Letters

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"Perhaps your cover headline should have referred to MexicUS. After all, the Mexicans are Americans, and were here first." WILLIAM V. LOFTON Chicago

Eliminating the U.S. border with Mexico would be good for Mexicans and good for American employers who profit from cheap labor [THE NEW FRONTIER, June 11]. But what about the rest of us? If the New World economy does not produce livable wages, stable communities and good schools, what kind of nation are we building? And what kind of wealth is this? We're getting a lot of traffic, pollution, drugs and poverty. It's a heavy price to pay just to avoid mowing our own lawns and cleaning our own homes. JONETTE CHRISTIAN Holden, Maine

I have no problem with immigrants coming to America. However, they must do two things: enter legally, and learn to speak English. I want to preserve the culture of the U.S. BARB ANDRESSEN Portland, Ore.

How soon we forget that many of our ancestors came to this country under circumstances not so different from those described in your report. Today the immigrants may arrive on foot instead of in boats, but they are seeking the same thing our forebears were: a better life. Many of the immigrants from Mexico are performing jobs that no American would even consider. Where would we be without these workers? The new immigrants are just like our grandparents and great-grandparents when they were venturing forth to find a future in America. KATHLEEN AUSTIN Chicago

I am a 28-year-old Mexican immigrant from a working-class family. When we moved to El Paso 14 years ago, we had no knowledge of American culture and language or the obstacles we would face. Today I can proudly say that education has been the most valuable tool in enabling us to succeed in the U.S. As a physician, I understand the need to improve life on the border. These underdeveloped areas need more money for schools, health care and job creation--and the water necessary to survive. JUAN R. PEREZ, M.D. El Paso, Texas

As a legal immigrant to this country and a naturalized U.S. citizen, I do not want as fellow citizens those whose first act vis-a-vis the U.S. is to break the law. JONAS M. GRANT Santa Monica, Calif.

You overlooked the nonstereotypical Mexican businesspeople who are fueling the U.S. economy, as well as the Mexican-educated professionals who are making contributions to the arts, science and technology. ALFONSO INIGUEZ Mesa, Ariz.

Can America, as noble as it may feel, afford to become the welfare state of the world? Unless we respond quickly to some very tough issues regarding our immigration policies, this is precisely what the future holds. ROD WATKINS Manteca, Calif.

--Is Mexico a threat to the American way of life? A number of you thought so. Our stories on the increasing interconnections along the border drew some responses that were overheated, to say the least. "Our nation is being invaded by people from a Third World country that is too corrupt and lazy to take care of its citizens," warned a Washingtonian. "The U.S. may be the first country in history to turn itself over voluntarily to another race, language and culture," a Houston man declared. A like-minded man from Zebulon, Ga., asked, "Would somebody please check with the American people before deciding we're all going to be speaking Spanish and wearing sarapes?"

No Camelot in Nepal

The massacre of Nepal's royal family may have caused us to shake our enlightened heads at the reductio ad absurdum of a country's having three Kings in four days [WORLD, June 11], but what about our own medieval mentality that has us still going gaga over any whiff of royalty? Isn't it time both East and West stopped clinging to long outmoded values, such as inherited wealth and power, that are residual metaphors for divine right? It is time to kiss Camelot goodbye. KATHERINE E. KREUTER Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The act of patricide, matricide, fratricide and regicide in Nepal revealed a personal streak of sheer selfishness in the alleged assassin, Crown Prince Dipendra, as well as his utter disregard for the national interest. This tragedy illustrates the dangers of chronic indulgence by parents. Some in Nepal will not accept that such an act could be done by a son, or by a crown prince. But history and real life show that it is all too possible. Others with a penchant for conspiracy theories will not accept the certainties that come from a straightforward expose of the facts. The legacy of the Prince of Darkness will trouble Nepal in the future. MITHUN JUNG Kathmandu

Credit for the Jeffords Affair

I don't believe Senator Tom Daschle or anyone else in the current Democratic Party leadership was smart enough to mastermind the political switch of Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont from the Republican Party [WASHINGTON POWER SHIFT, June 4]. The reason is simple. The Democrats haven't demonstrated such savvy in the past. If they had really been on the ball, they would have gone to President Clinton and told him to clean up his act rather than put the country through the agony of impeachment. If they had achieved that, their Jeffords story would at least be credible. It's a good try, but Jeffords made a decision that just happened to help Democrats. NAT CARNES San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ruling Britain

I was astonished to read about the various infrastructure and social deficiencies plaguing Britain today [WORLD, June 11]. I thought that only those of us who live in the so-called developing countries experienced such inefficiencies. So, the rich also cry. I wish Prime Minister Tony Blair a successful re-engineering of the Queen's land into an El Dorado. NURUDEEN ALABI-BELLO Kazaure, Nigeria

