LETTERS

TURNING FIFTY

As Hillary Clinton celebrates her 50th birthday [NATION, Oct. 20], people around the world will take the opportunity to commend her for a lifetime of work helping those less fortunate. She has used her position as a legal expert and public servant to improve the American family and the lives of children. How unfortunate that her accomplishments have been overlooked in a climate of negativism. Because she has forsaken the safe projects of former First Ladies and tackled more controversial issues, she has come under heavy criticism, as did Eleanor Roosevelt more than a half-century ago. Her book, It Takes a Village, has inspired many acts of kindness. She will be remembered as one of America's most admired First Ladies. JOHN E. MILLER JR. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

When the Baby Boomers turned 40, we were treated to dissertations on how it felt to turn 40. Now they are 50, and it's as if they were the first generation ever to reach that milestone. Will the most self-centered, self-absorbed, self-important and just plain selfish generation in history ever stop whining and just grow up? THOMAS J. BROWNE Bridgewater, N.J.

I too will turn 50 the year my daughter enters college. I have been a corporate vice president and currently own and operate a small business. My generation of women did change the world; however, those of us who succeeded placed ourselves out front and on the line. If Hillary wants a legacy, she should take risks: stake out a position of power for which there is responsibility and accountability. She should not hide behind policy and nice ideas that she can retreat from when things turn sour.

She can either play the nurturing, supportive and important role of a Barbara Bush or come out from behind her husband. She cannot have it both ways. MARCIA L. LADD Chapel Hill, N.C.

We, the next generation of professional women, are the ones the First Lady's generation inspired to dream about "having it all." However, we are also the girls who watched that worn-out generation try to feed the kids and go to work and too often end up getting divorced. We see the pitfalls and are already disillusioned.

While Clinton's generation of women was so vocal about having families, careers and doing everything perfectly, our generation tries to keep mum. We are advised in law school not to wear our wedding band or engagement ring to job interviews for fear that employers will view us as baby machines, women too distracted by a family to devote 80 hours a week to the job.

It is the family-unfriendly environment that forces us to place limitations on our careers before we have even had a chance to start them. JACQUELINE KARAMANOS Ann Arbor, Mich.

It was not necessary for me to know that Hillary Clinton has turned 50. She is most assuredly not my role model. JUDY KNUTSEN Stockton, Calif.

At long last a positive, balanced profile of the First Lady. Bravo, and thank you very much! All is forgiven. JUDITH L. MILLER Indianapolis, Ind.

Until you published your lengthy report, Hillary Clinton was doing a fairly good job staying out of sight, just what the public wants her to do. In the future, please assist her in achieving this goal. H. WAYNE CARVER II Avon, Conn.

Hillary Clinton has stood by Bill in every facet of their relationship. She has gone beyond what most women would do. It's her husband's turn to support her and prove to the world that Hillary was right to give him all she did. She is more qualified than Bill. In fact, as all women must be to excel, she is more than qualified in her field. Go for it, Hillary. Be our first female President! JOANNE CAUCIELLA BONICA Massapequa, N.Y.

So Hillary Clinton has turned 50. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. HELEN KLECKNER Conshohocken, Pa.

Hooray for Hillary! We need more 50-year-old cover girls. NANCY KING REAME Ann Arbor, Mich.

The First Lady's life represents the triumphs and sacrifices of the women of her generation. From the time she was growing up in Illinois until she assumed her current role in the White House, Hillary Clinton has demonstrated the ability to lead and the energy and drive to fight for her beliefs.

She has shown her intelligence and leadership throughout high school, college and law school and as a practicing attorney and the wife of the Governor of Arkansas. As First Lady, she has continued to battle for children's, women's and human rights. Hillary has bounced back from adversity every step of the way, and she will, no doubt, continue to do so. Whether she seeks elected office or nongovernment involvement in the future, she will be a leader for many years to come. GEORGE A. DEAN Southport, Conn.

What ever happened to Hillary Clinton's interest in adopting a child--a desire that she mentioned when she was out looking for votes for her husband in 1996 and that was voraciously seized on by the press. She might not suffer so much from empty-nest syndrome if she were seriously considering adoption. CLAIRE PARKER Woodland Hills, Calif.

