Falklands War

To the Editors: The British should be admired for their pluck. At great cost, they are doing the world a service. In the future, ambitious military dictators will think twice before invading [May 31].

Lealand Bell Paducah, Ky.

The British may win the war, but considering the patriotic fervor of the Argentines, the Falklands will always be a pain for Britain. Don't cry for Argentina. In the long run, this war may signal the emergence of these proud people.

Narciso M. Tantingco San Francisco

You mentioned "the failure of diplomacy" to resolve the Falklands dispute. Yet you did not note the possibility of an economic solution, which would have been cheaper. If every family in the islands had been given a million dollars to relocate, it would have saved men, ships, planes--and face--for everyone. Big Business is able to battle this way without bloodshed; why couldn't nations be equally civilized?

Ralph A. Lewin La Jolla, Calif.

Neither side can claim moral righteousness; both merit a resounding boo. For Britain to consider the islanders' views in determining sovereignty is like asking white ranchers to resolve Indian land claims with the U.S. Government. And for Argentina to occupy the islands, which are more than 400 miles from the mainland, is diplomatic insanity.

Robert E. Vadas Idaho Springs, Colo.

I object to the letter from Filippo Bosco in which he implies that a number of national groups in the U.S. do not support the British. As a black from Jamaica, I had considerable contact with the British in my early days. I thank them for a better education than I would have received in this country. They were fair, decent and just.

Gerald J. Sykes Detroit

If the Falklands suggest anything, it is that people do not improve. Only weapons improve.

Thomas Smith San Diego

Spielberg's Creations

We are blessed that Steven Spielberg [May 31] has the means to share his incredible imagination with us. He has done much to stimulate thoughts of adventure, love and wonder in many who have forgotten these aspects of living.

Thomas M. Loushine Lawrence, Kans.

It is a relief to know that the art of film making still exists in the creative mind of Steven Spielberg. He has raised himself above the industry's inflated egos and bloated budgets to show that there's some glitter left in Hollywood.

Lisa G. Shillingburg Oklahoma City

The next time I dissuade my three-year-old from some artistic endeavor because it's messy, I'm going to think of Leah Spielberg making cherries jubilee in a pressure cooker for Steven so he could film the explosion.

Delight D. Hifferen Portland, Me.

Spare us any more attempts to find seriousness in the fantasies of Steven Spielberg. His influence on American movies has been disastrous and has unfortunately convinced industry executives that only films using gadgetry and cheap shocks will be successful.

Philip Berroll Los Angeles

TIME has made E.T. and me very happy. However, a comment slipped in that is unfair to Tobe Hooper, the director of Poltergeist. I am quoted as indicating that I took over the project. While I was creatively involved in the entire production, Tobe Hooper alone was the director.

Steven Spielberg Los Angeles

Life in the Red

"The American Way of Debt" [May 31] would be amusing if not so tragic. It is stupefying that educated young people making $40,000 a year can wind up in a financial mess. Despite their college degrees, they have no values, no priorities, no common sense.

Henry Goldstein Vineland, N.J.

Your article was dynamite! But did you ask any of these seemingly affluent people what is the largest single item in their annual budget? I'll bet they pay the IRS enough to make their housing, food and amusement expenditures look puny.

Mrs. James F. Crane San Antonio

At 1 a.m., after reading your story on debt, I got out of bed, paid the local town taxes (two days before 4% late interest was due), settled the Visa statement and even wrote a check to Sears. You scared me. I'm grateful.

Nancy J. Ericson Wappingers Falls, N. Y.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act does allow debtors who are subject to undue harassment to sue and recover punitive damages up to $1,000. But the act applies only to professional debt collectors who are settling someone else's bill. It does not regulate the conduct of creditors who are collecting their own debt.

Douglas J. Whaley, Professor of Law Ohio State University Columbus

You fail to come down hard on companies and retailers that make credit too readily available. Many businesses neglect to check the payment histories of people seeking charge privileges or fail to set reasonable credit limits. While each person has to accept responsibility for the way in which he handles his bills, the companies are also partly to blame for the way in which they issue credit.

Douglas E. Anders Midland, Mich.

You refer to the "traditional rudeness of the collector." That phrase should be changed to the "rudeness of the debtor," who takes advantage of new remedies to avoid or stall payment.

