ONWARD CYBER SOLDIERS

"If war is fought on computers, how long before the military says there is an information gap? Dr. Strangelove is going online." MIKE MCCORMICK Sunland, California YOUR ARTICLE ON CYBERWAR WAS FASCINATING [COVER, Aug. 21]. Much of it may have sounded like sci-fi to the average Joe or Jane, but the concept that someone can reach out and touch you personally through information warfare and alter your life by manipulating bank accounts, credit cards and other records is much more concrete and frightening than war games involving Iranian hackers. RICHARD R. TAMESIS Omaha, Nebraska Via America Online

RE THE ETHICAL DILEMMA POSED BY REBOOTING a target country's banking system: If I had a choice between electronically wiping out a retiree's life savings through infowar and taking his grandchild's life on the battlefield, I would opt for the electronic Black Friday. GLENN A. TOLLE Fort Hood, Texas AOL: G Tolle

THE STORY ON CYBER WARFARE WOULD make a Hollywood box-office smash. RICHARD J. NOBLE Mississauga, Ontario

THE U.S.'S MOST DANGEROUS ADVERSARY in a potential cyberwar isn't the Iranians, Iraqis, Russians or even the Japanese. It is Americans. The emerging cyberpunk culture has already demonstrated the capability to disrupt our lives and make headlines via electronics. If a computer virus turns out to be the cheapest, easiest and most efficient weapon for terrorists, they will use one. The end result could be equivalent to a terrorist nuclear weapon. The scary thing is that all the tools needed are in place today. JAY THOMAS Princeton, New Jersey Via E-mail

HACKERS ARE THE KEY TO THE INFOWAR. If the government doesn't use them, they'll just intrude into sensitive areas even more. But if the government does take advantage of hackers' expertise, it will save on operating costs, training expenses and even computer budgets. The 21st century definitely will see the Rise of the Hackers. SHAHEEN GANDHI Bridgewater, New Jersey AOL: Sha5

CYBERWAR? DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Whenever it arrives, America can win hands down. By that time, our three- and four-year-olds, who now play video war games, will be ready. They'll never even know why they're so good at violence, anger and computer warfare. But this aptitude is even now being embedded in their unconscious. And you can forget about all that intelligence stuff and fancy combat gear like that you showed. It's already obsolete. These kids surely are not going to get dirty just to fight a war. James Cooper Shaker Heights, Ohio

THE RAND CORP. WAR-GAME SCENARIO was a bit sensational. Who would believe that militant Islamists have the technological wisdom, manpower or money actually to launch a full-fledged information war against the U.S.? Ridiculous! Could a Third World nation procure a formidable, modern cyber-warfare capability virtually off-the-shelf? I don't think so. It is possible, however, for a Third World nation to engage in terrorist activities focused on the private sector of the U.S. America is technologically ahead of every Third World country by perhaps 80 years. Terrorist activities nowadays usually revolve around fuel oil and fertilizer, not highly advanced "computer worms" or "logic bombs." ANDY LEMKE Troy, New York Via E-mail

TOP BRASS GETTING PAID TO PLAY A COMPUTER war game? Where do I sign up? DALE C. DALTON Sunnyvale, California

YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE SENT THE complete plans of how to destroy the U.S. to all the nations of the world. If Americans can do these things, you can be sure foreign governments can too. You gave a guide to terrorist organizations and the many computer hackers. The latter will probably disrupt things in the U.S. just to see if they can, since our intelligence community is a farce. HARRY N. HASKELL Orchard Park, New York

JERRY GARCIA'S TRIP ENDS

THANKS FOR YOUR ARTICLE ON THE DEATH of the Grateful Dead's lead guitarist, Jerry Garcia [SHOW BUSINESS, Aug. 21]. His music--from the very beginning to the very end--was always rooted in folk, blue grass, rhythm and blues and a touch of country-and-western. I would not describe the music Jerry and his group made as "anthems to the Hippie Nation." Their song lyrics consistently addressed universal human themes. Jerry and the Grateful Dead deserve recognition for this quality of their music. DON SCHWARTZ Mill Valley, California AOL: TragerD

JIMI HENDRIX, KURT COBAIN, JERRY GARCIA--how many must die before we wake up? When will artists, writers and ordinary citizens finally liberate themselves from the idea that drugs are glamorous? How can we stand by idly while these toxins steal our best and brightest? The greatest substance of all is found in natural love, joy and ecstasy. MARK JAMES CHRISTIAN Los Angeles

IN TERMS OF MUSICAL INNOVATION AND proficiency, Garcia, like the rest of the Grateful Dead, was generally unremarkable. A Grateful Dead concert was more a counter cultural happening, centered on altered consciousness (and drugs), than a musical event. Deadheads are aptly named. Garcia may have represented a social revolution, but in terms of musical history, he is forgettable. To mention him in the same breath as Hendrix and John Lennon reflects sentimentality more than valid appraisal of his musical talent. GEORGE SPECKART Reno, Nevada Via America Online

GINGRICH ON ARTS FUNDING

THE RESPONSE BY NEWT GINGRICH [ESSAY, Aug. 21] rebutting Robert Hughes' plea for federal financial support for the arts was absolutely outstanding! It was refreshing to read a cultural dissertation on the subject of culture by a man of culture. Gingrich displayed more intelligence, integrity and honesty in two pages than Hughes could in eight. The Speaker brilliantly expressed what mainstream Americans believe and support. NORMAN E. SCHMIDT East Falmouth, Massachusetts AOL: NESchmidt

