packwood Kirkland, Washington

Can anyone tell me how to explain to my children that every vote counts except those the lawyers fight to exclude? Pamela Chatenay-Lapointe West Greenwich, Rhode Island

Bush should concede the election. He’s lost the popular vote and, judging by his vehemence in objecting to Florida recounts, realizes that in reality he didn’t have enough votes there either. Claiming the presidency expresses his disbelief in democracy. Steve Troy Boulder, Colorado

I’m fed up with this election. as an independent voter I’ve voted for Democrats and Republicans in the past. This year is a joke. Let it end. Gore’s had more than enough chances. Barbara Mayfield Meridianville, Alabama

Election rules in Florida were set, known and agreed on before the election. By those rules, Bush won. People who think the rules are not fair are free to try to change them–between elections. You don’t get to change the rules after the game is started. Mari Werner N. Hollywood, California

Republicans are perpetual sore losers. And now, incensed by the likelihood that Al Gore actually got more popular votes in the state that’s under the Republican domination of their candidate’s brother, they’ve done everything possible to delay, nullify and stop the legal hand recount of tens of thousands of ballots that machines can’t count. The Republican assault on the right of the people to be heard is intended to delay hand recounts until they don’t matter. I hope the judiciary will regard such intentional disenfranchisement with contempt. William T. Fidurski Clark, New Jersey

One of the best indicators of a man’s character is how he handles defeat. Is it with grace and aplomb? Or does he cry and whine and complain that he was “cheated”? Al Gore does neither himself nor his party any good by his continued foot-stomping and proliferation of lawsuits. My father told me that sometimes one has to “take it like a man.” While losing is lousy, it must be accepted (and learned from), and the loser must move on to other challenges. Rod Corey Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Both candidates are losers. since the election, Bush and Gore have shown who they really are: very ambitious politicians who would do anything for a victory. The great American presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt were intelligent, patriotic men with political visions. Bush and Gore, on the other hand, are two boring members of a degenerate political establishment who act the same and sold their last ideas for money. It makes no difference who wins this election. Karsten Strey Hamburg, Germany

Al Gore is not a bad loser. It is essential to scrutinize every Florida ballot in order to legitimize Gore’s or George W. Bush’s presidency. This election proves that every vote counts. It must take however long it is necessary to prove that the election was as free and fair as possible. Dominic Shelmerdine London, England

A businessman here told me that if Al Gore cannot buy enough votes with political favors after eight years in government to win by a clear majority, and if he could not win in his own state, he should concede. I agree. Dean McClain Meru, Kenya

Whatever legal or procedural lessons America will draw from this disaster, Americans should consider what would be unthinkable to many of them: having international officials observe their elections. This suggestion is not about mistrust in American democracy, it is about symbolism and credibility. The United States sees itself as the champion and promoter of democracy around the world. The U.S. cause and international relations would benefit tremendously if Americans jettisoned some of their self-righteousness by showing that they don’t just set rules internationally, they follow them as any other country does. Holger Klitzing Heidelberg, Germany

Stop! Maybe the time has come to take another look at this global hierarchy thing. Is this democracy? Over here, the one with the most votes wins. Is this the free world? Hundreds there await the death penalty, which was abandoned over here long ago. Europe does not claim to be a leader, but it is surely a better example for those countries looking for one to follow. Simon Barlow Paris, France

Looking Behind the Scenes I read your Nov. 20 Special Election Issue cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed the reports and commentaries, not least because they were informative, educational and entertaining. You gave a good balanced perspective of the two candidates vying for the world’s most powerful office. Your anecdotal account of what the two men did during the moments they were away from the gaze of the people, rather than the empty charade on stage, was perhaps the most revealing of character. Melvyn H. S. Lim Singapore

The inside story on the U.S. presidential election was a gem that illuminated with clarity the goings-on behind the presidential campaign. I was, however, amazed by the profanity of the candidates’ campaign staffs. Is it an American thing to so liberally use expletives and foul language? Short of their professional capabilities, some of these fellows ought not to get much credit–theirs are dishonorable ways. Charles Muchuha Nairobi, Kenya

It was bewildering to see you dedicate a whole issue to the presidential non-election. You’re taking your domestic politics too seriously. We have been bombarded by the media with this–you should have spared us from more of the same. The rest of the world keeps on turning, too, you know. Siew Woh Onn Singapore

Your Special Election Issue was a big downer. It reported only on America’s “closest presidential fight ever” and all its trivial details. The president of the Philippines is undergoing impeachment, and renewed hostilities are occurring with greater frequency and severity in the Mideast, but these did not merit even a single page. I did not get my money’s worth from this issue. C. M. Joseph Via Internet

As a subscriber, I’ve often lamented the lack of imagination put into the covers of your magazine. However, your brilliant composite of George W. Bush and Al Gore on the cover of your election issue really brought it to life. It’s worthy of an award. Richard Simpson Singapore

I was astounded to find a whole issue devoted to the U.S. presidential election. Most people in the world find the postelection process excruciatingly boring. I’ve been a subscriber for 10 years, and this is the first issue I have thrown in the bin without reading a single page. Is it not enough that you have bored your international readers for more than a year with so much coverage of the presidential race? There are far more important and interesting things going on around the globe; you obviously think they aren’t worth a mention. Graham Chase Enfield, England

Like people around the world, we followed the U.S. election and its amazing aftermath with awe. Your special issue made interesting reading, but should you be devoting an entire issue to this? After all, yours is supposed to be an “international newsmagazine.” There are other things that people would have been interested to know. Gagan Arora Delhi, India

The most telling part of your coverage of the election was the balance of letters published in “Electing a President in 2000” (Nov. 27). Most Europeans have long realized that a Bush presidency would be a disaster, not only for the United States, but for most of the free world. It is refreshing to see that most Americans seem to agree. Gus Paterson Edinburgh, Scotland

Gorbachev’s Contribution I enjoyed your article on Boris Yeltsin (“Boris’s Choice,” Europe, Oct. 16), but I was amazed that you gave him sole credit for staring down the Communist Party and engineering the breakup of the Soviet Union. By the time Yeltsin came to power, Mikhail Gorbachev had already done the dirty work. It was Gorbachev who took the initial, most painful steps in dismantling the old Soviet Union by opening the door with glasnost and perestroika, revolutionary concepts in the Soviet Union at that time. I hope history remembers Gorbachev’s efforts better than you did. Rachel Lindquist Yokohama, Japan

Celebrating the Serb Struggle Cheers for the superb reportorial skills of Joshua Hammer and Zoran Cirjakovic, who so accurately described the freedom fight of the Serbian people (“Free at Last,” Europe, Oct. 16). The victory of the Serbs gives credence to the fact that staunch determination, relentless positive struggle, heightened drive, purposeful vision and the will to succeed in spite of all odds pay huge dividends. It solidifies Abraham Lincoln’s powerful definition of what democracy really is–government of, by and for the people–and sends a clear signal to dictators around the world that ultimate power resides with the people. Hats off to Vojislav Kostunica for setting a precedent for other oppressed people of the world to follow. Arthur Montanna Golde Douala, Cameroon

Another Image for Auschwitz I’m not an Auschwitz resident, and I have been to neither the city nor the death camp. Nevertheless, your article “Dancing on Old Graves” (Europe, Oct. 9) concerns me as a resident of Poland. I understand that the situation in Auschwitz is difficult to resolve, as both sides have their rights. It is a place where so many died a shocking death, but Auschwitz’s inhabitants have the right to live their own lives, not bearing the consequences of the death camp. Young people have the right to have fun, and it’s better that they go to the disco than do something else. It seems that NEWSWEEK often writes about Poland only when something negative is taking place. It is true that Poland faces many problems that greatly stem from our past, such as the Nazi occupation and the Iron Curtain. But I would be really glad to read about Poland’s cultural life, its advances in the economy and other things Poles can be proud of. I. Agnieszka Wojcik Warsaw, Poland

If and when a person wants to pay respects to the dead, he or she will go to the cemetery or, in this case, to the death-camp memorial at Auschwitz. In the meantime outside the graveyard everyday life goes on. The Jewish Diaspora cannot hold a whole town hostage to their own oath of eternal remembrance. Many Poles of other religions died, too, not just in the death camp, but in many other places. This does not mean that the whole country must become a graveyard. Andres T. Stepkowski Santa Cruz, Bolivia

The ‘Morning After’ Pill As an expatriate I still think of the United States as a land where individual freedom reigns. So I am disheartened to be reminded again of the limits of freedom that the abortion issue raises (“The Abortion Pill,” Society, Oct. 9). It took so long to approve the morning-after pill–a pill that allows the termination of a pregnancy in a less traumatic way than surgical intervention. Yes, free and more readily available contraception is an alternative, but there are virtually no forms of contraception that are completely foolproof except sterilization. Bringing a child into the world is a challenging prospect, both from a financial and a psychological perspective. It is a bitter irony indeed when governments want to force a woman to bear an unwanted child when medical advances have made alternatives possible, and yet, they cannot limit the availability of handguns, which take actual lives. Karen McCusker Divonne, France

An Anniversary with Angst Thanks for your excellent article on Germany’s anniversary of reunification (“The Iron Barb Anniversary,” Europe, Oct. 9). With great interest I recognized how precisely NEWSWEEK characterized the two separate German identities that continue to dominate everyday life. The two Germanys are still worlds apart, although 10 years have passed since the German Democratic Republic became a part of the Federal Republic. This clearly shows that old wounds cannot be healed easily; it is doubtful whether the decision to reunite Germany was the right and only one to make, as the scandal-ridden ex-chancellor Helmut Kohl then claimed. However, time will heal most wounds, and the united Germany will continue to play the leading role in creating a similarly united Europe. That is its most important challenge. Lars Straeter Dortmund, Germany

A Failed Project? I’m so glad the Danish people defied the threats of Euro advocates (“The Danes and Euroland: To Be or Not to Be,” Europe, Oct. 2). The Euro was rejected because it is perceived here as a token of a political elite’s failed project. That elite isolated itself in administrative red tape and is tainted by nepotism and arrogance. Economists claim that a currency is sustainable only under the rule of a central government. But the “government” we see materializing does not advocate the values we treasure. Erik Jacobsen Graasten, Denmark

Spike Lee: Think Gray The criticisms most often leveled against Spike Lee’s work and character are the result of an inability to see the complexity of the circumstances he addresses in his films (“Spike’s Minstrel Show,” Society & the Arts, Oct. 2). His social criticisms challenge the tendency of U.S. culture and media to oversimplify. Spike Lee is not just about black vs. white. Rather, he attempts to lay bare the layers and facets of a society that still does not quite know how to handle the past and present of race in America. The reason he hits so many walls of outrage and upset is that he forces us to look at things we’re not–and should not be–comfortable with, namely the reality of racism. His work means to disturb us. He is masterful in his ability to see and present the grays that fall between black and white. The rest of us need to rise to the challenges he presents. Lori Bedell Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania

It was with disgust that I read your interview with the controversial Spike Lee. It was filled with Lee’s profanity and gutter logic attempting to justify his new, racist minstrel film, “Bamboozled” and his racist Jim Crow ads that promote it. Lee has bamboozled the public for too long in order to make a buck. I, for one, hope that his new movie will be his last. Emzy Veazy III Glendale, California

Free to Be Black If you’re a black Briton and choose to leave for a black country because you want to give your kids a good education, does that make you racist or unpatriotic (“The Color of Great Britain,” the new America, Sept. 18)? I live in Africa, and I’m surprised at the number of African-Americans, West Indians and black Britons who chose to leave and come here. Does this make us all defeatists? Margaret Woherem Lagos, Nigeria

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-18” author: “Jessica Dercole”

Election Overtime I’m sure I speak for many on this side of the Atlantic when I say that we cannot understand why a country that prides itself on liberty, justice and human rights cannot sort out the results of an election. It should be apparent that the right to vote must be linked to a right to have that vote counted–without the imposition of a time limit. One’s right to vote should not be jeopardized by the speed of those doing the counting. Does the United States really want to make human rights subservient to the technological limitations of man-made machinery? Efforts should have been made immediately to count the votes by hand without all the time-wasting litigation. We are not interested in political maneuvering–we only want to know what the result is when all the votes are counted. J. Anthony Bristow Tullinge, Sweden

As one post-election announcer put it, the race was a tie. Awarding Florida’s 25 electoral votes on the basis of such imprecise results is wholly arbitrary. The state’s electoral votes should either be discounted or apportioned according to a 50-50 split. Neither option would be palatable to Republicans, but no less so than giving away all of Florida to Bush would be to Democrats. In such a poll-prone, statistics-aware society, the true meaning of the election results ought to be brought to light. Anthony Cafazzo Pisa, Italy

As a Mauritian citizen, I have been shocked to learn how elections are carried out in the United States. Aren’t there any laws that regulate how ballots should be counted? In Mauritius, if ballots aren’t accounted for, we would have new elections. I am, of course, comparing a small country of 1.2 million people with the millions of the United States, but I’m sure our electoral commission would be happy to help when the United States decides it needs a better system. Zeimm Auladin Port Louis, Mauritius

People here, who are used to stolen ballot boxes, multiple votes by single individuals and mystery ballots appearing weeks after an election and still being counted, are now laughing at America. You have no idea how similar the present Florida situation is to elections here. Mike Edwards Goroka, Papua New Guinea

Only with too much technology involved can the question arise of whether a ballot has been punched. I find it disturbing that as a result of the problem in Florida, many people clamor for more technology instead of less, and recommend voting by computer. But that can mean power breakdowns, viruses or manipulation by hackers. I think the slow, old-fashioned way of voting on election ballots–on which you use your pen and make your cross for your candidate–is the safest way to vote. It would be clear and unambiguous and would deliver the most reliable result. Think about it, America. Nikolaus Wandinger Innsbruck, Austria

It’s unfortunate for Vice President Gore that he spent his focus and energy on “inventing” the Internet. If he had instead devoted some thought on how to improve the vote-counting machines, he would surely have been surfing right into the White House by now. Drew Sundberg Brussels, Belgium

A few years ago America was dealing with the Monica Lewinsky affair. As outsiders watched, they mocked–not President Clinton, but the Americans, who cared so much. Now we have almost completed our presidential election with two quite different candidates: one known to have little experience or relevant knowledge to help him on the job, but a charismatic personality, and the other the exact opposite. It would seem that the choice of who shall lead our country should be clear. Yet we have apparently chosen the other. We cannot blame Bush for his insufficiency or the Republican Party for not finding anyone better. It is not American politicians who embarrass America. It’s Americans who do. Nikhil Jaisinghani U.S. Peace Corps Bhojpur, Nepal

It is high time to abolish the Electoral College, because it looks like the various state legislatures decide who the next president will be. If that’s the case, then 100 million American voters will look stupid in front of the rest of the world. Robin Donald Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The presidential candidates of the two parties were obviously not the best candidates for such a big country, because the outcome of the election shows that neither was able to influence the majority of American citizens. The margin of difference between the votes received for each candidate is about .001 percent. Isn’t this a negligible amount in such a big population? Not much accuracy can be expected from the recounts even if the ballots are reliable. Perhaps if one of the candidates were more charismatic, there would not be such a problem. Sinan Gozum Istanbul, Turkey

What an election this has been! When the dust has settled and everything has been said and done, I do not think any true American will be happy with the outcome of this election and the way the counting of votes was handled in Florida. Arjun Markanda Bangalore, India

What meaning does “the will of the people” have when Vice President Gore’s 400,000 national-vote lead over Governor Bush doesn’t hold a candle to Bush’s 537-vote lead in Florida? Michael Driver Ichihara City, Japan

Ousting Estrada President Joseph Estrada has become the first Philippine president to face an impeachment trial only because he himself wanted this to happen (“Tightening the Noose,” ASIA, Nov. 27). On Nov. 2, President Estrada asked his party mates in the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP) to speed up the impeachment proceedings so he could have his day in court. With the formal opening of the Senate trial, the president asked all LAMP senators to take a leave of absence the following day so they could vote their conscience. Like the president, most of our countrymen believe that this constitutional process–the impeachment route–must be allowed its due course. Almost 70 percent of Filipinos want the president to stay put and believe that the impeachment trial is the best way to resolve our leadership crisis. Michael T. Toledo Press Under Secretary Republic of the Philippines Manila, Philippines

If there is one thing that can be learned from President Estrada’s impeachment, it’s that there is a limit to how much scandal a people can take. It’s embarrassing enough that the country elected a booze-drinking, gambling, mistress-collecting, bribe-taking, incompetent president. It’s even more embarrassing to let him stay in office a minute longer. Two years under Estrada have brought the country nowhere. A Third World country can ill afford to waste such years at this late stage when its Asian neighbors are already producing their own cars, buying aircraft carriers, constructing megacities, launching space satellites and building nuclear bombs. The city of Manila looks like a rubbish dump compared with other Asian capitals. The last thing we need right now is another four years under Joseph Estrada. He has got to go. Renato Reyes Hong Kong

The recent political storm in the Philippines can be traced to its political history. The ruling Roman Catholic clerico-fascists have been in control of the political and economic affairs of the country for several decades. Under the guise of protecting the republic, once again they are doing the same thing and destroying a president who was chosen by more than 10 million voters. Indeed, it is only the Catholic Church and the ruling elite who are responsible for bringing the country down. Gerald Martin B. Pineda San Pedro, Philippines

The Wounds of Vietnam Has it been forgotten that during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army recklessly dumped tons of Agent Orange over the Vietnamese people, killing thousands? To this day, many inhabitants–including newborns–continue to suffer from that poison. And now, 25 years later, the American president travels to this country and NEWSWEEK writes, “We need to heal” (“Old Foes, New Fans,” ASIA, Nov. 27). But there was no apology from President Clinton for this terrible war. He made a nice speech and searched for a lost pilot. Is this healing? What this so-called leading nation did was unbelievable and shameful. Urs Christen Pfaeffikon, Switzerland

President Clinton’s trip to Vietnam was pure hypocrisy. The United States has made deals with China and Vietnam but still has an embargo against Cuba. When did China and Vietnam become democratic? When did they improve their human-rights records? When money talks, those things mean nothing to the U.S. government. That is the American way of life. Wilmer Quintero Caracas, Venezuela Love in the Time of War Your feature on the Arab-Jewish couple touched me deeply (" ‘We’ve Shot Ourselves in the Heart’," WORLD AFFAIRS, Nov. 6). I think couples like Ella and Jamil can do much more for the peace process in the Middle East than a hundred meetings in Sharm al-Sheikh or the White House. I wish Ella and Jamil all happiness and urge the American government to give them permission to immigrate. Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq Dhaka, Bangladesh

I was tremendously touched by the story about Ella and Jamil. Theirs is a modern version of China’s “butterfly lovers” and of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I just hope the story will not end in tragedy and that NEWSWEEK will continue to follow the two brave young lovers in their pursuit of love. Xiong Lei Beijing, China

It is not right that two fine young people should have to live in fear, and that their future, their hopes and their dreams may be dashed just because they have an unorthodox marriage. Why should they have to suffer the consequences of all this hatred? As a 14-year-old, I may not know much about love or racism or politics, but I do know that every person has the right to live in peace and harmony. Pravina Gopalan Lanchang, Malaysia

The story of two young people hindered from living their love for each other is bound to touch any right-minded person to the core. Immigration to the United States would resolve the lovers’ immediate predicament, yet it is partnerships like this that provide the few glimmers of hope for peace in a war-torn area. To maintain this relationship in their native land will require immense fortitude and perhaps a profound faith in God. Werner Radtke Paderborn, Germany

Software for Software’s Sake Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the software behind the World Wide Web, is the perfect example of a famous French writer’s definition of intelligence: “The acme of intelligence is in goodness” (“The ‘Semantic Web’,” FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY, Oct. 30). His decision not to exploit his invention for his own benefit is incredible. He is a hero in today’s material world. Hind Mekkaoui Beirut, Lebanon

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-13” author: “Barbara Davis”

The Election Endgame Sloppiness and inaccuracy in the vote counts for this presidential election have been revealed nationwide. Let’s not condemn the messengers–Bush and Gore–for giving us this news. The messengers can be faulted, however, for what they’ve become: two men trying to manipulate and maneuver to win, not two statesmen seeking accuracy. John O’Shea Denver, Colo.

We’ve just got to be grateful for being Americans. In an awful lot of countries, an uncertain, unresolved election could easily lead to tanks rolling down the streets. At the very least, people would be contemplating it. With all of its problems, I say bravo, America! (So far.) Grant D. Cyrus Boulder, Colo.

Is this decision 2000? or 2001, 2002, 2003? Susan Tappan Laporte, Ind.

Whoever is elected will have to be a facilitator or he’ll get nothing done, other than ensuring that he will not get re-elected. Whether we like it or not, we are not now a United States. Gabe Hausmann New Orleans, La.

Following America’s darkest hour of embarrassing politics, formerly known as Election Day, I’ve noticed a scary new trend. At several social gatherings since then, the statement I heard over and over again from virtually all of my thirtysomething Ivy League, ultra-well-informed and well-educated friends is this: “I’m never going to vote again.” Imagine that number multiplied by a few million of this country’s so-called best and brightest, and what you wind up with is a new wave of anomie. Amanda Uhry New York, N.Y.

I find the presidential-election disaster both interesting and exhausting. At this point, I am “bushed” and feel as if I have been “gored.” Karen Elmen Seibert Cortland, N.Y.

Efforts like sit-ins and marches to achieve racial integration in the United States probably also caused us embarrassment abroad, but I never heard anyone suggest that we cover up our race problem in the interest of our international image. I don’t care who gets to be president, but I do want the true winner to hold the office, even if we have to recount the whole country. Sterling Greenwood Aspen, Colo.

Here it is: the y2k glitch has arrived–the inability to count ballots. Tina Coutain Chicago, Ill.

In the Wake of Tragedy In my 10 years as president of Middlebury College, I have had to write and deliver far too many eulogies for students (“Students Are Dying; Colleges Can Do More,” MY TURN, Oct. 30). Though only one of these fatalities resulted from drunken driving, one is too many. Ryan Waldron was a fine young man, and his many friends on campus continue to grieve in the wake of his tragic death in 1997. In losing him, we understandably look for an explanation, for no one would willingly have brought such tragedy upon himself. And yet a part of the education we seek to impart at Middlebury is the lesson that each individual does in fact bear some responsibility for his own choices. This hard reality does not ease our grief or alleviate our burden of guilt; it may, in fact, intensify them. And sometimes bad things happen that go beyond the ability of an individual or an institution to prevent them. It is this lesson that is the most difficult, especially for the writer of eulogies. John M. McCardell Jr. President, Middlebury College Middlebury, Vt.

Perhaps we’ll at last come to our senses and realize that in loco parentis was not such a bad idea and practice for colleges after all. Karl E. Moyer Professor Emeritus Millersville University Millersville, Pa.

The Perils of Pigeonholes You have no argument from me that stereotypes can be pernicious (“The Stereotype Trap,” SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Nov. 6). But I believe our world has much more to gain by learning how people succeed in spite of stereotypes and other obstacles, rather than simply demonstrating the obvious fact that some people fail. This is where tough, open-ended questions need to be asked, and where insightful and incisive inquiry by bright people in search of truth is needed. Richard Gopen Bridgewater, Mass.

In your article “The Stereotype Trap,” researchers miss the obvious reason people choke when challenged by difficulty after being reminded of negative stereotypes. When confronted with failure, a person does not fear disgracing his race; that’s ridiculous. He simply shrugs and thinks, “Well, I guess they were right. White guys can’t jump.” But if that person is thinking positively, it’s an issue of “Well, wait a minute, I’m male and they say men are good at math. Let me try that one again.” The investigators have apparently spent a lot of time on research confirming that all those cheesy self-help tapes might have been right after all. Positive thinking does work. Hans Anderson Missoula, Mont. Scouting and Gays Our family has two sons in scouting (ages 12 and 9) and we also struggled with the decision to be part of a discriminatory organization (“A Family Dilemma: To Scout or Not to Scout?” MY TURN, Nov. 6). Until now, it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience, particularly for my older son. He has learned to love hiking and being outdoors, has made strong, close friendships and continues to develop leadership and character in an environment unlike any other offered in his life. Scouting has also provided us with the opportunity (and necessity) to discuss homosexuality, tolerance and oppression with our children. My husband and I have been forced to look inside ourselves and weigh our deeply held moral conviction that discrimination is wrong against the value of scouting in our sons’ lives. We have decided to continue with Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, but also to work to change their unconscionable stand against gay men and boys. Julie A. Gramm Seattle, Wash.

I was particularly moved by Michael Alvear’s story of his and his sister’s dilemma over whether to allow his nephew to join the Cub Scouts, since they would not welcome Michael himself in their organization because he is gay. Three years ago my same-sex “spouse” of 16 years, Scott, and I adopted two brothers who had been in foster care for more than three years. They are now 7 and 9 and thriving at home and in school. Recently the 9-year-old expressed interest in joining the Cub Scouts. We know what a great group the Scouts can be for kids. We were Scouts ourselves. The dilemma in our home is obvious: how do we allow our sons to join a group that would in essence tell them that their own dads are not fit or “morally straight” enough to be members or Scout leaders? Other parents who know us have said that we wouldn’t have any problem being “accepted” by any local troop. And, this being Los Angeles, that’s probably true. But even a case-by-case acceptance does not override the Scouts’ official policy of discrimination. And if Scott and I wanted to become involved with our son’s troop, in whatever capacity, how would the issue resolve itself when push came to shove? So do we allow our sons to join and try to change attitudes and policy by working from the inside, or do we take a stand and say no, this is discriminatory and wrong and we won’t have any part of even a tangential endorsement of such a policy? We’ve decided the latter. That might not be easy to explain to our sons–after all, they just want to go camping and wear the cool uniform–but in the long run I think it will be easier to explain why we took the stand we did than it would be to explain the hypocrisy of not taking such a stand. Jeff Duteil Los Angeles, Calif.

Since 1910, Boy-Scout programs have been designed to promote leadership, civic responsibility, religious growth and ethical behavior in American youth. Outdoors experience is the vehicle used to achieve these aims. Boy Scouts of America is actively anti-child-abuse, anti-drug-abuse, anti-hunger, anti-illiteracy and anti-unemployment. It is not anti-gay. If Michael Alvear attended any Cub Scout Pack meeting with his nephew, I expect he would be treated with the same courtesy and kindness as any other relative. If his family selected him to be the nephew’s adult partner at a father/son bake-off or a family camp-out, he would be welcomed because that was his family’s choice. Boy Scout leaders, however, guide other families’ children; they are often the only adults living with their Scouts for as long as two weeks in the woods. Their every action is keenly observed, fiercely critiqued and often emulated by the boys. Scout leaders are therefore chosen as role models to embody the ideals of Scouting, one of which is the sanctity of the heterosexual marriage partnership, with abstinence outside the bonds of marriage. Glenn Harrison Chairman, Pack 61, Troop 61 Richlands, Va.

