LETTERS

SMALL-TOWN HEROES

I was extremely pleased to see reggie White and Brett Favre on the cover [SPORT, Jan. 27]. Your story tried to explain the Packer fans' pride in their team and their unique relationship with it, but words cannot express the euphoria of attending a Packers game in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It must be experienced live. The quality of leadership, starting with president Bob Harlan; the respect for one another and the fans; and the ability to focus on one thing throughout the season have brought the Packers to where they are. Wisconsin couldn't be prouder of its team. KIM KRUEGER Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Growing up near Lambeau Field, I could hear the roar of the crowd through my windows. I can tell you, pride in the team runs deep. The small town of Green Bay is color-blind to race and full of people just trying to earn a living and enjoy some football. The Packers are a group of individuals from around the country who have come together and put their differences aside to work toward a common goal. Maybe the country can learn something from the players on the Green Bay team about the values that really matter. MARK SCANLAN Hartford, Wisconsin

I was amazed and pleasantly surprised by your cover on the Green Bay Packers. Here, finally, the whole U.S. could read the proud story of the small Midwestern town and its fans recapturing greatness. Green Bay's down-home friendliness was showcased and applauded. Then I caught a tiny blurb in the paper that burst my bubble. TIME ran two regional versions of its magazine. The one featuring the Green Bay Packers on the cover was distributed only in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The rest of the U.S. got a cover featuring a bereaved and saddened Bill Cosby. Boy, do I feel like a sucker--a Cheesehead bumpkin from the small-time Dairyland. Apparently our team didn't qualify for a nationwide cover, just something the local yokels would go for. JILL WATRING Kenosha, Wisconsin

Brett Favre and Reggie White are using their tremendous influence to spread a positive image beyond the small town of Green Bay to an entire nation. America lives in the heart of the Midwest in Green Bay. Midwesterners show the rest of the U.S. that hard work can lead to a fulfilled life. The Packers are just a reflection of these hardworking people. DANIEL HOPPE Madison, Wisconsin

It's difficult to describe the euphoria now that Lombardi's trophy is home again. However, you got our regular-season standings wrong. The Packers weren't 12-4; they were 13-3! Please don't take away even one morsel of the recognition that our hardworking green-and-gold men deserve. TOBY HENSEL Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Congratulations to writer Steve Wulf for his insight into Wisconsin humor. The element of "outrageous irony" is often missed by those who do not hail from my home state. The Cheesehead label, for instance, originated as a scornful put-down by tourists. The sponge-plastic cheese hats worn by Packer fans are an example of Wisconsinites' one-upping those who would mock the state. CARL F. HOFFMAN Cleveland Heights, Ohio

It was a pleasure reading something positive on the Packers and their fans. These guys have fulfilled a dream for Green Bay and all their supporters. They are truly America's team, and have earned this honor by their grace and the way they play ball. The Packers have the respect of their fans and fellow players. I'm proud to be a Packer fan and a Cheesehead too! DEBRA SHORT Portage, Wisconsin

There isn't a player on the Packer team I wouldn't trust to watch my child. To a man, every Packer is a gentleman. No egos. No flash. No infighting. Mike Holmgren, Ron Wolf and Bob Harlan have been superb. As for the fans, we've been nuts in love for 30 years, and may well be for another 100. CURTIS CAMPBELL Oconto, Wisconsin

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Bill Cosby displayed incredible class in the shadow of the tragic death of his son Ennis [NATION, Jan. 27]. He requested that the media show "dignity." To my amazement, the media responded. No more gory shots of his son lying dead in the road. However, I am saddened to note that such a request would probably have gone unheeded had it been someone else's son. Dignity is not allowed the common man by the media. But insensitive publicity is a practice that must stop. MIMI JONES-ELLISON Coraopolis, Pennsylvania

As a former classmate of Ennis' at Morehouse College, I can confirm that every positive, wonderful thing that has been printed about him is true. He was an exceptional person, and the world is a darker place for his passing. DAVID BRANTLEY III North Brunswick, New Jersey Why did you resort to using photographs of a grieving family and a body bag? Can't you trust the written story to bring the images to life? CATHY JAMES Indianapolis, Indiana

Thank you, TIME, for giving this important story the prominent place it deserves. Millions share the Cosby family's grief and wish them comfort. EILEEN MERICLE Ames, Iowa

America has produced grand drama in crime for decades. But only when the deceased are famous or near famous are the internal fires of fear and grief stoked. The death of Ennis Cosby is a tragedy, unquestionably, but others will die similar deaths in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington. Will those deaths incite the nation to show outrage against violence? MICHAEL TIMOTHY WATERMAN Washington THE CITADEL ERUPTS AGAIN

I found the departure of female cadets Kim Messer and Jeanie Mentavlos from the Citadel disturbing [SOCIETY, Jan. 27]. The two claimed sexual harassment and vicious hazing, and it is hard to comprehend that people would behave so horribly to other human beings. This is just a school, right? It's not as if lives were at stake or actual combat was going on. And even if that were so, I can't understand how washing someone's mouth out with cleanser helps prepare for combat. However, my time in the U.S. Army taught me a lot of things, and the most important lesson was "never quit"--even when faced with seemingly unbearable odds, never give up. DAVID R. VAILLANCOURT Auburn, Maine

After reading about the vicious hazing, which supposedly builds character but instead seems to keep these students at a juvenile level, I can only ask, What company would want to fill its jobs with men who set people on fire and force them to sing obscene songs? MARY SHELTON Riverside, California

IT'S NOT THE COWS WHO ARE MAD

Re your story on the fear that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad-cow disease) might occur in the U.S. [HEALTH, Jan. 27]: I would like to remind you to be cautious when publishing such reports. A careless story could seriously damage the U.S. beef industry. The U.S. has never had a case of BSE. It is not common for Americans to eat cattle brains, the organ most likely to be the problem, if in fact eating any part of the cow actually causes the disease in humans SARAH BUXKEMPER Ballinger, Texas

American cattlemen support the intent of the FDA proposal to ban the use of certain animal tissue in feed as another precaution to prevent BSE in U.S. cattle. This measure, however, is only one of many that cattlemen and the government have taken since 1986 to keep BSE out of the U.S. Such safeguards strongly dispute virologist Robert Rohwer's assertion that the "only thing that stands between us and a BSE epidemic is unmitigated luck." Consumers need to know that what keeps U.S. beef safe and BSE-free is not luck but the combined efforts and commitment of America's cattlemen and the government. These efforts are well worth it in safeguarding the health of U.S. cattle. Consumers can eat U.S. beef with total confidence. GARY WEBER Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs National Cattlemen's Beef Association Washington

Why eat beef? We could just as easily eat soy protein. There could be a spiritual benefit to re-examining our greed for meat. Maybe we're the mad ones. LAURA J. WALLACE Baltimore, Maryland