Letters

THE STARR REPORT

"Do Americans want a dynamic, successful President with a 'moral flaw' to be hounded out of office by a group of hypocrites?" CAROL KRAINES Deerfield, Ill.

Congress has put Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report on the Internet [THE STARR REPORT, Sept. 21]. It has placed dozens, possibly hundreds, of pages of salacious material on a communications medium it purports to be trying to protect from such obscene incursions. This is every bit as hypocritical as President Clinton is accused of being. ERROL REMINGTON Salt Lake City, Utah

Clinton made a bad (and very stupid) sexual mistake and then tried to cover it up in an understandable effort to avoid embarrassment for himself, his family and everyone around him. That's it. I don't see much evidence of even a low crime or misdemeanor, and certainly none of any impeachable offense. THEODORE MOSHER Laurel, Md.

What is wrong with the U.S.? Have we fallen so low that we now accept abject amorality in our nation's most honored position? People should be outraged! Starr's report confirms our suspicions that the President has disgraced himself, his office and the ethical traditions that have nurtured this Republic since its inception. President Clinton should resign immediately and bring this sordid episode to an end. J. WALLACE DAVIES Anderson, S.C.

A major American freedom is now being decided: Will a person's sex life be private or public? JOSEPH DEVANEY Los Alamos, N.M.

Like many Americans, I'm relatively untroubled by President Clinton's sexual transgressions and attempts to keep them private. Adultery and deceit go hand in hand. What does trouble me about Clinton's lies is that when he shook his finger at me and said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," he was so damn convincing. Nixon's Oval Office offenses and subsequent prevarications were a thousandfold more reprehensible, but I could always take comfort in his transparency. Slick Willie snookered most of us. MARTIN BLINDER San Anselmo, Calif.

Bill Clinton has finally found the ultimate bipartisanship: he has offended both Democrats and Republicans, to say nothing of ordinary Americans. GEORGE D. MILLER Fort Collins, Colo.

The worst injury Clinton has inflicted on the nation is that he has given Starr credibility. Clinton has made it impossible for us to criticize Starr's methods and acts without seeming to defend Clinton's. And Starr is far more dangerous. If honesty is the test, Starr fails: this was and is a dishonest investigation. He gleefully created crimes by asking questions that should never have been asked, knowing that no person could answer them honestly without hurting others and so would be tempted to lie. Clinton's lies are low crimes and misdemeanors. His punishment should be, at most, censure, but it seems superfluous. Does anyone doubt that trashing your legacy and your family and being the target of endless jokes are punishment that perfectly fits the crime? Starr's conduct, on the other hand, is the Big Lie. And that scares me. JULIA F. GRANT Stamford, Conn.

Perhaps it's time to stop renting the video of Wag the Dog and take another look at Arthur Miller's The Crucible. BRIAN CREECH Los Angeles

It is farcical to hear the expressions of shock by members of Congress. I was a summer intern in the U.S. Senate during college, and I can tell you some sex stories about both Democratic and Republican Congressmen that would make the salacious details of Monica and Bill pale by comparison. The Starr report is a political hatchet job by a partisan bounty hunter who has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars. BYRON B. MATHEWS JR. Coconut Grove, Fla.

Nothing Clinton has done seems to be an impeachable offense, but everything he has done is a disgrace to this country and every human being who lives in it. The fact that we aren't screaming at the top of our lungs for his dismissal doesn't say much for all of us. KATHLEEN ANN HARVEY St. Marys, Ohio

WAITING FOR NOVEMBER

I was a liberal Democrat in the '60s. During the '80s I was an independent and even voted for several Republicans. But all that is now ended. The way Republicans and their partisan politics have completely destroyed due process and engaged in a McCarthy-like destruction of our President, guilty or not, is deplorable. In this coming election, for the first time in my life, I will vote along party lines rather than for individuals. I'm voting for anyone but a Republican! JOSHUA TOUBER Venice, Calif.

SHE HAS HER WITS ABOUT HER

Kudos to Hillary Rodham Clinton for keeping her head up and her wits about her in the face of every woman's worst nightmare! If President Clinton manages to hold onto his office after Monica-gate, it will be due in large part to Hillary. DENISE M. EASTERLING Wadsworth, Ohio

Forget President Clinton, forget Ken Starr and forget Monica Lewinsky. Hillary Clinton is the prime source of my shame, embarrassment and disgust these days. In continuing to "stand by her man," the First Lady is setting no kind of moral example for Americans. Certainly Hillary needs to forgive her husband. She also needs to take no more of this kind of behavior. ROSALIE Y. DWYER Aurora, Ill.

Hillary may do for divorce what Betty Ford did for breast cancer--beat it and change our attitudes toward it. KAREN LILLEY St. Paul, Minn.

