Letters

The Class of 9/11

Our article highlighting the experiences of three members of the West Point class of '05 prompted many expressions of gratitude for the cadets' exceptional patriotism and bravery. Some readers, however, were critical of America's sacrificing its brightest young leaders to the war in Iraq

Thank you for the insightful, compassionate story on the U.S. Military Academy and the profiles of three graduates [May 30]. They are very different yet are terrific in their individual ways. We Americans too often forget that the military academies have a mission to prepare leaders for the future, whether we are at war or not. We take for granted that there are young people who are willing to make extraordinary sacrifices in order to become those leaders. The 2005 graduates deserve praise and our gratitude. After 9/11, they could have decided the war on terrorism wasn't what they had signed up for and left West Point without any commitment to the Army. Yet they decided to remain, even though the stakes had changed. I salute them and those who are making similar sacrifices.

JOHN D. WOOTERS -- Morristown, N.J.

Your report on the class of '05 tragically illustrates how history tends to repeat itself. Today another young, idealistic generation is being fed into a vague, brutal war machine by an arrogant, self-righteous U.S. Administration. Forty years ago, the West Point classes of the '60s were sent to Southeast Asia to fight an equally vague, brutal war, ostensibly to promote freedom in that region. Many of us who served there came back scarred and maimed, and others did not return at all. The aims of our "glorious cause" were never achieved. May fate be kinder to the class of '05.

STEVE WILLIAMS, U.S.M.A., 1966 -- Fayetteville, N.C.

I have always been a supporter of our troops and the U.S. Military Academy in particular. America's best and brightest make up West Point's corps of cadets. We admire them for their service and dedication to our country. All the members of the class of '05 know exactly what lies ahead for them. All the cadets at our service academies are heroes.

ALAN BLOCK -- Jackson, N.J.

It was my honor to attend the recent graduation from West Point of my nephew, 2nd Lieut. Chad T. Fifield. Your article captured the sacrifice those young men and women are willing to make for our country. In this age of self-gratification and materialism, it is nice to see young people who exemplify the ideals that make our country great. I am sure that the U.S.'s future is in good hands with institutions like West Point producing our future leaders.

JEFFREY E. O'NEIL -- Chanhassen, Minn.

If you are worried about today's youth, you need look no further than the West Point class of '05. America's future is in very capable hands.

RON GEARHART -- Houston

I have a deep respect for the men and women in the service. But I wonder if there shouldn't be courses that allow young cadets to question or challenge authority. Is it ever a mistake to go to war? There are philosophical differences between disloyalty and healthy inquiry. We need to examine all the options before we send our troops into harm's way.

JON PRICE -- Pottstown, Pa.

As a high school junior, I have started the admissions process for West Point. The article about the cadets was special to me because it has been my lifelong dream to attend the academy and become an officer in the Army. Someday I hope to follow those three cadets' paths.

JOHN DELLA FAVE -- Rutherford, N.J.

A Story Gone Wrong

Re your report on Newsweek's botched item on mistreatment of the Koran at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay [May 30]: The media have let themselves be bamboozled by the Bush Administration once again. Officials concentrated on putting out stories about how Newsweek got it wrong, and we lost sight of the story of the desecration of the Koran. Our mainstream media outlets are much too quick with the mea culpas. How about a little tenacity when it comes to standing up to the White House? Shouldn't Bush's spotty National Guard record have been pursued instead of Dan Rather's sloppy reporting? Confidential sources prefer to remain unnamed because they fear retribution. What do editors fear? Is there still a free press?

PAUL LENNEMANN -- Glenwood, Iowa

Defiling the holy book of any religion is a serious matter. But it may be less serious than our imprisoning people without trial, defense attorneys or any recourse to appealing their treatment in a fair court. Months ago, Americans knew of allegations that prisoners' Korans had been abused. What was done? Nothing. We are following a very dark precedent established by fascist dictatorships years ago.

THOMAS EDGAR -- Boise, Idaho

I believe the alleged maltreatment of the Koran took place, and I think everyone in the White House and the Pentagon knows the charge to be true. But Newsweek's flawed story was useful to the Administration as a handy distraction from the bad news coming out of Iraq, the failure of the President's Social Security overhaul and the Administration's ongoing assault on the environment.

ED McCLENDON -- Portland, Ore.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan's call for Newsweek to "repair the damage" rang hollow. It's the White House that should repair the damage done to the U.S. by the war in Iraq. What about the suffering of the families of U.S. service members who lost their lives? It is time for Americans, regardless of political party, to demand that our government be accountable to us. The Administration should stop mischaracterizing the reporting of news as attacks on the Bush presidency.

