New York's Koch

To the Editors:

The wit, the intensity and the spirit of Mayor Ed Koch [June 15] make an Easterner wish she were back East.

Carol Bastek Culver City, Calif.

In a city that has its faults, Mayor Ed Koch is not one of them.

James J. Lanctot Jr. Somerset, N.J.

I love that man! He will not be intimidated!

Genevieve M. Tyler Rockville Centre, N. Y.

New York City was never in a sorrier state. Increased crime, impossible subways, broken-down buses, messed-up schools, filthy streets. Are these the accomplishments of a great mayor? My answer to Ed Koch's "How'm I doin'?" is "Not good, buddy, not good."

Kay Hortis New York City

When I was a boy (circa 1925), I believed Jimmy Walker was the greatest! He was from Greenwich Village; he was fast with a one-liner; he was a "con" man and a lousy mayor of New York. Now we have a repeat: Ed Koch.

Peter A. Walsh New York City

Measuring Human Rights

Your article about my confirmation hearings, "Requiem for a 'Do-Gooder' " [June 15], touches briefly on the real issue, which was ideological. You then drop the subject and pick up the gossip. The point in question was President Carter's use of a rubber yardstick, which emphasized the human rights abuses by our friends more than the abuses by our adversaries.

President Reagan is determined to use one moral yardstick.

As I have said to the committee and the press:

"Torture, exile under brutal conditions, harsh emigration restrictions, disappearances and other abuses are reprehensible whether committed by friend, foe or neutral." I also said that human freedom and dignity today are most seriously violated by the Soviet Union.

Moscow not only oppresses its own citizens but also imposes its brutal system on other peoples, as in Eastern Europe. It exports that system by direct aggression, as in Afghanistan, by proxy Cuban forces, as in Africa, by subversion, as in Central America, and by terrorism, as in the Middle East.

The U.S. Government should use all appropriate means to defend and extend the frontiers of freedom everywhere. These include private persuasion, public condemnation and trade restrictions. In some cases we must provide economic or military aid to a besieged ally whose human rights record is not blameless. At the same time we should encourage that ally to correct its injustices. To withhold vital aid in the name of human rights and thereby help pave the way for a far more repressive regime would be a tragedy.

Ernest W. Lefever, President Ethics and Public Policy Center Washington, D.C.

Mighty Egos

Frank Trippett's Essay "On Leading the Cheers for No. 1" [June 8] helped somewhat to deflate our growing propensity for self-glorification. As has been said: "If you get someone else to blow your horn, the sound will carry twice as far."

John J. Saunders Franklin, Mich.

When there is a basis in reality for pride, one should be free to acknowledge it without being labeled sick or being made to think his ego has gone berserk.

Roger Rice Columbus

I hate to tell you this, but ever since World War II Americans have been noted for being the No. 1 braggarts.

Nona C. O'Neil St. John, N.B.

Frank Trippett points his Freudian finger at 15 world figures, ranging from Lee lacocca to John Lennon, and implies they could all self-destruct because of a "pathetic private weakness." Instead of self-destructing, they have made successful contributions to our world. Self-confidence helped them get to the top.

Martin Chapo New Boston, Mich.

Single Dads

As a single mother of three, I am pleased to see fathers recognize how difficult it is to raise a family alone [June 15]. Many married women with children who work in full-time jobs have essentially the same load as these men. That burden, carried without help or appreciation, may be why some women split.

Alice Abel Kemp Athens, Ga.

Your article "In California: Unswinging Singles" makes clear that few fathers participate in the joys and burdens of child rearing and homemaking until the mother is no longer on the scene. If wives and mothers think they are doing husbands a favor by taking on all these chores, they are making a mistake.

Nancy J. Bohn Bay City, Mich.

Abu Dhabi Nuptials

Re your recent article "Abu Dhabi I Do's" [May 11], I was in Abu Dhabi during the wedding celebration. Your reporter really has A Thousand and One Nights imagination: 20 camels laden with jewels, an entire town given to the bride as a present, a 20,000-seat amphitheater, 34 private jets? Surely Americans cannot be so gullible.

Khalid Kanoo Abu Dhabi

Some details of TIME'S story were based on erroneous information supplied by witnesses to the wedding. TIME apologizes for the exaggerations.

Lost Souls

Jewish Evangelist Esther Jungreis [June 15] is like a biblical prophet who inspires Jews to return to their heritage. I was an assimilated Jew. I had joined the Jews for Jesus and was on the verge of intermarriage. Jungreis personally guided me to discover the Jewish way of life so that I left the Jews for Jesus, canceled my planned intermarriage, and embraced the Jewish religion. She has kindled a passion for meaningful Jewish living in many dormant Jewish souls.

Danny Cohn New York City

Abuse or Discipline

The idea that parents accused of child neglect or abuse may not receive an attorney's assistance [June 15] is frightening. Such cases are frequently filed by well-intentioned but overeager social workers. One person's abuse can often be another's discipline. In many cases, the only things protecting parental rights are a zealous attorney and a judge's common sense. I'd hate to have to rely on only one of those protections.

Darrell W. Ringer Morgantown, W. Va.

Dogged Denton

God bless Senator Jeremiah Denton [June 8]. If I live to be 100, I will never forget the pride I felt when he stepped off that plane from Viet Nam and kissed the American soil. Oldfashioned? Maybe. But patriotism will never die so long as there are men like Senator Denton to pass on their deep convictions.

Patricia Berman Baltimore

I nominate Senator Denton's hare-brained scheme to appropriate $30 million for a program to promote teen-age chastity for Senator Proxmire's "Golden Fleece" award.

Martha L. Fox Madison, N.J.

Shifting Savings

Re your article "The Savings Revolution" [June 8], deregulation and homogenization of a financial institution sounds exciting and attractive until one asks, "Where will the residential mortgage money come from?" Is it really in the public interest to force a young family seeking their first home to bid for the funds against, say, Brazil, or a company that is acquiring another? More than 60% of U.S. families own their own homes, primarily because we have had an industry not permitted to make loans other than for residential mortgages. Should we turn our backs on this success purely for the sake of "deregulation"?

Anthony M. Frank Chairman and President Citizens Savings and Loan Association San Francisco

Your cover picture shows NOW accounts at 5.5% interest. The correct figure throughout the U.S. is 5.25%.

William V. Sayner Colonel, U.S.A.R. (ret.) LaGrange, Ill.

Learning Cuts

Citizens in Weston, Conn., argue over a school budget [June 8] that allows students to choose among 27 courses in foreign and ancient languages, while Chief Justice Warren Burger urges that prison inmates be taught to "read, write and do simple arithmetic."

The imbalance here is mind-boggling.

Rebecca Biggs San Francisco

As a member of a board of education, I am sure I would be tarred, feathered and run out of office if my school system spent $3,600 a pupil and SAT results were averaging only 450-480. Obviously Weston's course offerings are so extensive that students can conveniently avoid the three Rs.

James P. Hancock Ottawa Hills, Ohio

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