I am deeply sympathetic toward Michael Alvear and the difficult situation his family has been placed in by the Boy Scouts’ stand on gay members. I can understand how the politics behind the issue might make this a tough decision for the family. In the end though, it is important to keep things in perspective. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is not a hate group–you’d be hard pressed to find a Scout who has ever heard the word “homosexuality” come up in a meeting, let alone heard it actively condemned by leadership. Scouts are not taught that homosexuality is an inferior way of living life, but the BSA does maintain that homosexuality violates a Scout’s obligation to be “morally straight.” It has a right to this membership standard as a private organization. Whether one believes the Scouts are in the wrong is not material here. Scouting will not teach Alvear’s nephew to hate him, as he seems worried that it will. It would be a shame if we kept our children away from the valuable lessons and experiences that scouting has to offer, simply because of our unjustified fears. Joshua L. Miller Champaign, Ill.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-27” author: “Kenneth Cantrell”

John Ashcroft is a man of the past. He represents the dark ages and its values. I could not help being reminded of the Spanish Inquisition when I read about his beliefs. It seems that only the hooded robe is missing to complete this picture. Patrick Bauer–Assel,Luxembourg

I read with interest your article on John Ashcroft. I found it surprising, however, that the piece doesn’t mention that voters in Ashcroft’s home state of Missouri refused to re-elect the incumbent senator in November, choosing instead to cast their votes for Mel Carnahan, a candidate who had died several weeks before the election. The voters in Missouri clearly did not want Ashcroft to return to Washington, D.C., to represent them. Why would America want him as its next attorney general? Debra Pettit–West Plains, Missouri

Despite John Ashcroft’s definite leaning toward the right, he seems more than reasonable, and more than willing to maintain the current laws now in place to protect a woman’s right to choose (particularly Roe v. Wade), even if he doesn’t agree with them personally. To me, this is a sign of a truly strong character: a man who is not willing to sacrifice his own personal and political opinions, but who also acknowledges that his opinions aren’t the ones that count when they conflict with the nation’s laws. Michelle Kenoyer–Seattle, Washington

Guns Don’t Tell the Whole Story I read with interest, then annoyance, your comparison of politics in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with those in the small rural town of Towanda, about an hour and a half to the north (“Red Zone vs. Blue Zone,” U.S. AFFAIRS, Jan. 22). Did your reporter really spend much time in Towanda, or was it just long enough to confirm your stereotypes of gun-toting yokels with suspicions about " ‘minorities’ in the city"? Your picture of life in Towanda was no more fair or balanced than a report about city dwellers would be if it characterized all urbanites as gangbangers or drug dealers. Yes, people in Bradford County own guns. And so do the people who drive up there from million-dollar homes outside Philadelphia to hunt deer on weekends. It’s just harder to put a gun rack in a Lexus. Kimberly A. Robinson–Downingtown, Pennsylvania

I know that seeing all that red on the map makes the media’s blood boil. They are dominated by the “blue zone” and can’t understand why the rest of us would be dumb enough to vote for George W. Bush. You talk about a gulf between blacks and Republicans, but the gulf between the media and the conservatives is just as great. I hope that seeing all that red on the map will remind the media to better represent the half of America that is still conservative. Scott Petersen–Longjumeau, France

The information in your story underscores the importance of devolution. The diversification of American society means that a president can satisfy no more than half the voters. Shifting more decision making from federal to state and local governments is the key to ensuring that everyone’s interest is adequately represented. Paul Rust–Yokohama, Japan

A Man for All Seasons? Your interview with George W. Bush was fascinating (“Bush: ‘I’m Going to Be Everybody’s President’,” BUSH’S WASHINGTON, Jan. 22). During the campaign, Bush said he would be a uniter, not a divider. Now his cabinet appointments, his actions to deny women choice on abortions, his attempts to open up national forests to mining and forestry interests and his willingness to let polluters set their own rules have unified the Democratic Party. Even the excesses of the Gingrich revolution did not have such a profound effect on Democratic unity. Aaron Sternfield–Morges, Switzerland

Au Revoir, Mr. President Jonathan Alter’s story on president Bill Clinton was impressive (“So Long, Music Man,” U.S. AFFAIRS, Jan. 22). Clinton accomplished a huge number of things–with both flair and enthusiasm. His enemies will say that all his accomplishments were tainted by his womanizing. But I say, were King David’s achievements tainted because he committed adultery with Bathsheba? Marcos Moshinsky–Vizcainoco, Mexico

Pouncing on a Tiger David Ansen’s list “My 15 Favorite Flicks” was exhaustive (SOCIETY & THE ARTS, Jan. 22). I’d pounce on “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Gladiator” for best-picture Oscars. Their old-fashioned values of story, sentiment and spectacle took me back to the magnificence of “Lawrence of Arabia” and other films rich in emotion. They made moviegoing a pleasure. Michael Driver–Ichihara City, Japan

The Fox-Hunting Debate I’m responding to your article “Gunning for the Hunt” (EUROPE, Jan. 22). Every culture has traditions that are worth keeping alive and others that need to be thrown out. Fox hunting causes cruel and unnecessary suffering for profit and vanity. A permanent ban on it has been long overdue. Lesley Parker-Rollins–Brighton, Massachusetts

You did not tell the whole story. Animal activists have been routinely attacked and, in one instance, killed by pro-hunting activists. Let us not lose sight of the fact that cruelty and death are the end result of fox hunting. Talk all you want about “British tradition,” but this is the end result. Besides, the majority of British citizens strongly oppose fox hunting. Wendy Lochner–Sayville, New York

Your article on the legislation to ban hunting in Britain starts off with references to militant actions that activists have taken against hunters. But this escalated after a hunter ran his car into, and killed, an animal-rights activist in Britain. Antihunt protesters have regularly been attacked with steel pipes and chains by thugs hired by hunters to keep nonviolent activists from laying false scents to lure the dogs away from the fox that is to be torn apart. You talk about the “liberty” of fox hunting; cockfighters use the same argument. But freedom should never be construed to mean that one has the right to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal simply because one enjoys it. John Goodwin–Washington, D.C.

There are two sides to every story. Did you not know that a hunter killed an animal-rights activist who was only 15 years old right before the incident you describe took place? Antihunting activists are constantly harassed and physically attacked by thugs hired by hunters. Maria Westwald–via Internet

Don’t Leave Home Without It Fleet credit-card services’ suggestion that people should notify their credit-card companies of their travel plans is ridiculous (“Out in the Cold,” FOCUS ON TRAVEL, Nov. 6). It’s ludicrous for credit-card companies to expect someone to check in with them, especially when they’re already monitoring your expenditures. I am a frequent traveler and have used my credit card since college without fail–all the way from South America to East Asia. I have received courtesy calls from my credit-card company about unusual spending patterns and I have never had my account frozen. Consumers should shop smartly and find a credit-card company to suit their needs. There are enough companies fighting for your business. Any company should be happy to cater to your needs, not vice versa. Lia Emanuel de Gomez–Nagano, Japan

Kosovo’s Albanian Vote You wrote that the Albanians of Kosovo voted in the province’s first democratic election (“Peace on the Ground,” EUROPE, Nov. 6). But that makes light of the many who, during the early stages of the NATO occupation, were forced to vote with their feet: the expelled Serbs, Gypsies and other non-Albanians. Kosovo’s Albanians, unlike the Hungarians of Vojvodina, boycotted Yugoslavia’s elections during the ’90s. Balkan observers agree that, had Kosovo’s Albanians voted, Milosevic would have been toppled years earlier. Misha Simic–Bedford, England

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-30” author: “William Vanzandt”

I was laid off from Lucent Technologies last month and received a nice package. The fly in this ointment was that I’m 59 and certainly past my prime in terms of new job choices. But I was determined to keep looking for that fun opportunity. An online posting site put me in touch with a local headhunter, who in turn found me an ideal position. Good salary, a lot of stock options, great people and a chance to dive in from the beginning and help build a new, successful company. So keep faith in yourself. Don’t panic. Don’t spend your package money or that 401(k) or take the first job offer that comes along. If a silver-haired grandmother can land a terrific new job in a few months, so can you! Laurie Bartholomew Harleysville, PA.

When a large corporation announces a 15 percent downsizing of its labor force, wouldn’t it be fair to cut the salaries of the company executives by the same percentage? Raymond E. Gibson Newport, R.I.

The Tortoise Torture I actually read Geoffrey Cowley’s piece “Going Super Slow” (SOCIETY, Feb. 5) on the StairMaster, before starting my usual modest weight-lifting regimen. The concepts in the article appealed to me, so I applied them to my workout that day. All I can say is “Ouch!” A “tolerance for deep muscular burn” was a drastic understatement. I set the weight at between 50 and 60 percent of my usual routine, and by the fourth or fifth rep of every exercise my body was shaking and my muscles were burning more than when I do three sets of 10 at full speed with twice the weight. I also noticed that the targeted muscle groups for each exercise seemed to be hit much harder by going very slowly. It was a great workout, and I went home feeling wonderfully wobbly. Going Super Slow will become part of my routine, but even though my heart rate was up a bit during the lifting, it will still be a complement to cardio work, not a replacement. Thomas Vance Maple Valley, Wash.

While no one disputes the importance of weight training, it is misleading for proponents of the Super Slow technique to suggest that cardiovascular exercise is anything less than absolutely essential. Aerobic activity is critical to general wellness, especially in the obese society we live in. Emily Gilbert Atlanta, GA.

A Financial Incentive to Learn? When I read the Harvard admissions officer’s suggestion that black students be paid for grades (“Paying Kids to Study? It’s Not a Crazy Idea,” MY TURN, Feb. 5), I winced. As a high-school English and drama teacher, I am sickened by the schism race creates, and this arrangement would widen the gap. My poor white students would have a very hard time understanding how much more difficult it is to be poor and black than poor and white (though all reasonable people conclude that the former is still the toughest). The teacher in me wants the world to stop putting dollar signs in front of everything and help students understand that nothing is more powerful or wonderful than knowledge. Just ask the black student, son of a single mother, who recently called to tell me that he is a senior at the University of Michigan and interviewing at medical schools. He got through a tough grind because he learned the value of delayed gratification, something that money for grades would destroy. Lyla Fox Kalamazoo, Mich.

As a 19-year-old black student, I have to disagree with David L. Evans’s shortsighted MY TURN. In a society where most kids already grow up with a ridiculously high sense of entitlement, his “monetary reward for academic excellence” can only further turn off students to the value of hard work. Now, I’m not high and mighty enough to say that in a capitalist society hard work shouldn’t be rewarded with a fair amount of money, but to imply that the only motivator for black students is money is an insult and will only turn academia into another jockocracy where material rewards are the sole form of self-satisfaction. Thomas Florence Norcross, GA.

In Favor of Starving Artists In his Feb. 5 column " ‘Privileging’ Postmodernism" (THE LAST WORD), George F. Will takes an appropriate shot at our eagerness to find intellectual meaning in well-placed duct tape. But to suggest that “government should subsidize nothing contemporary–no art or artist of the moment, only canonical works… that have been ratified by the test of time” seems to miss the point that without financial support, there would be no artistic canon to preserve. History is overflowing with stories of unappreciated geniuses whose merit was not recognized until long after their periods of productivity. Artists must be supported as an act of faith, not because their immortality is already guaranteed. Judith Kellock Jackson Heights, N.Y.

Two Producers Have Their Say We wish to clarify a misimpression created by a bracketed comment in a NEWSWEEK question asked during its producers’ round-table discussion (“Pass Me an Oscar,” ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Feb. 5) about why Ed Zwick didn’t speak onstage after “Shakespeare in Love” won the 1998 best-picture Oscar. It was misleading to state that “Zwick was a producer on the movie, but Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein gave the acceptance speech.” Harvey was onstage not as Miramax’s chairman but as an “SIL” producer. Harvey brought “SIL” to Miramax from Universal as a film that he would produce, later bringing David Parfitt and Donna Gigliotti in as his partners. Ed developed the script at Universal and wanted to direct it, but Harvey hired director John Madden. Ed concurrently directed another project and to our knowledge never visited the “SIL” set. There was no “mugging” on the Academy stage (as Ed suggested); rather, Ed was acknowledged by his coproducers for contributing to the film’s development. The clock ran out and music played during Harvey’s remarks (he spoke after Donna and David), leaving no speaking opportunity for Ed or Marc Norman, who was also onstage. The evening’s greatest regret was not taking John Madden onstage with us, where we thanked everyone–including Ed–who made “SIL” possible. David Parfitt and Harvey Weinstein New York, N.Y.

I worked for five years to make “The Cider House Rules” into a film, and I am enormously proud of the outcome. To say, in your producers’ round-table discussion, that the film “would not have been nominated [for an Academy Award] had it not been for Miramax’s [marketing] campaign” is cynical and plainly wrong. It was Miramax’s job to create awareness for our film. They asked filmgoers and Academy members (who vote for the nominees and awards) to sit up and take notice of our film. The fact that Miramax did its job extremely well does not mean that it should get credit for the audience’s response to the film, or for the awards it received. Marketers can’t make you like a film; they can only ask you to see it. Richard Gladstein, Producer, ‘The Cider House Rules’ Los Angeles, Calif.

Correction In our Feb. 19 cover story, “Tax Cuts & You,” a chart misstated how President Bush’s proposed tax cut would affect a married couple with two children and a combined annual income of $20,000. The chart was based on data provided by the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, which subsequently corrected its initial analysis. The firm now says the couple would actually realize no tax savings–not the $168 that appeared in the chart.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-17” author: “Robert Rogers”

As a senior in a specialized science high school in New York, I’m maintaining a 95 average and a 1500 SAT score while juggling four college-level AP classes. My peers are Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists, opera singers, competitive figure skaters and a captain of three different soccer teams. While some teens may shun the “pressure” and “competition” of our generation, we have stood up to the challenge, and we are also more confident and knowledgeable as we head toward adulthood. Lisa Chen – Forest Hills, N.Y. A Mayor Speaks Out I am writing in response to an article in your Feb. 12 Special Report, “The War on Addiction.” It included a map identifying the areas in our nation with the highest amount of drug trafficking. Highlighted on this map were such typical high-population urban areas as Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. However, right at the bottom tip of Lake Michigan, your map also highlights Crown Point, Ind. To highlight our community is a gross misrepresentation of fact. The fact is that Crown Point is a bedroom community with a population of approximately 22,000. We were recognized as “The Safest City” in the state of Indiana in 1996, with the lowest crime rate, according to FBI statistics, and have remained in the top three every year since then. For the year 2000, FBI statistics show a total of 28 juvenile and 31 adult drug-related arrests for our community, hardly the type of statistics that would qualify Crown Point for highlighting on your map. We are the county seat for Lake County, Ind., which includes the cities of Gary, Hammond and East Chicago. Every case in the county is tried in our courts; therefore I believe this is where the error comes into place. The city of Crown Point has worked diligently to create an atmosphere that is conducive to raising a family or locating a business. NEWSWEEK owes the citizens of Crown Point an apology for taking a community that is proud of its safe streets, rich heritage and family setting, and plastering it on a map as one of our nation’s highest drug-trafficking areas. Oh, and don’t worry, we’re also very forgiving! James D. Metros Mayor Crown Point, Ind. Correction In our Feb. 12 cover story, “Fighting Addiction,” a chart reporting the regions the federal government considers “high-intensity drug-trafficking areas” should have made clear that the specific towns and cities listed are where authorities have headquarters for the anti-drug effort in each region. We should not have left the possible impression that such towns or cities are themselves necessarily centers of unusually high drug activity. We regret the error.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-31” author: “Edgar Mayer”

Where’s the evidence that another power is trying to surpass the United States militarily? Most other countries are concerned with providing food, medicine, shelter, water and education to their people. Eighty percent of humanity is living in inhumane conditions. The argument that a rogue state may rise up against America just isn’t convincing, but even if it did, America is capable of causing damage of an apocalyptic nature. As a superpower, it does not have the right to upset the balance of power. Its military should be gradually scaled down. Samir Adhikari Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

George W. Bush’s national missile defense program is a diabolical design in disguise. It is concocted by right-wing hard-liners in the Bush administration who believe in the ancient and flawed McCarthyist premise that China will forever pose a threat to the rest of the world. Their claim that the world needs an NMD scheme to provide defense for the United States and its allies around the world against “rogue states” like Iraq, Iran and North Korea is ludicrous. The threats from these tiny “nuclear powers” are nothing but a figment of the Republican conservatives’ fertile imagination, in which China always looms large as a lurking but invisible enemy. J. K. Lee Penang, Malaysia

America’s leaders seem to want to spend the excessively amassed wealth that has been pouring over the brim by directing billions of dollars into some Star Wars-type missile program. The United States will find plenty of takers, no doubt, even if it is defending against imaginary threats from some already brought-down-to-ashes countries like Iraq and North Korea. Meanwhile, America’s energy crisis and the homelessness of some of its citizens will presumably have to wait. Ibrahim Natto Manama, Bahrain It’s a… Taxi Driver! I read with interest your story on Hernan Giraldo (“The Next Escobar?” Latin America, May 21). As a journalist, however, I must point out that one of the prominent photographs accompanying that story has been misrepresented. It showed a man standing in a drug field in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The man is, in fact, a Colombian taxi driver posing in a coca field in the municipality of Puerto Rico, just outside the FARC’s demilitarized zone in the southeast. The taxi driver is well known to foreign journalists taking jaunts down to the DMZ. He charges 300,000 pesos to take them to his friend’s coca field, but he has nothing to do with what your story was about. Karl Penhaul Bogota, Colombia Where’s the Wheat? Regarding your Periscope item “I’ll Have the Nuclear Gnocchi” (May 21), you should know that gnocchi is made from potatoes; it is not a pasta made from durum-wheat flour. Karl-Arthur Karner Graz, Austria America’s Wasteful Ways The United States assumes a leading role in world politics and economics, but seems not to take responsibility for the worldwide problem of energy supply (“The Energy War Within Us,” U.S. Affairs, May 28). The “American way” is simply irresponsible considering the fact that energy consumption in the United States is about twice the amount of all other industrial countries except Canada, and five times more than the world average. This crisis could be solved by using solar energy, a resource that is hardly used because of the political priority of oil. Recently, I was in Arizona, a state that is certainly not neglected by the sun. I saw huge projects there for “retirement housing,” but not a single home showed any sign of solar heating. I had solar collectors installed in my home 10 years ago. They provide about 60 percent of the heating of water in spite of the many gray days we get here–many more than in Arizona. It is this attitude of wasteful negligence that makes it difficult for non-Americans to have any sympathy for a so-called energy crisis. Hans H. Hanebuth Wunstorf, Germany

Most Danish people have friends or family living in the United States. Many of us feel embarrassed by our American friends’ waste of resources, and we’re upset that they produce so much rubbish by misusing energy. Americans should realize that life can be valuable and rich, even if you do not live at the expense of other people, today and in the future. Jens L. Pedersen Aars, Denmark Welcoming Vulgarity Thanks for your story on the TV show that has taken France by storm (“Bonjour, Garbage TV,” Society & the Arts, May 28). What is shown on “Loft Story” is utterly vulgar. Airing a group of people’s weaknesses, shortcomings and sexual desires is a violation of the basic ethics of life. The most disgusting thing of all is the attention these people receive when they quit the “Loft.” They’re welcomed as if they had won a war, become overnight celebrities, pose for magazine covers and participate in international festivals and talk shows. I can’t understand what they’ve achieved by locking themselves inside a house, other than gossiping, manipulating and undercutting each other. I salute those who protested against this show and hope the French government will do something to stop this nonsense. Suppiah Asokan Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France

You write that Loana is a former stripper, but she was a dancer in a bar, not a stripper. When she was 17 and living with her mother, she was forced to earn money because her mother became ill. She had no choice but to take such a job. “Loft Story” is a good show because it forces discussions and communication between people and avoids misunderstandings by encouraging dialogue. If this show can help people open their minds and be more tolerant, then it is not “garbage TV.” Dominique Michelin Embrun, France

Your article about “Loft Story” was simplistic and fallacious. Once again, you present the French as these strange people who want to protect their boring and elitist cinema, take on McDonald’s and protest against what they find intolerable, instead of trying to earn as much money as they can. Concerning “Loft Story” you cite only the most radical reactions (“rampant fascism”) and neglect to mention the many in-depth analyses published in the press since the show started. You seem to imply that, to be popular, a TV program has to be vulgar and silly. But M6 itself broadcasts programs on science and economics which have proven to be very successful. Even if the criticism of “Loft Story” is disproportionate, at least it proves that my compatriots won’t accept just anything, and that’s comforting. A country that considers “The Jerry Springer Show,” “Boot Camp” and “Temptation Island” acceptable can’t be that normal. Vincent Arquilliere Warsaw, Poland

I am not a part of the French intellectual elite that your writer seems to despise. I’m just an ordinary citizen. But I’m angry and sad that we produce and watch stupid shows like “Loft Story.” You say such shows are a global trend. You’re right, we do not live on a “higher cultural plane” than the rest of the world, and I agree that being true, the French elite is often arrogant, but your view of “Loft Story” is shortsighted. The question is, should we accept the industry of garbage in our home? I would like my 11-year-old son to be immune from the weaknesses of the rest of the world. Am I wrong? Should I accept drugs, too, just because they are everywhere? This stupid show, and others like it, won’t destroy our culture, but culture is a fight against garbage and cynicism. I’m not an intellectual snob; this is about ecology of the mind. Pedro de Souza Paris, France Breathe, and Bear It In your piece on the increasing number of Caesarean sections, the Netherlands was depicted as the country with the lowest C-section rate (“The New Latin Labor,” Science & Technology, March 26). In fact, women here cannot choose to have a Caesarean, nor can they get anesthesia during natural childbirth–even when they ask for it. Only the doctor makes that decision. When I asked for anesthesia, I was told to take a walk and a hot shower and was left alone with my pain. When I screamed because of unbearable pangs, I was told to be quiet and concentrate on breathing. What is the point of enduring so much agony in childbirth when it’s not necessary? Performing Caesareans on demand is irresponsible, but refusing anesthesia is just as bad. Karen Anne Folkerts Leiden, Netherlands Taking Responsibility in Poland Those Poles who try to downplay or “justify” the mass murder of Jews committed by Poles in Jedwabne, saying that Jews somehow provoked or deserved it, add to the great shame of this crime (“Revisiting a Massacre,” Europe, March 5). The fact is, we all carry some responsibility for that crime, because anti-Semitism in Poland is still strong and still tolerated by too many. The lack of condemnation of these anti-Semites–equivalent to silent approval–breeds the kind of resentment and hatred that happened in 1941. Still, many Polish people view anti-Semitism as shameful and will protest vehemently if accused of it. Your article is a slap in their collective faces, a solid piece of evidence that the world knows. Only the Jews have a right to forgive us if they choose to do so. We cannot forgive ourselves. Thank you, NEWSWEEK, for publishing such articles. Andrzej Krasinski Warsaw, Poland Let Iraq Recover Calling Saddam Hussein a “second-rate thug,” as Fareed Zakaria does in “Let’s Get Real About Iraq” (World View, Feb. 26), might make good copy, but the countries of the West supported him earlier, against Iran, when it suited them. President Bush’s airstrikes smacked of a bully’s need to remind his victim that he, Bush, is his father’s son. Why can’t the United States face reality? The gulf war ended 10 years ago. It is time to let the defeated country pick up the pieces. How come no one talks of imposing sanctions against Russia for invading Afghanistan, eh? Karan Singh Mumbai, India

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Erick Borges”

Your article on Putin was colored by the usual American angst about anything that might develop into an alternative to the American way or U.S. leadership. Many of the facets of Russian life that are criticized by the West exist in the States and its allied countries, too. It is no surprise that Gorbachev and Yeltsin are favored in the West. They broke up the Soviet Union and brought Russia to its knees-and to the sullen compliance that comes with dependence on the begging bowl. Putin is getting flak because some people in the West see him as trying to make Russia proud and get back on its feet. The fact is that many outside the West are uncomfortable with the prospect of a unipolar world order dominated by the United States, the EU and expanding NATO legions. They prefer the choices that come with a multipolar world order. Three cheers to Putin if he can bring it about. Mithun Jung Katmandu, Nepal

Vladimir Putin is doing the right thing-it’s the only possible option for Russia. The much-ballyhooed Western “democracy” has not succeeded in establishing acceptable conditions of life for the underprivileged masses (Marx’s “toiling” ones). No wonder, then, that “Soviet Lite” is emerging. We are finding Hegel’s thesis of 200 years ago confirmed: the pendulum of politics and history will always swing back and forth and back again-until, at least, someone develops a better mousetrap. Vladimir Mikhailovich Grom Biebertal-Koenigsberg, Germany

As someone born in free India, I was concerned by your article on Vladimir Putin. I was raised to value Gandhian idealism of liberated thought and action, and educated to know what communism does to liberty. Nostalgia for the Soviet past might be a new romance for a country tired out by the problems wrought by capitalism, and Putin’s unclear political identity seems to be an issue lost in the mists of patriotic fervor. There is a concern that the youth are being groomed to support his ideals. This could be a real danger if it means sacrificing individual freedom for the sake of the country. Chitra Amarnath New Delhi, India

Putin is no democrat, but his strategy might be the only reasonable one for producing results for a country whose main problem was not an ideology, but total corruption. Putin’s mix of authority sweetened with nationalism could be the answer. Rene Gardea Prague, Czech Republic

I am no apologist for Putin, but your alarmist, poorly argued article reminded me of Soviet information methods. Much of the evidence you leveled at Putin is anecdotal at best. I lived temporarily in the Soviet Union (albeit in its dying days), and the examples you give of Putin’s oppression are nothing like the restrictions imposed at the time I was there and before. Some KGB loyalists once published a photograph taken of a line of people outside one of Paris’s most popular bakeries, queuing for baguettes. The caption declared that even in the West, people had to queue for bread! Your own examples, such as youth groups patrolling St. Petersburg in the interests of reducing crime, are reminiscent of similar systems in the West. I am disappointed to see Newsweek resort to the same type of distorted truisms that you protest against. Peter Culleton Budapest, Hungary Taking Stock of President Bush George W. Bush’s anti-environmental actions embarrass many of us Americans working abroad trying to “make a difference” (“First Brush With History,” U.S. AFFAIRS, May 7). I feel like a hypocrite for teaching my high-school students to appreciate and care for the earth when the leader of my own country doesn’t care. How can I justify to my students the value of individual environmental action when Bush’s political support of his business friends makes so much more of an impact? Rena Maez Tirgujiu, Romania

For those of us who are not Americans, we wish that President Bush, as the leader of the most important country in the world, would bring hope to the deprived masses of humanity so that they, too, can have a civilized life and democracy and be able to pursue truth and knowledge. For the United States, the land of Abraham Lincoln, we hope that the Republican president finds time to reform his party from the grass roots to reflect the dreams and vision of the president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Samir Adhikari Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia

