Here Come the Joys of Summer

To the Editors:

"Here Comes Summer" [July 4] --excellent! Finally an interesting, in-depth article that does not discover a new American problem, ailment or cause to preach on. Nor does it present a view of America in trite, sugar-coated homilies--just reality, professionally spiced with some enjoyable, entertaining and individual perceptions.

Richard Panek El Granada, Calif.

Your cover story on summer describes theme parks as "fun and fantasy." We have lived in Southern California for twelve years and watched nearly everything encapsulate itself within a plastic bubble: not only giant "pop Xanadus" like Universal Studios, but also miniature golf courses, shopping centers and finally the American home. Vicarious living drives me up a tree, which, by the way, used to be a great source of fun and fantasy. So did tide-pools, hopscotch and lightning bugs.

Kathryn Brock San Diego

Swimsuits? One, two, three good strokes and you'd be out of the suit.

Priscilla Weismann Hanover, N.H.

I would not mind seeing a bit of skin to refresh my poor tired eyes from the heaviness of daily news. But I'd prefer to see some male skin, male string bikinis. How about some equal time?

Marilyn Tressel Washington, D.C.

Fiery Abortion Debate

Dollars-and-cents logic is irrelevant when discussing the willful termination of human life [July 4]. The taxpayer has spoken. I will no longer be an accomplice to murder. More money for contraception, not I e more for abortion.

Joann Crocker Buffalo

Justice Thurgood Marshall and others who advocate abortion rather than letting a child live in poverty should realize that it is better to have lived poor than never to have lived at all.

John J. Lydon West Chester, Pa.

Abortion can be made illegal, but this simply puts such operations into the hands of "get rich quick" butchers, instead of competent physicians.

Pam Stone Mabry Greenville, S.C.

The best-kept secret in the U.S. is that abortion is legal up to and including the ninth month of pregnancy. In 1973 the Supreme Court said that in the first three months states cannot interfere. In the second three months they may regulate, but not prohibit, abortions. In the last three months they may prohibit abortions in the interest of the baby's life. Some states, however, allow abortions through nine months.

Betty La Rosa

New Jersey Right to Life Committee Westfield, N.J.

Antiabortionists should put themselves on the line and sign up at Medicaid centers to raise, feed, clothe and educate the children they wish to "save." After all, if they care so much, they wouldn't want to see these children grow up in homes in the slums with too little food, or heat or education--not to mention love--would they?

Mary Schultz San Francisco

Women have been controlled by pregnancy for centuries. Who needs women's liberation? All women do!

Rose Sorna

National Organization for Women Miller Place, N. Y.

If the Government provided its citizens with alternative birth control methods (free of charge), there would be fewer abortions. Even the right-to-lifers would like that.

Beverly A. Aimaro Haver hill, Mass.

Reality and South Africa

Managing Editor Henry Grunwald certainly was correct in describing the pervasive fear among white South Africans [June 27] as well as "their . . . remoteness from the world and from reality." But TIME magazine, like many others, is reluctant to suggest just what should be done.

Might I suggest the following: 1) pay more attention to the unofficial but legitimate black leadership there that is drowned out by government propaganda; 2) urge U.S. multinational corporations to raise the wages of their black workers, hire and fire on merit, and institute training programs for middle-level and management positions; 3) cut the hypocrisy and try to merge our diplomatic and economic policies in South Africa. We can no longer "abhor" apartheid and wink at our companies' double-digit returns on investments there, which are the result of the ridiculously low wages paid the African worker.

Arthur Ashe Miami

Jimmy and Taxes

Re "The Tax Volunteer" [July 4]: Mr. Carter has every right to give the Government $6,000 if he so chooses, but he does not have the right to call the gift a tax payment if he owes no taxes.

D.E. Fielder Webster New York City

New Family Doctors

The article on new family doctors [July 4] was certainly misleading to the general public. There is no question that America needs more family doctors, especially in rural areas.

Unfortunately, many young family doctors who have had no more than six months of training in each specialty claim to be superspecialists in all fields. Their fees are seldom lower but usually higher than those of nonsurgical specialists.

Lawrence M. Ng, M.D. San Leandro, Calif.

I am thoroughly disgusted by our age of specialization and tired of being asked by a local medical clinic (full of specialists) to diagnose myself.

Hurrah for the family practitioners--God bless 'em and may they prosper!

Elizabeth Handy

Beloit, Wis.

There is a pressing need in this country for the kind of well-trained general practitioners that you describe. Those of us in the business of training people to be doctors have found them to be among the most idealistic and enthusiastic of trainees.

It therefore disturbs me to see their specialty and goals described in terms of economics or specialty competition. It is certainly not my impression that the family practitioners are purveyors of "discount medicine" and that they would attempt procedures and substitute therapy for which they are not trained.

We welcome their attitudes and applaud the kind of standards they have set for the profession.

Bob Lanier, M.D. San Antonio

Jesus as the Messiah

Yes, there is literally a war going on between Jews and missionary groups [July 4]. Although it has only recently hit the headlines, this phenomenon is nothing new; the Jewish people have been the focus of persistent attempts at conversion ever since the advent of Christianity.

The Jewish answer is to bring every Jew back home to his people.

Roy S. Neuberger North Woodmere, N. Y.

I was born into a Jewish home and accepted Jesus as my Messiah at the age of 22. Despite what other Jews might say, I am still a Jew. Becoming a Christian does not destroy your Jewish identity, it only fulfills it.

Joel Steinhauser Rio Rancho, N. Mex.

Why shouldn't young Jews, or older Jews for that matter, become Christians if they think this is the way to go? Why shouldn't the Establishment Protestants become Orthodox Jews if they want to? Freedom lives on a two-way street, and the last I heard we still had religious freedom in this country.

Catherine Damato Los Angeles

The enigma and paradox of the so-called Messianic Jews are that they have apparently rejected their own (and Jesus') Judaism, of which many seem to be quite ignorant, in favor of someone else's (Paul's) Christianity.

Ronald Rutzky Richton Park, Ill.

I was quoted in the article "Yeshua Is the Messiah" [July 4] as having said that young Jews who become Christians "are not looking for Jewish rap groups. They are looking for God."

To pit Jewish rap groups against looking for God is foolhardy for the obvious reason that it implies that God is not to be found inside the rap groups specifically because they are Jewish. This is not true.

What I did say, and continue to believe, is that many Jewish young people's spiritual needs are not met in a purely cultural interpretation of the Jewish religious tradition. In this sense, a Jewish rap group does not touch the religiously meaningful core required by today's young people.

Donald LaMagdeleine Mundelein, Ill.

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