Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

The recent Observer editorial on the passing of author Norman Mailer [“Norman Mailer,” Nov. 19] was an amazing trip down memory lane.

In 1969, mayoral candidate Norman Mailer was ahead of his time by advocating New York City becoming the 51st state. Big Apple residents would have been better off financially. Tax dollars sent to Albany would have stayed here. Two New York City U.S. senators in Washington could have fought for a bigger share of federal assistance.

Many mistakenly blame the loss of then-Bronx Borough President Herman Badillo in the 1969 Democratic mayoral primary on the votes won by Norman Mailer. Everyone seems to overlook the late millionaire Congressman James Scheuer, who also ran and divided up the liberal vote.

Scheuer spent far more money than Mailer but came in last. He may have taken just as many votes from Badillo as Mailer did. These factors together resulted in Mayor John Lindsay winning a second term.

Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.

To the Editor:

David Foxley’s article about HBO’s documentary I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA [“The Little Lady Who Fears Nobody—Not Even Karl Lagerfeld!” posted to observer.com on Nov. 19] was insightful, but I need to point out one inaccuracy: KFC has not, unfortunately, overhauled its cruel practices.

The 850 million chickens that are raised and killed for KFC each year are crammed into dark, waste-filled sheds, and workers often break the birds’ wings and legs when they throw them into transport crates.

At the slaughterhouse, the frantic birds are shackled and hung upside down and have their throats slit. Many are dumped into scalding-hot water while they’re still conscious.

PETA will continue campaigning against KFC until the company implements the scientific advice of its own former animal welfare advisers and stops the worst abuses of these animals.

Lindsay Rajt
Assistant Manager, Factory Farming Campaigns
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Norfolk, Virg.

Re “If She Did It” [Nov. 26]: However mercurial she may be, Judith Regan does not suffer Swift Boaters gladly. Stung, smeared and derided by an incestuous media-political complex, this savvy firebrand decided that retribution is a dish best served ice cold.  read more »

To the Editor:

I have always been a strong believer in free speech and freedom of the press. Now I’m having my doubts.

Reading “Tea With Miss Coulter” [Oct. 8] was upsetting.

The Observer is too important to have such material printed. This woman is so obsessed that she is sick in the head. Her thoughts should not be available to anyone except her.

Sara Cowf
Palm Beach, Fla.

To the Editor:

Re “Bush Clutches at Middle East Legacy, But Too Late” [Oct. 29]:

As usual in Bush’s strategy, it’s cherry-picking time. General Petraeus cherry-picked all of his statistics to favor Bush’s so-called strategic surge.

Bush’s statement that the G.I.’s will remain in Iraq after his term is up proves beyond a reasonable doubt that his mission is unaccomplished.

The emperor is stark naked.

Louis Buffalano
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “I, Podhoretz: Mr. World War 4 Tutors Guiliani” [Oct. 29]:

Norman Podhoretz believes “the casualties that the United States has so far endured are ‘miniscule.’”

Let’s see him tell that to the gold star families’ faces.

Kevin Crifo
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “Bonds Indicted, League in Trouble” [posted to observer.com on Nov. 16]:

It’s too bad for Barry Bonds that he was indicted and charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury about the use of steroids.

Instead of lying about using performance-enhancing drugs, if he had lied about leaking the name of undercover C.I.A. agents he could have gotten a pardon from President Bush.

Maybe he should claim he got the drugs from Karl Rove.

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

Re “The Real Star of the G.O.P. Primary: Hillary” [Nov. 19]: We’ve just finished with a midterm election and accomplished nothing.  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “Biden, Again, on Why Pakistan is the Real ‘Crisis Waiting to Happen’” [posted to observer.com on Nov. 8]:

Now that Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, has thumbed his nose at the Bush administration by declaring a national state of emergency, where does the Bush crew go from here?

The American people have never, in my memory, been so poorly served when it comes to issues on the international front.

The ideologues and incompetents surrounding this president have been wrong or outfoxed on just about every serious issue facing this nation.

It will take decades to repair the damage being done, let alone diminish the danger these bunglers have placed us in.

Vernon Burton
San Leandro, Calif.

To the Editor:

Re “Hillary on Energy Independence, Making Oil Less Ridiculously Profitable” [posted to observer.com on Nov. 9]:

I remember a few years ago when oil hit $50 a barrel, and I said, “Just wait till Bush gets the price of oil up to $100 a barrel.”

