LETTERS

THE VIEW FROM HIGHWAY 50

The reports filed by TIME journalists on their bus trip across the country were great [BACKBONE OF AMERICA, July 7]. I got a fresh glimpse of the U.S. Their stories of how other people live were a welcome change from the daily news. JONAS WEISS Rye Brook, N.Y.

Years ago, as the associate editor of a now defunct magazine, I was sent west from Washington by my editor with instructions to stop every hundred miles at the nearest small town and see what there was of interest. En route my Studebaker Starlight coupe got bogged down in the muddy road and had to be rescued by a tow truck. One stop was Grafton, W.Va., pointed out on your map as the "Birthplace of Mother's Day in 1908." I thought I would find a vase of red carnations on the altar of the Methodist Church where the day was first celebrated. Instead, there was a tired poinsettia left over from Christmas.

Throughout my journey, I met interesting folks, including Tom Mix's mother-in-law, a former circus performer who showed me how to walk a tightrope and two old-maid sisters who lived in an unpainted house and produced elegant wallpaper designs. More than 40 years ago, after a boyhood spent in a small Kansas town, I took this trip, and I was not surprised to find that America had a warm heart and lots of common sense. It is still true today, and your Highway 50 caravan proves it. CLYDE HOSTETTER San Luis Obispo, Calif.

It was refreshing for us folks in fly-over country to be seen in a deeper perspective. We actually are the backbone of America. East Coast intellectuals, West Coast moralists, self-promoting Beltway politicians and media liberals usually see us only as a source of funding for social programs. However, whether it's taking up arms to defend our nation, starting businesses that provide employment and expansion, or inventing things that make our lives better, in the main it is we along the backbone who do it. LARRY M. HEWIN Williamsburg, Va.

Reading the shopworn stereotypes and outlandish characterizations of central Nevada in Walter Kirn's piece "Conspiracy, U.S.A." made me suspect the authenticity of the reporting on the other places. Do brothels and junk stores offer an accurate window into Nevada's towns? Or perhaps you were just looking for something colorful from the Wild West. At best, the Nevada story was condescending. It is a good example of how presuppositions can control perceptions. ED IVERSON Fallon, Nev.

I'm sure many residents of every community you wrote about may disagree with parts of what you printed, but most would agree that with the limited time you had, you turned in a stellar performance. I extend a special "Attaboy!" to Kirn. His article on Nevada was both provocative and immensely enjoyable. BRIAN MOON Elko, Nev.

You found that the heart of America does not lie on either coast. After decades in the East, we moved to the Southwest 3 1/2 years ago. We're not merely living in Texas, we're really living. The values and standards set by the Bible Belt and the Rodeo Belt show us that the Beltway is a profanity. And even when this living delight ends, my ashes are not going back East! DICK GRAY New Braunfels, Texas

Your article on the movement to control development in Colorado referred to the "flamboyant ex-hippies and ski bums of Crested Butte." With a resident population of 1,450, we may well have our share of these types, but in the interest of journalistic balance, it must also be reported that we have more than our fair share of fine families, college graduates, astute businesspeople and nature lovers, not to mention theater and the arts, pristine mountains, wildlife and wildflowers, and premier restaurants and shops. Our skiing ranks among the best in the world. Our summers are a foretaste of paradise. As a former urban denizen, I count myself blessed to be spending my twilight years here in Shangri-La. JOSEPH E. MACHUREK Crested Butte, Colo.

BE HUMANE TO HUMANS

The Supreme Court decision banning assisted suicide saddened me [NATION, July 7]. Fear of abuse of the practice has defeated the ability of individuals to choose the time, place and method of their death. It is inconsistent for a country whose most revered value is the autonomy of the individual to deny its citizens the right to the ultimate autonomy: making all decisions regarding the way they die.

We call euthanizing our pets humane, yet because of the court's ruling, we can't be humane to humans even when a person is pleading for release from unbelievable suffering. Safeguards must be put in place to prevent abuse, and Congress must establish the right to die for all who choose to exercise it. RANDY KEMNER Long Beach, Calif.

I'm not contemplating enlisting the help of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, but I feel sympathy for the plight of terminally ill patients. I believe in freedom of choice for individuals, including those who wish to end their chronic suffering. What these people want is death with dignity. They seek a willing, understanding partner, be it Dr. Kevorkian or another like him, to give them moral support when, after all else has failed, they end their suffering. I salute all the doctors brave enough to challenge the law in order to assist those who seek their help. HERMINIA GASKIN New York City

EFFECTS OF RADIATION EXPOSURE

Your article on the medical effects of atom-bomb fallout [SCIENCE, June 23] stated that "the 120,000 people who survived Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not being cut down in large numbers by cancer and other radiation diseases. In fact, by some measures they seem to be outliving contemporaries who were not exposed." This statement incorrectly implies that radiation exposure has increased the life-span of atom-bomb survivors. The survey referred to is the U.S.-Japan Radiation Effects Research Foundation study. It includes 93,000 survivors who were in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the time of the bombings and 27,000 people who were not there. Approximately 50,000 survivors in the study received appreciable radiation exposure. About 22,000 of these survivors died between 1950 and 1990. On average, these 22,000 deaths occurred five months earlier than deaths among other members of the study population.