Your profile of America's First Lady was very deft work, gracefully skipping on the surface of the real woman. I am amazed that this disempowered person was so easily frightened away from pursuing serious problems. While I did not like Hillary Clinton's ideas for health-care reform, she certainly had the right to articulate them. American women should be vitally interested in improving the health-care system. But public opinion has somehow achieved the wrong result; the health-care system remains poor, and the First Lady is required to be frivolous. Is that the American way? MARTA STEFAN London

It's reassuring to many fellow Baby Boomers like me that even Hillary Clinton is not at ease with computers. You must think of computers like cars: you don't have to know how they work in order to operate one. If you can't get it to work properly, someone will fix it for you. And once you're used to one, you will never want to be without it. LYNN MOSS Fish Hoek, South Africa

The death of Princess Diana left a great void in people's hearts. Perhaps it can be filled by Hillary Clinton. CHIDANAND BHUMKAR Thane, India

I am disgusted by the life-styles of the Baby Boomers. They have sparked a new era of social values that have changed the world in which I live, creating a mass of problems whose ramifications they will not live to endure. Their sexual revolution has resulted in a society rife with sexually transmitted diseases; the institution of the family has deteriorated to the point of dysfunctionality. The Baby Boomers' use of narcotics has destroyed many of my peers in a circle of unbridled drug use and addiction. PAUL HOOGENDOORN, age 16 Coquitlam, B.C.

POISONING PEACE

The bungled attempt by the Israeli spy agency Mossad [WORLD, Oct. 13] to kill a political leader of Hamas in the heart of Jordan's capital was another manifestation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lack of strategic thinking and good judgment. The most unsettling aspect of that act was that Netanyahu does not seem to make much of a distinction between friend and foe or between what is right and what is wrong when it comes to power politics. Can he be trusted to foster the cause of peace in the Middle East? Only peace-loving Israelis can force their Prime Minister to change course; if he does not, they can choose a new leader. In another democratic country, the Prime Minister would have resigned. S.A. SHERIF London

Again the Israeli spin doctors are attempting to create the impression that the assassination attempt on Hamas leader Kahled Meshal in Jordan was just a botched operation. Mossad activity in this case was clearly state-supported, premeditated murder. Is there a real difference between the Palestinian suicide bombers, Menachem Begin's involvement in the attack on the King David Hotel in 1946, the Israeli army's 1996 shelling of the refugee camp at Qana, Lebanon, and this last botched murder attempt? If we really want peace in the Middle East, we must put all the participants on a level playing field. We must make the Israelis commit to the same conditions they insist that the Palestinians adhere to. JAN A. VAN LOAN Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia

If Jordan's King Hussein really wanted to promote peace, he would deny Hamas members the use of his country as a haven where murderous actions are planned. Israel should reserve the right to seek out terrorists wherever they may be. To eliminate the planning of murders is not "poisoning peace"--it is an attempt to attain it. JOSELLE R. REUBEN Cape Town

MORE TALIBANS AHEAD?

I applaud you for the article on the plight of Afghanistan's women, who have to endure the most brutal and barbaric treatment at the hands of the Taliban's militants [WORLD, Oct. 13]. The U.S. and other Western powers should use their influence to save these oppressed women from tyranny. Unless we act to stop this systematic repression, in the future we will see more Talibans in other Muslim countries. REHANA KHODABUX Quartier Militaire, Mauritius

MEN GET SPIRITUAL

I am sure that the Promise Keepers group, like every other large movement, contains its fair proportion of flakes and fakes [NATION, Oct. 6], but as a pastor, I have found that most men respond to its goals with genuine repentance accompanied by changed behavior, not just new resolutions that are easily broken. It is mystifying to me that some feminists cannot recognize a battle won, as their message has reached the hearts of so many men. Perhaps feminist philosophy is never to trust men. What do feminists want--subservient, feminized men? Is it possible they even want a world without men? The Promise Keepers remind us that to the Christian husband leadership means not dictatorial dominance but an embracing of the primary responsibility of a husband and father--the welfare of wife and children. The man will die for them if necessary, but certainly he will live for them. BRYAN NORFORD New Westminster, B.C.

One can't find fault with an organization that, on the surface, calls on men to repent their contemptible deeds against women and children. But there is something sinister simmering below that surface--the undermining of women's rights. The Promise Keepers movement is also suspect because it invokes scriptural authority, instead of intelligence or the power of reason, in its efforts to guide its members. The goal of the organization is not to better society in general but to improve the lot only of men who cherish so-called Christian values. DINA AUSTIN Toronto

The fact that the Promise Keepers cause alarm in feminist groups is more a commentary on the present state of the feminist movement than a justifiable fear. The apparent goal of the Promise Keepers is to save souls, and its message is biblical in nature. The only people who could truly be upset are female supremacists--not real feminists. As for founder Bill McCartney, he is a clear-cut example of a person who puts his money where his mouth is and a man to be truly admired, not feared. RICHARD JAMES SKAGGS MONTES Guatemala City