My friends said there was no way oil would ever get to $100 a barrel. But here we are at nearly $100 a barrel.

But this is nothing. Just wait until oil hits $250 a barrel.

Every time Bush says “World War III” or talks about attacking Iran, we get a little closer.

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

To the Editor:

“Bloomberg’s Early Frost” [Editorial, Nov. 12], concerning responses to pending multibillion-dollar municipal deficits, represents real leadership by Mayor Bloomberg.

Contrast Mr. Bloomberg’s position with that of New York City Council Finance Committee Chairperson David Weprin and many of his fellow Council colleagues, who want to wait before making any decisions.

Real leadership anticipates future problems and deals with them today rather than reacting to developments later when it is too late. Municipal spending has increased year after year under Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mr. Weprin, fueled by revenues from Wall Street.

Any sudden economic downturn can result in forecasted surpluses quickly turning into multibillion-dollar unforeseen deficits. Many are now predicting such an event happening soon.

Why don’t Council Speaker Quinn, Councilman Weprin and their colleagues set an example for others by offering their own savings? They could give up funding several hundred million dollars’ worth of individual council members’ pork barrel projects, and wasteful spending of council members’ administrative budgets that are used to pay for holiday greeting ads in local community newspapers—all at taxpayers’ expense.

Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.

Re “Giuliani Swathes Self in 9/11 Mantle” [Nov. 12]: Not every presidential candidate possesses the eloquence of an Adlai Stevenson or the urbane wit of a John F. Kennedy. However, at the very least, serious Oval Office aspirants should be able to square their partisan pronouncements with some semblance of the truth—especially after eight years of a wood-cuttin’, brush-clearin’ prevaricator in chief.  read more »

To the Editor:

Contrary to The Observer’s report in “Some See Nepotism in Commentary’s New Editor Choice” [Oct. 29], the decision to name John Podhoretz as Commentary’s next editor was made by me and my fellow directors of Commentary Inc., not by the current editor or his predecessor.

Although Leon Neyfakh, The Observer’s writer, knew this, he never even tried to speak either to me or to any other board member in “reporting” his story.

As if this were not a sufficient violation of good journalistic practice, the current editor is smeared in The Observer’s article by an alleged former Commentary contributor who refuses to let his own name appear even as he impugns Mr. Kozodoy’s courage and integrity.

This, about a man whose editorial steadfastness is legendary, and who has adhered to an independent editorial vision while others—including your “source”—have turned tail. There is no journalistic justification for granting anonymity to the author of such a personal slur.

Even the headline of your article is false and misleading: The “some” in the body of your report turns out to consist solely of the single name-calling coward.

The rest of the article reflects widespread recognition—which the Commentary Board emphatically shares—that John Podhoretz has compiled a distinguished record of journalistic achievement and promises to bring energy and imagination to Commentary as it enters its seventh decade of service to American values and American letters.

Michael Schwartz
Chairman
Commentary Inc.
Manhattan

Leon Neyfakh replies:

Contrary to what Mr. Schwartz suggests, we did not report that John Podhoretz was selected as Commentary’s new editor by Neal Kozodoy or Norman Podhoretz.

Rather, we wrote—based on communication with Mr. Kozodoy and John Podhoretz themselves—that Mr. Kozodoy asked John Podhoretz if he was interested in taking over, then floated the idea to the magazine’s board of directors.

The Observer made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact members of the board. Finally, the point of view expressed by the “longtime contributor” we quoted—that John Podhoretz’s father was “involved” in his son’s appointment—was echoed to us by several knowledgeable observers.

Though we agree that the use of anonymous sources to level criticism is regrettable, in this case it was the only way to represent a point of view that our readers deserved to hear.

Re “Kent Swig Is Everywhere” [Nov. 5]: Kent Swig complains that elected officials wrongly accuse him of asbestos violations at the Sheffield on West 57th Street, saying, “[t]here was no asbestos in the ceiling ever.”  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “It’s Purée Hell! Testing Jessica Seinfeld’s New Kiddie Cookbook” [Oct. 8]:

Did anyone else notice the uncanny resemblance between Jessica Seinfeld and Jerry Seinfeld’s TV mom?

The mom would have looked like Jessica in the 60’s! Not just the looks, but the super-mom persona, is a dead ringer.

The Observer nailed the book.