I THINK IF RUSH LIMBAUGH'S SHOW WERE on the Public Broadcasting System, or if only artists painting biblical scenes were funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, then Gingrich would say cutting funds for these programs would be an attack on American family values. If we the voting public believe cultural activities are important for our social well-being, then rather than establish huge agencies to fund events for the rich, we should scrap government programs and give "entertainment vouchers" to the poor to spend. JOSEPH C. STEWART Coppell, Texas

I THANK COMRADE GINGRICH FOR SHOWING me the true path. I will abandon my elitist artistic efforts in favor of sharing a vision with the enlightened proletariat. Ah, I must stop writing now and take my latest painting of a large-eyed girl on a porcelain plate out of the kiln. DAVID KAPPY Seattle

I FOUND GINGRICH'S RESPONSE TO BE thoughtful and provocative. As a society, we can no longer afford to give the arts a blank check while all other areas of spending undergo intense scrutiny. ROBERT W. WILSON Lakeville, Minnesota

WE ARE WITNESSING MORE THAN A DEVALUING of the arts and humanities in America. The very fabric of our lives is being revised by the glib tactics of those men who beat their chests the loudest and carry the biggest club. It may be time to call a caveman a caveman. DIANE PETTUS, Curator of Education City Gallery of Contemporary Art Raleigh, North Carolina

I DO NOT WANT THE GOVERNMENT GIVING my tax money to the NEA's choice of artists. Let the American people make their own choice of gifts, and keep the feds out of it. We are trying to shrink the government, and this can be done only by stopping unnecessary government involvement in our lives. ANNE YOUNG Atlanta

THE SPEAKER'S SECRET PAST

THE ACCUMULATED SINS OF NEWT GINGRICH and his troubled family life as revealed by Vanity Fair and discussed by Margaret Carlson [THE PUBLIC EYE, Aug. 21] disqualify him as an advocate of family values. But history has expiated other admitted sexual sinners. Carlson's critical view of the wholesomeness of the not-so-distant past blinds her to the rapid deterioration of our culture since the war. As a liberal, she does not realize that the hegemony of the welfare state is weakening the moral structure of the family. Despite his sins, Gingrich should be congratulated for his stand against expanding socialism, which has fathered the evils of fascism and the welfare state. HARRY LEE SMITH Sun City Center, Florida

CHASE MANHATTAN REPLIES

YOUR STORY ON COLOMBIA'S PRESIDENT Ernesto Samper Pizano and financing for his election campaign [COLOMBIA, Aug. 14] noted that U.S. agents had "found two Chase Manhattan Bank accounts in New York that appeared to be linked to Samper's inner circle." Chase is dismayed that TIME would print this inaccurate story without attempting to contact us. The fact is that a thorough investigation on our part revealed no evidence of any such accounts at Chase. Moreover, the Drug Enforcement Administration, which has been investigating this matter, has told us that it has found no such evidence. As a matter of strict policy, we take extensive precautions to guard against the use of Chase accounts for illegal activities. We find it unfortunate we were not given the opportunity to respond to these charges prior to publication. A. WRIGHT ELLIOTT Executive Vice President Chase Manhattan Bank New York City

Government sources confirm that Chase accounts were examined and that the overall investigation of drug-cartel contributions to Samper's political campaign is ongoing.

A CHANGE OF HEART ON ABORTION

I AM VERY PROUD OF THE DECISION of Norma McCorvey, the former Jane Roe of the famous Roe v. Wade court decision, to support life and turn from the destructive path of the pro-choice movement [SOCIETY, Aug. 21]. One fundamental aspect of being pro-life is the belief that life begins at conception and that the fetus at any point is a living person deserving of all the rights of any living individual. When McCorvey stood up and proclaimed she is now pro-life, I cheered, but I was greatly saddened when she said she still believes first-trimester abortions are a valid option for the mother. Operation Rescue is a wonderful organization, but it should not compromise its convictions by employing a person who doesn't share its fundamental belief that all life, even during the first trimester, is worth saving. PETER KUHNS The Plains, Virginia

THE SINCERITY OF MCCORVEY'S SUDDEN, stunning decision should be questioned. As a staunch advocate of the right to life but one who understands the unwavering passions of both sides of the issue, I find it hard to conceive of a person who has dedicated more than 25 years to a cause renouncing all her principles and efforts. In her 1994 book, I Am Roe, McCorvey revealed her battles with drugs, alcohol and spousal abuse. With all due sympathy, we must acknowledge that she has not exactly led a stable or sober life, and this leads us to consider her credibility. Although I would love to embrace the conversion of a pro-choice activist, the bizarre personal events and rationale surrounding McCorvey's decision look strange to me. FRANK J. RYAN JR. Yonkers, New York

TARGETING UNDERAGE SMOKERS

NO MATTER HOW MANY DIFFERENT LABELS and warnings are put on a pack of cigarettes and despite the new campaign launched by President Clinton [BEHAVIOR, Aug. 21], there are still going to be underage smokers. Until someone finds a way to keep cigarettes and other tobacco products out of the hands of America's children, we will every day continue to see a staggering number of teenagers who begin to smoke. JENNA ZENT, age 13 Leo, Indiana

I'M ALMOST 15, AND NONE OF MY friends get their cigarettes out of vending machines. They have older brothers or parents buy them. Out where I live, you can buy a pack of cigarettes as easily as a pack of chewing gum. And if Clinton does succeed in preventing teens from smoking, we will just move on to bigger and better things. In fact, many already have. Clinton's got more to worry about than teenage smoking. TERESA DAVIS Dacula, Georgia

THE PHOTO OF THE NEANDERTHAL-like teenager blowing smoke rings, which accompanied the story "Out of the Mouths of Babes," should be reproduced on billboards across the country. It would show would-be teenage smokers what they really look like. LEONARD A. BERG Van Nuys, California