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U.S. Intelligence on Iran

Joe Klein's article about the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report on the Iranian nuclear program and President George W. Bush's response to it was quite disturbing [Dec. 17]. Before the NIE findings, how close did Bush push us into yet another military engagement? When Bush talks about winning in Iraq, what is it that we will have won? Will it be worth our military losses of more than 3,800 Americans killed and thousands more maimed or mentally affected? The NIE report is a reminder of Bush's disconnect with the reality that we Americans are forced to live with.

PHIL WILT, VAN NUYS, CALIF.

I don't think all the Republican candidates "had noisily rattled sabers about Iran." I can't even begin to imagine Ron Paul wanting to go to war with Iran. He didn't even want to go to war with Iraq. You did a great disservice to Paul by using such a blanket statement.

SCOTT SPENCER, HAMPTON, VA.

With the American public as his audience, Bush regularly takes center stage to perform well-rehearsed and accomplished lies. His latest tour de force? Because of Iran's supposed continuous pursuit of nuclear weapons, only an aggressive foreign policy can prevent World War III. When the U.S. intelligence community reports that Iran halted its nuclear program in 2003, it shares the stage with the President. Do we applaud fabrications or facts?

D. KENT LLOYD, GLADSTONE, ORE.

Thanks to Klein for his article's poetic conclusion. Along with Joe Biden's assessment of Bush as possibly "one of the most incompetent Presidents in modern American history," the truth that many of us have known finally wins out. So much for legacy.

DEAN PAPPAS, SALT LAKE CITY

Klein's cover story was very dangerous and misleading. No matter what the latest conclusion is from some of the government's analysts, the President of Iran has threatened a U.S. ally with extinction. It is a suicidal ideation to believe that he is not one of the most dangerous people on the planet. When Iran becomes a greater threat, perhaps more Americans will finally understand that his pockets may have been empty, but not his armory.

SILAS MARIANO, OCEANSIDE, CALIF.

Why the excitement over the latest NIE report? Since Bush hasn't regarded intelligence in the past, why should he change now?

HENRY PENNYMON, ORLANDO, FLA.

Sine Iran has demonstrated its contempt for international nuclear requirements and the potential to arm itself as a significant threat to the rest of the world, I would feel a lot safer with a policy that denies Iran any nuclear capabilities. I hope the price we pay later for letting Iran off the hook will not be too high.

RICK DONALD, PORTLAND, ME.

Should We Stay Firm on Iran?

Charles Krauthammer's viewpoint "Keep Up the Pressure" was a balanced response to Joe Klein's article [Dec. 17]. The problem I have with the whole debate is that everyone looks at Iran's approach to nuclear-weapons development from a traditional-warfare point of view. Think of the disruption a well-placed bomb could cause if it were set off in key strategic locations, like midtown Manhattan and outside the Capitol. I would be more concerned with the enrichment program than with the weaponization or delivery-systems side. Developing systems to detect and track this material would be my priority.

TOM OCKULY, GLENWOOD, MD.

In Denial About Immigration?

Michael Kinsley's article in immigration is enlightening, but it doesn't address the core problem: What should we do with the millions of illegal immigrants who are already in our country [Dec. 17]? It would be easy to think that we could wipe the slate clean, send everyone home, establish a threshold for the number of immigrants we want and create an orderly process for admission. Obviously, this will never happen. Why not admit that allowing illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. provides cheap labor to fuel our country's economic growth? Illegal immigrants are here because we needed them--and we probably still do. We should stop the political posturing, face reality, legalize their status now, take serious steps to close the borders and admit future immigrants in accordance with predetermined thresholds.

RICHARD SLUSKY, WINDSOR, VT.

Hardworking immigrants only want what our forefathers wanted: a chance to work and educate their children like everyone else. But they also want ballots and public signs in Spanish and English. They want bilingual education in schools. They want welfare benefits even though some of their earnings go back home to provide the second largest source of income in Mexico.

PAT BURKE, RICHARDSON, TEXAS

Kinsley's perspective-that the debate is not about illegal immigration but about immigration--might be accurate. But the negative impact of millions of immigrants on our crowded schools, strained social services and insufficient infrastructure is real and shows that we already have too many immigrants in the country. Regarding his assertion that illegal immigrants do our dirty work, there are plenty of legal residents who would take those jobs if not for illegal immigrants who are willing to work for almost nothing, creating unfair competition for U.S. citizens.

LORENZO FERNANDEZ, BOCA RATON, FLA.

As the son of immigrants I know the sacrifices immigrants make and their benefit for this country. Kinsley mentioned the Americans who strongly oppose illegal immigration. How about the Americans who want to prove their open-mindedness by ignoring this problem? If I can understand that immigrants must be processed and checked for disease, then certainly U.S.-born citizens can too. Anyone can flaunt his politically correct chutzpah, but it doesn't change the fact that a country without borders isn't really a country.

DAN SABER, REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.

The New Baby Boom

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen's "The More the Merrier" brought back memories of growing up as the oldest of seven children [Dec. 17]. Every summer my family would pile into our Ford station wagon for a trip back to Pennsylvania to visit the grandparents. It was guaranteed to be a hot, noisy, cramped trip. But watching drivers' mouths move as they counted each one of us packed into that car made it fun. We often thought of placing a sign on the window that said, YEP, THERE'S NINE OF US IN HERE! The size of my family never failed to elicit a reaction from passersby.