Burt Bradley
Atlanta, Ga.

To the Editor:

“Once Again, You Pick Up the Tab” [Editorial, Oct. 22], concerning Council Speaker Catherine Quinn considering ending the practice of Council members using taxpayers dollars out of their administrative budgets to pay for holiday greeting ads in weekly community newspapers, was long overdue.

Perhaps Speaker Quinn and her fellow council members were embarrassed into this action by a recent report documenting how much money has been wasted for these frivolous ads.

Council members could have paid for these ads out of their own ample salaries, overflowing campaign funds or local political clubhouse accounts instead of picking the pockets of taxpayers.

Ordinary citizens use their own funds to buy cards and stamps when they want to communicate celebrating a holiday with friends, neighbors and family.

Shouldn’t New York City Council members do the same as the constituents they were elected to represent?

Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.

To the Editor:

In “Unzipped Lagerfeld Not So Sexy” [Oct. 29], The Observer drops the fact that Karl Lagerfeld has 100-plus iPods.

Loving Apple products as I do, it stimulates my imagination and curiosity as to why Mr. Lagerfeld has this many iPods and what he has recorded on them. And of course who does it for him.

Could The Observer please update this tidy bit of information?

Richard Heinrich
Manhattan

[Discussing his iPod collection, Mr. Lagerfeld told The Daily Telegraph of London: “If I like something I like to have a lot of it. Eccentric? Perhaps I am.”—Ed.]

To the Editor:

Re “What Mitt Romney Doesn’t Need: A Furious John McCain” [Oct. 29]:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain says that the latest Osama bin Laden message is “a clear sign that we are succeeding in Iraq.”

I think the fact that Osama bin Laden is still making videos is a clear sign that we are focusing on the wrong enemy. (Hint to Republicans—Osama isn’t in Iraq.)

I would say the fact that Bush is asking for billions of dollars more to fund the occupation is a clear sign that we are not succeeding in Iraq.

The problem with Republicans like Mr. McCain is that they no longer have any idea what success is.

I remember when the Republicans stood for less government and balanced budgets.

With the high cost of oil and a soaring national debt, I think that we should be looking for a president who at least understands what success is, because what Republicans call success is destroying America.

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

Re “Mr. Bad Taste Saves VH1” [Oct. 29]: The Observer is somehow flummoxed by the success of highbrow Michael Hirschorn in the lowbrow environs of VH1.  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “Scandal! Bigwigs Not Nominated for ‘Residential Deal of the Year’” [posted to observer.com on Oct. 5]:

The Observer ignored a key part of the story in order to unfairly and unnecessarily sensationalize what has become a worthy charity event and prestigious award ceremony.

First, the Real Estate Board of New York’s awards honor those brokers who have shown amazing ingenuity and creativity in a deal, not a broker who sold a property to a well-known celebrity.

In fact, all seller and buyer information is omitted from the submissions, including sale price, to protect the identity of those involved in the deal as well as to allow the judges to fully focus on the particulars of the deal and not who was involved. Whether it be a $50 million sale or a $1,000 sale, the details are what win the prize.

Second, all transactions must have taken place between Sept. 1, 2006, and Sept. 3, 2007, to be considered.

And finally, while it is either the broker or managing broker who can determine whether the particulars of the deal showed true ingenuity, it is false to say these deals are self-nominated.

The broker’s organization must meticulously review all details of the submission, endorse it and formally submit it—the broker cannot do this on behalf of him or herself.

The Observer’s conspiracy theory that somehow the city’s more prominent brokers (or at least those specifically named) have been excluded is utterly ridiculous. They have been nominated in the past, they are certain to be nominated in the future; but any deals they have worked in this time period, sadly, did not meet the contest’s criteria, plain and simple.

Steven Spinola
President
Real Estate Board of New York
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “Meet the Manqués” [Oct. 15]:

That was really the wittiest and sharpest, and really the most divinely relevant chart of anything that any newspaper or magazine, anywhere, has published since Esquire’s two-page spread anatomizing the publishing and literary worlds of the mid-60’s—long before it became Esquire manqué.

I’m sure people will be adding their own manqués to The Observer’s seminal list for years to come.

But didn’t The Observer omit one truly egregious manqué, one whose name should shine out above all the others?

I mean, if Judith Giuliani isn’t Nancy Reagan ultra-manqué, who is she?