The world’s problem with George W. Bush is not a matter of ideology or internationalism or democracy (whatever that means after this controversial election). It is a matter of sheer panic, wrath and frustration about the leading nation in the world and its overwhelming financial and economic power being used for the profit of very few. There are reasons that the United States is no longer elected into the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Herman Layh Hochdorf, Germany Who’s Dim and Perverse? Your guest writer Carlos Fuentes calls President Bush “dim and perverse” ("‘Dim and Perverse’," U.S. AFFAIRS, May 7). Well, Carlos, that’s the price we pay for a Bill of Rights that includes free speech. It allows you to form an opinion of a man just 100 days into his term. I know you must long for the lies and scandals that we Americans have had over the last eight years, but you’re just going to have to get used to a real guy who tells it like it is. Steve Evatt San Diego, California

While Carlos Fuentes’s opinion is that President Bush is “dim and perverse,” we know for a fact that Fuentes is a communist. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states, “Fuentes became a communist but left the party in 1962 on intellectual grounds while remaining an avowed Marxist.” Marxism killed more than 50 million people last century. Perhaps the unrepentant Marxist Fuentes should look in the mirror for a more assured example of dim and perverse. Brad Cloven Seattle, Washington

I want to thank you for publishing the assessment of George W. Bush as “dim and perverse.” After more than a year of kid-glove treatment and silence before the emperor with no clothes, it’s refreshing to read the obvious. Bill Cline Osaka, Japan Battlefield Realities Shame on you, NEWSWEEK, for failing to report the Bob Kerrey story (“Coming to Terms With a Tragedy,” U.S. AFFAIRS, May 7). Under the 1949 Geneva Convention (ratified by the United States in 1956), the killing of even one civilian is a war crime. There is no statute of limitations for war crimes. So, only a judge can decide whether Kerrey’s claim of “military necessity” constitutes a legitimate defense. I worked for several years as a human-rights officer in Bosnia. During that time I was repeatedly approached by former soldiers saying, “We were young, we were scared, we feel badly about it now. Can’t you (meaning the international community) just forget about what happened and move on?” It seems to me we have a choice: to jettison the Geneva Conventions because the laws do not take into account battlefield realities, or to ensure that they apply equally to all. Carolyn Buff Wivenhoe, England Sibling Rivalry in the Skies Your feature article on the rivalry between Boeing and Airbus was interesting and informative (“Bigger or Faster?” BUSINESS, May 7). There will probably be room for both the Airbus A380 and the Boeing cruiser in an ever-expanding air-travel industry. Boeing will no doubt have taken note of the fate of the Convair 990 Coronado, the rival to the 707 and DC-8 in the 1960s. Billed as significantly faster than the competition and able to use shorter runways, these powerful planes enabled routes such as Birmingham, England, to New York. Unfortunately, the speed advantage was not enough to persuade the airlines, and only 32 were sold. General Dynamics, Convair’s parent, had to write off nearly $200 million, an unprecedented corporate hit at the time. Bob Hay Wolverhampton, England

The choice between bigger or faster airplanes will be decided at the time of putting a price to “faster” as opposed to standard pricing for simply “bigger.” If I had to pay a huge premium to save only one hour on a 3,000-mile flight, I would probably choose the slower and more economical option, even more so if additional space and amenities are made available. What I will not do is entrust my life to a computer. I like to fly with a human pilot in charge. Andres T. Stepkowski Santa Cruz, Bolivia

If a superjumbo jetliner gives me enough room so that I do not have to climb over the sleeping passenger in the aisle seat, then I am all for bigness. But if the greater size is because of restaurants and athletic clubs, forget it. Gourmet dishes and invigorating workouts I can get after I reach my destination in comfort. Michael G. Driver Ichihara City, Japan

What makes air travel so costly and causes airlines to lose large amounts of money is that airplanes are prohibitively expensive. The solution therefore is not more models but fewer, thus leading to standardization of parts and automation of manufacturing processes, consequently lowering costs. Everyone will benefit when a given model is produced in the thousands rather than the hundreds. Fares will be lower, the market will grow faster, airlines will make money and manufacturers will sell more planes. Ybrahim Kavrakoolu Istanbul, Turkey Neighborliness Is Cool Your story “Japan Finds its Seoul” (ASIA, April 9) depicts the growing popularity of Korean pop culture and showbiz as symptomatic of the “Koreanization” of Japanese youth and a championing of superior Korean values. This is an oversimplification. You can’t conclude that Korean values are superior just because Japanese kids line up to see a Korean boys band. Nor can one presume that all Japanese tourists are admirers of Korean values just because Seoul is considered “the coolest vacation spot.” The reference to superiority was inappropriate. You should have focused instead on the growing popularity of Korean pop culture in Japan as a step toward bringing the countries closer. Masato Hayashikawa Makati City, Philippines

I disagree: we don’t envy Koreans. We’ve ceased despising them because of education. Some of us are interested in Korean culture because it is different and exotic. We do not like Koreans because they are always asking us to apologize for our wartime deeds. Our emperor and prime minister did apologize but that does not seem to be enough. Making other people bow down is difficult as shown by the recent U.S. plane accident in China. I do wish that Japan could build a better relationship with Korea. Tetsuya Okamoto Kobe, Japan Africa’s Gravy Train Your piece on the corruption in the UNHCR in Kenya (“The Nairobi Connection,” WORLD AFFAIRS, Feb. 26) should be read along with the statement, in the same issue, about the Sydney Olympic Committee officials’ bribing Kenya and Uganda IOC members to obtain their vote (“Who Gets the Gold”). The real question is, where does corruption start or stop? Does hiring a brother or niece (nepotism to Westerners) for a government job, an acceptable African practice, constitute corruption? If African leaders skim money for their own benefit, are their voters going to say no? Corruption filters down from the top. From Kenya to Zimbabwe to South Africa, “gravy trains” are sucking the lifeblood of the economies. The “African” system fails to encourage merit, and it encourages incompetence and mediocrity by centralizing authority (witness Mbeki’s gag rule over the HIV/AIDS debacle). An unsophisticated voting populace in African “democracies” assumes their leaders will help themselves. The people only hope that some of the “gravy” will spill over to them-some chance! Andrew B. Smith Cape Town, South Africa

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-20” author: “David Johnston”

A Frustrating Disappearance The big question remaining in the sordid Congressman Condit affair is not if, but when, he will resign (“The Battle Over Chandra,” NATIONAL AFFAIRS, July 23). There is no reason to believe that he had any direct involvement in the disappearance of Chandra Levy. His affair with her was not illegal; we can argue about whether it was immoral. But the incontrovertible truth that must be faced is that he lied: to his constituents, to Levy’s grieving family and to all the American people. No one can reasonably argue that he remains an effective leader, able to appropriately serve those he is charged with representing in the U.S. House. May the good people of Modesto [Calif.] make the right choice and put an end to Condit’s career in public service. His continuing to serve is a blemish on a great legislative body. Oren M. Spiegler Pittsburgh, Pa.

I was very confused by what seemed to me to be a rather abnormal reaction from Gary Condit in response to Chandra Levy’s disappearance. Why would a savvy politician miss an opportunity to reap the benefits of all the publicity he could have accrued by being sympathetic to Levy’s family, issuing statements of concern and strongly supporting investigation efforts? Then it occurred to me: Condit’s behavior might be explainable if he knew something, perhaps everything, about her disappearance from the start. Whatever else he might be, he is not an actor, and it seems to me that he would have had to be a consummate performer to have behaved any other way than he did. Jim Ball Sunnyvale, Calif.

I am disgusted by the behavior of our elected officials. I am not naive enough to believe that every person in this country upholds the same strong moral values that I hope to instill in my children, but what about human decency and honesty? Do we not expect honesty from our elected officials? It began with former president Clinton and continues with Rep. Gary Condit. Admitting an extramarital affair may be very difficult to do, but isn’t that the sort of risk one takes when one engages in relationships of this sort? What about the importance of finding evidence about the disappearance of Chandra Levy? If Condit really cared for her, he would have spoken out long before now. Stephanie Hopper Goose Creek, S.C.

Your cover image of Chandra Levy is making every missing child’s parent wish that his or her child had been involved in a scandal before disappearing. What do you have to say about all those other missing persons? Khaled Ayoub Columbia, Md.

While youth and naivete can some-what explain why starry-eyed interns are vulnerable to the likes of Gary Condit and Bill Clinton, what on earth accounts for the fact that their long-suffering, middle-aged wives stay married to them? Katy Stangland Sparks, Nev. Daredevils Aren’t Heroes I found it offensive that you lumped together NASCAR drivers, who put themselves in danger for money and sport, with firefighters and police officers in your story “Married to NASCAR” (SOCIETY, July 23). As the wife of a firefighter and granddaughter of a police officer killed in the line of duty, I am appalled at the comparison. To protect, serve and save lives and property is a noble calling, and the brave men (and women) who choose to serve in these jobs are accorded little status and no great financial reward. Driving a race car at 170 miles an hour and putting yourself in danger for fame, glory and lots of money is, in my opinion, selfish and foolish. So please spare me the comparison as I sit home nights wondering if my husband will be injured or killed during an attempt to save a life. Ruth Kewitsch St. Louis Park, Minn. Corrections In our Aug. 6 PERSPECTIVES section, a jocular quote about Secretary of State Colin Powell was attributed to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The quote was actually a line uttered by a Russian official playing Albright in the stage show that closed this year’s annual foreign ministers’ conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In our story on Los Angeles School Superintendent Roy Romer (“A Cowboy Takes L.A. to School,” NATIONAL AFFAIRS, July 23), we misstated the name of former California Education secretary John Mockler. We regret the error.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-23” author: “Sharon Burns”

A Questionable Process It is a sad day for America and a sad day for democracy when a partisan Supreme Court decides that not every vote counts after all. The honor of America’s highest legal institution has been trashed. Daniel Boyd – Bangkok, Thailand

The American people may well have spoken. But it looks like we may never know what they really said. Ann van Wijgerden – Almere, The Netherlands

What has this election drama proved to the world? That more than 200 years after independence and the creation of a democracy, America’s electoral procedures and judicial systems are flawed. Even the judges of the Supreme Court are faithful only to the people who nominated them, rather than to the oath they took to uphold the truth.

Rangaswamy Muniappan Yona, Guam

America has shown the world how to do this correctly. This is how a democracy should operate, and the United States has provided the world with an example that a number of countries in Africa, mine included, would do well to emulate. In addition, both candidates conducted themselves with dignity. Vice President Gore made an exemplary exit speech, while Governor Bush was sufficiently humble and generous in his remarks. I hope that the words of Abraham Lincoln, that the purpose of democratic government is to show wisdom, courage, tolerance and compassion, will be remembered Marshall Davidson – Harare, Zimbabwe

Can the rest of the world regard America as a mature democracy when the future president vehemently opposed the simplest democratic process of manually recounting undervotes? That is when Bush lost credibility. The Miami Herald has already asked for a court order to examine the contested ballots. It will be only a matter of weeks before the legitimacy of the presidency is challenged. This will result in a disgrace for the U.S. Supreme Court. Marlene Hollmann – Tavira, Portugal

Now that we know George W. Bush will be the next president of the United States, let us pray that he finds the inner strength to overcome his obvious intellectual and ethical deficiencies so that he can provide effective leadership to the nation. Congressional Democrats would be well advised not to dwell on the sleazy methods that Bush’s unprincipled entourage used to steal the election, and unite behind the new leader. The least they can do is accord him the same respect, dignity and spirit of nonpartisan fair play that the Republicans accorded Bill Clinton. Aaron Sternfield – Morges, Switzerland

As an American living in a developing country, I got a lot of grief from my friends concerning our election. The election was a mess, but there was no threat of violence or coup d’etat. The truth is that the “endgame,” while confusing, was orderly and decided by courts of law. That is an example of democracy for all. Mark Schlink – Odorheiu Secuisc, Romania

It’s a funny kind of democracy where the American president is elected not by 200 million citizens but by nine lawyers. Rajeev Das – Singapore

In a democracy, every vote that has been cast should be counted. Reports of voters who were disenfranchised by being denied admission to ballot stations should be thoroughly checked–especially in a state run by a candidate’s brother and an extremely partisan secretary of State. Dani Kornhauser – London, England

George W. Bush joins a distinguished group that doesn’t want election recounts–a group that includes Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and candidates in Pakistan and Slovakia. Here in Sweden, as in other Western countries, all ballots are checked by hand. Machines don’t choose whose vote counts. If all the votes had been correctly counted in the first place, we wouldn’t have gotten in this mess. As an American and a first-time voter, I regret having voted for Bush. I won’t make that mistake again. Jonas Golan – Upplands Vasby, Sweden

I have lived in Europe for 10 years and have become familiar with the persistent resigned cynicism in the face of institutional corruption and injustice here. I have learned to cherish the strong sense of fairness that is so typically American. So how could this same America produce an election result so patently unfair? Gore may persuade America to accept Bush as president, but Bush will never have legitimacy in the eyes of the world.

Stephen Owen - Graz, Austria The fuss over the U.S. election gives us Europeans the impression that the most powerful political leader in the world is chosen in an old-fashioned and somewhat arbitrary way. It raises questions about the importance given to the judges who seem more entitled to decide the outcome of the election than those who should have this basic right in any democracy: the voters. Richard Villeret – Marbais, Belgium

If the world’s most powerful country could not conduct its own election, why bother lecturing other countries about peace and democracy? We in Nepal believe it is very easy for America to read speeches about justice and rights in front of the cameras, but it should practice what it preaches. It has made a mockery of itself in front of the world–but goodness, did we enjoy it! Prasanna Khatry Chettri – Katmandu, Nepal

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-31” author: “Christopher Mccusker”

It is still hard to comprehend fully the immense damage that was done to American democracy in the recent election. Our situation is like a three-legged stool from which two of the legs have been knocked off: the presidency has been illegitimized by a failure to count all the legally cast votes when it mattered most; the Supreme Court has been debased by revealing the partisanship at its heart. We are now balancing on one leg, which is split down the middle. T. E. Jones Hanover, N.H.

Abraham Lincoln is famous as the Great Emancipator, Teddy Roosevelt as the Rough Rider. George W. Bush will go down in history as the Big Thief. Apparently having no taste for democracy, he couldn’t stand to let all the votes be counted, and he stole the election. If he was truly worried that the votes would be counted by biased Democrats, why didn’t he recommend a panel of vote-counters whom he trusted? How about David Souter, Sandra Day O’Connor and Ted Koppel? Does Bush truly think there is no way to put together an honest vote-counting committee in America? Douglas Sczygelski Whitehall, Ohio

I have a suggestion for George W. Bush on how to avoid the congressional gridlock that everyone anticipates. He should tell the Democrats in the House and the Senate that, although they are entitled to cast votes on any legislative matter put before them, their votes simply will not be counted. Daniel F. Wake Denver, Colo.

There has been much criticism of the Supreme Court’s meddling with the legislative process in deciding the election. The criticism is right, but it’s directed at the wrong Supreme Court. The Florida Supreme Court wrote its own procedure, extended the deadline for counting votes and let the Gore supporters go on an expedition to fish for votes in only three counties (in their first decision) that were carefully selected to be biased toward the Democrats, giving no direction as to how to count the votes. Thank heaven for the U.S. Supreme Court, which twice correctly sent the case back to the Florida court, telling them that they could not do that. Paul T. Brady Middletown, N.J.

Al Gore did not lose. Were it not for the hanky-panky in Florida and the infantile disorders of the Nader crowd, he would be the president-elect today. Whatever he might have done in the campaign to improve his chances, he did not lose. Doris Higgins Albuquerque, N.M.

In view of the Supreme Court ruling, should we refer to George W. Bush as the president-elect or the president-select? Phil Spartano N. Fort Myers, Fla.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-17” author: “Joshua Dawson”

Our Jan. 29 report, on the people’s revolution in the Philippines, prompted scores of Filipino readers to write in and share their joy, their hopes, their sense of deja vu. “I was moved,” wrote an expatriate. “I missed being there as I had been in 1986.” Another reader hoped that “performance over patronage will now be the criterion for new leaders.” Praying for a better future, one letter writer simply reminded the new president, “she is there because of the people.”

The Voice of the People

As a Filipino living abroad, I was moved to read your Jan. 29 report, “The Return of People Power,” on my compatriots’ reuniting in People Power II for justice (asia). I missed being there as I’d been for People Power I in 1986. I hope that the incoming president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, serves our people better than did her predecessor. May she remember that she’s there because of the people–not because she was voted in. This is her big chance to be an honest, just and effective ruler. If she fails, People Power III will be just as easy to organize.

Giovanna Mabanta – London, England

Many Filipinos believe that Arroyo’s ascent to the presidency did not come about through the constitutional process but through the mob rule of “people power.” In a democratic and republican state, the sovereign will is manifested through the electoral process. What happened at EDSA is repugnant to the concept of representative democracy. The mob that gathered at EDSA was not even 1 million strong, and yet it was able to hold hostage the vital institutions of our young constitutional democracy.

Marife P. Varela – Bacolod City, Philippines

Your article made it appear as if the uprising was a phenomenon that occurred only in the national capital region of Metro Manila. But the indignation was of countrywide proportions, affecting both the civilian population and the military. The impeachment trial had been covered on television and the population followed it like they do a telenobela (a TV soap opera). It was just too frustrating to see the truth being unfolded, and then abruptly stopped by the Senate vote.

Augusto Cosio – Quezon City, Philippines

The lessons of Edsa, 1986, have found their way to 2001. I was glad to see that a lot of the protesters this time around were students who were too young to participate last time. Although Filipinos had to learn the hard way, it seems traditional politics in the Philippines will soon be passe: performance over patronage is now the criterion for new leaders. It makes me proud to be part of a people who have twice toppled unpopular regimes bloodlessly. Let’s hope there will be no need for a third time.

Maria Rita G. Habalo – Quezon City, Philippines

Corazon Aquino, who became the first woman president of the country, failed to fulfill her promises of bringing prosperity to ordinary people and real democracy to the Philippines. I’m afraid Arroyo’s slogans of power to the Filipinos might meet the same fate as the empty promises of Aquino. It is only a changing of the guard–some things never change in a country which has been infected with corruption and an economic mess for more than two decades. Every new dictator or elected president is blessed by the Roman Catholic Church and goes on to grab the wealth of the country with both hands.

Syed Rashid Ali Shah – Vroomshoop, The Netherlands

Filipinos do not want opportunists, plunderers and hustlers for leaders. Estrada had to go because he was all of the above. Now Arroyo is the beneficiary of the people’s clamor for change and their abhorrence of traditional politicians. But among her first cabinet appointees are old politicians and retired military men with dubious records. Why? Those who contributed to the ruin of the country cannot be part of its reconstruction.

Gregg Labestre Lozada – Iloilo City, Philippines

Your report on the revolt in the Philippines was flawed in missing the part played by religion, a fundamental element in this country. For months the faithful, led by their bishops, held prayer rallies and night vigils for a peaceful transition of government after it became clear that President Estrada had lost his moral ascendancy to govern. The EDSA shrine stands for religious values where a million protesters joined in prayer with Cardinal Sin under the towering statue of Our Lady. NEWSWEEK, however, preferred a typically secular, even an areligious focus. Shame!

Cornelio de Wit

San Jose, Philippines

More than a political show of force, the masses at EDSA–and elsewhere–were a testament to our faith in God. Holy mass was celebrated daily, right there on the streets, and prayers punctuated breaks between the speakers or performers. We prayed for a peaceful revolution, and it was granted us–for the second time! In the Philippines, we are given the one freedom that truly matters to us: the freedom to believe in, even to expect, miracles.

Hugo Yonzon IV – Manila, Philippines

The success at Edsa is not the end. Rather, it is the beginning of a greater challenge for the new administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: to heal the wounds of corruption and immorality.

Rodne R. Galicha – Manila, Philippines

Should journalist Jessica Zafra (“Learning From the Estrada Embarrassment,” opinion, Jan. 29) take pride in Filipinos’ “getting better at removing lousy leaders”? Unseating two such leaders in just 15 years exposes the sad reality that People Power is, at best, palliative when it should be preventive. Civil society and NGOs view EDSA as the battlefield when the face-off should be at the election precincts where less discerning voters have been at the whim and mercy of a half century of ward politics. The average voter has little inclination for Zafra’s elegant newspaper columns, witty talk shows and even text messaging. That’s why putative Marcoses and Estradas are still out there.

Augustus Mamaril – Quezon City, Philippines

Out, Out, Dark Spot

Your Jan. 22 “power outage” report (business) neatly summed up the present condition of India’s power sector even as it expressed surprise at my apparent optimism for its future. The essential point is there’s no alternative to meaningful reforms if India is to meet its future electricity needs. This is now being realized at the highest political levels here. The recent collapse of the northern grid is a reminder that all is not well. India’s power system is unstable and deteriorates in the face of increasing demand and inadequate investment at all levels. Two key issues must be overcome if the power sector is to be transformed. First, government–at both state and national levels–must withdraw from direct involvement. Management and control must be passed on to competent private companies under independent regulatory oversight. Second, there must be a willingness to charge and collect rational rates for electricity used. Huge government subsidies to support an ailing power industry come at the cost of essential services, such as primary schools and basic health care for the poor. They are paying the real cost of failure. If I am optimistic, it is because there is no other option, is there?

Peter Davies

New Delhi,India

The financial sickness of state Electricity Boards (SEBs) in India is due to electoral politics. Politicians woo farmers–the majority of the voting population–with the promise of free power rather than power plants in their constituencies. This also explains the heavily cross-subsidized tariff and the indifference of the government to power thefts and leakages. Restructuring of the SEBs will boost productivity and reduce the unit cost of generation. But the pricing of power cannot be left to market forces. Since cost is dependent on other prices (natural gas, oil etc.), which fluctuate widely, the government has to intervene to protect consumers against excessive price hikes.

Sharad C. Misra – Mumbai, India

The Survivor in El Salvador

I was horrified by “a survivor’s Story,” your report on the earthquake in El Salvador (world affairs, Jan. 29). A woman checked her precious china, walked down the landslide to her car and drove away to lunch with a friend while people dug frantically for bodies and weeping parents called out to buried children? Scandalous!

L. M. Menezes – Chennai, India

Amid the horror of the destruction and devastation of hundreds of impoverished villages in El Salvador, you chose to zero in on a millionaire–one whose family, in your own words, “ran the country as their private fiefdom.” Will there never be any justice for the poor?

Eithne Shankar – Krabi, Thailand

The High Cost of Medicines

Ellen Schofield’s article high- lights a problem faced by many medicine users around the globe. They are victims of large, wealthy pharmaceutical companies, their expensive drugs and health-care providers who don’t consider the high costs involved (“My Prescription for Docs: Check the Costs,” my turn, Jan. 29). Some solutions for this problem would be a healthy lifestyle, rational prescribing by doctors and a good selection of generic medicines to ensure a choice of price. The buzzword in health sciences at the moment is “evidence-based medicine.” It will be interesting to see what evidence emerges that newer, highly priced drugs make a real impact in improving the quality of people’s lives. There are exceptions, of course, but many of these drugs are unaffordable to most people who need them.

Andrew Vaughn – Harare, Zimbabwe

Ellen Schofield’s article only goes to show that the United States faces almost the same problems that we do here in Europe. Since some physicians are not even aware of the excessive cost of medication, there is an increasing shortage of funding left for supplementary, but often important, treatments such as home care or physical therapy for older people.

Hans Zimmermann – Basel, Switzerland

The North Korean Conundrum

As someone who makes a living analyzing North Korea, I agree with Andrew Nagorski that no one should pretend to know what will happen in and to North Korea (“Mirror, Mirror On the Wall… ,” world view, Jan. 15). But I was disappointed that Nagorski failed to add a crucial rider: we can certainly say what should happen. Three scenarios stand out clearly. First, another Korean War should be avoided at all costs. Secondly, a North Korean collapse would be catastrophic for both Koreas. Thus, the third–and only responsible–course is to strive for a soft landing and encourage Pyongyang to embrace peace and reform. That was the aim of South Korean President Kim Dae Jung’s policy, which paid off in last year’s breakthrough summit meeting. The Clinton administration also saw the light and turned to engagement by defusing the North Korean nuclear threat and almost landing a missile deal. Let’s hope that President Bush grasps this logic and resists the temptation to push Kim Jong Il back into his shell. Too much is at stake.

Aidan Foster-Carter

Leeds, England

I was dismayed by Nagorski’s piece on Korea. Aside from the question as to whether NEWSWEEK would ever speculate on just how and when an American president might be assassinated, I find it incredible that the story does not credit Kim Jong Il with moving the reconciliation forward. I believe consideration was given to awarding the Nobel Prize jointly. To do so would have been brave but also appropriate. Let’s not forget the tortured history of Korea. Many Koreans died in Hiroshima, forced laborers for the Japanese when America dropped the bomb. The country was partitioned because America was determined to prevent total Soviet control of the peninsula. Much of the subsequent path of Korean history was thus determined. Nagorski seems fond of simple images so here’s one for him to ponder: painfully thin, respectful North Korean children standing side by side with obese, overindulged American children. If push came to shove, I know where my sympathies would lie.

Ray Snape

York, England

Defining Democracy

Hugo Chavez distorted the truth about representative democracy in his country (" ‘The Battle We Are Waging’," world affairs, Oct. 23). The real truth is, such democracy has been, and in most countries continues to be, a farce. Those “democratic” leaders Chavez refers to have never been elected by a single voter. They only rode on the coattails of presidential elections and their names come up on the lists of “elected” parliamentarians by the will of the political boss. That is who those people really represent–the party and all the corruption involved, not an electorate which is mostly ignored until the next presidential campaign. This state of affairs is approved and supported by America, and the end result allows manipulation of access to the reins of government, a pleasing situation for the likes of Jesse Helms and the U.S. banking lobby.

Andres T. Stepkowski – Santa Cruz, Bolivia

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-12” author: “Christopher Wilson”

Tax-Cut Tug of War Thank you, NEWSWEEK, for the informative article on President Bush’s plan to cut taxes (“Tax Cuts & You,” NATIONAL AFFAIRS, Feb. 19). I now understand that it is a “trickle down” plan designed to help American businesses prosper. As I see it, America’s millionaires will get a tax cut large enough to enable each of them to buy a Lexus manufactured by the Japanese which, in turn, will lead to more job opportunities for those of us earning $20,000 a year washing those cars. With our savings from the tax-cut plan we can buy as much macaroni and cheese a year as our families can stomach!

Rocky Smith Martinsville, Ind.

The magnitude of president Bush’s proposed tax cut is a prescription for future red ink. His plan is fuzzy, unbalanced and excessive. Furthermore, he pays only lip service to debt reduction. Today’s surplus and declining economy certainly justify a sensible tax cut, but not an irrational one. As Allan Sloan explained so well in his article (“A Pie in the Sky Policy,” Feb. 19), Bush is setting us up for a return to deficit budgets. And when the ink runs red again, do you think that son of “Read my lips” and the knee-jerk tax cutters in Congress will have the political backbone to raise taxes or cut spending to keep the budget in the black? Not a chance.

Ronald C. Dunbar Wyncote, Pa.