The disappointing turnout at the polls for the British election was a reflection of the current British identity. We complain about the poor state of our hospitals, education and public transport, yet when the opportunity comes to take action, only 58% of the electorate bothers to vote, the lowest turnout in more than 80 years. Too many people want a quick fix to difficult problems without having to do the work to help solve them. Some people have forgotten that it was 20 years of short-term solutions that resulted in our current depressive state. As a nation, we need to learn the art of being patient, first with one another and then with our system of government. ANDREAS KOKKINOS London

The problems in Britain today--corruption and the need for better roads, schools and hospitals--are reflected in its former colony Nigeria. Here too we struggle with what we call the dividends of democracy, but we realize that gains can come only after a lot of pain. The best solution, as naive as it sounds, is not to rock the boat.

The victories by Tony Blair and the Labour Party are a lesson that the dividends of democracy come slowly but surely. Nigerians need only look to the U.S. to find that, in the final analysis, no matter how difficult it is, democracy is the way forward. LULUFA KUNDUL VONGTAU Kaduna, Nigeria

Follow the Bouncing Ball

Let me add a rebuttal to the readers who wrote defending school dodge ball [LETTERS, June 11]. A child not as physically developed as some other children should not be placed in a situation of discomfort as might occur in playing dodge ball. Sports like basketball and football allow individuals to make their own decision about how competitively to play. STEVEN WRIGHT Hamilton, Ont.

The Cost of the Cut

By passing the $1.35 trillion tax cut [NATION, June 11], we have squandered a golden opportunity to fix our crumbling infrastructure and stimulate the U.S. economy. The next time you are stuck in traffic on an interstate highway, just say, "$1.35 trillion." Because some of those revenues would have upgraded many interstate freeways, improved air and rail travel and so on. RAYMOND FREEMAN Thousand Oaks, Calif.

The cost of this tax cut will come home to roost in the out-years. Government will have to borrow to spend or add new taxes to get out of the mess brought about by brainless political inertia. RAND KNOX San Rafael, Calif.

Calling Dr. Robot

"Forceps! Scalpel! Robot!" was an informative article [MEDICINE, June 4], but the idea of having a robot operate on me for heart-bypass surgery isn't very appealing. Too many things could go wrong in the operating room. What if the person controlling the robot made a mistake or the robot malfunctioned? I could not take the risk. Granted a doctor could mess up just as easily, but I would rather have my life in the hands of a human than in the hands of a machine. SHERESA DARLENE NOWELL La Russell, Mo.

Focus on the Family

Margaret Carlson's commentary on the Bush twins' underage drinking and their need for privacy is exactly what the American people need to hear [VIEWPOINT, June 11]. Have we, as a society, become so jaded that we will sit in judgment of the 19-year-old twins for something many of us have done ourselves? These girls are normal teenage college students. They aren't President of the U.S.; they didn't choose to dedicate themselves to a life of politics and public scrutiny. The members of the press waiting for the girls to step out of line ought to remember that. CATHERINE O'DELL Angier, N.C.

The Bush twins' drinking antics may be better left untold. However, in this instance, the infractions beg public scrutiny. These are, after all, members of the sanctimonious "family values" crowd. And as usual, the hypocrisy of that community is what is most notable. DAVID EMES Reading, Pa.

If President Bush's daughters are adults over 18 who can marry without parental permission, have children and even join the military, why are they not adult enough to enjoy a margarita? RICHARD C. SCHAUFFERT Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Rebirth of Rock

The artists featured in your report about the comeback of rock [MUSIC, June 11] are some of the most creative and talented musicians of the past decade. I have looked forward to the release of the new CDs from rockers Tool and Weezer as monumental events in my life. However, I anticipate the demise of mindless, commercial teen pop even more. I hope that you are right to predict that the music industry is undergoing a major change and that CD sales and critical acclaim will inspire other rock acts to emerge. I have endured the boy and girl bands long enough. It's time for music buyers to prove that we won't go for the undertalented teen pop acts anymore. ANNIE BURTOFF Richmond, Va.

Tactics or War Crimes?

The lessons that former NATO Commander General Wesley K. Clark presents in Waging Modern War are rather misleading [BOOK EXCERPT, June 4]. The truth is that the U.S.-led NATO operation in Kosovo was a violation of international law. Perhaps for Clark, modern war includes the inadvertent bombing of civilian targets, such as hospitals, trains and refugee convoys. I don't call this modern war; I call such actions war crimes. There are many places in the world where human rights are suppressed. The international community has selected to stay out of these crises and not to intervene as it did in Kosovo. It seems to me Clark has to study a lot more before trying to teach us lessons. NIKOS STAMOULIS Agrinio, Greece