Would someone please explain this to me? If a Hindu wife stands by her straying husband, she is considered a domestic doormat; if Hillary Clinton does it, she is a national heroine. ARVIND SHARMA Montreal

MONICA DEFINED

Monica Lewinsky--just one more courtesan to shake an empire. K. HELMUT LENNEBERG Correas, Brazil

Re Monica's blue dress: Can any honest person deny saving (perhaps as a teenager) some rather odd items as souvenirs? Like something tossed to the audience at a rock concert, or a lock of hair? I believe Monica in her youthful innocence saved the dress for the very same reasons, not because she had some devious plans for the future. TERESA GERMANO Pine Plains, N.Y.

Re TIME's Person Of The Year: It may be too early even to start thinking of who it will be, but Monica Lewinsky has got to be the current front runner. GRAYCE K. BARCK New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

WHAT THE WORLD THINKS

Everyone is missing, or does not want to see, the real problem Starr's investigation has caused: Clinton has made the U.S. the laughingstock of the world. America's enemies now have no fear of the U.S. If I were an American citizen, I would be extremely worried when traveling abroad. DAVID F. CRADDOCK Cowplain, England

Why punish an entire nation for one person's sins? The U.S. will lose a good leader in Clinton. SYED RAIYAN ABU ZAFAR Riyadh

In our media-ruled societies, it seems that a successful political leader must have two completely different characters: appealing candidate and respectable officeholder. RUDOLF ULRICH Nuremberg, Germany

Clinton's acts smack of a lack of reasoning and common sense. Boy, am I glad he's not our President! ERIC JANSSEN Wellington, New Zealand

The Puritan blackmailing of Clinton has stripped the 20th century of the vestiges of human dignity, knightly defense of gallantry and solemnity in public life. If Presidents do not comply with the requisites of Big Brother on strategic issues, no vulgarity is spared to get rid of them! TURHAN ISKIT Nettetal, Germany

A gentleman would resign. HUCK SCARRY Vienna

What has happened to our beloved U.S.? Sex and money seem to be the main things that matter. Aren't they symptoms of decadence? We in Europe are rattled as well as astonished. HANS-JACOB HEITZ Winterthur, Switzerland

If Starr gets his way, a very shortsighted Congress will devour the President. Then the people, in revulsion, will devour the Congress. Empires die; it is only a matter of when it will happen. Each generation has to renew its vigor. DONALD KINGSBURY Montreal

Infidelity is nothing exceptional in American society. Although it is not defensible, the members of Congress who decided to make the Starr report public for the whole world have made their double standard evident and shown that their main concern is not the President but the coming November elections. The American electorate will certainly make its own judgment. SIGMUND LENDE Narbo, Norway

If anyone, even a president, lies about something that is nobody's business, because it is nobody's business, then the lie is nobody's business as well. HAGEN RUDOLPH Dahlenburg, Germany

The greatest offense Clinton committed was to bomb Sudan and Afghanistan with missiles in what many see as a move to cover up his shameful conduct. The Muslim nations the world over will hate the U.S., a condition that will last for a generation or more. KONSIN C. SHAH Taipei

IS THE BOOM OVER?

The problem with the stock market is that it has become alienated from the real world by its own insane pace [SPECIAL REPORT, Sept. 14]. If short-term investment in stocks was made impossible, the market would cure itself of this insanity. The connection between actual company profits and stock prices now seems thin indeed, and the notion that you invest in a company to get a share of that company's profits has almost been lost. To buy shares in a company for less than a year can't possibly be deemed serious. Profits from such short-term investments ought to be severely taxed. Selling stocks held for less than, say, a week shouldn't be allowed at all. DAVID OTTVALL Tyringe, Sweden

With high earnings, surplus money accumulates easily, and many people think that savings are incidental. But practically nothing beyond a hand-to-mouth existence can be maintained without profitably invested savings. So even the desperate remedy of having artificially low interest rates to stimulate business in Asia and elsewhere is bound to fail unless accompanied by adequate voluntary or compulsory savings plans in which money is invested prudently. Excessive investment on credit in risky projects needs to be curbed. People should invest in such ideas only if they can carry the loss of the investment. JENS MEDER Auckland, New Zealand

MAHATHIR'S PRAGMATISM

I am one of those who grew up believing in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his brand of pragmatism [VIEWPOINT, Sept. 21]. Despite his critics, I have chosen to support Mahathir's unorthodox economic policies. Why? Because he has me convinced that he will ultimately be proved right.