Elliott Sirkin
Boston, Mass.

Re “Rudy’s Doin’ It!” [Oct. 22]: Gotham’s cognoscenti may rue the day they underestimated the cult of Rudolph Giuliani.  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “Aaaaugh-bama!” [Oct. 8]:

One requirement of being a good president is to be a leader rather than a follower. Hillary Clinton is such a leader.

Barack Obama and John Edwards recently caved in to internal party pressure, removing their names from the ballot in the Michigan Democratic primary. Democratic party insiders think that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire should have more influence over the Democratic presidential nomination than those of other states.

Who are these Democratic insiders? Why should their will take precedence over free and fair elections?

Mrs. Clinton sees the bigger picture, where party insiders don’t call the shots and give some states more influence than others.

That’s leadership. That’s why I think she’ll make a good president.

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

To the Editor:

“The Speaker’s Pier Pressure” [Editorial, Oct. 15] is nothing new.

Past reports released by the New York City Campaign Finance Board are must-reading for all intelligent voters. The reports document the relationship between “pay for play” campaign contributors and candidates running for public office.

Independent observers of municipal government know there is a political quid pro quo expected by those who represent various special interest groups doing business with the city in exchange for campaign donations. This is known as “pay for play” around City Hall.

How can City Council Speaker Christine Quinn or any other candidate for municipal office represent the interest of taxpayers when accepting campaign contributions from those working for or doing business with New York City?

The appearance of a conflict of interest is obvious.

Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.

The Observer’s article “New York’s Liberal Intellectuals Are Back at Each Other’s Throats—Buruma and Berman Slug It Out Over Political Islam” [Oct. 15] addressed an important subject, but in so doing distorted the views I expressed in my recent article in The New York Times Magazine, “The Politics of God.”  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “Larry Craig’s Plea: Rationality, Not ‘Panic’” [posted to observer.com on Aug. 31]:

Republican Senator Larry Craig, who pleaded guilty to charges related to an apparent attempt to pick up an undercover officer for bathroom sex, decided not to resign from the Senate. At the same time, his bid to withdraw his guilty plea was denied.

And all this after the Republicans have been bragging about how they are the party of high moral values.

It’s as though the Republicans are deliberately trying to lose the next election. Maybe that’s the G.O.P strategy for the 2008 election?

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

To the Editor:

Re “Hillary Responds to Bush Veto Threat, Dodges on Rudy and Hsu” [posted to observer.com on Sept. 20]:

President Bush has seen fit to use his veto power only a few times during his term. He has vetoed legislation regarding stem cell research and killed a bill mandating a timetable to bring American troops home from Iraq.

Now, coming on the heels of demanding billions of dollars more for his war, he says that $60 billion is too much to spend on health insurance for the children of working families.

This ought to be too much for even the most obtuse Bush apologist. Politicians who vote to uphold this travesty are playing Russian roulette with a loaded pistol.

The Republican party is at a crossroads: They’ll either break with this administration or commit political suicide.

Vernon Burton
San Leandro, Calif.

To the Editor:

Re “Aaaaugh-bama!” [Oct. 8]:

The reason Barack Obama is behind in the polls is obvious. The media created Mr. Obama, but there is no rationale for his candidacy. His multicultural background may appeal to media elites, but not to the average voter.

Mr. Obama’s so-called charisma has been overblown. Baby boomers are not receptive to Mr. Obama’s pitch for generational change, since boomers regard themselves as in the prime of life, and are not ready to throw in the towel. And when it comes to population numbers, baby boomers dominate.

Contrary to what Mr. Obama preaches, Democrats don’t want to seek common ground with the G.O.P. In fact, they want to destroy the G.O.P. They have neither forgotten nor forgiven the way Republicans ignored them in Congress when they were in the minority, the impeachment of Bill Clinton, or the stolen election of 2000.

Furthermore, most Democrats think Bill Clinton was a good president, and would not mind going back to the 1990’s, when we had peace and prosperity—therefore, they support Hillary Clinton for president.

Reba Shimansky
Manhattan

Re “Tea With Miss Coulter” [Oct. 8]: I realize the best way to confound aberrancy is to expose it to the general view. But is it necessary to give us a whole page of Ann Coulter?  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “McCain and the Petraeus Factor” [Sept. 17]:

When asked by Congress if the war in Iraq has made America safer, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of American forces there, responded that he didn’t know.