In your article on tax cuts, you provided examples of how much people at various income levels would be able to purchase with refunds under the Bush tax plan. With all due respect, it looks like a Tom Daschle infomercial. You should have listed the amount of taxes that were paid, based upon each income bracket, and compared these amounts with how much people in those brackets would get back. If you did this, you would find that Bush’s plan would return taxes to the people who paid the surplus taxes. That is basic fairness.

Richard King Seattle, Wash.

I believe president Bush is going about the tax cut correctly. If I continue climbing the corporate ladder and receiving raises and bonuses as I have, I will be in the next tax bracket and will surely walk away with less money at the end of the day for all my hard work. Under the current taxing structure, my ambition will help take money out of my pocket. Until I read the details of President Bush’s plan in NEWSWEEK, my desire to go out of my way to show my superiors my intellect and business prowess had diminished considerably. Taxing the American people is the right thing to do, but penalizing those who are ambitious is wrong.

Justin Anovick Stratford, Conn.

Not Your Mother’s Lemonade As a college student and one of few people who waited until their 21st birthday to start drinking, I’m so glad NEWSWEEK has brought attention to alcoholic lemonades aimed at kids (“Soda Pop That Packs a Punch,” SOCIETY, Feb. 19). The alcohol industry may deny it, but this clearly seems to be another attempt by the industry to attract kids to its products, whether by using animated characters, chocolate-flavored drinks with colorful labels or hard lemonade. The bottom line is that alcohol is a lethal and illegal drug for those under 21, and it’s about time somebody holds the industry responsible for its marketing practices. We’ve held the tobacco industry responsible; what are we waiting for with the alcohol industry?

Laura Baum New Haven, Conn.

Islam’s Faithful I read your article “A Spreading Islamic Fire” (INTERNATIONAL, Feb. 19) and am quite upset at the gross generalizations. You refer to terrorists as “Islamists” as if terror is a central part of Islam. While you correctly point out that these terrorists are a tiny portion of the 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide, you do not heed this fact in your article. Even connecting Islam to terror is surprising since these terrorists are at most .0001 percent of the Islamic population.

Saif Ahmed Ithaca, N.Y.

They’ve Got Game Disenchanted with those spoiled, high-priced athletes of the NBA (“The NBA’s No-Shows,” SOCIETY, Feb. 19)? I suggest that you attend basketball games at the community college in your area. For $5 or less you can watch energetic, fast-paced basketball starring talented kids who play for the love of the game. Zone defense, great passing, assists, three-point shots, spirit, enthusiasm, sportsmanship–it’s all there. These players might have been the superstars of their high schools, but they quickly learn to play as a team–no superegos, no temper tantrums and no demands for more money, just great basketball.

Judy Williamson Dixon, Ill.

In-Sync Fans Go on the Record In the Feb. 19 issue you published an item on the ages of the oldest members of ‘N Sync, 98 Degrees and the Backstreet Boys (“The One With the Jowls Is So Dreamy!,” PERISCOPE). As a 16-year-old who loves ‘N Sync to death, I am writing to tell you that while you accurately pointed out that Chris Kirkpatrick is the oldest member of ‘N Sync at 29, you then proceeded to box Joey Fatone in the photo–he’s only 24.

Kristin Triebel Rougemont, N.C.

Just to let you know not all fans of boy bands are “pushing puberty.” I’m 34 years old and proud to be a member of MFC. That is the Mature Fan Club of Backstreet Boys. I think it’s time people stop looking at them as a “boy” band and start looking at the talented band that is the Backstreet Boys.

Melissa Athey Trinity, N.C.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-01” author: “Deborah Terrell”

Risa E. Bernstein Vienna, Virginia

I was laid off from Lucent Technologies last month and received a nice package. I am 59 years old and certainly past the prime of new job choices. But I was determined to keep looking for that fun, new opportunity. An online posting site put me in touch with a local headhunter who found me an ideal position. Good salary and stock options, great people and a chance to dive in from the beginning and help build a new, successful company. So keep faith in yourself. Don’t panic. Don’t spend your package money or pension, don’t take the first job offer that comes along. If a silver-haired grandmother can land a terrific new job so soon, so can you!

Laurie Bartholomew Harleysville, Pennsylvania

When a large corporation announces a 15 percent downsizing of the labor force, wouldn’t it be fair to cut the salaries of the company executives by the same percentage?

Raymond Gibson Newport, Rhode Island

A Spiritual Movement? Your Falun Gong report was one-sided (“A Growing Holy War,” ASIA, Feb. 5). You say Falun Gong teaching is Buddhist. It has as much to do with Buddhism as Jesus Christ has to do with burning Ku Klux Klan crosses. These people eat meat and they have no respect for human life–thinking nothing of even sacrificing children. True, the way in which the Chinese state reacted to this madness was illegal, even idiotic. But the horror of the officials and a great many normal people at these goings-on is justified. If you want to write about religious persecution in China there are enough deserving cases. Falun Gong is something else.

Frank Muenzel Hamburg, Germany

So Falun Gong is being suppressed in China? So what? Diverse other religious movements disapproved by the authorities have been proscribed, in various disguises, in many other countries, including the United States. The Moonies, the Scientologists, Islamic “fundamentalists” and others are banned outright or subjected to direct or indirect harassment. The difference is that no foreign government takes up their case, gives them international publicity, blows their oft-trifling petitions into some kind of demand for “freedom from undemocratic state interference.” When, in 1993, in Waco, Texas, more than 80 people, including 25 children, died during a U.S. government assault, neither China nor any other foreign government had the sanctimonious approach (that seems to be a U.S. trademark) to wag their fingers at the U.S. government.

A.R.T. Kemasang London, England

A Day to Remember As a 15-year-old Indian living abroad, I was shocked by your negligence in the report on the recent Indian earthquake (“Nothing Between Earth and Sky,” ASIA, Feb. 5). You say, “Jan. 26, was Republic Day in India, a national holiday commemorating the country’s independence.” This is wrong: that day commemorates the adoption of the Indian Constitution. It is the day when the country declared itself a republic.

Kanishka Pawar Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The town waiting for help to arrive the day after the earthquake in Gujarat was Bachau, not Pachchao as you reported, NEWSWEEK. It would seem you Americans all need to update your information about India.

Niranjan S. Mehta Mumbai, India

All the World’s a Stage We wish to clarify a misimpression created by a bracketed comment in a NEWSWEEK question asked during its producers’ roundtable discussion (“Pass Me an Oscar,” SOCIETY & THE ARTS, Feb. 5) about why Ed Zwick didn’t speak onstage after “Shakespeare in Love” won the 1998 best-picture Oscar. It was misleading to state that “Zwick was a producer on the movie but Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein gave the acceptance speech.” Harvey was onstage not as Miramax’s chairman but as an “SIL” producer. He brought “SIL” to Miramax from Universal as a film that he would produce, later bringing David Parfitt and Donna Gigliotti in as his partners. Ed developed the script at Universal, and wanted to direct it, but Harvey hired director John Madden. Ed concurrently directed another project and to our knowledge never visited the “SIL” set. There was no “mugging” on the Academy stage (as Ed suggested), rather Ed was acknowledged by his coproducers for contributing to the film’s development. The clock ran out and music played during Harvey’s remarks (he spoke after Donna and David), leaving no speaking opportunity for Ed and Marc Norman, who was also onstage. The evening’s greatest regret was not taking John Madden onstage with us, where we thanked everyone–including Ed–who made “SIL” possible.

David Parfitt and Harvey Weinstein New York, New York

I worked for five years to make “The Cider House Rules” into a film and I am enormously proud of the outcome. To say, in your producers’ roundtable discussion, that our film “would not have been nominated [for an Academy Award] had it not been for Miramax’s [marketing] campaign” is cynical and plainly wrong. Miramax asked filmgoers and Academy members (who vote on the nominees and awards) to sit up and take notice of our film. The fact that they did their job extremely well does not mean they should be given credit for the audience’s response to the film, or for the awards it received.

Richard Gladstein, Producer ‘The Cider House Rules’ Los Angeles, California

President Bush Redux Your coverage of George W. Bush’s Inauguration was an interesting and important piece of journalism (" ‘I Will Work to Build a Single Nation’," U.S. AFFAIRS, Jan. 29). It captured the dignity of the defeated Al Gore, who was perhaps the most courageous star of the show. Despite one’s misgivings about the process involved in electing President Bush, the Inauguration was a remarkable scene of historic transfer from one president to the next in the world’s only superpower. That alone is a tribute to American democracy, where even the losers behaved with dignity.

Dominic Shelmerdine London, England

Whatever happened to high flowing rhetoric for the Inaugural speech? Leaders of nations impress, enthrall, calm, awe, even teach their people with their words. Abraham Lincoln’s Inaugural Address came from the heart to canonize a belief. Vaclav Havel leads with a clever intellect indicative of a deep thinker. Speeches today, filled with pop culture and euphemistic banter, serve only to disappoint. George W. Bush stands firm on his platform taken from the nation’s e pluribus unum, claiming to be a political “builder of bridges.” But where is the inspirational rhetoric to back it up?

Stuart S. W. Grande Ajka, Hungary

Now we know for certain that Bush redux intends to favor spoilage of the environment and enrichment of the oil companies over stewardship of the environment and a sustainable-energy policy; overpopulation and accompanying impoverishment of developing countries over responsible family planning, and the use of vouchers to favor the education of children from wealthy families and stifle opportunity for children of working families. If this is what Bush thinks “speaking for greater justice and compassion” means, then I fear we are in for a very bad four years indeed.

Joseph Smallhoover Chair, Democrats Abroad Paris, France

During the presidential campaign, Ralph Nader said he saw no difference between Bush and Gore. Well, I don’t think Gore would be planning to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I suggest that Bush thank Nader for his election by renaming the refuge the “Ralph Nader National Oilfield.” And Ralph, get this: we still have four years to go, so, thanks for nothing.

T. Golan Vilov, Sweden

A New Postnatural World Oliver Morton’s Jan. 1 WORLD VIEW column “End of Nature” was a sad piece. The presumption that man has taken or should take charge of the (formerly natural) order of things is frightening and funny at the same time. Most people find it difficult to organize their own lives, let alone their whole existence. Even choosing a direction seems to be an insurmountable problem. But all that is really just a very small part of the whole existence we call Nature, and man is about as far away from a real understanding of nature as he was 10,000 years ago.

Samo Kuscer Ljubljana, Slovenia

Oliver Morton’s article was the same sort of repetitive and boring noise he accuses whales of making in their songs. People commonly reply to calls of “Let’s go back to nature” with “There is no nature to go back to, because it has been changed by humankind.” Like many, Morton misses the point. Going “back to nature” does not mean that we have to change the world, become cavemen and throw away our cell phones. It means that when we change the world, we should do so rationally and conservatively, with knowledge of the consequences. Morton’s view that we should scrap the ideas of nature and use our technological ability to “design” the world is silly. We are forever bound by nature and ecological limits. Alternatively, we are liberated by nature. Technological capability is a result of our evolutionary history and the natural world around us. If we protect it sufficiently, nature will remain a source for technological innovation.

Sam Stier Subic Bay, Philippines

The article “End Of Nature” is just too much. Morton does not mention that nature was destroyed mainly by Americans, who never much cared for environmental issues. He says that a postnatural world, without boring whale songs, could make things better, but he ignores the fact that there are still many people who don’t want to live in a technologized world. This article will give Americans and their new president an excuse for destroying the environment even more. It is very sad that the United States uses its power in such a destructive way.

Martin Lieb Konstanz, Germany

One for the Dogg Heap? Your interview with rapper Snoop Dogg (“Dogg Eat Dog,” PERISCOPE, Jan. 1) was foolish. I am a young person who is tired of being bombarded by such garbage. Why doesn’t Snoop speak in a positive manner and try to be a good role model? The song that Snoop speaks of, “Who Let the Dogs Out?” was written by Anselm Douglas, who hails from the island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. But I haven’t heard any credit being given to him for this popular song. Snoop did not deserve the space you gave him.

Sarojani Dindial-Torsteinson Cunupia, Trinidad and Tobago

The “original” dog was “Atomic Dog” by George Clinton–a fact conspicuous by its omission, since Snoop based so much of his first and subsequent albums on this track and its plethora of sexual metaphors. Who’s bitin’ whom?

J. Byrd White Singapore

Divided by the Atlantic Michael Elliott was quite right in elucidating how ludicrous it is for Europeans to form sweeping judgments about the values of the United States (“Europe: The Un-America,” THE WORLD AHEAD, Issues 2001). I, for one, am strictly opposed to the death penalty on religious and moral grounds. Furthermore, I find the way in which some U.S. politicians display their religiousness in public a little hard to digest. Does that make me anti-American? On the other side of the divide, I consider it equally acceptable when all but two or three members of my own government cannot bring themselves to add the words “so help me God,” when taking their oath of office. Neither the United States nor Europe is closer to, nor more distant from, their Creator; they just have different ways of expressing their values.

Werner Radtke Paderborn, Germany

The Internet in Russia Your interview with Esther Dyson portrayed not a “New Economy guru,” but someone with a limited perspective clouded by Western utopian capitalism (" ‘I Think There’s Real Hope for Russia’," FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY, Nov. 27). The Internet will not in any great measure solve Russia’s massive infrastructure challenges, or its political, economic or social ones. As an American who lives in Russia, I can tell you that comparing Americans and Russians in the same light is not practical. Furthermore, comparing an interest in Russia to “being in love with a drug addict,” is offensive.

Jeffrey Lindstrom Kabarovsk, Russia

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-17” author: “Randy Foreman”

In a time when incendiary emotional outbursts sometimes seem to be the only way for our society to express centuries of hidden fear and unrest, I find objective and rational articles such as “The Bible and the Qur’an” to be a beacon of hope. I must say that I am impressed by the depth of the research you have conducted to write the article and the insight that follows. I encourage you to continue research with such academic rigor, for it is only through problem definition that we will eventually reach peaceful solutions. Munzoor Shaikh Downers Grove, Ill.

Your feature on the Bible and the Qur’an misses an important point. As long as there are holy books, there will be holy wars. As long as the words of some king, prophet or disciple are written down and fixed as the definitive Word of God, those who accept that perceived certainty will want dominance for their view. Holy books put me in mind of a comment I believe was made by Ezra Pound: “Disciples are more trouble than they are worth when they start anchoring and petrifying their Mahatmas. No man’s thought petrifies.” Martin E. Fuller Albuquerque, N.M.

Thank you for shedding some light on the Bible and the Qur’an. The more educated that Americans are about faiths other than their own, the stronger we will be as a nation. Educating each other about differing beliefs increases tolerance, eradicates prejudices and enhances respect for fellow citizens of other faiths. Islam and Muslims are a permanent fixture of the United States, and this great nation is magnanimous enough to be inclusive. I applaud my fellow Americans for the tolerance, concern and love they have shown to Muslim Americans. Atif Fareed Henderson, Nev.

Your cover photo comparing the Bible and the Qur’an is interesting. The passage from the Bible is in English, while the excerpt from the Qur’an is in Arabic. This makes the Bible seem accessible and familiar, and achieves just the opposite for the Qur’an. Why not show the Bible in its original languages of Hebrew and Aramaic (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament)? Or the Qur’an in English? Mike Krozer Freehold, N.J.

Editor’s note: We ran the excerpt from the Qur’an in Arabic to show respect for Muslims, since that is the language of the book’s revelations.

Not as Bad as Sticks and Stones

Thanks for the perceptive analysis of the president’s State of the Union message. The speech was a reminder that the myth of American omnipotence is alive and well. The speech also helps to explain why America’s “reservoir of good will” in the world is dissipating. National pride is a good thing, but it can be carried too far. I must regretfully suggest that the displays of the arrogance of power that were implicit in the speech could, in time, be America’s undoing. D. L. McKee New Wilmington, Pa.

Abigail Had Two Dads

I read the My Turn column by Abigail Garner, a straight woman advocating for gay rights. As the father of a gay son and an active member of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), I, too, have noticed that when I speak to heterosexuals on gay issues and I reveal that I am straight, their attitude toward me changes noticeably. It is as if my not being gay gives my words more credibility. My sense of this phenomenon is that gays demanding equal rights are frequently perceived by unsympathetic straights as whining for special treatment, but a straight person arguing for the same gay rights is seen as credible simply because he is not gay. It is a sad but true observation. Like Garner, I have been accused of not being able to “move on” and stop being so outspoken. I can only answer that I will not rest until my gay son has the same rights and privileges (including marriage and its legal benefits) that my straight children enjoy simply because they are heterosexual. Michael E. Hinz Mastic Beach, N.Y.

Now that we’ve heard from Abigail Garner advocating social acceptance of gay parenting, I’d like to hear from the other side. I’d like to hear from a man or woman who grew up with either two moms or two dads and didn’t like it one bit. I’d like to hear from adults who are angry that their childhoods were marred by having to participate in the social experiment of gay parenting. In today’s politically correct climate, we hear from those who advocate gay families but not from those who have had unhappy experiences. In the media’s eagerness not to offend liberal sensibilities, they may be offering a less than comprehensive picture of the pluses and minuses of growing up with a gay parent. Diana Bishop Kentfield, Calif.

Is That Money Soft or Rotten?

George Will has outdone himself this time. His “Soft Money, Odd Thinking” column shows the extent to which he will go to discredit any effort to rein in the good ole boys’ club that buys our congressmen openly. Where is the concern for the financial disaster the good-ole-boy network visited upon thousands of Enron employees? Instead of applying his excellent intellect to calling a spade a spade and urging that the criminals be stripped of their ill-gotten gains, Will contorts and obfuscates and implies strenuously, so that we become focused instead on the terrible offense about to be done to the Constitution if we restrict in any way the ability of the fat cats to buy our lawmakers and influence our policymakers in secret meetings. What Will reverently refers to as “political giving and spending,” the rest of us call bribery and payoffs. Robert Samson Seattle, Wash.

Dollars for Drivers

Executive DirectorPresident

Clarification

story

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-21” author: “Jacqueline Huguley”

I think that some of NEWSWEEK’s articles lack depth. “Surviving the Storm” is one such example (War On Terror, Jan. 21). Kashmir was never a part of Pakistan, and the current Pakistani-administered region of Kashmir was annexed by force from the King of Kashmir. The fact is that the king joined his kingdom with India after partition. General Musharraf’s harboring of terrorist organizations in Pakistan is akin to Mullah Omar’s support for Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network. If Pakistan is to claim Kashmir, it may as well ask for states with large Muslim populations such as Hyderabad and Kerala in India, Chechnya in Russia and Xinjiang in China. The problem is that Pakistan does not have democracy and seems to want to spread its misery to other parts of the world. Rangaswamy Muniappan Yona, Guam

Your article “Surviving The Storm” makes no reference to the more than 300,000 Kashmiri Hindus (“Pandits”) forced out of their homes in the Kashmir Valley by armed Islamic separatists. They now live as refugees in other parts of India. To nip separatism in the bud, India, like Pakistan, could have trained and armed these desperate refugees to confront Islamic terrorists in the valley. But, as a secular democracy, India has had to leave the job to its security forces. In sharp contrast, China has been systematically executing Islamic separatists agitating in Xinjiang for the creation of Turkistan. Pakistan dare not oppose it. Sharad C. Misra Mumbai, India

M. J. Akbar has written a reasonably balanced piece about Pakistan except when he speaks of territorial claims (“Stop Crossing the Lines,” War On Terror, Jan. 14). He is sharp to recall the problems in the four provinces of Pakistan, but I wish he had remembered Indian difficulties in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland and Punjab. Arshad Chaudhry Rawalpindi, Pakistan

M. J. Akbar has expressed what the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in India think about Pakistan and its leader, President–nay, General–Musharraf: he does not share the views of the people in Kashmir nor the rest of the country with regard to the Kashmir issue. I’m an Indian expatriate. The attack on the Indian Parliament and the subsequent tension escalating on the Indo-Pak border, the much-publicized handshake between Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee and the former’s address to the people of Pakistan make me raise these questions: Is India really a democratic nation? How secular is India? What about human-rights violations in Kashmir? The majority of people in India and Pakistan want peace, not war. Unfortunately, the so-called leaders and politicians of both nations have been warmongering. The BJP tries to establish Hindutwa in India, making minority groups such as Christians insecure. The ruling party has gone off the track of secularism. Even some of those who were found guilty of the Babri Masjid demolition hold very important positions. I want my nation to become more democratic, secular and peaceful. Albert P’Rayan Kigali, Rwanda

The American Way of War?

international

You refer to Mike Spann as “the first combat casualty in Afghanistan” (“A Dreamer With ‘No Fear’”). That seems to contradict your magazine’s claim to be “the international newsmagazine.” Shouldn’t the subtitle of the article have read “Mike Spann, the first North American casualty in Afghanistan…”? Claudio Stern Munich, Germany

‘Simplify, Simplify, Simplify’

I enjoyed reading John McCormick article. He is right to stress the importance of going back to the basics and enjoying life the way it is. In our materialistic world, the American way of life has become the model and the envy of many in the less developed world. But as we try to develop those economies and improve the quality of life in those societies so that it can be closer to America’s, we must ask ourselves, are we happier than before? Or are we disappointed because others live in bigger homes or drive better cars? The pursuit of personal wealth should not become the sole–or even primary–goal of life. We all share a social responsibility. Why put more pressure on ourselves to make life “better” when we already have so much? We must think about those who are struggling just to be fed and to stay warm, and learn to appreciate what life has given us. Jing Mei Beijing, China

Calling a spade by another name predates current commercialization in American culture. An American says “at the present time,” while the rest of the world gets by with “now.” The word “titbit,” in English since the early 17th century, became “tidbit” when it crossed the Atlantic. I wonder if that was done to avoid a naughty connotation. Michael Brady Oslo, Norway

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-11” author: “Holly Kaplan”

Because your articles on Italy usually deal only with fashion, shoes, pasta and pizza, I must compliment you on your recent story “Bad, Bad Boy” (Europe, Jan. 21). Ever since Silvio Berlusconi’s election as prime minister–democratically chosen by the majority of Italian citizens–NEWSWEEK’s interest in Italian affairs has grown from small pieces to two full pages. But I must say that in viciously attacking Berlusconi as you have done, you are indirectly criticizing all the Italians who voted for him. Vincenzo Pennetta Rome, Italy

No wonder Berlusconi’s turned into a “bad boy.” To run Italy as one of his enterprises, he needed the votes of self-declared racist and neo-fascist parties, and the help of the Vatican. Now he’s paying the bill. The stories told in your articles are vivid, but the worst is yet to come. I think of the injustice of his using his power to delay trials in which he is involved, and neglected issues such as the cutting of the scientific-research budget–it’s already one of the lowest in the civilized world. Michele Samaja Milan, Italy

We write from Parma, home of Italian prosciutto and cheese. Your presentation of the argument between Berlusconi and the Finns on where to locate a new food-safety administration is superficial. The issue concerns not just prosciutto, as you imply. It has to do with determining the location of a very important food ministry in Europe. Parma is an industrial center, home to the Barilla and Parmalat companies, a technological center of companies that produce food-processing machinery and a science center–the University of Parma offers courses on agriculture and food technology. Fabio, Barbara, Valeria and Claudia Traversetolo, Italy

Enron’s Death Rattle

The economic collapse of Enron can only be compared to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. While the latter was perpetrated by foreign military bandits on U.S. soil and on the American people, the former was perpetrated by what one might call U.S. financial and economic terrorists on 20,000 American families and on the U.S. economic system. As an outside spectator, I only hope that the Bush administration will now go after Enron’s executives in the fight to bring to justice “white-collar terrorists” who prey on other people’s lives. Costas Joannou Aglantzia, Cyprus

The Enron saga reflects badly on some international financial institutions. U.S.-based credit-rating agencies delayed downgrading Enron because of possible backlash by influential interests that might have been adversely affected. But they did not hesitate to (rightly) relegate British Airways’ senior unsecured debt from investment grade to junk, and they come down like a ton of bricks on non-U.S. companies–especially in developing countries. Confidence in the global finance system by the international community demands that such agencies be objective in their assessments and actions. A prominent U.S. investment bank was until recently advocating Enron stock as a “buy” on the basis of its management credentials and undervaluation. Vipul Thakore London, England

Blair and Bush

It’s good to see some well-thought-out guidelines for future U.S. foreign policy in NEWSWEEK. The highly astute Fareed Zakaria and the sober Marcus Mabry are just two analysts always worth reading. But it’s sad and ironic that the man in the White House who must implement a new direction for America is George W. Bush, a man whose foreign policy still features placating his own country’s fundamentalists by curtailing abortions for desperate Third World women. He even denies morning-after pills to rape victims in refugee camps (“A Pro-Life Foreign Policy,” U.S. Affairs, Sept. 3). This attitude toward women is typical of fundamentalists everywhere. Does anyone find this comforting? Al Gore, with his considered judgment and broad horizons, is needed right now. Frances Fischer Svendborg, Denmark

What’s in a Name?

la petite souris

Trying the American Taliban

Since its inception, the United States has upheld the ideal that an individual is “innocent until proven guilty.” But will John Walker receive a fair trial? It appears to me that he has already been tried and sentenced in a court of public opinion, aided by the sentiments of the media and influential people in America. Quintin Rudd Mbabane, Swaziland

As a westerner who converted to Islam in my 20s, remained a devout Muslim for three years and then gave it up, I’d say the problem is with Islam. It may be politically expedient now to deny this, but the bottom line is that it is true. Islam is appealing because of its simplicity and potential purity, but there is little balance from within. I found that becoming a Muslim was much like being a needle on the edge of a record: the direction was inevitably inward, being pressured to give up the “worse” for the “better.” It was obvious what the destination was. Fortunately, I jumped before it was too late. Your readers should know that the concept of being a liberal Muslim is ultimately an unsustainable one. Name Withheld Toyama, Japan

Nurturing a Phobia?

Debating Land Reform

I find it quite surprising–and frankly irresponsible–that your lengthy one-sided report relied on outdated information from a Brazilian government (INCRA) and FAO report based on data from agrarian-reform settlements completed between 1985 and 1995, which were presented as though they reflected on the current Brazilian government. This demonstrates a remarkable lack of concern for factual accuracy and journalistic objectivity, which seems to have violated NEWSWEEK’s own standards.

Had your correspondent gone further in his research and contacted the senior officials involved in agrarian reform (which, inappropriately, was not done), he would have been able to obtain the latest data and survey results, thus providing NEWSWEEK’s readers with a far more accurate picture.

Hardly any of Brazil’s many important agrarian-reform achievements were mentioned in this ineptly researched cover article, which conveyed to your readers a false image of the Brazilian government as not meeting its responsibilities. I seriously doubt that such weak journalistic practices would be tolerated in your U.S. edition, which makes me wonder why such a remarkable lack of scrupulous research is apparently tolerated in your recent reporting on Latin America.

The falsehoods and distortions you published were so numerous that I cannot cite all of them. In the attached seven-page document, I have focused my comments on several of the most serious inaccuracies. Rubens A. Barbosa Brazilian Ambassador Washington, D.C.

