Battered Dollar

To the Editors:

President Washington should not be pictured as battered [Nov. 13], but his admonition to us certainly has been. Remember his warning?

"Cherish public credit . . . use it as sparingly as possible . . . By vigorous exertion . . . discharge debts . . . not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden we ourselves ought to bear."

Robert P. O'Donnell, M.D. Las Vegas

I propose that we balance the budget now, and require balanced budgets by law.

Tom Fonte Fulton, Mo.

Who causes inflation? At the count of three, everybody look into the mirror.

John M. Weis Clearwater, Fla.

TIME'S picture of the President's "economic policy advisers" grasping baseball bats to "go to bat against inflation" certainly indicates the futility we all face in looking to Government to halt rising costs. Just what I need: bats, buttons and more rhetoric.

Frank Horcajo Glendale, Ore.

Erotic Football

The article "Football as Erotic Ritual" [Nov. 13] is really the pits. Sexual symbolism and ritual could be applied to most any activity if that's your hangup. Give the jocks and their fans a break. Forget the kinky gimmicks.

Frances Donovan Maplewood, N.J.

Perhaps in the future Anthropologist Alan Dundes could enlighten us on the homosexual rituals of golf, in which a long club is used to hit a ball into a hole. How about tennis, baseball, hockey, etc.? And as for erotic jargon, how about hole in one, love-30, squeeze play and high-sticking? Pretty racy, huh?

George Bashara Oklahoma City

Alan Dundes might also find needlepoint to be sexually symbolic. One pokes a needle into small holes and derives satisfaction. What nonsense!

M. Cyrene Wells Epsom, N.H.

The idea of football being a homosexual ritual is pretty wild. But then I think football is aggressive and violent, right? Well, war's aggressive and violent. And when you think about it, those missiles and cannons all have some pretty heavy sexual overtones about them. Can you imagine what would happen if we convinced the world that every time a war is fought, homosexuality runs rampant?

John Beers Elkhart, Ind.

Trojan Horse

As an Arab American, I would like to know why Middle East studies constitute a "Trojan horse" at Southern Cal [Nov. 13]. Nobody questions centers for Hebrew studies at our major universities, but it seems that any knowledge of Arab history or culture is "propaganda." It is in America's interest to explore both sides of the Middle East issue. Perhaps Americans are afraid of the truth?

Cynthia Norman Baltimore

Allen Ziegler's remark: "I wonder where they're going to put the mosque" is bigoted. A gentile would have been called an anti-Semite for making a similar remark about the establishment of a synagogue or any other Jewish institution.

The intellectual community of U.S.C. should protest the undue influence of those Jewish leaders who want to decide who gets heard in this country.

Orayb Najjar Terre Haute, Ind.

I believe the policy of using petrodollars to build Middle East centers in America's fine educational institutions is a policy that will backfire. American students will see through its petrodollars-bought propaganda. If the Arabs would like to donate money to universities, they should do it in the same fashion as "normal" corporations or individuals.

Art Beroff New York City

Abusing the Children

I commend you on your article "A Hot Line to Tragedy" [Nov. 6]. As a former child welfare worker, I found it gave a realistic look into the frequently unpleasant, sometimes dangerous parts of the job. I would only add that the start ing salary for child welfare workers is often less than $9,000 a year. Thus does so ciety define the job's worth.

Lola Geselowitz Durham, N.C.

The woman who so tragically abused the six-week-old baby should never have been allowed to have another child. I, for one, am for mandatory sterilization in such instances.

Pat Frye Pasadena, Md.

I have worked in protective services for over four years. An understanding of our effectiveness is best gained by an un derstanding of our clients. Only a small percentage of them are the psychotic or psychopathic types whose atrocities reach the media. The vast majority of abusing parents are quite unhappy with their be havior, and they often welcome legal intervention.

Mark J. Suprenand Littleton, Colo.

Child defenders can be you and me, along with the many programs that give aid to battered children and their families. If we see a child bruised once too often we should know it is time to call the authorities, not sit back and enjoy another article on this heartbreaking subject.

Rhonda Shapiro New York City

Dirty and Late

I had the pleasure of riding the Tazara Railway [Nov. 6] before the Chinese turned it over to Tanzania and Zambia. At that time, it was spotlessly clean, and we had to wait ten minutes outside of New Kapiri Mposhi because we were early.

Speaking with the Africans traveling en route, the standard comment was that when the Chinese leave the railway, it will become dirty, neglected and run late. This has apparently come true.

Judith A. Gill New York City

I liken your description of the rail trip from Zambia to Dar es Salaam to an Amtrak trip I took in 1975 from Boston to Florida. In place of the animals on the tracks, we had fires in the mechanisms under the old cars and unsafe railroad beds--otherwise not too different.

Isabel Kelley Cohasset, Mass.

As someone once said--hell is defined as second class on a Third World train.

Larry Sanford Ypsilanti, Mich.

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