Now Congress is being asked to give Bush billions of dollars more to fund the Iraq occupation.

I think it’s time we turned the question around on Congress, and asked, “Does giving Bush billions of dollars make America safer?” Why should we spend another dollar and waste another life when it’s hurting, not helping, America?

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

To the Editor:

Re “High Finance Works, but Only for a Chosen Few” [Sept. 24]:

Nicholas von Hoffman’s analysis of Wall Street’s mishandling of the subprime mortgage crisis was right on target.

But in citing only three of the times in the last 25 years that our capital markets flirted with disaster (the savings and loan failure, the dot-com crash and the subprime mortgage mess) Mr. von Hoffman forgot to mention perhaps the most significant of all—the meltdown of the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management.

Hugely overcompensated “quants” pushed their risk-minimizing models so far that eventually they appeared to believe they had eliminated risk altogether.

That’s never, ever possible. If something bad can happen, no matter how small its probability, sooner or later it will happen.

What happened with L.T.C.M. nearly took the world’s financial system with it. Whether we’ve learned anything from these fiascoes is questionable.

Sydney Levine
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “Census Shows Middle Class in Flight From New York” [Sept. 24]:

While it might be easy to blame the flight of middle-class New Yorkers from the city on the high cost of housing—because, as The Observer points out, many homeowners and renters pay 35 percent or more of their incomes on housing costs—it might be equally justifiable to blame the high tax rates imposed on New Yorkers.

In fact, many middle- and upper-class New Yorkers who earn a salary pay 40 percent or more of their income in federal, state and local taxes—not to mention Medicare and Social Security.

As long as New Yorkers keep electing tax-loving Democrats to city and state offices, population loss of all demographics will continue in New York.

Jon Medwick
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “Our Flattering Assault on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad” [Oct. 1]:

Watching the reaction of the media and demonstrators to Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the United States was scary, to put it mildly.

The talking heads ranting on about Iranian-backed assaults on Americans in Iraq and the demonstrators screaming insults showed just how delusional many people have become.

I, for one, would like to ask those who demonstrated against Mr. Ahmadinejad just how they know that Iran is supplying weapons to Iraqis fighting the American occupation of Iraq.

Please don’t tell me it’s based on information supplied by the Bush administration—you know, the same bunch that fed us the W.M.D. fairy tale.

It’s scary when ordinary citizens continue to swallow the same baloney time and time again.

Vernon Burton
San Leandro, Calif.

“Plop, Plop! Fizz! Clinton Ad Team Packages Hillary” [Oct. 1] confirmed my view that Hillary Clinton benefits from her experience of Bill Clinton’s campaigns and her years in the White House, in addition to her own talent.  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “Reality: America Isn’t Conservative,” [Aug. 27-Sept. 3]:

Karl Rove’s departure from the Bush administration brings to mind the lessons of the Katrina disaster.

Politically, the most important lesson may have been that the conservative mistrust of government is a self-feeding beast.

They begin with the assumption that government agencies don’t work. Going on this assumption, they believe that it doesn’t matter who they hire to run the agencies, so why not give the positions to their friends, regardless of qualification or, more to the point, lack thereof, so they can feed at the federal trough?

Then, when the services of these agencies are required and they come up lacking because of the incompetence of those appointees, they point to the failure and say, “See, we were right! These agencies don’t work!”

It is difficult to say which of the qualities on display in this process is most repugnant: the cynicism, the callousness or the greed.

Marc Beschler
Manhattan

To the Editor:

So Otto Kallir of Austria did business with Adolf Hitler.

Before Great Britain fought the war against Hitler, its government was known for selling Austria and Czechoslovakia down the river to Nazi invasion. That represented doing business with the Nazis.

Franklin Roosevelt prevented a ship with Jewish refugees from Europe from docking and disembarking its passengers in the U.S. during the Holocaust, in order to avoid offending the Nazi government. That represented doing business with the Nazis.

Closer to our era, Ronald Reagan provided Saddam Hussein with intelligence for use against his enemy at war, Iran. There are some in this country who see Reagan as a hero.

Similar to these other cases, Kallir sold Hitler a painting that interested him before he was declared a war criminal. It appears that the issue of doing business with dictators is somewhat strained.