In a study conducted by the Center for Agrarian and Rural Development Studies (NEAD), completed in 2001, it was demonstrated that 2.7 million jobs have been created through agrarian-reform efforts. Settlers’ purchasing power has increased 62 percent. Land-reform projects have constructed 52,000 kilometers of new roads, 14,000 kilometers of rural power lines, 250,000 homes and 2,600 water-supply systems, all of which your article failed to acknowledge.

As of 1997, 70 percent of settlements already had public transportation available at least once a day, 9 percent were served two to four times a week and 3 percent received weekly transportation. As of 1997, 78 percent of settlements had access to power. The source for your correspondent’s data was apparently pages 21 and 22 of the FAO/INCRA report “Percentuais e Causas das Evasoes nos Assentamentos Rurais” (a report based on data from agrarian-reform settlements completed between 1985 and 1995).

There is no law that restricts clearing to three hectares per year.

In describing the 17 de Abril settlement, [you did not mention] plans for providing electricity, soon to be completed, giving power to 700 homes, as well as investments of $2.1 million for improvements in food, housing and other projects.

The rural land situation has improved significantly in recent years. Initiatives already carried out by the current government represent the most comprehensive agrarian reform ever implemented in a democracy in peacetime.

To read the full attachment go to: www.brasilemb.org/human/letter_agra_emb.htm

NEWSWEEK Responds

One of the many sources cited was a 1998 survey, carefully qualified in the story as “partial,” of settlements founded between 1985 and 1995. NEWSWEEK would have been eager to cite more recent data, but was informed during an interview at NEAD, the government land-reform think tank, that although a major study was underway, it had not been completed. It has yet to be released.

The article duly mentioned many laudable accomplishments of land reform, such as the rapid expansion of settlements and a sharp drop in land conflicts. Nonetheless, it is fair to conclude that, overall, land reform has been a bitter and expensive disappointment. Tens of thousands of settlers suffer from unreliable transport and electricity, poor health and sanitary conditions, insurmountable debts and inadequate technical assistance. Settlements that ought to be models, such as 17 de Abril, are little more than rural slums. Poverty drives settlers to abandon their land or violate environmental laws–including one limiting deforestation to three hectares per year (IN-003, capitulo I, artigo 4). To quote the front-page article in the Jornal do Brasil (Feb. 4): “The federal government wastes millions on unsatisfactory land reform” while “rural workers burn up their savings only to reap frustration.” Mac Margolis Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-17” author: “Amanda Reifsteck”

I am a practicing Christian and firmly believe in the wisdom of our Founding Fathers for their foresight in separating church and state (“One Nation, Under… Who?” July 8). One can look at history, or current events, to see what misery governments with religious mandates bring to their people. Neither believers nor non-believers should be obliged to use words in public that are upsetting. We should adhere to the Constitution, which has been our strength for more than 200 years. James T. Watson Littleton, Colo.

Making government secular is one of the strongest supports there is to making it democratic, since religion is by definition intolerant. Why can’t people understand that sometimes the principle is more important than what they personally want and that protecting the rights of others is, in the long run, protecting one’s own? The entire fabric of the Bill of Rights rests on the notion that the “tyranny of the majority” should not trample the rights of those with less popular views. That’s the most quintessentially American position anyone can take. Ann S. Winn-Mueller Belle Mead, N.J.

Attempts to remove the name of God from our public gatherings and schools are a reminder to the church that we should not depend on our government to require that God’s name be said. Nor can we expect government to require that our children pray. It is up to us in the church to teach our children about God, the Bible, worship and prayer. What we can expect of our government is the freedom to practice our faith. This is a time for people of faith to be devoted to God as never before. Rev. David A. Highfield Westminster, Md.

Every day in school in the 1940s we recited the Pledge of Allegiance without saying “under God,” and we considered ourselves patriotic. During World War II we were called upon to do more for our country than all the demagogues in government have called for since September 11. We drove 35 miles per hour to save gas, bought serial stamps for our war-bond books, managed ration books, knitted socks and scarves, saved lard and planted victory gardens. We did all this with enthusiasm, and we didn’t need the phrase “under God” to compel us to help our country. When Congress inserted the phrase to the pledge in 1954, I felt its lovely flow was destroyed. I do not object to saying “under God”; I just think it is unnecessary in affirming one’s allegiance to our great country. When so many unresolved matters stand before us, it is silly to make a big issue out of this little phrase when for many years those my age were moved to real, active patriotism without using it. Ask most seniors, and they will say the same. We want prescription drugs, not dubious patriotism. Margo House Garden, Mich.

I can assure those out there with limited experience of atheism that we love our country as much as anyone and feel as strongly about liberty and justice as any theist. We also value individual freedom and dignity and ask only that the state not engage in religious endorsement, but remain neutral toward religious or non-religious beliefs. To remove reference to God does not restrict the right of anyone to practice a faith, but conversely, a reference to God in our most recited patriotic pledge requires one to swear allegiance not just to country but to God. In 1954, citizens were forced to choose between patriotism wrapped in God or godless communism. Today it’s just God-wrapped patriotism or no patriotism at all. Carolyn Zeitler Cameron Park, Calif.

Why must we be a nation under anything? I suggest “one nation, conceived in liberty,” which is inclusive yet allows for human shortcomings. D. K. Sponholtz Chantilly, Va.

I firmly believe in my God and was raised saying “under God.” I will raise my children to say it also. If Michael Newdow has the freedom to change the pledge, don’t I have the freedom to say the pledge that I believe in? I live in a free country, and if I want to say “under God,” I will. Kim Greening Port Orchard, Wash.

I am not among those who consider themselves “under God,” but I am just as good a citizen and patriotic American as anyone else. I served for more than 20 years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot and was ready to give my life at any time for my country and my fellow citizens. Excluding me in our Pledge of Allegiance is wrong. “Under God” should be removed from the pledge so that together we can all stand up and say it proudly in its entirety. Michael R. Judge Sicklerville, N.J.

Though they were nonpracticing Jews, Michael Newdow’s parents said they “never disparaged God.” It seems that while he was growing up, Newdow was given the choice of what to believe. Shouldn’t his daughter be given the same choice? Todd Noorman antioch, tenn.

Canine Conundrum

another

You have no clue what we breeders go through to breed a well-balanced dog. And the breeders of labradoodles apparently have no idea what they are getting into. You can’t just decide that you want to breed these dogs. Specific breeds have genetic diseases, structural differences and, as you mention, varying temperaments. You seem to be promoting some inconsequential fad that someone has come up with to make a dime. Breeding takes time, research, lots of hard work and money. Holly Million Oklahoma City, Okla.

From Welfare to Congress

Democrat of CaliforniaU.S. House of Representatives

Correction

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-26” author: “Dale Cox”

The War Against Saddam

Thanks for the amusing picture of the two White House clowns–a smiling Donald Rumsfeld and a posturing George W. Bush (“Hawks, Doves and Dubya,” U.S. Affairs, Sept. 2). The one with the big grin is definitely a hawk, the other one is puffed up. If only they had listened to Bill Clinton’s internal security team when power was being handed over, the mess and mayhem that America and the world had to witness might perhaps have been avoided. This talk of war at that time would have been appropriate and would have borne fruit. Vishnu Rajouria Katmandu, Nepal

The Bush administration has started a propaganda war against Iraq by sending strong signals to unseat Saddam Hussein. This back and forth between the United States, the United Nations and the European Union over Iraq will leave the United States in an isolated position if it decides to wage war. U.S. politicians of both parties see no virtue in this policy, and the EU is uncomfortable with a determined unilateral action by the Bush administration. Besides, there’s no concrete evidence that Iraq does actually harbor weapons of mass destruction, is there? It may sound cynical but I think that a war against Iraq might be used to prop up President Bush’s domestic position which is being hurt by slow economic growth and corporate scandals. Military action by the Bush hawks will leave the Middle East in a state of instability for decades. Also, how will it impact the international energy market and global economic growth? Syed Rashid Ali Shah Vroomshoop, Netherlands

The U.S. administration’s deliberations on a war against Iraq are increasingly leaving a crucial factor out of the equation: the Middle East conflict. With that still unresolved, taking on Saddam will destabilize parts of the whole region which, I think, is just as dangerous as trying to find ways to live with Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. True, hardly anyone in Cairo, Damascus or Riyadh is an admirer of the dictator in Baghdad. Yet, hundreds of thousands of Arabs will feel extremely hurt if, for the umpteenth time, the concerns of Palestinians are seen to play second fiddle to the forceful removal of a tyrant. The situation during the Persian Gulf War was different. In 1991 one Muslim country had attacked another, so America was seen–at least partly–as a liberator. Now, the whole scenario is more volatile. Werner Radtke Paderborn, Germany

You say “…a pre-emptive war in Iraq could… cast America as an aggressor nation for the first time in its history”? Wait a minute! In 1898 the U.S. Army defeated the Spaniards and the Philippines was annexed by America; thousands of Filipino freedom fighters were killed by U.S. soldiers; thousands of U.S. soldiers also died in this colonial war. America, a former colony, became a colonial power. Puerto Rico, too, was annexed. America forced Colombia to remove one of its provinces, which became Panama, a banana republic manipulated by Americans. America occupied Haiti (1915-1934) and sent Marines to Nicaragua where Cesar Sandino and his resistance fighters could not be defeated–the first U.S. failure in a war. What else? The CIA was behind the military coup in Chile. Bernard Allemany Marseillette, France

Where’s the Trigger?

Fareed Zakaria’s column “To Fire on Iraq, Use a Trigger,” is a perfect dissemination of the “world view” that has left the United States almost entirely isolated in the world today over its determination to attack Iraq (World View, Sept. 2). If a journalist baldly states that “Saddam Hussein is building nuclear weapons,” then that journalist must have access to information that so far has not been made available to the rest of the world. And while such a contribution to the debate is, sadly, what we have come to expect of our politicians, it falls far short of the standards we still expect of professional reportage. Report the evidence, please–having made the claim, it is your professional duty to do so. Furthermore, I take exception to the notion that all the United States has to do to dispel opposition to its plans is to negotiate “with a few French bureaucrats.” It might interest you to know that in a recent British television poll, 67 percent of those questioned thought President Bush a more dangerous prospect to world peace than Saddam Hussein. It would appear that “the rest of the world” has a far different and better-informed perspective of the United States than you do of yourselves or of the rest of the world. Nigel Levaillant Bokkapuram, India

Why is your editor, Fareed Zakaria, supporting the propaganda for the Bush administration’s war plans? He should have advised the president to attend the Earth Summit in South Africa instead. Which is more important–planet Earth’s survival or Saddam Hussein? The United States can go to Iraq if it likes, but will that be the end? Please stop this neoconservative Republicanism in NEWSWEEK–this is not the newsweekly we were used to before. Abimbola Oyesanya via internet

Fareed Zakaria writes, “the United States will not initiate war against another country without specific provocation.” In 1983, what did Grenada do besides just being there? President Bush will try everything to get a Republican House and Senate. Marco L. Bianchini Rome, Italy

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-24” author: “Tyler Jaime”

Your “Moving into the Future” cover piece (The Next Frontiers, April 29) did an excellent job of showing how technology can make work more efficient and profitable. For parents, working while trying to be around for their young children is no easy task, but for people like Jill Smith who work at home, at least the job goes a bit more smoothly with the help of the latest technology. Anna Wuerth Canal Winchester, Ohio

I enjoyed your mini-history of the modern office, depicted in the foldout in the April 29 issue. But how in the world could you have failed to mention the typewriter? You included the steno notebook for taking dictation, a widespread office tool for maybe a few decades, but ignored manual and electric typewriters, which were ubiquitous office “can’t do withouts” for three quarters of the 20th century or more. What were you thinking? Judy Semas San Jose, Calif.

The irresistible gadgetry you show and discuss in your cover story is intriguing. But where is the kitchen table or the desk in the spare bedroom? For many, the office of the future will be at home. Carl A. Singer Passaic, N.J.

I found the photo you ran of Jill Smith, relaxed and comfortable in her sheepskin slippers, far more convincing than the woman in your glamorous but unrealistic cover shot. For many women, the first two things to go in the workplace of the future will be those awful, painful, disfiguring high heels. Lynn Thiel Marietta, Ohio

‘In the Footsteps of Christ’

Associate Dean of Students University of Miami School of Law

The Catholic Church could not have kept the lid on the pedophile problem for so long without the complicity of parishioners. For every “payoff” by the church, there was a payee. What kind of parents accept bribery in place of justice? How could they accept money and keep silent, knowing that other children would still be at risk? Gail Fiorini Reston, Va.

Since the ’70s, the Catholic Church has closed schools and parish churches for financial reasons. How many of these schools and churches could have remained open for the faithful if the church had not had to pay out billions of dollars in hush money to the parents of abused children? Terry Nance Charlottesville, Va.

Animal Crackers and ABCs

I was interested in your April 29 article “The Right Way to Read.” Bev Bos of the Roseville Cooperative Preschool believes early instruction robs children of their childhood, but learning is their childhood. Teaching preschoolers the basics of words and sounds prepares them to be able to read by the time they are in first grade. There is nothing wrong with that. Simple academic work is not going to steer them away from learning to share. It’s also not going to affect their playtime. Many people are just afraid of trying something new. I, however, agree that early literacy greatly benefits our children’s learning. No time is ever too early to educate our children. Jessica Hancock Columbus, Ohio

As parents of 4-year-old and 1-year-old girls, I read with relief and satisfaction the 10 ideas to promote interest in reading among preschoolers. In theory, parents can easily put these common-sense suggestions into practice, but most will appreciate how difficult it actually is to accomplish these simple goals. I am pleased to report that we have been largely successful in our home, but then we were armed with rules No. 11 and 12. Let your children see you reading for your own pleasure (an open newspaper at the breakfast table communicates this very powerfully). And keep the television off. After a mercifully short withdrawal period, our 4-year-old has completely lost interest in children’s TV programming. When nothing else will soothe her except vegging out in front of the tube, we let her watch DVDs or videos of Broadway musicals, “The Little Rascals,” “Willy Wonka” or “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and even recent episodes of “Blue’s Clues.” We are not anti-TV. We have simply found a way to confine and define it. David Chalfant New York, N.Y.

I hope your readers don’t feel pity for the children at the Roseville Cooperative Preschool, who are too busy playing and learning to worry about reading readiness right now. These kids will be the readers and leaders of tomorrow. They flock to a good story when they hear it and they tell their own stories every day, even without having someone point to the ABCs on the wall. They revel in songs without knowing the names of the notes, they build huge block towers without knowing load-bearing formulas, they construct complex waterways without knowing the flow rates and they ride bikes without knowing the way to signal a turn. This kind of “old style” education means an enriched, spirited, complex environment, perfect for a small child to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically. This doesn’t mean they won’t learn to read, play music, use physics and math or drive a car. In fact, they’ll be better prepared for any of these things than many of their peers who have been forced into an early-reading program. Elaine Arndt Roseville, Calif.

The 10 things that parents can do to help their children get a jump on literacy are predicated on the assumption that parents themselves are literate in English. But far too many poor and minority parents lack this ability. That’s why their children go to school with deficits that make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to catch up with more advantaged students. Walt Gardner Los Angeles, Calif.

Mom and Dad as Neighbors

I had a wide grin on my face as I read Karen McQuestion’s column about living next door to her parents. My seven brothers and sisters and I grew up next door to our grandparents in a small town north of New York City. It was a wonderful experience and has left me with many fond memories. I can remember seeking refuge in my grandmother’s kitchen, where there was always an ample supply of Eskimo Pies and cream soda. She always knew how to make things right. There were the times when my grandfather would take us to summer day camp in his 1957 Pontiac, barreling down the road with the state police in hot pursuit. They always let him off with a warning. Who would give a ticket to a 72-year-old man with five kids in the back seat? We are now raising our three children next door to my mother. My children adore her, and she and my wife have become close friends. We look after her and she looks after us. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Bart J. Dunn Pound Ridge, N.Y.

What Are They Marching For?

May the Force Be Back

Corrections

In “A War’s Human Toll” (International, April 22) we said that Apache helicopters were shooting 800mm rounds over the Jenin refugee camp. We should have said they shot 30mm rounds.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-30” author: “Patricia Brown”

In addition to making vague criticisms of Alvaro Uribe, Joseph Contreras has also made it possible for Uribe’s opponent, Horacio Serpa, to publicly declare that “the paramilitary has a presidential candidate [in Uribe] as expressed by NEWSWEEK.” There is no hard evidence that Uribe was involved with paramilitary groups. Such innuendo and vagueness serve only to cloud the presidential aspirations of a man who has an unblemished public record and to create unrest in an already unsettled country. Santiago Lozano Bogota, Colombia

What will it take for the world to understand the plight of the Colombian people? We are on the verge of bearing witness to the dissolution of our country and our longstanding democracy. Corruption, drugs, violence and politicians who look after their own interests have brought this country to its knees. We Colombians are looking for a redemption of some kind. Most of the presidential candidates in this election belong to the political class that has taken away our dreams and those of our children. But Alvaro Uribe is a light at the end of the darkest night in our history. Edgar A. Ballesteros Bogota, Colombia

Now that Colombians have a remarkable leader who is willing to say “No more!” and to put his life on the line to steer Colombians, wealthy and poor, out of their paralyzing fear, NEWSWEEK portrays him as nothing short of a dictator with drug ties. You should be ashamed. Ana Maria Frieri Bogota, Colombia

I was shocked by Joseph Contreras’s one-sided approach in his interview with Alvaro Uribe ("‘I Have Been Honorable,’" World Affairs, March 25). It seems Contreras was interested only in the past, and not in what the candidate really wants for the future. In a country like Colombia that has been in social turmoil for the last 50 years, many things have happened under dramatically different circumstances. Asking questions only about the past and simply projecting them into the present for readers of more stable societies just misinforms. Freddy Mezger Bogota, Colombia

Kudos to Contreras for his interview with Uribe. Colombian politicians are not used to direct questions. Uribe was uneasy about questions regarding his links with paramilitary death squads, but he has spoken highly of the disgraced former general Rito Alejo del Rio and attended a ceremony in his honor. I hope Contreras keeps up his good work. Colombians will now have to rely on the foreign press to ask tough questions. Janet Muniz Thunder Bay, Ontario

Remembering Daniel Pearl

To defeat international terrorism it is necessary to disband Pakistan’s ISI Agency, the creator of the Taliban and supporter of Al Qaeda. Hopefully, President Musharraf will now stop blaming others for the terrorism originating from his nearly failed state. Vipul Thakore London, England

A Solid Rock?

Minister for Trade, Industry & Telecommunications

You conveniently omit mentioning that while the Rock was ceded to Britain in 1713, Britain has since stolen the isthmus joining the Rock to the rest of Spain. This part was not included in the treaty, which explicitly gave away only the Rock. Consequently, the fact that Spain closed the frontier is normal, legal and necessary, since Gibraltar was and still is a haven for smugglers and shady banking practices. Carlos Bonafonte Barcelona, Spain

“From Chips to Paella?” epitomized the biased view of the people of Gibraltar over the future of the Rock, ignoring not only the facts but the Spanish point of view and the core issue of Gibraltar in 21st-century Europe. In the early 18th century, Gibraltar was conquered by the Anglo-Dutch fleet under the authority of Archduke Carlos de Austria, who was an aspirant to the Spanish throne. The British considered the Rock theirs and legalized it in 1713 by the Utrecht treaty, signed as an armistice between Spain and England. The treaty states that Gibraltar cannot aspire to self-determination and that it will pass to Spanish sovereignty when it stops being a British colony. How can the people of Gibraltar ignore this unchangeable fact? Gibraltar is the last colony left in Europe and is no longer the strategic point it used to be. It has become a fiscal paradise and a place of social, political and religious tolerance. The people of Gibraltar declare themselves closer to Mediterranean culture than to British, and many of them own property in Spain. They are anti-Spain because they do not want to lose these privileges, which grant them a higher GDP per capita every year. Israel San Ramon Sirvent Alicante, Spain

William Underhill writes that Gibraltar is a “tiny colony [that] lies 2,000 miles from the mother country.” In fact, it is a British territory that lies less than 1,000 miles from the main country, Spain. P. Usmiani Nicosia, Cyprus

Swiss Banks and Terrorists

Head of Press OfficeOffice of the Attorney General of Switzerland

Arafat and Sharon

What Ails the Arab World?

While I agree with Fareed Zakaria that improving economic conditions is a first step toward democracy (creating jobs for young citizens will give them hope), we should not forget that political despair in the Arab world has had much more impact on young citizens than poverty has. The dictators who continue to rule Arab countries legitimize their regimes by saying that they need to defend them from an “outside enemy”–that is, Israel, whose policies are the main impediment to democracy in the Arab world. The despair of young Palestinians who have lost their land or a member of their family to Israel’s missiles is the main cause of suicide bombings. Arab and Muslim hatred is not directed toward Americans or Christians, nor is it directed toward the West in general. Rather, it is directed toward the American government’s unconditional support of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian and Arab land for more than 50 years. Only when there is justice in Palestine will we Muslims be able to turn our attention to our dictators and save our world. Mustapha Fawaz Beirut, Lebanon

Your chart “freedom barely rings” lists Turkey with Arab nations. Turkey is not Arab. It is the only secular Muslim nation, a member of NATO and the European Council and a candidate for the European Union. Yucel Ayasli via Internet

Islam has hardly any impact on my country’s social life and laws. The reason Turkey cannot live up to European standards is that we’ve been plagued by incompetent governments and coups d’etat. Deniz Cebe Istanbul, Turkey

There is such a gap between Turkey and the Arab nations that listing them together makes no sense. If Arab nations could adopt democracy the way Turkey did, or have a visionary leader like Kemal Ataturk, there would probably be no need to “save” them. Ustun Aydingoz, M.D. Ankara, Turkey

Our Venezuela Coverage: ‘Set the Record Straight’

Our network has always been a gathering place for Venezuelan leaders when significant events occur in our country. April 11 was no exception. Venezuelans were profoundly concerned and saddened by the deaths of peaceful and unarmed civilians participating in a protest march. During that day, the transmitter that distributes the signals of broadcast television, including Venevision, had been rendered inoperable by the Chavez government, limiting the ability of the press to cover the breaking events. With television coverage interrupted, leaders from all sectors of Venezuelan society began spontaneously to turn up at Venevision throughout the day trying to learn the breaking news, and, when television broadcasting was re-established, to go on the air to express their views; such was the case of Mr. Carmona. Throughout the day more than 100 visitors were received. However, your reporters have incorrectly concluded that the presence of individuals at a public broadcast station somehow makes me the personal financial backer of the events and actively involved in orchestrating the events. Neither of these conclusions is accurate, and I categorically deny them both.

It is publicly known that I have led Venevision through six presidential elections and that I have issued strong directives to my editors to ensure impartiality and fairness in the allotting of air time to candidates, as anyone close to Venevision could have attested. I believe self-determination to be the cornerstone of democracy. With this in mind, the role of the media is to be a conduit to disseminate freely information that will allow every individual to express his or her political preference. It is against my principles and beliefs to finance the unconstitutional ousting of an elected leader. Venevision has been one of the nation’s foremost defenders of democracy. These principles are part of my family legacy.

I would also like to set the record straight with respect to my relationship with President Chavez. When President Chavez was elected, I offered my institutional support to his government concerning educational programs. Over the course of President Chavez’s administration, we have had meetings–some have been social in nature, while others focused on policy discussions. We have not always agreed, but mutual respect has prevailed in our discussions.

As early as a week before the coup I spoke with President Chavez, and I made him aware of my increasing concern about the future of free and open press in Venezuela. He embraced my idea of starting a national dialogue with the media and other concerned parties, which was scheduled to begin that fateful weekend. Our only purpose for these efforts was to avert conflict that could trigger a wave of violence.

The articles also refer to phone conversations that I had with Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich during those hours of political turmoil and great confusion. I can assure you that Assistant Secretary Reich expressed deep concern over the violence, and he was, as all foreign-policy leaders in the United States have been, very clear about the need for all Venezuelans to resolve their grievances within the framework of the country’s institutions.

In conclusion, Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel also has spoken out: “[Newsweek’s assertions] seem absolutely foolhardy. Besides, we cannot begin to see coup participants, even in the soup … I have a longstanding relationship with Gustavo Cisneros, a very cordial relationship, and I do not believe that Gustavo Cisneros would become involved in an adventure … I do not consider him [to be] a Venezuelan capable of adventures of that nature.” Gustavo A. Cisneros Chairman and CEO Cisneros Group of Companies Caracas, Venezuela

Your statements about Gustavo Cisneros’s alleged participation in the events that generated the power vacuum which took place in our country are baseless. As a leader of one of the institutions representative of civil society, I took part in sundry programs at Venevision, but topics related to the nationally and internationally known situation were never analyzed with Mr. Cisneros. Pedro Carmona Estanga Former President, Federation of Chambers of Commerce [Carmona recently acted as interim president of Venezuela] Caracas, Venezuela

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-02” author: “Belinda Ware”

Celestial Reasonings

Lisa Miller’s Aug. 12 cover story, “Why We Need Heaven,” was informative, but I am puzzled. We can experience the taste of our favorite meal, the sensations of new love, the sound of children laughing, a rainbow of colors to view in any direction, the satisfaction of a job well done, the near miracles of medicine and computers, and the sensuous touch of the beloved, all amid the blessings of freedom and prosperity. Most of us are richer than kings, our homes warm in winter and cool in summer, our lives free of pestilence. These are but a few aspects of our Creator’s gift to us. Yet, for three fourths of my fellow Americans it is not sufficient–they insist on redemption from death as well as eternal pleasures. It is not my intention to denigrate anyone’s beliefs, but to me this seems ungrateful. Samuel R. Kaplan Nashville, Tenn.

I do not know what my condition was before I was born, and I do not know what it will be after I die. This is a great mystery. No matter how ardently some may cling to faith, or to a belief in an afterlife, it is a mark of wisdom to admit that they do not have any direct knowledge that what they believe to be true is, in fact, true. Melville McBride Aptos, Calif.

Churchgoing Christians do not believe in heaven and hell as places. Rather, heaven is wherever God is, and hell is where God is not: unity with one’s maker versus eternal aloneness. Virginia Roach Munroe Tucker, GA.

“Why we need heaven” was especially meaningful to me in that my father died less than a week before the article appeared. As a Christian, I believe that God’s grace makes heaven available, but that our actions have an impact on our station in the afterlife. Like the Western philosopher Rudolf Steiner and much of Eastern tradition, I am compelled to believe in the notions of karma and reincarnation–a belief that our current life on earth is but one phase in a journey of learning and rebirth that brings us closer and closer to the divine. I believe my father’s soul lives on, but that it is a journey completed only through discipline, sacrifice and catharsis, not virgins, gardens and mansions. Bryan Weinert Ann Arbor, Mich.

I am amazed that anyone could write an article about visions of heaven and the afterlife and not mention the numerous books and articles that contain personal reports of some of the thousands of people who are absolutely convinced that they went to heaven during a near-death, out-of-body experience. These reports come from people of all ages–including children–and religious persuasions, who claim to have been to heaven, met God or Jesus, and encountered deceased family members. John Newport Springfield, MO.

