On ‘The Pride of Frankenstein’: “Mel Brooks and I grew up together in a tenement neighborhood in Brooklyn. As typical teenagers, we’d hang around with our friends, and Mel would have us laughing hysterically just about all the time.” Charles Hersch, Lincoln, Mass.
A Possible Presidential Bid I lived in New York City during the Rudy Giuliani-Michael Bloomberg mayoral baton handoff in 2001–2002 (“The Revolutionary,” Nov. 12) and remember feeling agitated by Bloomberg’s elitist manner in how he “bought” his way into city hall. Admittedly, I was also caught up in Giuliani’s charismatic public persona, especially after 9/11. But as time passed, my perspective shifted. I began seeing substantive results in Bloomberg’s centralist leadership style versus Giuliani’s autocratic style. Today I hope Bloomberg “buys” the presidency, and as a gay man and a liberal Democrat, I really don’t care if he runs as a Democrat, Republican or independent. Bloomberg’s clearly the right leader for breaking through bipartisan barriers, mending international relations, ending the Iraq War, keeping the United States from going to war with Iran, stabilizing the economy, balancing social issues and fighting global warming. He’s also one of the most philanthropic men of our day. Dan Bray Orlando, Fla.
You chose to launch an unabashed “trial balloon” for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Let’s get this straight. Given that the current front runners for the two main parties are Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, a Bloomberg candidacy would result in a presidential race between the current and former mayors of New York City and the junior senator from New York state. With 49 other states in the Union, we need candidates from other states, with other?political viewpoints. The nation doesn’t need (or want) a presidential race among three New York liberals! Steven Collins Sioux Falls, S.D.
How does splitting the national vote three ways unite the country? If Mayor Mike Bloomberg somehow defeated both major-party candidates, does he expect Democrats and Republicans in Congress to hold hands, sing “Kumbaya” and blithely follow his lead? Ours is a political democracy in which the president governs through his allies in Congress, not a monarchy with a subservient legislature. Bloomberg’s views on foreign policy, global warming and health care, among others, sound like mainstream Democratic Party values. Why didn’t he submit to the judgment of those who share his ideals and not stand on the sidelines, pretend to be above it all and then propose to “swoop in to save the day”? I choose to support those who joined in the battle and did not shirk from the fight. Don Judson Woodburn, Ore.
Wouldn’t it be nice to finally have a candidate who has tried both tired political parties and decided like so many of us that they are both way out of step with mainstream America? The polarization that has taken place in the past decade has resulted in a dysfunctional, bloated Washington behemoth that is neither listening nor responsive to the concerns of most Americans. Bloom-berg is a proven leader who understands priorities, negotiating for results and, most important, the restoration of America to a sensible but strong and respected leadership position in the world. Run, Mikey, run! R. L. Mullins Tucson, Ariz.
U.S. Women in Combat Zones My daughter is a 24-year-old marine officer who will be deployed to Iraq in January (“Not Semi-Soldiers,” Nov. 12). Although she and I have very different views on the war, I respect her right to follow her own path. She is a combat engineer because she says that is the closest military occupational specialty to combat in which she can serve. She’s been trained to fight, but, as Anna Quindlen states, murky regulations prevent her from doing so. She is one of the young women described by Quindlen as “smart,” with “drive and focus.” Having my daughter come home in a body bag would be devastating, but no less devastating than if it were one of my sons; I don’t place value on my children based on their gender. Donna Carson Lone Pine, Calif.
I take exception to Anna Quindlen’s essay. As a combat soldier now long put out to pasture, I think she has missed one of the greatest inequities that exist in the modern Army, namely physical ability. One only has to look at the Army’s sole test of physical standards: the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). With the exception of sit-ups, the standards for men versus women are significantly different. (Age group 17–21, minimum number of push-ups to pass: male—42 in two minutes; female—19 in two minutes. Two-mile run, same age grouping: male—15 minutes, 54 seconds; female—18 minutes. 54 seconds.) Why is this important? I weighed about 185 pounds in my prime; with assorted combat gear, I tipped the scales at close to 255. If I got hit, I needed to know that my battle buddy could pick up my wounded a–– and get me to safety. Clearing urban areas can require an infantry soldier to move great distances very quickly and still be able to fight at the end of the run. The average woman would be unable to accomplish these tasks; I know there are women who could, but they are few and far between. It has been proved that there are many jobs in the military that women do better than men, but jobs that require significant upper-body strength (like an infantry soldier or a tanker) are ill suited for most women. All soldiers are capable of performing courageous acts; valor is a personal choice and gender is not a contributing factor. My thoughts and prayers go out to the soldiers who are in harm’s way and their families, who have to live each moment in fear until their loved ones return. Patrick Lowe Sr. Bandon, Ore.
