Letters

The Afghan War's Bloodiest Battle

As I read about the battle in the Shah-i-Kot Valley in southeastern Afghanistan, I could not help wondering about American military "intelligence" [THE WAR, March 18]. Underestimating the enemy's numbers and not fully appreciating their will to fight, as well as relying upon local forces to carry out the combat, were aspects of the Vietnam conflict. Going after one or two injured or killed men has been tried in numerous wars, and the result is usually the same--more casualties. I'm not saying that it is right to leave bodies behind, but this obsession with retrieving American casualties is somewhat ridiculous. One cannot expect to win a war with a minimum number of casualties. BRETT TYRE Delta, B.C.

The cover photo of a U.S. soldier bundled up in the mountains of Afghanistan gave me a strong sense of appreciation for the sacrifice that so many people are making. I am not an advocate of violence or war, but I fully understand that we had no choice in this instance. As I travel the world, I realize we are incredibly lucky here in the U.S., and it amazes me how many people try to find fault with our country instead of showing appreciation. No society is perfect, but we sure have a lot to be thankful for. PETER BURWASH Carmel Valley, Calif.

I am not a soldier. I am sure, however, that all military leaders would call the battle for Shah-i-Kot a crushing defeat for al-Qaeda. Even if we estimate conservatively that 480 al-Qaeda fighters were killed (at the price of eight Americans) over the course of an intense battle, a kill ratio of 60 to 1 is the stuff of martial dreams. Seven of the men died owing solely to our very difficult decision to leave no Americans behind. A redoubtable enemy with suicidal tendencies was routed. This was not a U.S. debacle, and it certainly wasn't Mogadishu redux. HARRY JONES Dallas

This battle should have been called a massacre. To place troops, no matter how highly trained, in a field of mortar fire and grenades to face an enemy in fortified caves was unpardonable. The commanders of the U.S. troops don't know their military tactics. A small atom bomb should have been used to clean out the rat's nest of al-Qaeda fighters. I would not be as gracious as some parents who say their son died doing what he wanted to do. In my view, many of these young folks died when they should have lived. GEORGE L. HENSON JR. Plant City, Fla.

As a candidate, George W. Bush was opposed to nation building and military intervention without clearly stated mission goals and extraction plans, but now he's involving us in exactly those things. The Philippines, Georgia, Yemen, Iraq--Bush is putting together a war without end. He may not have learned any lessons from Vietnam, but he did master the key one from his father's last election, and he is determined to see that the war continues until after Election Day. JEFFREY J. MARIOTTE San Diego

Your map of the assault on the Shah-i-Kot Valley included a section with the heading "How the Battle Went Awry." Awry? Any battle in the past in which hundreds of enemy fighters were killed, compared with the loss of only eight of our own, is an overwhelming victory. As for the statement "One day, perhaps, Americans will tire of the slow drip of deaths...of the sort that old colonial powers like Britain and France once learned to endure," have you forgotten? We were savagely attacked by al-Qaeda and will not stop until we destroy them! MARTY CAMPBELL Hopatcong, N.J.

--Christopher Morris' photos of General Tommy Franks' Central Command in Tampa, Fla. [NATION, March 18], left a lot of you wondering about the attire of the top brass. "Isn't it ludicrous for Franks and his staff to be wearing combat boots and fatigues while sitting around their air-conditioned offices?" asked a Floridian. "Are they expecting to be rushed to the front?" An Arizonan noted, "The camouflage uniforms and combat boots 7,700 miles from the front lines smack of comic opera and macho imagery. Franks and his men appear ready to pick up arms and meet the enemy!" And a Kentucky reader gibed, "It looks almost as if they're 'playing war' in their parents' living room."

The Key to Peace

If one thing has emerged about the war on terror [THE WAR, March 18], it is that not only Osama bin Laden's supporters but also extremist Islamic clerics and other radicals base their hatred of America on U.S. foreign policy. Specifically, the complaint is about America's lack of understanding of the Palestinian problem. To believe that the next phase of terror will occur as far afield as the Philippines is ludicrous. The powder keg is not there but in the Middle East. And the fuse on that powder keg is already alight. The terrorists who stand in the way of achieving a peaceful settlement to the issue of a Palestinian homeland must be brought to heel. CHARLES H. EYPPER Berlin

Infertility and Assistance

Your story on infertility treatments [SCIENCE, March 18] stated that "women who get reproductive assistance often have something wrong with their reproductive system in the first place." This perpetuates the falsehood that female reproductive factors are the primary cause of infertility. Specialists have determined that women have factors that contribute to infertility in 40% of cases but that 40% of the time it is men. And in 10% of cases both partners have contributing factors. [The remaining 10% is linked to other causes, generally described as unexplained.] As someone who, owing to infertility, has made the painful choice to undertake assisted reproductive technologies, I would appreciate it if the media would not perpetuate misconceptions about infertility. NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST Greensboro, N.C.

Sin by Any Other Name

Nowhere in the reporting on the extramarital affair of GE's former CEO Jack Welch and Suzy Wetlaufer, editor at the Harvard Business Review, have I seen the word adultery [BUSINESS, March 18]. Instead, there are references to romantic escapades. As for Wetlaufer, there is a descriptor for a woman who accepts jewelry in exchange for sex, and it is not "talented editor." If the media want to use trite euphemisms, why not just say Welch and Wetlaufer are "good friends"? LINDA RHOTEN Stillwater, Okla.

Requiem for American Jazz

Coming upon your article "Jazzed About Ms. Jones," reviewing the debut album of singer Norah Jones on the Blue Note label [MUSIC, March 18], I assumed I'd be reading about jazz. But no, the story revealed the anemic jazz industry's crossover bid to dress up a pop singer as a jazz artist. Jazz still resonates with life in places like Latin America and Northern Europe, but in America it has become irrelevant and moribund. LEE M. COHEN Belmont Heights, Calif.

Down with Prince Jerry!

Your item "Gas Not Included," on Jerry Seinfeld's 20 Porsches and their new custom-designed garage, made me wonder [PEOPLE, March 18]: What if Seinfeld were a 19th century prince in a tiny kingdom where most people lived in mean little hovels and were being pushed off the land by rich landowners who wanted more stables for their horses? Would the peasants eventually revolt and take over the stables? What a pity there's no precedent for revolutions aimed at media stars, America's version of the ruthless, greedy ruling classes. PATTI LOWERY Baltimore, Md.