I am curious if fundamentalist Muslim beliefs reward women martyrs with an assembly of “white-skinned, dark-eyed virgins,” or if only men have that privilege. In addition, does the Muslim population of literally unseen women have any access to a Muslim heaven? If so, what is their reward? Serving coffee? This is not to single out the misogyny of one faction. There are many religious groups everywhere that relegate women to strange or invisible corners of “heaven” (and earth). Yvonne de Miranda Deadwood, Ore.

How sad it is that we need some sort of future carrot to persuade us to act with gentleness, honesty, humility and generosity when it is so obvious that those qualities alone will be quite sufficient to provide peace and security in the life we have right now and obviate the need to always look beyond this life to find happiness. C. Wight Reade Seattle, Wash.

Just how might one know, as a NEWSWEEK graphic claims, that “the prophet Ezekiel [was] inspired by the Zoroastrians”? Students and scholars may choose to speculate as they like, but Ezekiel attributed his vision to one influence: God. The idea of the afterlife–that there is ultimate reward and punishment for human actions–may not be explicit in early Jewish Scripture, but it was an inherent part of the oral tradition that accompanied the Jewish faith since its beginnings, and remains such today. Rabbi Avi Shafran, Director of Public Affairs Agudath Israel of America New York, N.Y.

You fail to pinpoint the exact place where heaven dwells. Two thousand years ago Jesus of Nazareth clearly explained that the place is in each individual’s consciousness. Asked where paradise could be found, he promptly replied, “The kingdom of God is within you.” After this categorical response, it is pointless to suppose that heaven is somewhere outside oneself, across the sea or up in the sky. Mateo Casado Flagstaff, Ariz.

Your writers have cynical preconceptions about heaven and faith. To be sure, faith has been misused by some, but faith is not a “mental leap,” it is a gift. In a world that is often unjust and cruel, I think it’s a wonder and a miracle that anyone can be guided through his life by hope, whether that be hope in a heaven or in a world that one day shall be just and good. Harold J. Uhl Roanoke, VA.

Disney Still Appeals

John Horn’s article “The Battle for Orlando” (Aug. 12) fails to point out that, while Universal may indeed be siphoning off its share of the prepubescent market from Disney, the House of Mouse is still far more appealing to fortysomethings like myself, who are perpetually young at heart. When I got engaged last May, it was on a 44-foot yacht sailing past Cinderella’s Castle during the evening “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks show. When I bought a time share, it was at Disney’s BoardWalk. When I want to learn about the traditions and cultures of other lands, I go to the World Showcase pavilion at Epcot. And when my fiancee and I want to party the night away, we head to Pleasure Island. Granted, upstarts like Universal offer baby boomers attractions like Bruce the Shark (from “Jaws”) and E.T. Adventure to wax nostalgic over, but for me, Disney lives up to its billing as the happiest place on earth. Douglas J. Gladstone Bayside, N.Y.

I think John Horn was a little too enthusiastic about Universal Studios’ gaining ground on Disney World. When I graduated from high school in 1998, I was given a trip to Disney World with my family. Our vacation included a three-night stay on the Disney Cruise Line ship, the Magic–and it was, indeed, magic. Universal, on the other hand, does not have a cruise ship. This June, at the ripe old age of 22, I went to Disney World again with my teenage brother and cousin. We had a blast, and we never ventured outside the Disney grounds. There was no need to–for our vacation value, Disney offers the most and the best. Whitney Riedl Blaine, Minn.

Universal Studios is not Disney World’s problem; Disney World is. I travel frequently to Orlando with my family, but Disney World is never on our to-do list anymore because it is just too expensive. Taking our two teenage children to Disney World costs my family more than $200, and visiting Epcot costs another $200. Disney also does not offer a one-day pass that allows you to visit more than one of its parks. You must stay in one park for the day or pay a small fortune for a four- or five-day pass. Universal has attractions that appeal to visitors of all ages, and for repeat vacations that’s all you need. It is also generous about giving you a second day free if the park is overly crowded on the day you visit. The end result is that Disney gets all your vacation money once, but Universal gets it again and again. Sharon Kuchinsky Hopewell Junction, N.Y.

Is War on the Horizon?

I always thought imperialist nations like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were the kind to wage war on other countries without provocation. Now we have the Bush administration champing at the bit to invade Iraq for what it thinks Saddam Hussein might do in the future (“Rumors of War,” Aug. 12). Democrats, afraid to appear soft in an election year, mostly cower in the corner. No wonder the rest of the world is worried. Arlen Grossman Monterey, Calif.

Beware the Killer Plant

I applaud Thom Schwarz and his family for letting Mother Nature take care of her own (“Mother Nature Knows What She’s Doing… ,” My Turn, Aug. 12). But aren’t those pretty flowers beside him purple loosestrife? If so, he has an exotic, invasive plant on his hands–one that crowds out native plants that provide food for waterfowl and maintain natural diversity. Patricia Nakamura Muskego, Wis.

Chesapeake Bay’s Woes

Your Aug. 12 issue includes a brief and incomplete blurb about water pollutants that cause Chesapeake Bay’s fish to change sex (“It’s Just a Fish Story,” Periscope). If you really want to give an accurate picture of the bay’s poor health, you don’t have to look far. This summer alone we’ve had toxic-fish advisories on rivers throughout the bay watershed, from New York to Virginia, and pollution problems so severe (mainly from too much nitrogen and phosphorus) that crabs in Maryland recently were literally crawling onto shore to escape the oxygen-poor water. Moreover, there is a prevalence of code-red (poor air quality) days caused by air pollution, the fallout of which ends up in the bay’s waters. Our annual State of the Bay report pegs the bay’s health at a miserable 27 out of 100, no laughing matter to the humans or other species living here. That’s the accurate picture of the bay in trouble–and it’s much more than just a fish story. William Baker, President Chesapeake Bay Foundation Annapolis, MD.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-25” author: “Kevin Wammack”

Readers of our June 24 Next Frontiers report on the brain were full of praise for the coverage. One reader thanked us for the cover story on “updated technological advances aimed at easing human suffering.”

Hope for a Healthier Future

Thank you, NEWSWEEK, for your Special Report on medicine and technology (“Fixing Your Brain,” The Next Frontiers, June 24). I was intrigued by the technological advances that now allow medical practitioners to inspect, even repair, malfunctioning parts of the nervous system. Your article “The Disappearing Mind,” which outlines the neurological process that leads to the formation of Alzheimer’s, was of particular interest to me. As a young adult I never gave the subject much thought, since the people close to me had not reached a time in their lives when the disease posed a threat. As I grow older, Alzheimer’s takes on new significance, and especially concerns me in relation to my grandparents. Thus, it is encouraging to know that with new imaging technology we can diagnose Alzheimer’s in its early stages, treat and, perhaps, ultimately stop its progression. Jennifer L. Krychowecky New York, New York

Hats off to NEWSWEEK’s editorial board for exposing its readers to updated technological advances particularly aimed at easing human suffering. I found Brad Stone’s story “How to Recharge the Second Sense” especially enlightening as it gave hope to incapacitated people–the deaf, blind and even the mute–who are being helped by these new technological advances. M. Saleem Chaudhry Karachi, Pakistan

I read with interest your article on deep-brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease patients (“Healthy Shocks to the Head”). We recently performed deep-brain stimulation on one of our Parkinson’s patients with the help of neuronavigation and microelectrode recording. Neuronavigation has become a popular tool for guiding neurosurgeons during surgery in the past few years. Its application on functional neurosurgery (such as DBS) has become available only recently. We believe our case is the first one in Asia performed with this technique. There are only a few centers in the United States using this technique for DBS implantation, including Dr. Ali Razei’s unit at Cleveland. Clarence Leung, M.D. Division of Neurosurgery Prince of Wales Hospital The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong

I read with some dismay your special Report on “The Next Frontiers” about the wonders of present and future medicine. Yes, research is the path to medical advances. However, as a family-practice physician in a rural area, I see that in most of the world, the frontier in medicine does not involve seductive high-tech procedures and their decreasing margins of return. The true frontier lies in the less flashy territory where inadequate health care exists for millions in our country, and for billions around the world. Let’s focus less media attention on high-end technology and marginally advanced pharmaceuticals. Let’s focus our dialogue and resources on ways of getting essential medical care to the millions who currently are without. Philip Elkin, M.D. Blue Hill, Maine

As a survivor of congenital hydrocephalus (water on the brain), I was intrigued by your cover package because, like the people you profiled, I was also saved by revolutionary technology. I was among the first generation of children to receive a shunt, a system that was developed to drain fluid away from the brain and prevent further damage. In 1993, during an especially bad episode that left me homebound, I entered a clinical trial for a programmable valve. This allowed my shunt problems to be fixed in my doctor’s office with a quick and simple procedure that meant avoiding the regular surgeries that are associated with hydrocephalus. I now live a full life with a husband and a challenging career, and have been hospitalized only once for shunt failure since 1994. Would I do a clinical trial again? Most definitely. Susan Tobiason New York, New York

High technology may bring wonderful advances to patient care, but we registered nurses are the only health-care professionals who stay with hospital patients seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Until medical technology can develop the “drive through” technique, this will be the case. All the technology in the world can’t replace what nurses bring to the patient. John F. Dixon, R.N., M.S.N. Dallas, Texas

I was surprised to find no mention of neurofeedback in your article “Healthy Shocks to the Head.” Noninvasive, relatively inexpensive and proven to be effective on a long list of central-nervous-system disorders, this procedure should be given an opportunity to demonstrate its effectiveness before more-invasive procedures are tried. It’s too bad the medical community is so enamored with drugs and surgery. Ed Langham Saginaw, Michigan

Examining Business Behavior

Right on, Allan Sloan (“The Jury’s In: Greed Isn’t Good,” June 24)! I have long thought that no economic system, certainly not capitalism, can function successfully without the moderating effects of virtuous, ethical behavior on the part of the key players. That said, I’m afraid we have yet to widely acknowledge that such behavior can never be reliably coerced by endless rounds of civil regulation. In a free society there will always be loopholes to be identified and exploited by those with selfish, greedy attitudes. Richard Cioffari Westerville, Ohio

Your June 24 article “The Jury’s In: Greed Isn’t Good” is the best explanation of what one person’s greed can do to others: Enron employees are jobless, Andersen’s are ready to pack up their office goods and, all over the world, consulting firms’ reputations are shaken. Globalization should not change business ethics. What we are facing today is basically the result of not respecting the simple rule of honesty. Gokhan Turgut Istanbul, Turkey

Sleepless at the United Nations

I am writing in response to your June 24 Letter From America, “My Night in Wires,” which I found really intriguing. It made me wonder if this is what a citizen gets for his country’s sizable contribution to the United Nations: high-priced “senior” officials so overburdened with work that they have to become novelists, and NEWSWEEK contributors at large, in an attempt to generate the required tiredness to achieve a full night’s sleep? Andres T. Stepkowski Santa Cruz, Bolivia

The Charm of the Flore

Suggesting that readers visiting Paris’s Cafe de Flore imbibe their morning coffee “at the counter–it’s cheaper” (“Culture on the Cheap,” June 24) is like suggesting that astronauts play hockey at the ice rink aboard the space shuttle–there isn’t one! This in no way detracts from the Flore’s considerable charm, but it makes one wonder whether your researchers are given to drinking liquids somewhat stronger than a cafe creme. Lisa Nesselson Paris, France

Sweet on Agnelli?

Your superficial and sickly sweet article (“The King and His Cars,” June 24) about Giovanni Agnelli missed the only point: if, despite all the help bestowed upon him by the Italian government since the first Fiat car left the Turin plant panting, Agnelli is unable to build decent and marketable cars, why does he insist on playing the part of the industrialist with other people’s money? Gianni Aonzo Spotorno, Italy

Defining Anti-Semitism

In my view, Andrew Nagorski missed an important point in covering Germany’s latest national debate (“Testing Old Taboos,” June 24). Not all outcomes were rational and fair. The leaders of the Jewish community should have apologized for branding Jurgen Mollemann–whose only “fault” was to criticize Ariel Sharon–anti-Semitic and “undemocratic.” Germany’s past must not lead to indifference toward the Mideast conflict, nor to the unconditional support of the Israeli government that the mighty Jewish lobby imposes on every American administration. Criticizing, even condemning, Sharon’s stubbornness, his hatred and his lust for revenge, which is as big an obstacle to peace as Yasir Arafat and Palestinian terrorism, is neither anti-Semitic, nor can it be taboo. Werner Breitenstein Stutensee, Germany

A distinct line should be drawn, on the one hand, between criticizing Jews for religious or racial causes or persecuting them for what they are and, on the other hand, for criticizing or denouncing Israeli aggressive acts in the Palestinian-occupied territories. The former is anti-Semitism, which is immoral and should be condemned. The latter is a moral obligation of the media and policymakers. Calling it anti-Semitic only serves to block free speech and may backfire. Azzam Adel Heliopolis, Egypt

Mideast Madness

Your April 22 cover on the Mideast asks the question on everyone’s mind, “When Will It End?” Consider this: a little more than 65 years ago the lives and dreams of Europe’s Jews were destroyed to the sound of breaking glass and Nazi jackboots. Back then people turned their backs because “they are only Jews, after all.” Now the lives and dreams of the Palestinian people are being destroyed to the sound of Israeli tanks and snipers. And we turn our backs and say, “They are only Arabs, after all.” It will end only when enough good people refuse to turn their backs and honestly say, “They are my neighbors; they are me.” Gary V. Brill Budapest, Hungary

I think that Yasir Arafat should be stripped of his Nobel Peace Prize. I am outraged by the widespread support he and the Palestinians are getting. Why is the world crying out against the military action Israel has rightfully taken to defend itself, but not crying out against the suicide bombings? Has the world embraced the Palestinian “cause” in the spirit of anti-Semitism? A dangerous message is being sent out by supporting those who use terrorism as a means to an end. Ivette Chin Tijuana, Mexico

The whole world can now see the real “axis of evil.” Ariel Sharon and his blind supplier of war material, President Bush, are ruthlessly executing hundreds of Palestinians. This is nothing but terrorism. One day I hope we will have justice, and that these two men will have to explain their actions to the rest of the world. Urs Christen Pfaeffikon, Switzerland

A real leader of Israel would find courage to define and build a border that minimizes friction between Israelis and Palestinians by withdrawing from indefensible settlements. A real leader of Palestine would be concerned about the welfare of his people and start building an economically independent and prosperous Palestinian state. Finally, real world leaders would recognize the new Palestinian state and would contribute funds for Palestinian jobs, as well as an international police force to maintain demilitarization and law and order in the new state. Miles B. Rubin Haifa, Israel

The incredible tragedy and folly of the so-called Middle East peace process is that it is based upon the assumption that reducing Israel’s land to its pre-1967 borders will somehow appease surrounding Arab antagonists. But the only thing this will really ensure is to eliminate the Israeli option of a conventional military response to inevitable terrorist attacks from these ceded territories. The indefensible nature of these borders will ultimately force the Jewish state to resort to using nuclear weaponry in order to prevent its threatened eradication. The repercussions of this for everyone will be unthinkable. Therefore, let everyone think twice about the real Islamic agenda in relation to the Jewish state, and to the region as a whole. By blindly pursuing our own short-term political aspirations with nations who might one day be our adversaries, we might end up dragging Israel and the West into a dreaded nuclear confrontation. John Daly Glamorgan, Wales

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-23” author: “Lee Morris”

Our July 1 report on Israeli victims of suicide bombers led readers to protest: some complained about our gory pictures, others about the Palestinians’ plight. One advised Israel to “give these people what legally belongs to them”; another simply wondered, “Who are the good guys, who the bad?”

Israel’s Trauma Victims

Your July 1 article “Code Blue in Israel” (World Affairs) shows the hell that Israel has become. It is truly horrible, and the world must be constantly reminded of this. Yet fairness requires NEWSWEEK to graphically show the constant, overwhelming desperation in the lives of generations of Palestinians who have lived in refugee camps in abject poverty with no hope for the future. An equally horrible hell, I think. Arafat and Sharon aside, perhaps the biggest problem in this tragic conflict is that it is increasingly difficult to determine who are the good guys, who the bad. Their actions are incongruous with the religions they profess. Worse, they shatter any semblance of right and wrong, of humanity, of civilization itself. Thijs van Auken Amsterdam, Netherlands

I was horrified by your insensitivity in publishing a photograph of the blown-up bus in Gilo. Showing a picture of the dead bus driver still at the wheel was devastating. This man was a victim of the terror that Israelis experience every day. He was a father and a husband, a friend to many people; you made him part of a media circus, which does no credit to the high-level reporting that you say you wish to maintain. Please refrain from using such photographs in the future. Deborah Finn Jerusalem, Israel

Haaretz columnist Ari Shavit must believe he is talking to morons when he says his countrymen tried “everything,” and “what’s left?” What’s left is the only thing that will bring peace to the region and has never been tried by Israelis: leaving the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, and taking their settlements back with them. Andres T. Stepkowski Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Ari Shavit says, “there is this feeling, ‘We tried politics, we tried the Army, we tried everything… What’s left?’ " I want to ask him, why doesn’t Israel try ending the occupation and withdrawing from the territories that it seized in 1967? Israelis must know that they cannot have occupation and peace at the same time. Don’t expect Palestinians to sit quietly and not fight when their whole population is being humiliated and brutally treated on a daily basis and Sharon’s tanks are everywhere. Omar Sattar Warsaw, Poland

I’m sick and tired of always reading about the suffering of the Israeli people caused by Palestinians. Innocent people are suffering, but the only way for this to stop is for Israel to give back the land and properties it took away from Palestinians. I know this will be difficult, and I also agree that corruption within the Palestinian government is high, but then, in the eyes of many, Sharon is also a war criminal. Does this not matter just because he was elected by Israelis? Let’s stop looking at this problem politically and get back to the basics–people and their rights. The Israeli government cannot expect these suicide bombings to stop if it is not willing to give these people what legally belongs to them. Jeanette Reiding via internet

Scandals of Corporate America

NEWSWEEK columnist Allan Sloan missed a pivotal point in the article “Bad Boys Club” (Business, July 1). It seems as though everybody blames American CEOs and CFOs for the recent string of failures and accounting disasters in large U. S. corporations. Undoubtedly, they did play a crucial role in the creation of their balance sheets. But these businessmen are not the only ones who should bear blame. With the constant pressure from Wall Street bankers, stockbrokers and financial analysts, as well as the continual demand for double-digit growth on a yearly basis, perhaps they could not help but resort to shady business practices in order to satisfy their shareholders. It is this pressure-cooker environment that galvanizes the sort of “creativity” that gives accounting its ill-deserved reputation. I think that our capitalist society and our culture of greed is at least as much to blame as those CEOs. If Wall Street becomes more reasonable in its demands, then, perhaps, general accounting practices and bookkeeping will also become more transparent in the future. It is to be hoped that it will then also become more honest. Dietmar Kielnhofer Jidda, Saudi Arabia

The Culture of Corruption

“The End of Swag?” was a very good article (Nusiness, July 1), but your reporter should know that in the Swahili language, the phrase describing a bribe is kitu kidogo, not kiti kodogo, as you had it, NEWSWEEK. I lived in East Africa for 20 years and I can tell you that kitu means “something” and kidogo means “little,” so a bribe is “a little something.” The other common word used for a bribe is chai, or tea–money to buy some tea. As for kiti, it means “chair” and there is no such word as kodogo. S. L. Critser Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire

I was disappointed that you did not include the Japanese counterpart of wairo in your lexicon of bribery, NEWSWEEK. Japan is no exception, as mentioned in your article. Another classic case is that of Muneo Suzuki, an influential and aggressive M.P. recently arrested on charges of allegedly accepting a $40,000 bribe from a logging company in his hometown of Hokkaido. Kimihiro Imamura Chiba, Japan

The World’s Best-Loved Sport

We applaud your in-depth reporting on the business side of the 2002 World Cup (“The World Cup Falls Flat,” Business, June 17). But, we really missed the thrills inherent in the game itself: the individual players’ prowess, the teams, the collective interest of the qualified countries (excepting only America) and the latest scoreboard. Dom Sales Barcelona, Spain

A red card for your World Cup coverage! This was the best football tournament in 20 years, with lots of exciting fresh talent–including Americans. Why concentrate on something as trivial as tickets? Who cares? Your story just shows the Yanks still don’t know anything about football. Thomas Knemeyer Cape Town, South Africa

It’s a shame that the only reports you filed about the world’s best-loved sport were totally negative: one piece on empty seats, another on “hooligaphobia” and a third on the madness of those who watch the World Cup. Curiously, too, your pieces were filed in your business section, not under sports. Is this all your reporters see in the World Cup? There are many positive aspects of the sport that you could have mentioned–your own U.S. team miraculously reached the quarterfinals. Were you too busy calculating the empty seats and lost revenues for your business report to notice the momentous events that were taking place on the football pitches? Kenneth Tendo Mdoe Kampala, Uganda

I was disappointed to see your cover story condemning the World Cup as a failure. Yes, there were problems in organizing ticket sales for the matches. But the World Cup is now primarily a televised event. It was a fantastic festival of what the world knows as “football,” but which the United States quaintly calls “soccer.” There were brilliant skills, tension and shocks. This was, arguably, the best World Cup ever. It is time that NEWSWEEK admitted that the World Cup is simply the greatest sports tournament in the world, even though it is not an American sport. Don’t fight it, embrace it. If you do, maybe in four years the U.S. team will be ready to do even better. Lol Ross London, England

“The World Cup Falls Flat”? No, it didn’t–it was wonderful. It was easily the greatest show on earth, as always. When will America bring anything but its petty jealousies and inferiority complex to the biggest sporting event on the planet? Frank Coughlan Dublin, Ireland

Your “Hooligaphobia” article paints an incomplete picture of English football fans. English and Japanese police virtually eliminated the presence of hooligans, resulting in what has been described as a “love-in” between the English and the Japanese, who see Britain as a sister nation having the same island mentality. You might have mentioned the legions of face-painted Japanese supporters of England, schoolgirls on the street posing for photos alongside their “hooligans” and the pop-star cultlike status of England’s captain Beckham as he signed endless autographs and caused sensations talking in Japanese schools. Kerry Marshall Brighton, England

Your writer complains about the ungodly hours when the World Cup was aired “live” in Europe and the Americas, but he should know that the World Cup has never before been held in Asia. We Asians have been getting up in the “wee hours of the morning” and “watching as many games as humanly possible.” Contreras is lucky he does not have to wake up in the middle of the night to watch the World Cup most of the times that the Cup takes place. Jasmine Sng Singapore

I see nothing but good coming from this World Cup. It’s introduced the game to millions, it has shown that inexperienced but focused and enthusiastic teamwork can beat prima donna superstars and, in a year when nations threaten to destroy each other, the fact that it’s possible to compete without killing someone is a good message to spread. I think the staging was a brilliant tactical move by FIFA to get football into Japan and South Korea. Now America must be brave enough to allow a championship on TV, and it must understand that real football is played without shoulder pads. Michael Smith Singapore

Anyone who lost money by backing some of the favored teams in this World Cup could recoup some of his losses now by putting a few dollars on your cover line, “The World Cup Falls Flat,” which is bound to win the worst-headline-of-the-year award. How can you describe an event that produced so many surprises, so much drama, emotion, nail-biting excitement–and one that has caused hundreds of millions of people around the world to cheer or groan in unison–as being “flat” just because of some early ticketing problems, an empty monastery and a few too many stadiums? Lighten up! There was a party going on–and you missed it. If you can spare only seven pages to one of the greatest sporting events in living memory, please don’t fill them with lost production figures, lack of hooliganism and less-than-expected tourism income. Give us the football, the heartache, the agony, the ecstasy, the atmosphere and the sheer excitement of this truly global game. Angus Mackenzie Antalya, Turkey

Editor’s note: Soccer (pardon, football) is “the beautiful game,” and we celebrate the sport’s grace and excitement as much as anyone. But when the Japanese prime minister orders an official investigation into the unavailability of tickets, promised World Cup windfalls fail to materialize and local merchants lose out on millions, this is news worth reporting to our readers. We’re glad that it’s yesterday’s news. Now that the competition is over, the lasting memories are South Korea’s great run, Germany’s gutsy determination and Brazil’s stellar victory.

