Letters

The Truth About SARS

When a strange new illness starts to spread, fear often invades people's imagination. The SARS epidemic is an example [MEDICINE, May 5]. Warnings from health officials and the media naturally cause people to wonder who is going to get it next. SARS will be contained, but I suspect that, like AIDS, it is here to stay. We will have to make adjustments in our daily activities; otherwise, we are in for a very rough time. Commonsense precautions are what will help us cope with the challenges of the SARS epidemic. Panic and fear will ruin us. ANANT NAGPUR Ottawa

Anxiety over SARS is justified, but it reveals our lack of perspective. SARS has resulted in hundreds of deaths, but tuberculosis kills 5,000 people each day. Malaria causes more than 300 million acute illnesses and 1 million deaths each year. Influenza kills 36,000 Americans annually, and 42,000 Americans die each year in car accidents. Where is the outcry over these deaths, most of which could be prevented through better health care and health education? SAM CHAN Deerfield, Ill.

SARS hit us hard in Singapore, and we are only now coming to grips with the situation. The government has done a commendable job of alleviating fears. There is a weekly TV program called Living with SARS, and there are notices on the windshields of some public buses with a cartoon of a bus driver saying, "I'm O.K.! Temperature 98.6DEG." SARS won't be disappearing anytime soon, but innovative coping techniques are showing people that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. ELEANOR YAP Singapore

Your article on SARS was informative, but you might have noted that while the Spanish-influenza epidemic of 1918-19 killed more people than died in all of World War I, it disappeared as quickly and mysteriously as it came on, within a year, and hasn't been a problem since. Spanish influenza and SARS may have in common a rapidly changing genetic sequence that would cause SARS to hit a biological dead end. I certainly hope it does. RICK JASPER Las Vegas

>> Although our May 5 cover depicted a Western face to avoid stigmatizing Asians, some saw the choice as an unwelcome intervention in Mother Nature's affairs. "I would love to have been a fly on the wall when you decided to put a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman on your SARS cover," mused a California man. "Political correctness has morphed into comedy!" Seeing something more akin to tragedy, another Californian called the image a "ridiculous selection" and explained that her ethnically diverse high school students "found the picture to be racist, promoting a fear of Asians." A Massachusetts man also charged us with racism: "It appears that you care only about the welfare of whites."

Seeking a Second Term

I couldn't help being saddened by the article on George W. Bush's second presidential campaign, "Taking Aim at 2004" [NATION, May 5]. For the Bush Administration to "capitalize on the memory of 9/11" by scheduling the G.O.P. Convention to coincide with the anniversary of the tragedy is sickening. I am sure the families who lost loved ones will not appreciate being used to increase Bush's popularity. It is appalling that tens of millions of dollars will be spent on TV campaign ads. With unemployment rising and many Americans unable to feed their families, this is just another indication of the arrogance and uncompassionate nature of the Bush team. I can only hope the Democrats will choose a candidate with some backbone. VALERIE CAPEZZUTO West New York, N.J.

Creating jobs and fostering economic growth need to be our No. 1 national priorities. President Bush recognizes this and has delivered a jobs-and-growth plan that will create 1.4 million new jobs in the next two years. Twelve Senate Democrats understood the important impact tax relief has on growing our economy when Bush's tax plan was passed into law. Why are Senate Democrats ignoring their previous support for tax reduction and its economic impact? They should line up behind the President and give the economy the boost it sorely needs. Cutting taxes is the right thing to do to grow the economy. THOMAS J. STOKES Fredonia, N.Y.

That Bush may win a second term as President is more than worrying. To think he may be given another four years to entrench his good-vs.-evil foreign policy while destroying everything standing in his line of fire (including relationships with allies such as France) underestimates the intelligence of the American people. I wasn't one of those who followed the European fashion of protesting Bush's policy on Iraq just because it was war, but I can't see that the war improved anything. Terrorism is still a threat, and the Iraqis are still unhappy. For the sake of the future, I hope Americans will see the larger picture when voting in 2004 and, while naturally considering their own interests, acknowledge those of the rest of the world. WILLIAM A. BERNHARDT Geneva

Your story on Bush's re-election efforts inspired me to think of a good slogan for the new campaign: "Let's really win in 2004!" DAVID HAUN Austin, Texas

Punishable Offense

As much as I respect Secretary of State Colin Powell, I was dismayed to read that when asked if France would suffer consequences for opposing the U.S.-led war, his answer was yes [NOTEBOOK, May 5]. The Bush Administration is busy patting itself on the back for "liberating" a country from a dictator who brutally punished anyone who opposed him, and yet our leaders are threatening to punish another country because it had the temerity to disagree with the U.S. Bush may want to look up the definition of hypocrisy. LORI MILLER Orange, Ohio

A Time for Aid

Re "Next Stop: Syria?" [April 28]: How can the U.S. government think of another war, this time against Syria? Have Americans gone mad? The military strikes on Iraq have just ended, and the problems in the aftermath are shocking and far from being solved. A humanitarian catastrophe is devastating a whole country. Millions of people are suffering terribly. It's time to think of peace and aid for the victims of American aggression against Iraq. MOZAFAR AHMED AL-HIYYAL Alexandria, Egypt

A Tortured Survivor

Aparisim Ghosh deserves praise for his excellent story on Lahib Nouman, the attorney who stood up to the tyranny of Uday Hussein in defense of an innocent man and free speech and endured decades of torture [WORLD, May 5]. What a rare and brave woman! She should be recognized as a hero of our time. Shame on her family for abandoning her. May she be an inspiration to us all to always do the right thing, no matter how unpopular it is. I would like to think that our forefathers manifested a similar spirit when this country was established. MIMI COFFEY Fort Worth, Texas

I wonder how Nouman feels about the questions surrounding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. I don't care if there aren't any. No one should have the ability to treat another human being as Nouman was treated. My guess is, she represents the tip of a despicable iceberg. It should be clear to even the most suspicious that the U.S. and its coalition partners have done the right thing. RICHARD WAGNER Flying Hills, Pa.

I was not a big supporter of the war on Iraq, but after reading about Nouman's ordeal, I realized that war was necessary to free the Iraqi people from the kind of torture she went through. Her story really ripped my heart out. I hope no one ever again has to suffer the trials Nouman endured. The bottom line is that the war has at least freed one very courageous woman. CORA CHEUNG Toronto

Age-Old Idolatry

The television show American Idol and its imitators are hardly breaking ground in entertainment [TELEVISION, May 5]. In 1935 radio listeners were enthralled when Major Bowes' Amateur Hour hit the airwaves, followed by cross-country tours featuring its finalists. A very popular winner was the singing group the Hoboken Four, which featured a 20-year-old, blue-eyed vocalist named Frank Sinatra. MARK NEW Hillsborough, N.J.