Connally Power

To the Editors:

The office of President and the responsibilities of the U.S. call for a man who understands power--how to use it and how to deal with others who wield it.

John Connally [Sept. 10] personifies power better than any other candidate of either party.

Dwight Eckerman New York City

Didn't the U.S. get a bellyful of Texas political wheeler-dealers during the presidential term of Connally's late buddy, Lyndon Baines Johnson?

Art de Desrochers Monitor, Wash.

Dynamism may beget polarity, but the lack of leadership begets a malaise among the electorate. With leadership becoming as important an issue as the economy and foreign affairs, Connally has an almost unfair advantage in the upcoming presidential campaign.

Robert T. Sullins III Bryan, Texas

Big John Connally's white horse is a black bull. His millions won't buy us Americans. We are not for sale.

Morris Alexander Chicago

Just as in the darkest days of 1932 when fate gave America its great leader F.D.R., we now have a second opportunity to elect the one man who can bring our country back from the depths of despair. It will be a tragedy if the Republicans fail to nominate--and the electorate fails to elect--John B. Connally as our next President.

Carl Kugel Bloomington, Ill.

Ex-Democrats like Connally or Ronald Reagan do not deserve the Republican nomination. Both of them are basically actors who can "act" the part of President, but they are lacking in the psychological depth needed to make the important national and international decisions in the atomic age.

J. Steen Jacobsen Largo, Fla.

When John Connally says that he would not let himself be exploited by Big Business, I believe him. He does not say, however, that he wouldn't let the rest of us be exploited.

L. Wayne Kittinger Auberry, Calif.

Carter's Bunny

If President Carter thinks the banzai bunny that he had to fend off with a paddle [Sept. 10] was "just a nice, typical Georgia rabbit," wait until he sees the nice banzai American public when the presidential election comes up in 1980.

George Damman Normal, Ill.

I believe the fighting rabbit made much of in the media should be nominated for President. For one thing, he knew where he was going and what he was going to do when he got there. It all makes as much sense to me as anything else these days.

Margaret O. Slicer West Chatham, Mass.

Much has been made of the story of the President and the "killer" rabbit--the aggressive, hissing rabbit, nostrils flared, swimming toward and appearing to be attacking the President's canoe.

I wonder if, in fact, it might not have been one of the more aggressive members of the Washington press corps disguised as a rabbit--sort of a wolf in rabbit's clothing.

Ann H. Hadfield Perkasie, Pa.

Mountbatten's Murder

The dastardly murder of Lord Mountbatten [Sept. 10] and his 15-year-old grandson has shocked the civilized world. The act only serves to set back any real solution to Ireland's problems.

Stewart J. McClenahan Hazel Crest, Ill.

Assassination by political terrorists is a reprehensible, morally unjustifiable act. But it is perhaps because of centuries of barbarous oppression and injustice under British rule that some Irish have yet to learn the laws of civilized warfare.

Norma McCormack Rockville, Md.

Child with No Choice

Your article on the International Labor Organization child slavery report [Sept. 10] was a real eye opener. I felt it unfair when I was asked to look for a job at age 15, yet I wonder what my reaction would have been as a five-year-old without any choice.

Lisa Montgomery Mequon, Wis.

In many underdeveloped countries, child labor is not looked upon as something unnatural or illegal. After spending a year in Bogota, Colombia, I grew accustomed to seeing young children, ages five to 15, roaming the streets, begging and stealing. A working child is seen as a step up from a young thief in a country that lacks the extensive welfare system we have here.

Howard Ehrenfeld Gainesville, Fla.

Antibiotics for Animals

The statement [Sept. 10] that the practice of feeding antibiotics to animals has received "largely uncritical acceptance" for a quarter-century is not quite correct. The procedure has been repeatedly challenged, as it should be. Numerous scientific articles on resistant intestinal bacteria in animals fed antibiotics have appeared, starting in the early 1950s. The puzzle is why the practice continues to be effective in farm animals when theories about resistance would have predicted the contrary.

Thomas H. Jukes, Professor

Medical Physics, University of California

Berkeley, Calif.

Shock for the Church in China

Your article on the church in China [Sept. 10] inadvertently asked an interesting question. Will Pope John Paul II, if he is successful in re-establishing relations with Communist China, allow Roman Catholics there to keep the church as it was before the Second Vatican Council, or will they have to abandon their traditions and endure the shock of all the changes that have occurred in the church over the past 20 years?

Don Nelson Dallas

Based on my impressions after living in China for seven weeks this summer, I am convinced that the typical attitude of the Chinese toward religion is not a receptive one. The words religion and superstition are used synonymously. Those who worship openly are all but laughed at by the younger people. Perhaps China's religious policies will change more easily than its people's beliefs.

Robert W. Bates Sewickley, Pa.

Vietnamese in the U.S.

Revolting and nauseating are the actions against the Vietnamese refugees [Sept. 10]. Why persecute those willing to work long hours and do without so-called necessities in order to get off welfare quickly and not be dependent? Would that many of our citizens were as courageous and independent.

(Mrs.) Edith Lang Blake Detroit

Another reason for not voting for Carter is his pious use of the U.S. Navy to locate boat people in the China Sea. In a recession, Americans don't need "coolie labor" to take away jobs and decent labor practices that made America great.

Richard Bergere Flushing, N. Y.

Digging Up Decadence

Cheers for Lance Morrow's Essay on decadence [Sept. 10]. It's about time someone dug decadence out of the slime and put it in our laps.

Jeff Duke Holyoke, Conn.

When a nation parodies its laws, derides its ethics, makes a mockery of its economy and voluntarily abdicates its power, that is called decadence.

Henri Rene Pacific Grove, Calif.

I think the word decadence is an excuse used by the self-righteous to impose their morality on other people.

David Rubin New York City

Slickers in Boots

I was surprised at your article reporting how city slickers are taking up wearing boots [Sept. 3] with their high-class suits and outfits. It was hard to believe that something they used to disparage would turn out to be one of the new fashions for fall.

Stacey Day Madrid, Neb.

Cuban Complex

The Sept. 17 issue of TIME carries a photo of an alleged "Soviet-built intelligence station in Cuba." Quite the contrary, the photo is of an American-built telecommunications center that has been in Cuba, operated by an affiliate of ITT, since the late 1950s.

Ramon Sanchez-Parodi, Head

Cuban Interests Section

Embassy of Czechoslovakia

Washington, D.C.

Ramon Sanchez-Parodi is correct. TIME 's photograph was not of the Soviet-built intelligence-gathering communications equipment in Cuba. High-level sources erred in identifying the photo for TIME.

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