Alternative-Energy Scenarios

Your special report on energy goes to the depth of the energy crisis and suggests several interesting scenarios (“The Future of Energy,” special Report, April 8/15). However, I missed an analysis of fusion energy, which appears to offer all the advantages of nuclear energy without the problems of radioactive waste or meltdown. In small, experimental fusion reactors (tokamaks), the energy output is now almost equal to the energy input. A much larger tokamak, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is now being planned within the framework of an international research effort. Yes, the reactors are not ready to operate commercially, but they certainly belong to your perspectives “beyond oil.” Herbert Helander, M.D. Goteborg, Sweden

The CIA’s 9-11 Failure

As a retired 24-year army veteran with roots in Vietnam, I’m wounded to my heart and soul to see the continuing decline of a responsible government (“The 9/11 Terrorists the CIA Should Have Caught,” War on Terror, June 10). Having been a part of the military establishment for years, I know how politics and being in political favor affect policy and procedure. So many people on active duty are trained to provide leaders and top officials with time-pertinent information that allows these officials to make informed decisions that could save lives. Yet they’re stifled by regulations that protect political images rather than protect the public. Hats off to the reporters who report what those in power wish to keep secret. We have a right to expect accountability and responsible actions from elected officials. Keep America strong by continuing to provide news that forces true accountability. Larry Moses Oliveburg, Pennsylvania

As one who worked and played near the World Trade Center, I found witnessing September 11 very tough. After reading your weekly updates, I’m puzzled as to how we could have prevented this tragedy. But the question that looms largest in my mind is why George W. Bush is getting a free pass on this when previous presidents have faced great consequences for actions that cost our nation far less. Dionne Kendrick New York, New York

Although I understand the news value of reporting on the CIA and FBI and their alleged failures in stopping the September 11 tragedy, I hope that Americans appreciate the positive steps these courageous agencies take every day to avert tragedies. It is a sad truth that federal law-enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the one I work for, are sometimes restricted by law from exploring investigations deeply; inevitably, some things are not discovered until it is too late. This is the price of freedom: the price we pay to make sure we don’t live in a police state and to ensure that the government doesn’t interfere unreasonably in the lives of citizens it is sworn to protect. Name Withheld Denver, Colorado

No Longer ‘Morbidly Obese’

More than a year ago, I had open gastric-reduction surgery with duodenal switch, which preserves the full length of the stomach (“The Diet of Last Resort,” Science & Technology, June 10). I am down to 168 pounds from a weight of 282. There are numerous types of weight-loss surgery for those of us who are morbidly obese. NEWSWEEK and celebrities like Carnie Wilson and Roseanne should communicate to the public that there are many surgery choices for those who choose to take this drastic step toward health. This type of surgery isn’t a panacea, and we must undertake much research and soul-searching before having our bodies cut open. We must understand what we are doing to ourselves in order to lose weight, because it isn’t just about looking good–it’s about our health, well-being and life expectancy. Melanie Mulvaney Rossell San Luis Obispo, California

A Secretive Administration

I’m no George W. Bush fan, but since he’s the president, I’ve tried to bear up under his administration (“What Bush Knew,” U.S. Affairs, May 27). He’s making that very difficult. Among so many arrogant and prideful decisions made by this administration, one of the worst has been its tendency toward secrecy: it’s the “father knows best” approach to governing, the “don’t ask why, just listen to what I say and follow orders” method. In the days after September 11, when directly questioned, why did they not disclose information that they had received but were unable to put together? The answer is probably that they knew it would reflect poorly on them. But having it come out now, in dribs and drabs, is surely more harmful than any early admission of failure and/or neglect. I resent their accusations of partisanship and un-Americanism when others ask questions–this, coming from the party that devoted years and millions to bashing the other party. Marie Harris Bartlett, Illinois

It takes the wisdom of Solomon to know which leads are true and which are, as you say, “trash.” Instead of accusing the president of what he neglected to do, consider how many times you have thought of the perfect comeback–three weeks later. Perhaps the best response there can be is to pray that the president, his cabinet and staff, and law-enforcement officials would have the wisdom to discern fact from fiction. Sharon Fleming Bogota, Colombia

Tension on the Subcontinent

I am writing in reference to your report (“Inside the Minds of the Rebels,” Asia, June 17) about the possibility of an escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. We must not allow this to happen because, as we all know, there can never be any winners in a nuclear battle. Every country, every citizen becomes a loser. As it is, both Pakistan and India are already plagued by recession and unemployment. Any battle, even a conventional one, will cause a massive loss of human life and the destruction of property, and will set both countries back by at least 50 years. With nuclear weapons now in both their armories, neither country can afford to go to war. Yet the issues of deadly terrorism must certainly be resolved. The United States and its allies have flushed the terrorists out of Afghanistan but now these terrorists have landed up at India’s borders. Western nations must step in to counsel Pakistan and contain these “jihadis.” A battle between India and Pakistan will have major international repercussions. Rajendra K. Aneja Mumbai, India

Let us not forget that, no matter what the provocation, war never solves anything. We are all members of the human race, living on planet Earth, which is no more than a very tiny rock in our endless universe. In the final analysis, India and Pakistan are no more than mere body parts of our dear planet, and the body cannot survive if its parts start destroying each other. No country can achieve long-lasting happiness for its people by going to war with another country. As an Indian, I pray that my people and the people of Pakistan see through the destructive tactics of their respective governments and realize that happiness and progress–both economic and social–is to be found only in peace, not in war. Rajesh Gajra Mumbai, India

The terrorists based in Pakistan do not and will not hesitate to attack India, or any other country–including Pakistan–in order to achieve their backward-looking goal of worldwide Islamic rule. Pakistan needs to realize that trying to bleed India through cross-border terrorism in Indian Kashmir means encouraging these terrorists to continue their violence and militancy in Pakistan itself, which will lead to its disintegration and destruction. The country’s honor and dignity lie in giving up terrorism as its state policy and becoming economically independent through good democratic governance. Vipul Thakore London, England

When reporting or writing about the India-Pakistan conflict, please do not call India a “Hindu-dominated state,” NEWSWEEK. Rather, refer to India as a secular state. India has more Muslims than does Pakistan; and Kashmir is not our country’s only Muslim-majority area. Other Muslim-majority areas include the town of Malerkotla in my state (Uttar Pradesh) and several districts in South India. For your information, I am a Hindu who is also a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University. Sushil Jain Windsor, Ontario

As far as Kashmir is concerned, India must accept that a nation is made up of people, not merely of land. Religious extremism or terrorism in Kashmir has reached new heights, and we must seriously consider giving Kashmiris much greater autonomy, perhaps even sovereignty. Failure to do this is beginning to risk the security of India. Pakistan, on the other hand, must realize that religion is not glue enough to bind a nation into prosperity. The pathetic condition of the people of Iran and Iraq should be adequate proof of that. Support from the Mideastern monarchs will wane, and Western nations are not always reliable as donors. Pakistan needs to make an effort to move away from its anti-Indian stance and forge better economic relations with India, which is technologically, economically, culturally and strategically a better ally than any other that Pakistan might find in the region. As for the Kashmiris, they will soon find that a state cannot exist with hope of prosperity unless it makes a priority of its economic interests, rather than its religious causes. The fact that thousands of millions of dollars of aid poured into Kashmir by India have not helped the Kashmiri population only proves that their only hope of prosperity is hard work–not religion, and not an ongoing search for scapegoats. Amar Madnani Mumbai, India

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-14” author: “Jim Paterson”

As a Roman Catholic, I read with great sadness your cover story “Sex, Shame and the Catholic Church” (Society, March 4). If only the church would wake up and realize that the best way to protect its children from priestly predators–and to increase the size of its flock at the same time–would be to allow men who hear the call to serve the church to marry. Certainly many good, decent, holy men have over the years chosen to become priests. But it is obvious that the overall number of priests is perilously dwindling, to the point where keeping bad apples in parish service is the chosen alternative to parishes with no priest at all. Jane M. Davis Warren, Mich.

I was deeply moved by Kenneth L. Woodward’s March 4 column, “Bing Crosby Had It Right.” I grieve with him for the Catholic priesthood that Catholics used to be able to trust. The cleansing of our temple is a painful experience, but I thank God that it is finally being accomplished. The Rev. Augustine H. Serafini Community of Our Lady Church Oshkosh, Wis.

There’s a ribbon that neatly binds together the sad and sordid stories of abused children and coddled priests in the Archdiocese of Boston. The bow in that ribbon was tied by Cardinal Bernard Law. He had direct personal knowledge of these offenses. Priests admitted their crimes to him in writing. Mothers begged him, in face-to-face meetings, to dismiss the child abusers behind the altars. Some of his advisers counseled him that these priests should not be returned to pastoral duties. He approved millions of dollars in settlements, money desperately needed in the parishes. Cardinal Law knew. And he did nothing. Nothing, that is, beyond simply returning abusive priests to parishes. Those who he knew had already abused children went on to abuse hundreds more. Failure to report child abuse is a crime. Taking action that increases the likelihood that it will occur is much worse. Rob Carlson Brookline, Mass.

There is no excuse for something as terrible as any type of child abuse, but your cover story failed to mention the thousands of priests who daily help the youth of the world to live happier, holier lives. At 21, I can say without reservation that I, as well as many of my peers, have known only the most positive and holy priests. Whether joining me at an amusement park, helping to support me on mission trips, offering me much-needed counsel and gentle guidance, these priests have made a wonderful difference in my life. Mary Buckley Canton, Mich.

The shameful behavior of Catholic priests is rightly exposed and condemned. But no less culpable is a church that demands lifelong suppression of sexual desire by men who wish to serve it. This practice equally deserves to be questioned: do its putative merits outweigh its overwhelming demands? Sidney Hurwitz St. Louis, Mo.

I spent several years in a Catholic seminary in Louisiana–the same one that Cardinal Bernard Law attended. I eventually quit, along with the vast majority of the men who were in my class over the years. Law was older than I and went on to rise in the hierarchy, finally attaining the red hat of a “prince” of the church. The astonishingly high attrition rate in seminaries partially explains why Law (and a great many other cardinals and archbishops in America) have not made significant efforts to root out their homosexual and sexually predatory priests: they simply need those scarce warm bodies in the pulpits on Sunday, even if some of them may be harming the boys of the parish during the rest of the week. Stephen Duplantier Abita Springs, La.

Thank you for your thorough and heartbreaking report on sexual abuse perpetrated by priests and the astonishing lack of intervention by the church. Born and raised a Catholic, I can only wonder if the church’s response would have been quite different if priests were allowed to marry and have families. Had the bishops and others fathered, cherished and raised children of their own, I cannot believe they would have been silent and tolerant in the face of such devastating child abuse. As a mother of three, I tremble with rage at the mere thought of my children’s being exploited in such a cruel way. I wonder if Cardinal Law would send his own son (if he had one) out for ice cream with Father John Geoghan, now convicted of indecent assault on a 10-year-old boy. The apology of the Catholic bishops reads, “We understand that your children are your most precious gifts. They are our children as well…” No, they aren’t. If they were, swift and public action would have been the response, not silence and payoffs. Julia Williams St. Louis, Mo.

Corrections

In our March 11 article on Enron (“Enron’s Dirty Laundry”), we incorrectly reported that former CEO Jeffrey Skilling was “engaged to an Enron secretary [Rebecca Carter], whom he promoted to a $600,000 job.” In fact, she was elected “Corporate Secretary” by the company’s board of directors. Ms. Carter, who has a master’s degree in accounting, had previously served in several senior-level positions at Enron, including senior vice president. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.

In our March 4 cover story, we said that Cardinal Law’s 1984 arrival in Boston immediately followed a posting as bishop in Washington, D.C. In fact, Law had most recently been posted in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., diocese.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Ester Robinson”

Melinda Gates is following an understandable human desire to do something about the terrible conditions in which she saw people living in India (“Bill’s Biggest Bet Yet,” Special Report, Feb. 4). But it should not be forgotten that the government that presides over this festering sore on humanity has spent billions of dollars developing nuclear weapons. No matter how much money is poured into the Third World by the well-meaning but misguided taxpayers of the West, the basic cause for the misery remains: inefficient, corrupt and criminal governments that do not give a damn for the welfare of their own people. Brian Clacey Hokkaido, Japan

I’m a longtime subscriber to your magazine and am seldom disappointed. But can you please shut up about Microsoft and Bill Gates? Isn’t the guy rich enough to buy his own publicity? Robrecht van Haegendoren Antwerp, Belgium

Bill and Melinda Gates’s attempts to better the lot of the world’s poorest children with their own money gave me a lump in the throat and a rush of admiration for them. Reconcile these actions with the bigots who vilify the United States. As a Brit, it made me proud to be a friend of the American people. John H. Lobb Llantrisant, Wales

Bill Gates does not deserve to be criticized for his well-intended programs. The fact that he is investing a lot of his own personal time in them certainly proves the authenticity of his actions. But I doubt that his hardball, businesslike approach will succeed. Inept and often corrupt Third World governments and institutions will not manage to qualify for the funds. Serge A. Le Roux Wuerselen, Germany

I found your cover story on Bill Gates’s $24 billion giveaway profoundly shocking. The fact that a single person can own as much money as Gates does is revolting and immoral. That he is giving some of his money away now smacks of a clever cleanup operation after his innumerable problems with the U.S. Justice Department. With so much wealth, it is not surprising that he inspires jealousy. And then a certain president asks, “Why do they hate us?” Your story is the answer. Wilhelm Guschlbauer Bures-sur-Yvette, France

Microsoft, a company whose fortune comes from patching together glitchy software to sell at vastly inflated prices to a gullible international public, has managed to hide behind both politics to protect its monopoly and biased patent laws to enforce it. Now, before deciding how best to help the Third World, America and Bill Gates would do well to look at the problem through the eyes of the developing countries. We need the West to throw open its doors and give open access to education, training and technology, enabling the Third World to develop and compete on more equal terms. Al Welsh Jakarta, Indonesia

Guantanamo’s Prisoners

How Bombing Works

Sure, bombing works. Especially if the foe has no air force to fight back with, and what weapons it has are 20 years old and more suited to tribal warfare. I was reminded of the playground bully as I read your article. We showed ’em, right? Bombing Vietnam, even sending troops in, is different from fighting in the Afghan landscape. Deforested, underpopulated land does make an easier target. I’d agree with you if our superior air power had saved the thousands of lives in New York and Washington, D.C., in September. That would have been something to be proud of. Judith Clancy Kyoto, Japan

Comparing past and present bombings (Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan), Zakaria avoids mentioning other “intelligent” bombings such as those of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Bremen. Hermann Seufert Bologna, Italy

In Afghanistan, combined arms showed their capacity. Air power destroyed the Taliban air defense and mobility. The Northern Alliance used the opportunity in a ground offensive. American airborne forces projected a ground threat on every grid of Afghanistan by pinning the Taliban forces down on their dumps and headquarters. U.S. elite forces are not highly regarded here, but they have amazing night-fighting equipment the Taliban haven’t. Stefan Spett Stockholm, Sweden

Trying the American Taliban

I question the ideal that America has upheld since its inception that an individual is “innocent until proven guilty.” Do you believe that John Walker Lindh will receive a fair trial if he is prosecuted? It seems he’s already been tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion, aided by the sentiments of the media and influential people in America. Quintin Rudd Mbabane, Swaziland

As a westerner who converted to Islam in my early 20s, remained a devout Muslim for three years and then gave it up, I’m afraid the problem is with Islam. It may be politically expedient now to deny this, but the bottom line is that it is true. Islam is appealing for its simplicity and potential purity, but there is little balance from within. Becoming a Muslim was like being a needle put on the edge of a record: the direction was inevitably inward, being pressurized to give up the “worse” for the “better.” It was obvious what the destination was. I jumped before it was too late. The concept of being a liberal Muslim is ultimately an unsustainable one. Name Withheld Toyama, Japan

A Benign Technology

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-31” author: “Helen Francis”

Reading of the bravery and sacrifice of American soldiers at the battle in the Shahikot Mountains, I am moved to say, humbly, thank you. To all our forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world–operating both overtly and covertly, risking your lives for mine, the lives of my fellow citizens and all that we as Americans love, believe in and hold dear–please know that you have nothing but my utmost respect and gratitude. D. M. Winsor Sharon, Mass.

I am a 54-year-old disabled, non-draftee, two-tour Marine Corps Vietnam vet with three Purple Hearts. I honor the men who are now dying and will die in this war on terror. They all volunteered and knew that someday they might be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. But not every person who goes to war is a hero. Being in combat is a part of the job and, although always dangerous, is not in itself heroic. Heroes go over and above the call to combat duty. We recognize them with medals. The media are using this war to their own ends. You chose for your cover eight men who died for their country. Just saying that they were patriots who sacrificed their lives for their country is honor enough. I don’t know the exact circumstances surrounding their deaths, but I believe that continuing to use the word “hero” indiscriminately diminishes its true meaning. Larry Tunison Plymouth, Ohio

As an infantry and special forces officer with combat experience in Vietnam and various classified Special Operations missions, I’m concerned that the “warrior’s code” mentioned in your piece " ‘Leave No Man Behind’ " (“American soldiers do not abandon their dead and wounded on the battlefield”) is being misunderstood by some leaders and the media. Combat commanders should make sound decisions based on logic and not on their emotions. Soldiers should not be required to risk their lives to recover a dead comrade. Normally the best course of action to take when some of your men are killed or wounded within the enemy’s kill zone is to maneuver your troops so that you can eliminate the enemy first–before you try to retrieve your dead and wounded. In some cases this might even require you to withdraw and return with a more effective force. A commander’s primary responsibility is to accomplish the mission with minimum casualties and not adhere to an unofficial code that may cost more lives. James E. Schmidt Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.) Jupiter, Fla.

I haven’t been able to read your March 18 cover report, “They Were Soldiers.” My son Bill Rhodes was killed in February 1971, during the Vietnam War. His sergeant visited me afterward and told me how the squad had had to hold a gun to their lieutenant’s head to get the helicopter to land and pick up Billy. It still hurts that his sacrifice was for nothing; how I wish I had encouraged him to leave the country. When I read or watch on TV about how we are now honoring our soldiers, I am glad, but also jealous. Frances Hagen Oakhurst, Calif.

You present eight young U.S. servicemen who died as heroes, giving their lives for a just cause. They can also be seen as victims of a shortsighted and misguided foreign policy, based on ensuring U.S. access to oil. As such, I grieve for them. I also grieve for the Afghan civilians who died in this military campaign. Where are the pictures and bios of those men, women and children whose lives have also been lost? Mary Gilbert Arlington, Mass.

Whose Work Is It, Anyway?

Good historians, it seems to me, face a dilemma in every line they write. Do they portray history “truthfully” by sticking as closely as possible to the best available sources, even at the risk of an occasional raised eyebrow over plagiarism? Or do they write “creatively,” at the risk of becoming novelists and mythmakers, and not historians at all? The current brouhaha has helped me understand why I so enjoy Doris Kearns Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose. Both love historical veracity over fiction, and this comes through in their writing. Their purported offense? They have stuck too closely to the available truth! I say: lighten up on these dedicated historians. John S. Shackford Edmond, Okla.

The Ex Factor

Mary Putnam calls her husband’s ex “friend”? What a peaches-and-cream situation she finds herself in. As an adult who grew up in a world of divorce and stepparents, and now a stepmom myself, I can tell you that this concept of being friends and vacationing together is completely foreign to me. People who are divorced yet able to be friends make me wonder why they weren’t able to somehow make the marriage work. Divorce wounds and breaks up families. Feelings of jealousy, hurt and anger are normal and valid. I’m tired of this “you’ve got to be the adult” message. Adults aren’t supposed to get angry? What I lived through as a child, and what I’m now living through as a stepparent, leave no question as to why we can’t all just get along. Elizabeth Zabinski Minneapolis, Minn.

Tonight I brought my March 18 NEWSWEEK in from the mailbox and began flipping through the pages. As I passed the my turn column by Mary Putnam, the headline caught my eye: “What Do I Call My Husband’s Ex? Friend.” I paused and read the subhead: “We don’t have much in common, but raising her kids gives us plenty of reasons to be kind to each other.” That makes sense, I thought. I scanned the caption: “My friends and family thought I was insane when I told them I was vacationing with Dave, Pam and their three kids.” I turned the page. Then it hit me! She must be from… I flipped back and quickly checked her identification in the lower right hand corner of the page. Sure enough: Putnam lives in… California! Ray Campbell Sandy Springs, Ga.

Screening: A Work in Progress

I couldn’t agree more with Anna Quindlen’s March 18 piece about the absurdity of airport screening as it is currently practiced. I have flown only four times since September 11, but I, too, have been stopped at the security checkpoint and again at the gate almost every time. Did I mention that I’m a 44-year-old mother of three who is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 98 pounds? Most 14-year-olds could take me. And yet the linebacker in front of me, who would require half the passengers onboard to subdue him, sailed right through. I assumed that I’d be checked at some point, since screeners want to appear impartial (instead of using relevant screening criteria or at least some judgment). But 13 times–four flights, two legs each, stopped twice on almost every one–is ridiculous. Please don’t misunderstand. As the wife of a frequent business flier, I’m grateful for the commitment to increased airport security. And I realize this massive effort has been thrown together very quickly and many kinks remain to be ironed out. However, a large dose of common sense might provide a significantly higher level of actual security. Katherine I. Bandujo Midlothian, Va.

Corrections

In our March 25 story on the Andrea Yates case (“A Crazy System,” Justice), we misstated the title of the National Mental Health Association.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-07” author: “Mary Arcement”

Remembering Columbia’s Crew

The Columbia tragedy had a strong impact on people not only in America but all over the world (“Out of the Blue,” Feb. 10). Why? Because Columbia and its crew symbolized the height of man’s ambition, pride and achievement. They symbolized the power of man’s intellect and science’s mastery over nature. Columbia and its crew symbolized man as a hero. In their perseverance, dedication and lifelong commitment, Columbia’s astronauts showed us again that human achievement is possible if one works long and hard enough. They also showed us what it means to be an egoist, not in the pejorative way people often mean it, but in the truest sense of the word: they spent their lives pursuing their own values–and they died achieving them. People sensed, even if they did not know it explicitly, that Columbia and its astronauts stood for all that, and they couldn’t help but mourn such a huge loss. David Holcberg Irvine, California

The Pakistani-American community in Connecticut joins the rest of the world in mourning the tragic death of our heroes in the space-shuttle disaster. While many people all over the world dream of becoming astronauts, very few fortunate ones are able to fulfill that wish. These seven bright stars were able to fulfill their dreams and contribute to the growth of science and education. They lost their lives in pursuit of knowledge. Their loss is suffered not only by their families and science but also the whole world. We remain in a state of shock and grieve with their families in the United States and beyond. M. Saud Anwar, President Pakistani American Association of Connecticut South Windsor, Connecticut

Please accept my heartfelt grievances on the calamity. This incident is sorrowful not only for the United States but for the entire world. We all pray to God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. But be proud that America has created such human beings to sacrifice their lives boldly for humanity. We Indians are proud that you gave an opportunity for an Indian lady to be a member of this unique heroic venture. What they have done is remarkable and shall be written in golden letters in the history of humanity and space adventure. M. K. Thippeswamy Ahmadnagar, India

It is imperative that space exploration continue. It’s no different from Christopher Columbus, who didn’t have an easy time getting funding for–let alone reaching–the New World, where we happily live. We have to think about not just those who died recently, but those who sacrificed to break the sound barrier to take the space program to its present level. I have little doubt that there is an abundance of knowledge in space that will advance mankind. Go NASA! Val Spence Kingston, Jamaica

Trouble Around the World

While the United States’ and the world’s attention is focused on al Qaeda and Iraq, your interview with President Alvaro Uribe Velez of Colombia is a timely reminder that other terrorist groups, in the words of Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein/IRA, “have not gone away, you know” (“Trouble Everywhere,” Feb. 10). FARC and their allies in the IRA, whose refusal to disarm and enter wholly into the democratic process is currently unraveling the hard-won agreement in Northern Ireland, must not be allowed to exploit the present world difficulties. Michael McKeown Bangor, N. Ireland

Exchanging Dollars for Peace?

I read with bemusement the article “A $12 Billion Question” (Feb. 10). The country that receives the largest aid package every year from America has the nerve now to ask for an additional $12 billion to cover its “war-battered economy and mounting security costs.” In exchange Israel is saying it will freeze settlements and tear down some in the occupied territories. Am I mistaken? Isn’t tearing down settlements, stopping settlements and returning to prewar borders all things Israel is mandated to do under the numerous U.N. resolutions assigned to Israel, all of which have been ignored for more than 25 years? Isn’t America planning a war against Iraq for ignoring U.N. resolutions for 12 years? Perhaps Americans will finally understand why the United States will never be viewed as an honest broker in the Middle East. Robert Krygsman Bucharest, Romania

A European Union?

Europe has never been more disunited than it is at this critical juncture (“Europe Splits,” Feb. 10). The leaders of France and Germany have only themselves to blame for being so arrogant as not to have others participate in their plans regarding a common agricultural policy and a new structure involving a twin presidency. Now they sound surprised that scarcely anyone is listening when they grandiloquently and opportunistically preach for peace in Iraq. Werner Radtke Paderborn, Germany

Making Menstruation Medical

Our society is riddled with pills for making life easier (“Farewell to ‘Aunt Flo’,” Feb. 10). Instead of changing our lives and the way we view our bodies, we invent another pill. Perhaps our ancestors had fewer periods due to later menstruation, pregnancy and nursing, but I imagine they also approached their “moon time” with a sense of awe. We may know how it all works, but where has it gotten us? Our moon time used to be a time of introspection and creativity. We’re just too busy to listen. Cynthia Robinson Monroe, Connecticut

I use the depo-provera contraceptive injection once every three months, and I’m pleased to say I haven’t had a period for six years. Every woman I have told has reacted with nothing but envy. Let me repeat what I told the male doctor who thought I must be unhappy at being an “abnormal” woman: I would have thought that in our enlightened society people would understand that something is not necessarily good just because it is traditional. I am now free of bleeding and cramps, so I never have to worry about arranging my life accordingly. I’ve saved hundreds of pounds by not needing to buy (disgracefully taxed) sanitary protection. I am never unpleasantly surprised by an early period that ruins clothes or sheets. I found menstruation unpleasant and tiresome. Other women may feel otherwise, but please don’t brand me freakish or “unwomanly” for choosing to get on with my life–as men do every day without realizing how lucky they are. Heather Fowler Aland, Finland

To Trust or Not to Trust

I used to appreciate the expert analysis of world affairs by Fareed Zakaria. However, in “A Dangerous Trust Deficit,” he has revealed the first casualty of the pending war: his power of logical reasoning (Feb. 10). It is not the veto of the antiwar faction in the U.N. Security Council that will make it “irrelevant in the first major military action of the 21st century,” but the United States’ rashness in ignoring it. In the past the United States (rightly) expected the other U.N. members to accept the American veto even if those other nations gritted their teeth. Now the system must work the other way around, if it is to work at all. And Zakaria is mistaken in suspecting a “rising strain of anti-Americanism” in Europe. The majority of our people are not anti-American but anti-aggression. We are grateful that after 1945 the United States re-educated us and supported the development of antimilitarist civilizations. Now we are appalled to realize that our previous overseas “teachers” have relapsed into the dangerous methods of the really “old Europe.” If the article has achieved anything, it is an enhancement of that “dangerous trust deficit.” Manfred W. Kaiser Hattingen, Germany

Fareed Zakaria takes the admirable stance of a well-meaning, loyal immigrant in lending enthusiastic support to his adopted country, the United States. But as one born and raised there, I would caution him about accepting everything the current regime spews out as gospel. The Europeans’ skepticism about the oil connection to Bush’s Iraq obsession, justified or not, is dismissed with a naive non sequitur. Zakaria claims that “spending $100 billion on war and postwar reconstruction just to get a better deal on oil, which Saddam is willing to sell to anyone anyway, doesn’t make much sense, but never mind.” Doesn’t make sense? Allow me to make some sense out of it. The $100 billion is being paid by the American taxpayer, not American oil companies. The oil companies’ out-of-pocket expense will be a few million dollars strategically contributed to Republican Party coffers, and maybe a few hundred million in hardware. This investment in return for a chunk of many billion dollars in oil revenues makes a lot of sense to me. It’s a lousy deal for American taxpayers, granted, but then, who asked them anyway? Marc Emory Dusseldorf, Germany

Fareed Zakaria states that according to a 14-year-old boy, “everyone in a Swiss school thinks that the CIA had destroyed the World Trade Center so that America could invade Afghanistan.” Rubbish! To cite the remark of that simple boy is misleading and certainly does not reflect the opinion of more than 7 million other Swiss who are convinced that Al Qaeda was the aggressor. I am certain that Europe finally will fully back the U.S. initiative against Iraq, not out of sheer sympathy but because there is no other solution. But the real reason for the “dangerous trust deficit” is that the U.S. government is a self-centered and insensitive communicator. Reiner Gassner Gattikon, Switzerland

What do you mean, “spending $100 billion on war and postwar reconstruction just to get a better deal on oil, which Saddam is willing to sell to anyone anyway, doesn’t make much sense”? I think the United States probably does not want Saddam to sell oil to anyone but itself, and at the price it decides. And when Zakaria writes, “Europe’s leaders face a test, but so do its people,” he proves that he has a very biased reading of European realities. While it seems that there is no European policy, it is ever more clear that there is a European public opinion. The trouble is that politicians don’t take this public opinion into consideration. But isn’t that true in America as well? Think of George W. Bush’s consideration of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. demonstrators against war in Iraq. Jacques Aghion Liege, Belgium

Thank you, Fareed Zakaria, for saying bluntly and loudly what most of the supporters of the Bush administration think silently. At least you make it clear: the United States will dismiss everybody and everything that stands in its way, whatever it may cost, even if it means the disruption and ruin of any organization supposed to maintain a little bit of law and order in the world. But please, save us the stance of America as a good boy. Do you really think that it takes “armies of scientists” to develop dirty weapons? By the way, how many United Nations investigators does America tolerate in its arsenals? Helmut Muller Villiers-Sur-Orge, France

I don’t understand what Fareed Zakaria means when he writes, “Does Europe really want to become the next Middle East?” I assure him that, the growing anti-Americanism in Europe notwithstanding, it will never become a Middle East as he predicts, since the Middle East with its own demons and conspiracies is mainly a joint project of America and Europe. Zakaria must understand that throughout Europe and the world, it is not anti-Americanism but anti-Bushism that is growing constantly. These are two very different things. Edgar Frasheri Durres, Albania

Log Off and Learn

Many users of the Google search engine have developed “Googleitis”–the term I use to describe the mistaken belief that everything is available on the Internet, and that only what is of value is available on the Internet (“The World According to Google,” Dec. 16). Google’s comfortable seek-and-find environment has moved the notion of search and research onto a different plane. It provides a new, constantly morphing, almost universal library, but it can never be a one-stop shop for the knowledge of the world. Google users will ultimately have to accept that frustration is a fact of the seeker’s life, and sometimes burn some real shoe leather to access more traditional repositories of information. Pat Callan Dublin, Ireland

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-22” author: “Grace Johnson”

By enabling Hizbullah to chal-lenge Israel (“The Hand That Feeds the Fire,” July 24), Iran has shown the world not to underestimate its capacity for maneuvering and turning challenges to its favor. Instead of being bogged down by diplomatic and other coercive methods used by the world community, Iran has chosen to open a crisis front in West Asia. Suddenly, America is on the defensive. And Iran, almost isolated a month ago, has started gaining the sympathy of the Islamic populace, if not of Islamic governments, in and around the Middle East. Now there are many reasons for the world to understand better why Iran should not be allowed to develop or possess nuclear weapons. Everyone saw through this cunning game plan and responded accordingly. And an encouraging sign for peace efforts is the fact that this time the Arab states don’t hold Israel primarily responsible for the crisis. They understand well that it was Hizbullah that started it, and that it was the handiwork of none other than Iran. The United States and its allies ought to seize upon this sentiment and utilize this opportunity for seeking a means of securing Lebanon and ridding the country of Hizbullah–and take the initiative to make a fresh start at addressing the Palestinians’ grievances.