Times have changed since my 20-year career as a military officer ended. As a technician assigned to a West Coast SEAL team, my daughter has had two deployments to Iraq, most recently in Anbar province. She has manned the machine gun in the turret of the gun truck, survived mortar attacks and “locked and loaded” more times than she can count. She is no hero; she did her job well in an all-male special-warfare community and has the respect of her peers. And she tells me that she has just been awarded the Sailor of the Year award for her command. Stefan A. Russakow Belmont, Mass.
The Use of Waterboarding I find it most interesting that the very people who object to any form of torture to obtain information from a captured terrorist don’t actually have their own kids fighting in Iraq (“Drowning in Questions,” PERISCOPE, Nov. 12). How easy it is for someone to hide under a cloak of virtue when he has nothing at risk. It is also very easy for military officers to make such a judgment when they themselves are not on the front lines with the regular troops. How quickly things would change if their own sons or daughters were at risk over there. Sure, we would like for the enemy to fight a civilized war, but they aren’t, and they have no intention of doing so. Right now, with a son in Iraq, I would use any means available to get information from the terrorists and, frankly, wouldn’t even flinch at doing so. Bob Wilson Franklin, N.C.
In 1968, while attending navy sere (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) school at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Wash., I was subjected to waterboarding as one of several coercive techniques supposedly designed to make me better prepared for service as a crewman on river-patrol craft in Vietnam. There’s no doubt in my mind that it was torture, as it indeed caused extreme anguish and pain. The experience left me convinced that, if captured and confronted with that bucket of water again, I would have told the enemy anything they wanted to know, regardless of whether it was true. But I was an enlisted man, and therefore knew nothing anyway. Stephen Nelson Seattle, Wash.
Television in Your Face I agree with Allison Wood that waiting-room televisions are intrusive and make it virtually impossible to read or otherwise allow your mind to wander while awaiting your turn in businesses that use them (“Please Remove the Boob Tube,” MY TURN, Nov. 12). But they are meant to be intrusive. Their presence does not reflect a misguided customer-service decision to entertain or otherwise pacify us, as Wood suggests. They are generally paid for and operated by marketing or broadcasting firms to target content and advertising to a captive audience. Whenever practical, I vote against this marketing practice with my feet. I have changed health clubs and doctors when they refused my request to turn down the volume (marketing TVs have fixed volumes and cannot be turned off as part of their contracts) and I have let management know that this is why I left. I have also let my new health club and doctor know that I appreciate the advertising-free environments. This kind of advertising is lucrative and will continue to proliferate unless a majority of consumers make clear that they object by shifting their spending dollars away from the businesses that install them or by letting the advertisers themselves know that they object through boycotts and letter writing. Lynn Allen Tampa, Fla.
There is nothing wrong with putting televisions in places such as post offices and grocery stores. Many people are so busy they don’t have time to sit down and watch the news; this way they can stay informed. TVs are there for information or just simply for entertainment. Don’t like it? Then don’t watch. Lindsay Freter Scituate, Mass.
I was so happy to see Allison Wood’s note to merchants to “Please Remove the Boob Tube.” I have been considering starting a movement to protect our right to silence. I am a reader and prefer to entertain myself with a book or magazine of my choosing. I was ready to change doctors when one of mine put a television in his waiting room. When I go there, I turn the volume down and no one seems to mind. Are we so afraid to be alone with our own thoughts? Patricia L. Sierzant Malvern, Pa.
An Alternative to Iowa ’ s Primary I live in California, the most populous state in the country, and I feel disenfranchised (“Iowa’s Field of Dreamers,” Nov. 12). California’s primary is scheduled for Feb. 5. By the time I get to vote, some of the candidates will have fallen by the wayside because of earlier primaries in much smaller states such as Iowa. What goes on in Iowa in the fall is ridiculous, and I am sick of that state’s deciding whom the candidates will be. Why don’t we have one national day of primary voting, preferably on the weekend? Then everyone in the country can vote on all the candidates on the same day. Anne Nicolas Kirby Palo Alto, Calif.
Funding for Antimalarial Drugs I work with the Institute for Oneworld Health and wanted to clarify that Amyris did not receive a $42.6 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (" ‘It’s All About Energy, Stupid!’," PROJECT GREEN, Nov. 19). The Institute for OneWorld Health received the $42.6 million grant from BMGF, and Amyris is a subgrantee of the Institute for OneWorld Health and a collaborator on the artemisinin project. The reason this distinction is important is that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does not make grants to private companies (like Amyris) and cannot be represented as doing so, as that creates confusion in the marketplace and within the global health community. The project to produce inexpensive antimalarial drugs is a collaboration among the Institute for OneWorld Health, Amyris Biotechnologies and the University of California, Berkeley, and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Deborah Schneider PR & Company San Francisco, Calif.
Corrections In “The Revolutionary,” we misspelled Boston’s Scollay Square. In “Knocking Yourself Up” (Nov. 5), we referred to the Fathers & Family Web site. The correct name is Fathers & Families. NEWSWEEK regrets the errors.