Who can question the sincerity and strength of faith of both the Promise Keepers and the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan? But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Obviously, many of the Promise Keepers members feel castrated. Where do these feelings of impotence come from? Can they stem from the fragmentation of the family, the downgrading and elimination of jobs, employment and retirement insecurity, dependency on wives as co-breadwinners and the polarizing effects brought about by radical feminists who are using their much needed movement to galvanize hatred toward all males? BERNARD WISSER Alkmaar, the Netherlands

I congratulate the Promise Keepers for their positive impact on the lives of many women and children as men face up to their responsibilities and give their families the attention they deserve. Working in the health-care field with its large female work force, I have often been privy to the frustration and disillusionment felt by many women toward their men. For that reason, I find bizarre the criticism directed at the Promise Keepers by some elements of the feminist movement. I suspect its paranoid diatribe has more to do with bitterness and failure to recognize the enrichment of the lives of ordinary women, children and men. TONY KAMPKES Christchurch, New Zealand

Men with an abusive background are just substituting one form of control over their female partners for another. Instead of physically brutalizing women, the Promise Keepers apply their version of biblical authority over the opposite sex. Either way, men have the upper hand while women are kept in a subservient role. JONATHAN SPIVAK North York, Ont.

The Promise Keepers should be celebrated. Whether or not we are Christian, we should be thankful for men who promise to uphold godly principles. If we all lived according to Christ's teachings, our world would be a Utopia. We have heard only good reports from those who have attended Promise Keepers meetings. We pray this movement will not become corrupted by greed or disharmony, but can fulfill its potential. JOE AND CHERYL HOLLINGER Pontypridd, Wales

Like a lot of men, I sympathize with some of the Promise Keepers' stated goals. But the fact that these men feel they cannot do right by their wives and families unless supported by a religious cult with political aspirations is pretty pathetic. A real man does the right thing because it's right, not because he is shamed into it by a group of his peers. STEVE VANDEN-EYKEL New Westminster, B.C.

At a time when men are generally portrayed by the media as spineless, TV watching couch potatoes, the Promise Keepers movement comes as a ray of hope. These men recognize the need to repent for their sins and play the part in their families ordained for them by God. By assuming this long-lost role, the Promise Keepers are bound to have a positive effect on society. Boys will have caring role models to look up to, and girls will have fathers who are men of integrity. THEO E. KOTZE Pietersburg, South Africa

As a former president of a women's organization, I was deeply stirred by the coverage of the Promise Keepers. Far from being disturbed by the group and its goals, I was moved to tears by the image of the fervent men on your cover. KERRY COLE Plymouth, England

STANDING UP FOR THE ROYALS

One really does get sick and tired of all the pro-Diana, antiroyals letters by so many of your readers [LETTERS, Oct. 6]. After all, Diana was killed not while distributing soup in a charity kitchen but in a mad race through the streets of Paris. And that the Queen should be so criticized is bewildering. Diana was her former daughter-in-law who waged a tough fight for money during a tasteless divorce. The princess was killed in an accident with her new and extremely wealthy lover. What former mother-in-law would demonstrate great grief? I think all the royals behaved with as much dignity as the situation called for. KATERINA VESTMAN Zwingenberg, Germany

COVERT OPERATIONS IN CUBA

Your report on the new book about President John F. Kennedy's White House tapes made during the Cuban missile crisis [NATION, Oct. 13] stated, "The confrontation started when the Soviet Union began covertly shipping into Fidel Castro's Cuba 72 nuclear-armed ballistic missiles capable of wiping out U.S. cities." You are right to say there were covert operations, but they started with Operation Mongoose, the CIA project to blow up installations in Cuba, contaminate Cuban sugar shipments to other countries, wage psychological warfare and make plans for another invasion of the island.

These moves were central to the origins of the dispute. The Soviet Union provided missiles to help protect Cuba against such actions. As Defense Secretary Robert McNamara stated at a conference in 1989, "If I had been a Cuban leader, I think I might have expected a U.S. invasion." Kennedy is often praised for his handling of the crisis. But less discussed is the skill with which he hid the U.S. insurgency campaign against Cuba. DEREK MULLINGS Dubai, United Arab Emirates

FIGHTING THE COMMON COLD

Your article about the tests of a new decoy drug that relieves the common cold [MEDICINE, Oct. 13] was intriguing. If some future geneticist could produce a creature in his own likeness in the laboratory, wouldn't that scientist want to come up with a way to protect it against all the diseases of the earth? How could that be achieved?