The biggest concern of Malaysians right now is the value placed on human life. The stability of a country, especially a multiracial one like Malaysia, is of critical importance. Believe it or not, be we Malay, Chinese or Indian, we love one another as Malaysians. We don't need the media to disrupt our peaceful country with their coverage and play havoc with our multiracial feelings! We know ourselves best, so let us manage our country out of these economic woes. Mahathir may be a bit too blunt and straightforward in conveying his thoughts, but he is right on some points. Think about the economic havoc caused by the financial speculators who are responsible for the suffering of countries like ours. NORIDA ABD RAHMAN Alor Setar, Malaysia

Your story was sensationalist and very opinionated. You have accused the Prime Minister of condoning crony capitalism, nepotism and corruption and have painted him as a dictator who has oppressed his people. Such a despicable person would be deeply hated. But Mahathir is a well-loved leader among Malaysians. Remember, he was democratically elected to Parliament and to the presidency of his party. By consensus within the ruling coalition, he leads the other parties in government. The wily Mahathir has never been too proud to ask for advice. And in this, he has been well served; he has some of the most competent economic advisers. The Malaysian team has decided to improve the country's dire economic situation. It has drawn the battle lines, and it is doing something. Let's have less name calling and more substance. PAUL YIN Kuala Lumpur

A lot of globalists and International Monetary Fund supporters will disagree with the steps Malaysia has taken to control its currency and block foreign investors from making short-term gains on the local market. But do we have any choice when the very people who are supposed to control the international financial system are unable to stop the currency manipulators? Speculators are changing the fundamentals of our economy in a period of three to six months. Left to true market forces, currency revaluations would take two to three years. Try to understand that we are fighting for our survival. The imf helps only creditor banks, not the countries it is supposed to be bailing out. ALAN WAN Kuala Lumpur

It is surprising for the IMF to defend itself so vigorously while failing in its task of reviving moribund economies. Why doesn't the IMF follow the example of the World Trade Organization, which is implementing a systematic and slow liberalization of trade barriers to allow the competitive upgrading of domestic industries before they must compete on a par with external economies? The IMF asks countries to do the impossible in a short period of time. But the best way is not the free-market way. NELSON LOW Singapore

I fully support Mahathir's recent plans to put the country's economy back in order. But in addition, Malaysians are receptive to a more open society, in particular to a greater degree of press freedom and judicial independence. EE YEW CHAI Kuala Lumpur

I think Mahathir's decision for Malaysia to sever its ties with the world's economies will result in neighboring Asian countries deeply affected by the current crisis jumping on the bandwagon. This was a crucial maneuver to avert further deterioration of Malaysia's economy, now near collapse. SANCHO A. SANTILLAN JR. Quezon City, the Philippines

As a Malaysian, I feel ashamed that we have let our country down. We have become a nation of cowards, interested only in the pursuit of Prada bags and BMWs at the expense of our future generation. Where, indeed, is our dream? NAME WITHHELD ON REQUEST Kuala Lumpur

I hope the new economic measures put in place by Mahathir will work, but frankly, I don't think they will. On the contrary, they could be a death warrant for prosperity. The reason is simple: until now Malaysia has had a relatively open economy, depending heavily on foreign investments as a spur to growth. Restrictions on capital represent a heavy blow to Malaysia's already ailing economy. NAME WITHHELD ON REQUEST Penang, Malaysia

THE CHALLENGE TO DEMOCRACY

I was deeply moved by Yuri Zarakhovich's "A Russian's Lament" [VIEWPOINT, Sept. 21], describing his country's inability to cope with freedom. The concept of freedom is so deeply ingrained in U.S. culture that it never occurs to us that other nations do not even know exactly what to embrace. It becomes all the more imperative for the West to teach these concepts to others, rather than aim for an economic coup in evolving nations. Our challenge is to elect leaders who are better than individual countries deserve--they must serve the world. KRIS GALLAGHER Chicago

GENDER BY CHOICE

We have test-tube babies, surrogacy, egg and sperm donation, cloning and now sex selection, as described in the report that a fertility center can offer couples an 85% chance of having a girl [MEDICINE, Sept. 21]. Congratulations to scientists everywhere who have finally managed to lower the status of children in our society to that of a possession--like a cheap pair of shoes. JEAN A. STEUER Dubuque, Iowa

CELEBRATING PEOPLE OF SIZE

Steve Lopez's report on the Million Pound March, a demonstration in support of the rights of overweight people [AMERICAN SCENE, Sept. 14], was a trite, meanspirited diatribe against fat people. His thoughtless reiteration of every stereotyped gibe used against the obese is the reason the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance exists. LESLIE C. WARREN Ellicott City, Md.

As one of the organizers of the Million Pound March, I was appalled at Lopez's characterization of the event. His commentary reflected a total lack of understanding of the discrimination and stigma that fat people face in this society and instead was chock-full of stereotypical comments and biases. Lopez clearly needs to get over it. It is unfortunate that he was not at all touched by what was truly an inspirational, powerful and moving event. SALLY E. SMITH, Executive Director National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance Sacramento, Calif.

I try to be an example of living happily, even though I am overweight. I thought Lopez's piece was delightful. It's great to know we can all laugh at ourselves. I would disagree that there are no health problems with obesity, but I do know my size should never stand in the way of my life and work. I am a mother, wife, homemaker and senior in college. I have fun, swim, garden and have many friends who see me as a whole person, not just somebody who forgot to stop eating. Yay for the Million Pound March! May it march again. TERRY STAMP Bridgeport, W.Va.