Arthur Pierson
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Re “Dealer With the Devil,” [Sept. 10]:

Former United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim; former West German Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger; the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Günter Grass; the opera soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and now, today, the late, well-known Viennese fine art dealer and expert Mr. Otto Kallir—one or all with a Nazi past or Nazi connections.

One must indeed wonder: Who will step from the shadows next? Will it ever end?

I doubt it.

James May
Lake Worth, Fla.

To the Editor:

Re “The Illusion of Success in Iraq,” [Sept. 17]:

Who is Osama Bin Laden trying to kid? If every single U.S. citizen converted to Islam, the jihadists would still hate us—for something. They are jealous of our freedom and prosperity.

What the fanatics of terrorism desire is to take these things away from us—not to have us join some other religion.

They don’t even realize it would be a hollow conquest if they won. Factions are truly victorious when they build people up, elevating them to a higher level of societal goodness, not when they destroy them. We can only pray for Bin Laden’s soul and hope for his failure.

James Green
Cedar Hills, Utah

Re “Washington Can’t Handle the Truth About Iraq,” [Sept. 17]: This is not a time when Democrats can afford to have weak leaders who aren’t as powerful in the majority as the Republicans are in the minority.  read more »

To the Editor:

Linda Hirshman makes it clear in her review of Todd Gitlin’s book The Bulldozer and the Big Tent [“The G.O.P. Exists to Rule While Dems Pale,” Sept. 10] that the Republicans are no longer a political party with a conservative but rational platform, but, rather, an evangelical, messianic movement dedicated to converting the world, or at least the U.S., to the True Faith.

All the apostles—uh, candidates—invoke Ronald Reagan, made all things to all men, to justify their own righteous agendas, and to imply that they were sent to fill His shoes.

While Mr. Gitlin is right that “journalists are not obliged to be a political opposition,” journalists who do happen to have progressive consciences owe it to the rest of us to use their common sense to expose what the right wing is up to. They, the Christo-fascists, will certainly enlist their own “journalists” in their cause.

George Winship
Cedar Grove, N.J.

To the Editor:

In “The High Holy Days” [Editorial, Sept. 17], The Observer stated, “Americans have a deep and abiding connection to Israel, not least because it is the only democratic government in the entire Middle East.”

Not so. Most Americans that I speak to don’t feel this way about Israel. Increasingly, even Jewish Americans are ambivalent about Israel.

As for Israel being the only democracy in the entire Middle East, that has been accomplished at the price of subjugating millions of Palestinians.

Besides, I would urge you to consider the fact that most of the countries in the Middle East friendly to Israel (Jordan and Egypt, for example) themselves do not have democratic governments. These same countries also happen to be U.S. allies.

It seems to me, therefore, that Israel can afford the luxury of a democratic system at the price of the U.S. tolerating and even supporting autocratic governments in the region. For that, the citizens of those countries, and increasingly Americans too, have been paying the price.

Neil Fazel
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “Washington Can’t Handle the Truth” [Sept. 17]:

For years, the Bush administration has been asking for more time, and a lot more money, to keep its failed war-of-choice going. It’s always the same prediction—in 12 to 18 months the Iraqis will be able to govern without us. The truth is that we can’t “win” this war. No “victory” is possible for us in Iraq, only continued shame.

Yet Republicans like Senator John McCain, for example, have a point when they say that leaving Iraq in retreat would be a disaster.

So how do we get out of this mess that Bush and Cheney got us into?

We should separate ourselves, our government, and our country from the corrupt leaders who lured us into this war through their deception and lies. We should prosecute these officials, who usurped our government, for being the war criminals that they are.

Then we can leave Iraq in an orderly manner, with apologies for having confused Saddam Hussein with Osama bin Laden, and find redemption by bringing the people who committed these war crimes in our name to justice.

Bruce Joffe
Piedmont, Calif.

“Edwards’ Controversial Spy Plan” [Sept. 17] belittled Mr. Edwards’ plan for a Counterterrorism and Intelligence Treaty Organization to aid in the international fight against terrorism, yet didn’t describe his plan in meaningful depth.  read more »

To the Editor:

“Live! Nude! Girls!” [posted to observer.com on Aug. 30], concerning censorship of adult entertainment advertisements in weekly newspapers, is disappointing to those who cherish freedom of speech and individual rights.

There is no coercion between the customer in the exchange of cash for the product purchased and the supplier of services. Perhaps some forget about First Amendment rights for both the advertiser and reader. If you don’t like the ad, don’t buy the services being offered and turn the page.

