Letters

WHAT'S NEXT

"All the futuristic advancements conceivable will amount to nothing if we fail to address the problems that are here and now." ANN LARSON Reno, Nev.

After reading your forecasts for the future and Lev Grossman's article "The Quest for Cool" [WHAT'S NEXT, Sept. 8], I've concluded that I have never been cool, I have no desire to ever be cool, and those who think they are cool really aren't. ROB NANCE Westerville, Ohio

The professional trend spotters you interviewed tell us that burlesque will be cool, we will do everything from our cars, and cell phones will be the means for transactions of all types. If this is the cool future, then send me back to the square past! Of course, almost 40 years ago, Paul Revere and the Raiders sang that "kicks just keep getting harder to find." The youth of every generation has its moments of temporary insanity, but for any society to thrive and move forward, there must be a genuine awareness of and respect for the past. If we Americans keep pushing the envelope in an increasingly outrageous quest for the ultimate, cutting-edge in cool, then I'm afraid our future will take us down the same path of decadence chosen by great societies that are now only history. BARBARA ISENBERG Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

Predictions of future trends reminded me of my college days in the late '50s. We were told that by the end of the 20th century, we would all be working a three-day week and our biggest problem would be finding something to do with all our spare time. DAVID R. REAGAN Allen, Texas

The cool your trend spotters talked about is the cool that MTV and the teen media are trying to shove down the throat of mainstream America. One of your experts surveyed young people in shopping malls to find out what is and isn't cool. Once something is mass-marketed and available in malls everywhere, it has lost its edge. I'm not cool, but I'm practical and not some dunce who follows every latest trend simply because it is the latest trend. MATTHEW CARUSO Valencia Calif.

Is it not painfully obvious, even tragic, that our obsession with "what's next" denies us a full appreciation of the special moments that are happening now? JOHN R. THURSTON Eau Claire, Wis.

If the so-called trend spotters sell their insights in newsletters for thousands of dollars, I'd like to check some back issues to find out how accurate they have been. Perhaps a review would show that the clued in are really clueless. Anyone want to buy a cool bridge? SID KASKEY South Miami, Fla.

Give the Armor to Arnold

"Coming Attractions" reported that Brad Pitt will portray the great warrior Achilles in Troy, the new film version of The Iliad [WHAT'S NEXT: ARTS, Sept. 8]. Please say it isn't so! I'd rather see Arnold Schwarzenegger as Achilles and Pitt as a candidate for California Governor. BOB DOLAN Fullerton, Calif.

TERROR IN NAJAF

The terrorist attack on the Shi'ite mosque in Najaf, Iraq, may have worked out surprisingly well for its perpetrators [WORLD, Sept. 8]. It created a big dent in the American plans for Iraq. It drove a wedge between America and the Shi'ite majority and scared off Iraqis who had been willing to collaborate with the U.S. It also proved that the Shi'ites still have no protector in Iraq. The best response for the U.S. is to shrink the goals of its mission. The old regime has been eliminated. Leave Iraq to the Iraqis; empower them to make their own decisions. OMAR MINYAWI Latham, N.Y.

There is no such entity as "the Iraqi people." They are Shi'ites, Sunnis, Kurds and so forth. Violence was a way of life under Saddam Hussein's regime. It is not possible for outsiders to do what is necessary to keep peace in the region, nor would the international community approve. Nation building must be a responsibility shared by many countries; it is a no-win proposition for the U.S. Yet pulling out is unthinkable. Having the U.N. join the effort in Iraq with U.S. oversight is the wisest course. DAN CROSS Broken Arrow, Okla.

RETURN OF THE TALIBAN

I was glad to see Phil Zabriskie's story on the conflict in Afghanistan, "That Other War" [WORLD, Sept. 8]. The U.S. needs to address what options are available to fight Taliban fundamentalists and al-Qaeda terrorists hiding out in Pakistan, where the U.S. is seemingly unable to attack them. We must find a way to remove that safe haven, or we risk their harassing us to death. GREGORY ALLISON Jackson, Tenn.

The resurgence of the Taliban comes as no surprise. The Bush Administration turned its back on Afghanistan and neglected to pursue al-Qaeda in favor of waging an unjustified preventive war against Iraq. The fruits of these failed Bush policies are apparent to the American people--a revitalized Taliban and al-Qaeda, a Vietnam-scale quagmire in Iraq that is daily costing us American lives and millions of dollars, and the alienation of the rest of the world. ALEXANDER J. WINTER Ithaca, N.Y.

The new threat in Afghanistan shows what many experts tried to bring home to President Bush just after the overthrow of the Taliban regime: the Taliban fighters who weren't killed or captured did not disappear forever. Some fled to neighboring Pakistan, but most simply hid in Afghanistan. Now they are lining up and threatening to bring down the weak government of President Hamid Karzai. MARKUS SCHMIED Ebensee, Austria

THE U.S. SENDS OUT AN SOS

Charles Krauthammer strongly suggested to America's allies that they should be helping out in Iraq [ESSAY, Sept. 1]. And now we have the Bush Administration calling upon the U.N. to help restore order in Iraq. But the usual arrogance of the U.S. is still evident in its unwillingness to relinquish any control of the occupation forces. I consider the U.S. quite capable of dealing with the Iraq situation without U.N. help. Instead, I would expect the U.S. to call upon the U.N. to commit troops to Liberia. Is the plight of the Iraqi people worse than that of the Liberian people? STEPHEN TWINOBURYO Pretoria

The spectacle of cowboy George Bush eating crow may soften the heart of old Europe. Perhaps the French embassy in Washington will send over a bucket of freedom fries to go with the bird. ROBERT LINDERHOLM Cambridge, England

The Bush Administration appears to be convinced that it would be disastrous for re-election purposes to hand over Iraq lock, stock and barrel to the U.N. But the U.S. has shown that it has a superior ability to get rid of nasty dictators. So now why not let the international community finish the job? Do Americans really want U.S. troops to stay in Iraq? LENNART DAHLBECK Stockholm

EXCESSIVE COMPENSATION?

I was not surprised to read in "Big Board, Big Payday" that New York Stock Exchange chairman Dick Grasso will receive $140 million in deferred pay and retirement benefits [NATION, Sept. 8]. There is something wrong when CEOs, board members and upper-level corporate managers get millions in pay and benefits while lower-level managers and rank-and-file employees are laid off or asked to give back pay and benefits for the "good of the company." Why are executives getting these outrageous benefits? Because those who decide on the compensation are CEOs, board members and upper-level managers. When is the American public going to wake up? Every employee's job should be important. When a business is failing, everyone should feel the pain, and when it profits, everyone should share the wealth. WAYNE G. GHERKE Charleston, W.Va.

MADONNA RULES

I was upset by the crass comments about Madonna in your item on her kissing Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards [PEOPLE, Sept. 8]. You said, "You can make two uninteresting women a lot more interesting by having them give each other an open-mouthed kiss." Not only is Madonna today's most interesting American woman, but she is also the only relevant U.S. artist in years. Her last album, American Life, was great. When you have the chance to write about such a world-class artist, you should praise her because the U.S. is increasingly hated everywhere. DIDIER NICLAES Brussels