Mildred Miller Westport, Conn.

Pity the Plagiarist

Gabrielle Napolitano could easily have avoided the lifetime label of plagiarist by choosing not to plagiarize [May 31]. The thief who is found with another person's possessions cannot claim, as Napolitano did, that a "technical error" was committed.

Napolitano has been caught with someone else's words. Because the stolen items in her case are less material than a stereo system or silverware, are they less the rightful property of their author?

Michele Margetts New Haven, Conn.

Supporting Gabrielle Napolitano would erode academic principles. Other students under equal stress complete assignments without adopting other people's words as their own. If plagiarism is only a technical error, why should students discipline themselves to complete a term paper?

Tammy Lynn Gray Wyomissing, Pa.

Double-Edged Words

As a teacher of semantics, I was pleased to read your Essay "Watching Out for Loaded Words" [May 24]. My students approach the study of the power of words as though they are rediscovering a world they thought they knew. As children they learned that sticks and stones would break their bones but words would never hurt them. In my class they learn otherwise.

Vicki Hamer University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colo

Contrary to those people who decry the additional connotative meaning of words, I see the "loaded" quality in words as one of the great beauties of language. These rich subtleties are what make language a highly descriptive and meaningful tool of communication.

James D. Cross Woodberry Forest, Va.

Speed at Any Price

I laud the determination auto racers display at the Indy 500 [May 31]. I am a spectator who does not get pleasure from watching fiery wrecks or drivers die. It's the love of speed, the exhilaration, the sound and smell of the track that attract racing worshipers.

Kerry J. Stehlik Milwaukee

Auto racing is like downhill skiing. The competitor must combat his surroundings. When the racer strays past his limits, nature reacts and a tragedy often occurs. The spectators who observe these sports are thrill seekers and prefer to see nonviolent events. However, the violence in hockey, football and boxing is the result of man against man. The fans loudly cheer the contestants on. When injury results here, it is inexcusable.

Christopher M. Goodman Cambridge, Mass.

Tom Callahan's description of auto-racing "ghouls" illustrates the American fascination with violence. But printing action photos of Gordon Smiley being killed and lying dead on the pavement caters to the sickness that your article condemns.

John D. Huber III Marion, Iowa

Author's Collectibles

Having just dumped all my old galleys to make room for a word-processing system, J.D. Reed's report on their possible value [April 26] caused me acute distress ... and provoked thoughts about the electronic future.

When, 18 years ago, I was writing 2001: A Space Odyssey, the original artifact was a messy manuscript, which had at least been touched by human hand. What's the going rate in the rare-book trade for Odyssey II--a 5-in. diskette (single side, soft sector, single density, reinforced hole ...)? Until I know, I won't press the erase button.

Arthur C. Clarke Colombo, Sri Lanka

Praise for A-10

The critical comments on the A-10 Thunderbolt II [May 24] shocked me. The mission assigned this plane is one of the toughest and most dangerous in the history of air warfare. The A-10s will fly at treetop levels, where faster aircraft like the F-16 lack the turning ability to avoid hills, trees and other obstructions. At this low altitude, the A-10 must be able to withstand small arms and other antiaircraft fire while destroying targets quickly. Its survivability is second to none.

A/ C Scott R. Wilson George AFB, Calif.

Many of us in the infantry feel the A-10 is our most important defensive weapon against Soviet armor. Naturally, the Tactical Air Command is not as excited about ground-support aircraft as we in the infantry.

Bernard G. Ehrlich Colonel, U.S.A. Bedford Village, N. Y.

As a technician who has worked on an A10, I can vouch for its fine qualities and ease of maintenance. Every pilot I have talked to has been thrilled with the way the aircraft handles. We don't have enough of these planes.

Richard S. Martin Cerritos, Calif.

Sex and Overtime

Like Sociologist Francois de Singly, who has studied how marriage affects careers [May 31], I have observed that a large percentage of married men and single women tend to work overtime. Instead of attributing this behavior to a desire for career advancement, I have concluded that some married men would rather stay in the office than face whatever domestic problems may exist at home. Many single women, on the other hand, dread going home to an empty apartment to spend the evening feeding the cat.

Rosalind H. Wolfe Burbank, Calif.

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