GINNY CHIAPEL, PLANTATION, FLA.

Have these people no understanding of the negative effects of having so many children? Our planet is choking to death because it's overburdened by people, especially in the developed world. One Western child uses 30 times the resources a child born in a Third World country does. If wealthy people are going to have larger families, they should be taxed according to how much they burden the overall system. Instead, we now give credits for having children. If you love children and want a big family, adopt someone already here.

JO NOL, WEST SIMSBURY, CONN.

Mother Laura Bennett seems to miss the point of the kindergarten-stage debut. Sure, she gets to do everything six times, but her children are separate individuals with their own needs, and she is their one and only mother. It's important to know that motherhood is not always glamorous.

NANCY BENGTSON, TISKILWA, ILL.

I was disappointed to learn that some affluent--and inconsiderate--couples are opting to have four children or more. These folks may be highly educated and able to afford a large brood, but they're naive if they think Mother Earth has infinite resources to deal with the current population explosion. Sadly, these poor kids will be around to endure the consequences.

BILL LONG, FREMONT, CALIF.

A Crash Course in Safety

I couldn't help being amused by Kay Johnson's article "Postcard: Hanoi," which reminded me of my first experience visiting Ho Chi Minh City [Dec. 17]. My entire time there centered on trying to figure out ways to cross the streets with few regulated crosswalks and with often ignored traffic lights. On more than one occasion, I tried to get up the nerve to step out into the oncoming sea of scooters; a kind Vietnamese would take my hand and lead me across, and on the other side, we both would laugh, knowing that for a foreigner, navigating the scooter-packed streets on foot was a major challenge. But I must say it added to my beautiful experience visiting such an amazing country.

JULIE H. CLARK, RISING FAWN, GA.

Senses in Overdrive

Thank you so much for Claudia Wallis' article on sensory processing disorder [Dec. 10]. As a mother of two boys with SPD, I cannot begin to describe what we face each day with our sons' sensory challenges and the discrimination we experience because of their unusual reactions to the world around them. Our boys could not live without the occupational therapy they receive to help them cope and learn how to properly process sensory input. Please keep writing about this issue. You may be saving a family's life.

WENDY PARK, RICHARDSON, TEXAS

As a mother of five children and an occupational therapist working with children who have received a diagnosis of autism, I am keenly aware of the different ways that people respond to sensory information, and I was thrilled to read Wallis' article. TIME called attention to an area that needs further research and more public awareness. I believe that with improved insight into sensory processing, many individuals will find ways to better enjoy their surroundings and learn more from their experiences.

MARIA GARDNER, COLUMBUS, OHIO

It's Not So Scary Living Green

RE Lisa Takeuchi Cullen's "It's Inconvenient Being Green" [Dec. 3]: Ever since I visited Asia 25 years ago, I've known how to go without toilet paper--and have never been so clean! As long as we have soap and water, we can emerge cleaner than ever. So, Lisa, help save a tree!

ROBERTO LAMOUREUX SURIGAO DEL NORTE, THE PHILIPPINES

While real humor could provide a welcome bromide for our suddenly acute case of environmental awareness, Cullen's essay only got my blood boiling. She says green consciousness "forces Americans to add environmentalism to their already endless checklist of things to fret about." She worries that the effects of her family's habits are the "Sasquatch of carbon footprints." It's so easy to make a difference every time we shop for cars, food or lightbulbs. I have a prescription for Cullen's eco-anxiety: Stop poking fun at people taking action, and just get with the program.

SUSIE ALMGREN, MONTREAL

Academically Accelerated Tots

To those parents who enroll their preschoolers in tutoring programs [Dec. 3], I say, Let children be children! At my daughter's preschool, the students learn how to cook. They are encouraged at age 4 to write their own names. My daughter speaks English and French fluently and wants to learn Spanish. She loves being a kid, and we enjoy learning together. For now, I'm enjoying seeing her learn at her own pace and encouraging her. At such a young age, being with parents after school is better than sending them off to another classroom.

ELISABETH SZENTKERESZTY DE ZAGON BRUSSELS

LETTER FROM A FUTURE BRIDE

WED ON THE WEB

In Jeninne Lee-St. John's story on Internet weddings, Anna Post says the best thing we get out of technology is staying connected to the people we care about [Dec. 10]. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always thought a real, traditional wedding was a very good occasion for not only staying connected to but also dancing with and hugging all the people we care about. I know if my groom couldn't make it to our own wedding, I would turn him down and the webcam off.

SUSANNE ULZHOeFER, AUGSBURG, GERMANY

A YEAR IN TIME

Each week we receive about 1,400 letters to the editor from readers eager to share their opinions on the events, people and trends that affect our world. Some letter writers are happy with our coverage, and some aren't. Here are the cover stories that generated the most mail in 2007:

Why We Should Teach the Bible in Public Schools, April 2..............1,605

TIME 100, May 14..................................635

Mother Teresa, Sept. 3........................494

Global Warming, April 9..................474

Virginia Tech, April 30.......................424

HOW TO REACH US Our e-mail address is letters@time.com Please do not send attachments. Our fax number is 1-212-522-8949. Or you can send your letter to: TIME Magazine Letters, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020. Letters should include the writer's full name, address and home telephone and may be edited for purposes of clarity and space.