R. K. Sudan

Jammu, India

Your picture of a dead child carries only one message: your photographers are insensitive people. Your magazine should be more sensitive toward the feelings of the relatives of the dead, whoever they may be. Did NEWSWEEK publish images of people killed in New York’s Twin Towers on September 11 or those killed in the Madrid bombing?

Mani Maran Ratnam

Penang, Malaysia

About 100,000 lives have been lost in Iraq, many in senseless massacres, since America’s invasion began more than three years ago. The large majority of those killed were innocent civilians, men and women, young and old. As if that were not enough, America quietly watched as Israeli soldiers made inroads into both Gaza and Lebanon. To pay lip service to the escalating conflict, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a hurried visit to the countries concerned and confidently announced that there would be a new peace, one that would be “sustainable.” Since when has peace in the Middle East ever been sustained? Agreement after agreement was forcibly reached, only to be torn to pieces not long after. Never mind the religion, never mind the ethnicity, what the world needs is respect for the right of others (friends and enemies alike) to lead peaceful lives. If human beings cannot tolerate the existence of their fellow beings, any superficial roadmap could well be inconsequential.

Ibrahim Musa

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Just as in 1981, when israel stopped Saddam Hussein from acquiring nuclear weapons, Israel is again doing the world’s dirty work. Israel left Lebanon six years ago with the promise that Hizbullah would be disarmed and Lebanon would reassert its sovereignty along its southern border. As usual, the world did nothing. Now Israel has to do the job. So stop criticizing Israel for doing what the rest of the world should have done a few years ago, namely make the world a safer place.

Ervin Pavel

via internet

Israel, much like the United States, has become a war machine out of control. When will our government and our mainstream media join the rest of the civilized world and hold that nation accountable for its barbaric behavior? What support much of the world felt for Israel has been mostly destroyed by its savagery. Let’s not delude ourselves into thinking it is only the Muslim world that is outraged by Israel’s actions. There are millions of us Middle Americans who share that sentiment.

Kevin Renner

Portland, Oregon

I shed tears at the sight of the picture of a dead Lebanese child, who was likely killed by a bomb. I have a son who may be the same age as that dead child. Unfortunately, it was the mad, reckless and irresponsible act by Hizbullah about a month ago that sparked the strong Israeli response. Now that innocent child is dead as a result. However, I was incensed at the irresponsible, unbalanced reporting by NEWSWEEK in showing a dead Lebanese child and not showing a dead child victim of Katyusha rockets in Israel. Israelis bleed and die, too. And such one-sided reporting only stokes the embers of hatred against the true victim–Israel.

Tanze Makama

via internet

“March of the Populists” (May 29) makes interesting reading. Globally, populist measures are being undertaken at the cost of genuine progress. One such glaring example is the Indian government’s venture to reserve educational seats and jobs on the basis of caste and religion. This action is aimed purely at garnering blocks of populist votes. Student protests have not made any difference to populist-driven politicians and the government. Badly needed programs like compulsory vaccination, primary education and women’s empowerment have already taken a back seat. India’s global trade efforts and its competitive advantage in knowledge-based industries will be jeopardized if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not get a free hand to implement his globalization policy.

Pralhad Patki

Mumbai, India

Your article “What the world Really Wants” (May 29) is an insult to Nigerians. The issue here is not about Olusegun Obasanjo but about respecting a Constitution, responsible governance and a democratic process that began about eight years ago as a hopeful end to military dictatorship and arbitrariness–the real cause of much of the woes in Nigeria since independence. The extension to a third term of Obasanjo’s rule would nip that process in the bud and ridicule the immense sacrifice of millions of Nigerians, including those who paid the ultimate price. It would open up the possibility of descent into civilian dictatorship, life presidencies and sham governments, which have dotted the region for decades and heaped suffering and disaster on its people. The approximately 250 ethnic groups that make up Nigeria are peace-loving but fiercely proud and bitterly resentful of injustice and usurpation of authority and power. Whatever modest progress has been made during Obasanjo’s presidency is in jeopardy of collapsing, and more sectarian violence will ensue. If George W. Bush plays any role at all in persuading reason to prevail in Nigeria, then that is commendable.

S. E. Nwogbo

Manchester, England

Do you really believe the United States is trying to spread democracy in the world? Isn’t America operating in Iraq with long-term energy goals and in Afghanistan to get Central Asian oil and to contain China? If the United States is spreading democracy, why doesn’t it do so in Persian Gulf states, none of which has a democratically elected leader? Why do business with Pakistan and its military dictator? Why doesn’t America attack China to get rid of communism in order to spread de-mocracy, or why doesn’t the United States give generous aid to, say, Haiti, the way it aids Israel? The driving force behind U.S. foreign policy is economics and imperialism. The mantra of spreading democracy or freedom is a sham.

Hizbullah Khan

London, England

In Steven Levy’s “Dear Diary–and Everyone Else, Too” (May 29), he discusses the retro-blog of Megan McCafferty, which is based on her actual teenage notebook diaries, written some 20 years ago. McCafferty says that fewer people, especially teenagers, are keeping such diaries these days due to the ubiquitous use of the Internet, e-mail and text messaging. She believes something is being lost as a result. Levy strongly disagrees, quoting the dramatic increase in personal documentation via “virtual” writing, including Weblogs, as opposed to “tangible” means, such as notebooks, diaries and love letters. Like many tech-heads, Levy is missing the point. Anything written on Web pages or as an e-mail or text message has no tangible form unless you print it out, something I doubt many teenagers ever do. So what will happen 20 or 30 years from now when people want to refer back to their old blogs, e-mails or text messages? Will they still be able to access them, or even remember their password? Where in cyberspace will these messages be stored? This is the inherent weakness of the Internet, and digital storage in general, that no one wants to address. Paper and film may not be around forever, but they’ll outlast anything posted in cyberspace.

Nigel Amies

via internet

Thanks for “The Quest for Rest” (May 8). Recently I almost drove off the road. This had happened several times, so I went to see my physician. She asked me if I snore, and when I said yes, she set me up for a sleep study at our hospital. I was fitted with a CPAP mask and have been sleeping great ever since. I am now more awake in the mornings, without fear of falling asleep while I drive. I hope more women will see their physicians if they have any of the symptoms mentioned in your story. Keep up the great work and continue to report on stories that can help us all live a better life.

Marti E. Newman

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

You failed to discuss thyroid disease as a common cause of insomnia in women. When I was 35, I started suffering from profound insomnia. For several years, doctors prescribed antidepressants and sleeping pills to alleviate the symptoms, but most of these medications didn’t work. Finally, a primary-care doctor figured out I had an autoimmune dysfunction: hyperthyroiditis, or Graves’ disease. I am now 43 and am finally able to sleep, thanks to the help of a dedicated endocrinologist.

Diana Docktor

Denver, Colorado

You have a photo of and an article on the shuttle Discovery (“Back to Space,” July 17), which was launched in early July. You state that this flight was the first manned mission into space since the Columbia disaster three years ago. In fact, the comeback occurred during the summer of 2005, when NASA launched the shuttle Discovery on a successful mission with a woman as commander. The crew even made some repairs during a spacewalk.

Dino Capelvenere

Hong Kong

You quote Zurab Zhvania as Prime Minister of Georgia (“Another Hot Front,” Aug. 7). In fact, Zhvania died in February 2005.

Tom Parfitt

Moscow, Russia

You report (“Countering the Threat,” July 17) that Japan “recently bought fighter jets with aerial refueling capabilities.” I don’t believe that Japan has purchased any fighter aircraft from any nation since the 1980s. It has developed some of its own fighters recently, but that is not the same as purchasing them from abroad. You also say that “some of [Japan’s] new hardware, including SM-3 missiles … do have offensive capabilities.” The SM-3 standard missile is purely defensive; it does not have any attack capability. It is true that some versions of the standard missile can be used for attacking enemy shipping and other targets, but not the SM-3 version, and certainly not the ones that Japan possesses or will possess.

Mingfey Fan

Hsinchu, Taiwan

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-26” author: “Janet Thompson”

Apropos your article on education in Europe, the malaise actually extends to higher education (“Europe’s Failing Schools,” June 12). Standards are still high in traditionally strong areas like engineering but are appalling in business and management. Doctorates are awarded without a proper grounding in theory and research methodology. Junior academic opportunities for those with fresh doctorates are difficult to find. Few papers are published in international peer-reviewed journals. There is a reluctance to fully accept and encourage international students, treating them more as a necessary evil. I was the only international doctoral student at a business school near Frankfurt, but when the department came under financial strain, the two German students were retained and my funding was withdrawn. International students looking for opportunities in Europe must not assume that all institutions and sectors of education are high quality, and must be prepared for a difficult and lonely social life. I had to suffer daily racist epithets from my colleagues.

Srinivas Anisetti

Slough, England

Your excellent report on the failure of European education could not have been more timely. Your story reminded me of the sharp decline in Greece’s higher-education system during the past three decades. It is not only the state that should be blamed for the woes of Greek universities, but those few students and professors who, considering the university to be their personal fiefdom, shut down faculties at will and in some cases are involved in grave financial scandals. Even the moderate reforms recently proposed by the Ministry of Education were swiftly rebuffed by this alliance of those who are unwilling to work or to learn, as they fear that they may lose some of their outrageous privileges and their absolute domination over Greek universities. The United States will deservedly continue to attract the best and the brightest of European minds unless and until the European higher-education system is drastically overhauled.

Georgios Kapellakos

Halkis, Greece

As usual, your weekly bout of Europe bashing completely misses the point. The problem, in the United Kingdom at least, is not a shortage of graduates but a surfeit. Thanks to Tony Blair’s desire to coax everyone over the age of 18–regardless of intellectual or psychological aptitude–into higher education, the job market is flooded with graduates holding worthless degrees and high expectations and (because of increasingly undemanding university-entrance criteria) often lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills. And you say that university tuition fees of £3,000 are modest? The introduction of such fees, the replacement of state grants with repayable loans and the farming out of university accommodation to the private sector mean that the average British student graduates owing more than £10,000. This may not be a problem for those from wealthy families, but it is definitely a deterrent for those from poorer backgrounds. Had these conditions existed when I was 18, back in 1986, I simply couldn’t have gone to university. Finally, you claim that the public coffers are empty. Not so. Rather, the contents of the public coffers are being blown on the illegal occupation of Iraq and the costly Private Finance Initiative scam, in order to indulge Blair’s Americophilia and slavish kowtowing to the private sector, respectively.

Tim Russell

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Stefan Theil’s piece on European education was gratuitously sensationalized. In particular, I take issue with his snide comments on La Sapienza, the University of Rome. I have collaborated with academics from La Sapienza for the past 13 years, and I have 35 years’ experience of the British university system, now as a full professor and associate dean. I have had academic contacts across Europe and North America, but I must say that the people at La Sapienza are the best, in the breadth and depth of their coverage, their professionalism and commitment. The quality of their research meets the highest international standards, and the extent to which they push their students amazes me; students from other countries would wilt under such pressure. A remarkably large proportion of science and technology students are women–e.g., 40 percent in electrical engineering. The rest of the West can only dream of achieving such figures, as the lack of women in science and technology is one of the deepest causes of malaise in those subject areas. Theil’s comments seem to emanate from, and will reinforce, gratuitously offensive, stereotyped Anglo-Saxon views of Italians. As a non-Italian, I believe that nothing could be further from the truth.

Peter Excell

Bradford, England

It is true that our schools (and especially our universities) are overbureaucratic, their budgets usually managed by noncaring people, and the structures and buildings of our public educational institutions may be crumbling, but you fail to see a plus that makes us proud of our school system: our great faculties and their teaching methods. Once we graduate, however, there is a huge gap between us and our prospective jobs. We are often not able to apply our studies in the world. But the fact that our professors are hired by universities around the world just goes to show that our system works: we may not be able to put into practice much of what we learn, but we do teach others really well.

Fabio Leonardi

Vittorio Veneto, Italy

The famous German and French educational systems are undermined by immigrant children. In large cities, 60 to 80 percent of such children do not integrate: with little knowledge of the national language, their families build parallel societies. Their parents have low professional qualifications; they often do not work and live off welfare. In Germany, most juvenile crime is committed by immigrant youth.

Dieter Theuer

Heidelberg, Germany

Failing educational standards are not specific to Europe; they are a problem in all Western societies. The problem results from the lack of job creation. Globalization has resulted in local jobs being transferred to lower-income countries. Enrollments for engineering and technical university programs have declined, and, as a result, industrial development and output are also falling. Wealth, standards of living and taxes were historically achieved through industrial output rather than through employment in investment banking and financial services. The inflow of low-income immigrants depletes the local economy, since they do not pay taxes, send most of their income to their native countries and use our social programs (medical, housing and education benefits), while indirectly creating a low class of exploited subcitizens. In such conditions, no educational system can succeed. The time has come for Western governments to take care of their own citizens first by providing incentives for local industrial investment and encouraging the old values on which our societies were built and prospered–honest pay for honest work, rather than financial speculation. Only then can–and should–the available tax money be invested in the nation’s future: good education.

Peter Tal

Grenoble, France

America is a country built on immigrants, yes. But there is a difference between today’s immigrants and the immigrants of yesteryear (“America’s Divide,” April 10/April 17). Those immigrants came in by the millions and lined up at locations like Ellis Island to become legal, naturalized citizens of the United States. The current 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants, because they sneaked into the country illegally, are not honoring and respecting their new land of opportunity. Do they feel any connection to America beyond money and jobs? Sure, they love the better pay (much of which they send back home), clean drinking water, health services and the fact that their American-born children become citizens automatically. But their illegal start is a slap at the millions who immigrated before them legally, made the United States their home and never looked back.

James Johansen

Los Angeles, California

The fault lies with employers who hire, transport and house illegal immigrants. Penalize the employers, not the workers who need the jobs desperately. By penalizing the workers, you penalize agriculture in states that depend on Mexican labor to harvest what we buy. Where will you find a willing and hardworking labor force to keep our yards green and mowed, our children cared for and bilingual, our homes clean, our houses framed for construction and our restaurants staffed? Where are the lines of U.S. workers willing to do the work our valuable south-of-the-border friends do? Life is different from when my grandparents came here. Let’s not ignore the needs of so many different spheres in our vast country by keeping out the very folks who have helped to build it.

Ellen Wildfeuer

Carmichael, California

As an immigrant myself, I am of two minds about the present situation. My husband, my daughter–then 4 years old–and I came to this country 53 years ago. Not only did we have to wait patiently for years before finally receiving our immigration visas, but we also needed to provide affidavits from relatives and friends stating that they would guarantee we would never become a financial burden on the United States. We also had to learn English, and the first thing we were asked when applying for jobs was whether we had a green card. We did, and we have been supporting ourselves and paying taxes ever since. I understand fully that this country is as attractive as ever to people everywhere, and I am aware of “the desperation, the anguish” of illegal immigrants mentioned in your article. However, they knew they were coming here illegally and, just maybe, are expecting too much. America is proud to be a melting pot and has always welcomed people. But until recently, anyone immigrating to America considered it a privilege, abided by the rules of the government and realized that one had to learn English in order to make it here. Why, at a minimum, have we never insisted on any of this for those who come here illegally? We need to deal with immigration in a fair but legal way.

Steffi B. Rath

Woburn, Massachusetts

Too bad Native Americans had no immigration policy they could have enforced. It was America that rammed NAFTA, CAFTA, the World Bank and the IMF down the throats of the poorest countries. These acts and policies created the mass exodus of people wanting work in order to feed their families. To criminalize them after creating the conditions from which they spring is a crime.

Massimo Podrecca

New York, New York

Irma Palacios’s accomplishments are impressive and admirable. But it seems to me that she and other Hispanic activists might better serve their countrymen by returning to their homelands. They could dedicate their U.S.-acquired education–and their efforts and fervor–to the cause of pressuring governments in Latin America to change their ways and create better opportunities and living conditions for their own people. This is what Latin countries need: passionate activists like Palacios to campaign for people’s rights to a better life in their own countries. Many Americans, like me, do not take a favorable view of those who come into the United States illegally and then go out in the streets waving their national flags and demanding their rights in America.

Marieta C. Wurschy

Houston, Texas

In Shekhar Gupta’s original submission of the story “A Cause for Comfort” (July 24), Gupta wrote, “They [terrorists] bombed Jama Masjid, the stately 17th-century mosque in old Delhi … " Unfortunately, due to an editing error, the sentence was changed to “Hindu fanatics bombed the Jama Masjid.” NEWSWEEK regrets the error.

Copyright 2006 Newsweek: not for distribution outside of Newsweek Inc.

title: “Letters” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-04” author: “Paul Stice”

Fueling the Fire

Your coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah did not acknowledge the possibility, however distasteful, that Hizbullah is an independent entity with some degree of popular support (“The Hand That Feeds the Fire,” July 24). Instead you chose to propagate the notion that Iran is orchestrating the current death in Lebanon and Israel. This assertion distracts from the fact that the United States needs to be involved in a diplomatic intervention between Israel and Hizbullah. In fact, the instability in the Middle East touched me two years ago when my brother, a U.S. Army medic, lost his life while serving in Iraq.

Nooshin Razani

San Francisco, Calif.

Few Americans understand the scope of the tragedy happening in Lebanon–a country of fewer than 4 million people. In relative terms, 400 Lebanese civilian deaths correspond to nearly 30,000 American civilian deaths, and 700,000 displaced Lebanese correspond to about 52.5 million Americans displaced. The destruction inflicted by Israel on power plants, communication towers, mosques, ambulances, bridges and roads amounts to billions of dollars. The world has gone either numb or mad! It’s time for some humanity in diplomacy.

Souad Kachnowski

Flemington, N.J.

Your July 24 issue provides a helpful window on the current crisis between Lebanon and Israel. However, I wonder about the necessity of publishing a picture of a deceased Lebanese child. Yes, it was effective in showing the terrible results of the conflict–which was adeptly displayed by the other two photographs on the same page. Still, there is something inhumane in showing the gentlest of our world’s creatures broken among dirt and stones.

Wynter Christian Benda

Portsmouth, Va.

I expect in-depth analysis from NEWSWEEK. Instead, I read this analogy: Israel is “treating the state on its northern border just as it treated the Palestinian territory to its south, tearing apart highways, blockading ports,” etc. Clearly that analogy is superficial. As you point out, Hizbullah’s arsenal has 13,000 missiles and rockets, reportedly including C-802 missiles with a range of 80 to 100 miles. There’s nothing like that in Gaza. Nor is Israel responding in Lebanon with the restraint used in Gaza. If you want to draw analogies, it might be better to look at the U.S. response to the Taliban in Afghanistan. What’s worse for Israel is that it is not Al Qaeda that is supporting Hizbullah, but Iran with its enormous wealth and expertise.

Allan Gerson

Washington, D.C.

Reading your cover story “The Hand That Feeds the Fire,” I thought, just for a second, that you were writing an exposé on the obscene amount of weaponry the United States is supplying Israel. I think clarifying the amount of weapons Iran and the United States have given Hizbullah and Israel, respectively, might help put the Middle East war more in perspective.

Clive Brown

Forest Knolls, Calif.

While I appreciate President Bush’s acknowledgment that Israel has a right to defend itself, I find his call for restraint hypocritical in the face of our war with Iraq. I have a feeling that if the world did not depend on Arab nations for oil, we would be stronger in our support of the only democracy in the Middle East.

Janice McDavit-Aron

Sacramento, Calif.

Music to Their Ears

I took “High School Musical” for granted when it premiered and studied for my sophomore geometry quiz instead (“Disney’s Star Machine,” July 24). Little did I know what I was missing. In school, I even heard seniors singing these unfamiliar yet upbeat songs. I soon found out about the newest fad. When “HSM” aired again, I was surprised to find positive motivation in the musical’s songs and plot. It proved that with teamwork, passion and perseverance, you can soar and reach stars you thought you couldn’t reach.

Jacqueline Blackburn

Wayne, Pa.

My 8-year-old daughter, Lily, whose preference in periodicals runs from “J-14” to “Bop,” was thrilled to read your July 24 issue. She’s been an “HSM” devotee since its debut, watches the DVD with devotion and knows every lyric by heart. Initially, I turned a jaundiced ear to the whole deal, inured by the endless parade of Ashlees and Hilarys, but in the car the other day, “We’re All in This Together” came on and Lily said, “You know, Mom, it has a really good message.” When I asked what it was, she replied, “It says you can be whatever you want, be friends with whomever you want and not just do what everyone says you should.” How can I argue with that?

Deborah Sroloff Morris

Encino, Calif.

Finding Reasons for Optimism

Thank you, Ben Mattlin, for your July 24 My Turn article, “It’s Just a Wheelchair, Not a Batmobile.” Mattlin shares his uncertainties about being seen as an “inspiration” as he contends with progressive neuromuscular disability while confined to a lifetime in a wheelchair. He says he is always able to draw on “an ever-filling well of optimism.” On a significantly lesser scale, as an amputee from the Vietnam War, I have often thought much like Mattlin. This my turn arrived just as I returned from the annual Amputee Coalition of America convention, making for a marvelous personal connection of inspiration, optimism and love of life.

Thomas F. Coakley

Canton, N.Y.

M. Night Has the Right

I was displeased with the portrayal of M. Night Shyamalan in the July 24 issue (“Career Intervention: M. Night Shyamalan”). Although none of his recent films has been as brilliant as “The Sixth Sense,” it is unfair to paint him as an egotistical villain simply for wanting to maintain artistic control over his projects. I was especially dismayed by the comments of one producer who claimed that “when someone is given total artistic freedom, the result is usually bad.” Let’s not forget that when Orson Welles co-wrote, directed and produced “Citizen Kane” he had virtually complete creative autonomy over his project. The result was one of the greatest films ever made. Although I do not expect “Lady in the Water” to live up to “The Sixth Sense,” why suggest that Shyamalan “take a break” from writing and directing his own works and pursue some mega-blockbuster studio script?

Andrew Valencia

Dinuba, Calif.

Bipartisan Chaos

Anna Quindlen has it right (“The War as Wedge Issue,” July 24). The Democrats are wringing their hands over their failure to enunciate a unified Iraq policy, and Republicans are rubbing their hands together over the Democrats’ failure to unite. Both parties are concerned about whether their respective positions on Iraq will help them win or lose in November, but shouldn’t they be more concerned about whether more American soldiers will live or die?

H. Lee Sarokin

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Yes, the War in Iraq is a wedge issue on today’s political stage. How quickly do both sides of the process forget that this war was sanctioned by both parties. The Senate voted, 77-23, to pursue the war. And 29 of the 50 Democrats in office believed a war to free Iraq was the right thing to do. In the House almost 70 percent of the members, Republican or Democrat, agreed. Why do politicians spend so much time ignoring, or trying to make us forget, that they had a hand in this mess as well?

David M. Lemley

Houston, Texas

Women in the Sciences

Your article “A New View of the Boys Club” (July 24) offers a fresh look at the challenge of sexism in the sciences from a truly educated individual, Dr. Ben Barres. Transgender Americans generally remain invisible in the media’s eye, and it’s rare when a publication includes the voice of a transgender person. It is even rarer when the focus extends beyond simply that individual’s gender identity.

Joseph DeSanto

Washington, D.C.

Learning to Love Languages

I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve heard about the Concordia Language Villages and want to send my daughter when she’s older. I can only hope that by then the parents who think “if you can learn Chinese, you’ll be rich” have found other training grounds for their children. I want my daughter to understand that learning about the culture and language of another country will give her far more than a means of securing some economic gain for herself.

Alexandra Dimitroff

Shorewood, Wis.

Corrections

In “A Busload of Losers” (July 24) we misspelled the name of Michael Arndt, the screenwriter of “Little Miss Sunshine,” and incorrectly reported that the movie won both critics and audience awards at Sundance. In fact, it wasn’t in competition.

The name of the producer of “Cheetah Girls” was misstated (“Disney’s Star Machine”). She is Debra Martin Chase.

In “Bound to the Tracks” (July 17) we incorrectly said Golmud was the capital of China’s Qinghai Province. It is Xining.

In Periscope’s “Thanks so Much!” (July 24) Stuart Baker was wrongly identified as the “policy chief” at the Department of Homeland Security. Actually, Stewart Baker is head of policy for DHS. Stuart Baker, a DHS analyst who worked on the administration’s report on its response to Hurricane Katrina, is now director for lessons learned. NEWSWEEK regrets the errors.