Perhaps it could be done by making it susceptible to a weak, rapidly mutating virus that didn't cause much trouble but ensured that the creature's immune system had to keep firing up every now and again to guard against nastier problems. The common cold is a strange disorder and has so far defeated all efforts to get rid of it. Could it be a form of protection devised by God or nature? And if the common cold is a defense mechanism, would it be wise to get rid of it? ROBERT W.K. GARDINER Kirbymoorside, England

Until three years ago, I was getting a cold three or four times a year. But since I started eating garlic, I have not had a single cold. Each day I have a garlic clove with breakfast, along with a spoonful of parsley to eliminate the odor. I don't know about vampires, but it sure works against colds. PAGET SAYERS Managua

A YEN FOR ZEN

When the old god Jehovah, or Yahweh, ceased to frighten most people, new prophets arose. People listened to preachings about capitalism, democracy, humanism, socialism and communism. When even these failed to fill the human soul, the unexplored exotic religions of the East, such as Buddhism [RELIGION, Oct. 13], beckoned. But here in the West, those religions are artificially implanted in a society that is spiritually lost. The followers are ready to be led like sheep into any corner of the religious corral--be it to mass suicide, sexual excess or even murder. Eastern religions are Eastern in their mentality, and Buddhism in America will go the way of other fads. ROMAN STASTNY London, Ont.

VIEWS ABOUT LAND MINES

Your story on Jody Williams' winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign to ban land mines [NATION, Oct. 20] failed to mention many of the major disadvantages of the proposed land-mine treaty. It would ban land mines, without any exceptions. But these weapons can be a small nation's first and only line of defense against a larger aggressor. Also, I fail to see how the treaty will prevent most of the deaths and injuries. A large number of land mines are planted by terrorist groups which will not be bound by a piece of paper. MEHAL SHAH, age 14 Amherst, N.Y.

Is it reasonable to allow the continued use of land mines, weapons that are killing or maiming 26,000 innocent women and children a year, to "protect" a relatively small number of Americans serving in Korea? Why are we spending millions of dollars on military strategists and state-of-the-art hardware if our people can't come up with anything better than exploding land mines that blindly injure friend and foe alike? MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER Nashville, Tenn.

ESTEFAN EXERCISES FREE SPEECH

It is not surprising that pop star Gloria Estefan felt the ire of the right-wing Cuban-exile community in Miami [NATION, Oct. 20] for her support of a Metro-Dade arts-board volunteer who was fired for saying officials should end their ban on performances by Cuba-based artists. As an area resident for 10 years, I am aware that right-wing Cuban exiles have taken over big time in Miami, in its politics and assorted businesses. I'm bothered that no one can express an opinion that does not agree with theirs. When these exiles fled Cuba, they took their wealth and whatever else they could with them, leaving the poor behind. They were not concerned, then as now, with the well-being of the poor. These exiles would just like to retake the island and return to the old days--with our help, of course. NAME WITHHELD ON REQUEST Coral Springs, Fla.

It is ironic that the Cuban-exile community--particularly the fervent anti-Castro organizations--behaves very much like the oppressor it so reviles. It's sad to live in a community where constitutional rights, such as freedom of speech, are selectively respected. And this is the exile community that helps keep Castro's regime afloat by sending $800 million a year in money and goods to relatives on the island. ALEX DIAZ-GRANADOS Miami

THE EXPERTS ARE OPPOSED

The debate about intact dilation and extraction, as described in "The Real Partial-Birth War" [NATION, Oct. 20], is taking a surreal and dangerous turn. People who have no knowledge about this complex procedure are making restrictive judgments that could cause real harm to women. As you noted, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, doctors who deal daily with obstetric complications, are against the ban. And Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health is vehemently opposed to the ban on the procedure and to any interference in the integrity of the patient-doctor relationship and physicians' commitment to the safe practice of medicine. We owe it to our patients to provide the best possible care based on medical and scientific facts, rather than contentious emotional and political debates. SEYMOUR L. ROMNEY, M.D. Chair, Board of Directors Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health New York City

HERE COMES HOLISTIC HEALING

I'm glad S.C. Gwynne let those New Age nitwits have it with both barrels in his piece about the "Whole Life Expo," the country's largest holistic fair [AMERICAN SCENE, Oct. 20]. I solve my medical problems the old-fashioned American way--by drugging myself into a stupor. RUDOLPH MINGER Los Angeles

Is this country great, or what? Where else could a group of enterprising shills and snake-oil salesmen get together to peddle their wares? This expo was a holistic sort of con game, where remedies were pitched to the self-absorbed, eager but aging yuppies forever seeking longevity. I'm sure H.L. Mencken would agree that the species Boobus Americanus still flourishes. MICHAEL N. CANTWELL Tampa, Fla.

LOOK WHO'S NOT WATCHING

You said that TV viewership of the four major networks was down to 61% in September, a drop of 4 percentage points since last year [TELEVISION, Oct. 20]. I hope this was due in part to my own viewing habits. In 1995, I decided that for me, a single person, watching TV is very isolating and a poor substitute for a real life. So I unplugged the TV. ANDREA A. RUFF Orlando, Fla.