Our studies demonstrate that radiation-associated excess risk from cancer or other diseases persists for at least 50 years, and strongly suggest that this elevated risk continues throughout life. Our data do not show that atom-bomb survivors are living longer than comparable, unexposed groups. DALE PRESTON, Chief, Statistics Kiyohiko Mabuchi, Chief, Epidemiology Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima

You noted that the U.S. government is in the process of setting rules for dealing with nuclear waste. However, it is irresponsible to imply that the government could save billions of dollars by setting a low threshold for what is safe radiation exposure. Current federal radiation regulations are hardly oppressive. Many organic chemicals are more strictly controlled. A more fitting conclusion to your story would have been to note that where the line is drawn between safe and unsafe radiation exposure could cost or save lives. ARLIE SCHARDT, Executive Director Environmental Media Services Washington

MARRIAGE LOUISIANA-STYLE

I was glad to read that a covenant marriage, more difficult to dissolve than the traditional one, is being offered by Louisiana [WASHINGTON DIARY, July 7]. In this age of throwaway everything, even marriages have become disposable. Lenient attitudes toward divorce contribute to a devaluation of marriage. It is no longer the sacred union it was in the past. I agree that one important way to avoid a divorce is to prevent a bad marriage from taking place. I like the idea of counseling before a license is issued. If couples truly believe they will be married "till death do us part," they may be more careful about making a commitment. And once married, in a situation where it is not as easy to bail out, more couples would try to work through their problems. Way to go, Louisiana! Pave the way for the other 49 states to follow. DEIDRA MCCARTY Pearl, Miss.

Making a divorce harder to get will almost certainly decrease the chances that a marriage will go bad. People who enter a covenant marriage will feel more secure and be more inclined to make the commitments, sacrifices and investments necessary for marital success. However, the restrictions on divorce will make life more difficult for those whose marriage goes sour. Will the beneficial consequences outweigh the detrimental ones? I don't know, and neither does anyone else. NORVAL D. GLENN Austin, Texas

MEMORIES OF MARTHA DUFFY

I was sorry to read of the death of writer-editor Martha Murphy Duffy [TO OUR READERS, June 30]. Every week for years, the first thing I did when TIME came in the mail was to look at what Martha had to say. We went through the Cambridge, Mass., public school system together. Martha was the most interesting and intelligent person in our class of 1953. She was the high school valedictorian. We were very proud of her! I am going to miss you, Martha. DOROTHY GRIMES HARRIGAN Medford, Mass.

THE UNSINKABLE SATORI

Your review of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm [BOOKS, June 23] recounted a dramatic sea story but was incorrect in some facts. I am the owner and captain of the sailing vessel Satori, which your reviewer said sank in the fierce 1991 storm off the East Coast. In fact, before evacuating the vessel, I lashed the helm, sheeted in the storm jib and checked the compass. Seven days after my crew and I were rescued, I had Satori pulled off the beach in Maryland. Her bilges were dry, and there was no structural damage. Since then, I've sailed her 6,000 miles. RAYMOND LEONARD Pittsford, Vt.

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?

The headline on your story on independent counsel Kenneth Starr asked, "Has Starr Gone Too Far?" [NATION, July 7]. It should have asked, "Have the Clintons Gone Too Far?" It is because of innumerable delays, subpoenas, stonewalling and an appeal to the Supreme Court that this investigation has gone on and on. Starr is doing a great job. Just leave him alone! JESSIE G. DEMASSA Huntington Beach, Calif.

Yes, Starr has gone too far! He has progressed from a fishing expedition to personal attacks--a vendetta. Millions and millions of dollars have been spent in this pursuit. Inhabitants of Arkansas have been subjected to inappropriate questions. Federal tax money has been spent by Starr that could have been used for worthy nonpartisan causes. MADELINE GRAINGER San Antonio, Texas

NOT HOLLYWOOD TRASH

Richard Corliss's piece "Sex! Violence! Trash!" on so-called exploitation movies of the past belongs in the third category because of its lack of focus and misinformation [CINEMA, July 7]. Corliss branded my father, Edgar G. Ulmer, "the vagabond king of grade-Z films." My father's films did not purvey either sex or violence; perhaps their budgets were sometimes trashy, though only by necessity. None of his films were exploitive in the sense used in the article, but all were exploitable--read marketable--by virtue of my father's creativity as a director. His movie Detour (1946) was selected in 1992 to be included in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. My father directed more than 50 features during his career. His work will be honored in August, when 25 of his films will be shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. ARIANNE ULMER CIPES Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Corliss implies grind-house films are all the rage today simply because they are ridiculous. Like they're cool because they're so awful. I don't think so. We do not love exploitation films because we want to relive a past decade of innocence. Exploitation filmmakers have proved that creative, classic and socially relevant films can be made on modest budgets. These movies hit close to home. We are in our houses, and there are nymphomaniac cannibalistic freaks waiting to feast. This is real! This is myth! BROOK KING Pittsburgh, Pa.

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

The real shame of Hong Kong's handover [ONE COUNTRY, MANY SYSTEMS, June 30] is that neither the Chinese monarchists, Nationalists nor Communists in their succession have been able to accomplish on the mainland what the British did through their colonial administration of Hong Kong. Colonialism, in general, has had an ugly and venal past, but not so the British version. To be sure, the British may seem to be stereotypically aloof, superior and uncompromising, but wherever the British went they performed better than their predecessors and successors. They brought democracy and made a better civilization. Moreover, they fostered in their subjects the cultural values of the British people: strength of character, integrity, discipline and above all incorruptibility. CHARLES MCKENNA New York City

I predict that the island of Hong Kong will not be engulfed by China; it will expand into the mainland. The dragon will not devour what the unicorn left. J.K.P. ARIYARATNE University of Kelaniya Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

After long years of captivity, Hong Kong is finally released. Now it returns to China with a colossal legacy and a new spirit. It is like a son who brings home with him not only an inheritance but also an updated modus operandi in free markets, democracy, trade expertise and entrepreneurship. Will the son's parents be humble and wise enough to take advantage of his savvy and experience? JOAO MYSZKO Pinhais, Brazil