WILLIAM CINNAMON III -- North Hollywood, Calif.

Perhaps the first line of TIME's story suggested the reason for the media's current problems: "Journalists strive to be influential." Members of the media who wish to influence public opinion should be writing essays and editorials; journalists who report news need to stick to the facts. Today's journalists seem to blur the distinction between news and opinion.

JOSEPH K. VALAITIS -- Brecksville, Ohio

The Stem-Cell Breakthrough

"Inside the Korean Cloning Lab" reported that South Korean scientists have created human stem-cell lines that are perfectly matched to the DNA of human patients [May 30]. That story gave me mingled feelings of delight and worry. Although the whole world is now one step closer to an ideal situation for studying how diseases develop, I worry about whether the U.S. can maintain its scientific and technological superiority. Many other countries have been vigorously pursuing stem-cell projects, while the U.S. government restricts the research that federally funded scientists may do in that field. I hope that despite the roadblock, more Americans may be inspired by the successes in South Korea to get interested in science.

JUNHO SONG -- Torrance, Calif.

Your story seemed to suggest that foreign research labs are hungrier than those in the U.S. That is ridiculous. American medical-research laboratories, such as the one in which I am finishing my Ph.D., are also whirlwinds of purposeful activity. As I see it, the U.S. regulatory environment is the sole reason that the U.S. is ceding the lead in stem-cell research. That is not the fault of academic or industrial scientists, and the problem can be helped just so much by progressive state governments such as California's. The blame lies solely with the man in the White House.

CHRIS ANTOLIK -- Baltimore, Md.

Eyes on Iran

Joe Klein's column "Iran's Pragmatic Face" [May 30] referred to former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as "a dealmaking pragmatist [who] may push to repair ties with the U.S." Viewing Rafsanjani as pragmatic is dangerous, since that is an example of seeing the political landscape of totalitarian countries through the U.S.'s democratic eyes. Rafsanjani is pragmatic in comparison with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei in the same way that the Soviet Union's Premier Nikita Khrushchev was pragmatic in comparison with Joseph Stalin. Klein should recall that the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, during which the world was brought to the brink of nuclear war, occurred under the Soviet leadership of the "pragmatic" Khrushchev.

ARUN KHANNA -- Indianapolis, Ind.

Klein wonders whether "Iran is the country that has benefited most from President Bush's Middle East policy" because the U.S. has eliminated Iran's two neighboring enemies, Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. With the rumblings of democracy shaking the Middle East and U.S. troops camped on Iran's eastern and western borders, Klein's musings are preposterous.

EARL RICHARDS -- Woodbridge, Conn.

Although I admire President Bush's sincere attempt to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and bring democracy to the Middle East, his policies are doomed to failure. In Arab Muslim states, real democracy is an impossibility. In the Arab world, history has clearly demonstrated that the man with the longest knife will rule. Instead of trying to force democracy where it cannot take root, at a cost of thousands of lives, we should choose our man in the region and make sure he has the longest knife.

PETER E. GOLDMAN -- Surfside, Fla.

The Filibuster Fracas

TIME reported on the conflict in the U.S. Senate over abolishing the judicial filibuster [May 30]. The greatness of the U.S. lies in our elected leaders' tradition of deliberation and compromise. That is what separates us from extremist domination by dictators and terrorists. The rules of the Senate may seem antiquated and onerous, but they are intended to isolate it from the polarization of public opinion, and they have done so successfully for generations.

ANA E. ENRIQUEZ -- Medford, Ore.

It's easy to summarize the Senate debate over judicial nominees and the talk of legislative "nuclear options" as boring political blather best left to politicians. But the President can nominate Supreme Court Justices, who, if confirmed, have unique power over every area of our lives. The rulings of those judges could mean the reversal of long-standing court decisions and laws protecting our rights and privacy.

DIANE E. SORENSEN -- Chicago

Outside the Box

"Science on the Fringe" was an entertaining story on the far-out ideas of the Society for Scientific Exploration, which pursues topics like UFOs, reincarnation, astrology and parapsychology [May 30]. But the persistence of belief in tarot cards, ESP and the horoscopes found in most daily newspapers in the U.S. is no joking matter. Widespread belief in the irrational does not bode well for a democracy that depends on informed, intelligent citizens for sound government and an efficient economy.

LAWRENCE CRANBERG -- Austin, Texas