The article reminded me of government attempts to introduce legislation which would require adult topless dancers to obtain employment permits—which also doesn’t make sense. Do we really want police—at taxpayers’ expense—spending time undercover visiting bars to document so-called immoral behavior?

Our funds would be better used if the same police and judges would spend more time prosecuting those who commit real crimes against individuals or property. Citizens have more to fear from murder, arson, rape, muggings, robberies, auto and identity theft or home break-ins than adult entertainers or adult bookstores.

What consenting adults consume, inhale, perform, read or view in the privacy of their own home or social club isn’t the concern of government.

Individual economic and civil liberties prosper best when government stays out of both the bedroom and marketplace.

How ironic that so-called liberals have so much in common with the “moral majority” social police on the right who aim to inhibit our freedoms.

Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Re “Harry Reid Stands Small on Iraq” [Sept. 10]:

To say that the Democrats don’t have the support to stop the war isn’t true. Bush is going to come to Congress wanting billions more in war funding. Democrats have the votes to cut off war spending. To fund the war is to support it. I’m tired of funding the politicians who are funding the war, so I refuse to give money to politicians of either party who keep voting for the war.

This week they are going to lie to us again and tell us that we’re winning. We are not winning, because to win we have to defeat the people we are trying to liberate.

After five years we have been told over and over that we are almost there, when the reality is that it keeps getting worse and worse. The time has come to shut it down and get out of there. If you really want to stop the war, then cut off the money.

Marc Perkel
San Bruno, Calif.

Re “Whose 9/11 Is It? Clintons Invoke It in Their Campaign” [Sept. 10]: As the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks comes and goes, I think it’s a fair question to ask, “What as a society have we learned?” What have we learned about ourselves and about the world?  read more »

To the Editor:

Re “Gonzales Must Be Impeached” [Aug. 6]:

There will be much speculation in the coming days and weeks as to just why disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales chose this time to leave the sinking barge that the Bush administration has become.

I say just let it go. Let’s just be grateful that he will soon be gone, and the fumigation process will soon begin.

For years now, I have thought that John Mitchell, Richard Nixon’s co-conspirator, was the worst attorney general in American history. Alberto Gonzales makes Mitchell look like a boy scout.

Vernon Burton
San Leandro, Calif.

To the Editor:

In “Martha’s Harlem Garden: Not That Great,” [Aug. 20], Nancy Butkus takes issue with the design of the community garden at the George Washington Carver Residences in East Harlem, sponsored by the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Foundation. Ms. Butkus’ critique was unfair.

This garden, like all the community gardens that Council on the Environment’s Open Space Greening Program works with, was designed in collaboration with the council, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and most importantly, the community members who live in the residences and use the site. It is through a collaborative process that we ensure that the design meets the needs and desires of residents and surrounding community. And while this may disappoint Ms. Butkus’ particular aesthetic, it serves a much more important purpose.

It is entirely because of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Foundation’s generous funding, and through the physical labor of the many volunteer employees from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and from the gardeners, that a bleak and unused area has been transformed into a place for residents, members of the community and people visiting Mount Sinai Hospital to relax and enjoy.

Martha Stewart deserves congratulations and praise for reviving this site and for her ongoing commitment to improving New York City. Unlike Ms. Butkus, we have not been “let down,” but rather, lifted up!

Marcel Van Ooyen
Executive Director
Council on the Environment
Manhattan

To the Editor:

Re “Goodbye Nancy Grace, Hello Angela Lansbury!” [Aug. 27-Sept 3]:

I wish Henry Schleiff success in his efforts to revive the prospects of Crown Media Holdings, especially the Hallmark Channel, because I am offended by much of cable and broadcast television programming, with its foul, lascivious speech and nudity.

I watch Hallmark reruns and original programming. I like McBride, Matlock and Perry Mason, for the same reasons I like Brian Williams and Dan Rather, with their gentlemanly and courtly behavior and language.

I pray that Hallmark will continue to offer an alternative to all of the programs I do not watch, yet are included on my cable bill.

Joanna Walsh-Ward
Lewiston, Maine

I was offended when I read Sara Vilkomerson’s description of the Kenny Chesney concert that took place at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 30 [“The 15-Day Week,” Aug. 27-Sept. 3].  read more »