Letters

JOHN GLENN'S MISSION

I felt euphoric seeing John Glenn on the cover of TIME in an astronaut's suit [SPACE, Aug. 17]. How refreshing to see a 77-year-old taking a ride in space instead of one in a wheelchair. It was fantastic for Glenn to say "Politics is not only an honorable profession, it's one of the most honorable ones." With more John Glenns in politics, it could be. He certainly has the Right Stuff! VIRGINIA EVERS Dayton, Ohio

Glenn's mission: the right stuff or the right hype? RICHARD T. SEEGER Fort Wayne, Ind.

Like all real heroes who teach by their actions and not just their words, Glenn is leading by example. Glenn's courageous return to space demonstrates that aging need not be feared, but embraced and enjoyed. STEPHANIE LEDERMAN Executive Director American Federation for Aging Research New York City

I wish Senator Glenn the very best as he returns to space. However, I wish he had looked into his soul a little harder as a U.S. Senator. He decries partisanship but demonstrated it to an extreme in his defense of Clinton's flawed presidency. Glenn will be remembered by history for space flights, not for political courage. AL BELTRAMI Ukiah, Calif.

If NASA can determine that Senator Glenn is fit for space flight at age 77, why does the Federal Aviation Administration require commercial pilots to stop flying at 60? If NASA thinks a 77-year-old Glenn is good enough for it, you can bet I'd want to have him in the pilot's seat of the airliner I'm riding in. CARL ZIEGLER Hugo, Minn.

Shortly after Glenn's historic flight in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7, his tiny spacecraft was sent on a world exhibition tour. Ghana was the first stop in Africa. I was there, and in three hot June days of 1962, 75,000 Africans were wowed by the most unusual thing they had ever seen and touched. After Glenn's flight this fall, the U.S. government should take another initiative: send this American hero on a world tour to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. A personal tour by Glenn would spotlight an unpretentious American of character, courage and achievement. MARK LEWIS Chevy Chase, Md.

Glenn's flight is a public relations gimmick. Nothing will be learned about the effects of space on aging. C. RALPH VERNO West Chester, Pa.

To boldly go where no septuagenarian has gone before. Beam him up, Scotty! ALBERTO GESUALDI Ciudad Jardin, Argentina

It could be that significant medical and scientific accomplishments will result from Glenn's journey. But no matter. A needed uplift to the American spirit will surely result. GERALD BAZER Toledo, Ohio

Roger Rosenblatt said of Glenn's upcoming shuttle flight, "The public does not require a usefulness beyond its own admiring pleasure." Actually, yes, we do. The estimable Glenn is having his dream fulfilled at taxpayer expense, a privilege denied the rest of us. The pursuit of happiness does not carry with it the requirement of government funding. Don't insult our intelligence by pretending Glenn's voyage into space is good science instead of a mere joyride. GARY ABBOTT Atlanta

WISDOM OF SOLOMON NEEDED

About the two young girls who were swapped at birth and the issue of their custody [NATION, Aug. 17]: I say, Leave these two youngsters where they are. Let their families bond together, without the courts, and raise little Rebecca and Callie as sisters who have extended families. Wouldn't that be best for the girls? Rebecca already knows loss in the death of her parents. Don't let Callie experience the same thing by taking her away from the only parents she knows. HEATHER WHITE Arlington, Texas

I fervently agree with Jill Smolowe that children's lives shouldn't be shattered in cases of disputed or confused custody [VIEWPOINT, Aug. 17]. But why must these discussions always deteriorate into a debate over which is more valid, nature or nurture? That inevitably leads to the unfortunate question, Which parents are the real ones? As Smolowe wrote, "Real parents are people who are dedicated and unshakably there for you, day in and day out."

One immutable reality about us adoptees is that each of us has two sets of parents: one who gave life, the other who provided nurture. Eliminate either one, and there wouldn't be much of a child left for families to quibble over. Show me a parent who freely sets aside his or her own fears and insecurities to accept that truth about the child, and I'll show you a real parent. MARCY WINEMAN AXNESS Calabasas, Calif.

As an adoptee, I never cease to be amazed that when I tell people I'm adopted, they ask, "Do you know your real parents?" Of course I know my real parents. They are the people who raised me. I wonder when everyone will realize that the title of Mom or Dad is not a birthright but one that is earned, one that you work for every day of your child's life. It will be a glorious time for America's children when so-called adults stop treating children as property and start treating them as people. JOHN F. BOYNTON III Evanston, Ill.

THE AFRICA BOMBINGS

As a fellow African, I sympathize with the families of all those who were killed or injured in the Nairobi and Dar es Salaam embassy blasts [WORLD, Aug. 17]. In some countries, the U.S. embassy is in a strategically secure location, but in Kenya it is in a densely populated residential waterfront area where the neighboring buildings are other embassies and elementary schools. It's time the U.S. government reviewed security measures for its buildings and reassessed their location to protect the people who live or work near these embassies. And international terrorists need to be watched more closely than ever now. OLUKEMI OLUNLOYO Ibadan, Nigeria

Wherever one looks these days, be it Africa, the Middle East or Latin America, the U.S., the self-proclaimed promoter of democracy, is almost always on the side of the business elite, military juntas or tin-pot dictators--not on the side of the poor and downtrodden. Terror is the weapon the weak are wielding against the superpower. RANI-VILLEM PALO Camrose, Alta.

Terrorists should realize that they cannot bomb people into supporting their goals. They succeed only in causing grief and suffering to thousands, most of whom will never understand how killing innocent Africans will hurt the U.S. Creating momentary paranoia will certainly not help in generating sympathy for the perpetrators' agenda. We look forward to seeing these terrorists brought to justice and to rebuilding Nairobi's reputation as the Geneva of Africa. JUSTUS MAKAU Nairobi

Arab anger against America is caused by the U.S.'s continuous support of Israel, whose policy is settlement and the de facto annexation of occupied West Bank lands and Jerusalem. America will pursue the bombers to the maximum extent but do next to nothing about the sources of Arab frustration. The U.S. needs to pressure Israel to change its ways.

If Israel wants to take over and merge captured Arab territory into its lands, then in my opinion the best chance for peace is for the Israelis to create a new name and new flag for their country that both Jewish and Arab citizens can identify with. This change would have a deep impact on Arab views about participating in a country they once held and lost in war. PAUL ELLIOT Acton, Mass.

Think of what has happened in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Omagh, Northern Ireland, whenever you read of free-world democratic governments urging Israel to give up its security. Terrorism isn't just a remote Middle East phenomenon, and it will not fade away unless all governments understand the real danger and take appropriate action. AMNON KARIV Raanana, Israel

AN AID TO PEAK PERFORMANCE

Unlike several of the substances mentioned in your story about the use of performance boosters by bicyclists in the Tour de France [MEDICINE, Aug. 10], creatine is not a drug, and its use is not illegal. It is a nutritional supplement that is available over the counter at almost every nutrition store. Pfanstiehl Laboratories has been manufacturing synthetic high-purity creatine since 1961. We know of no amateur or professional sport in which the use of creatine is banned. Athletes use synthetic creatine to supplement their bodies' natural production of it, increase strength and extend their peak performance. GEORGE HOLSTEIN, President Pfanstiehl Laboratories Inc. Waukegan, Ill.

ABOUT THOSE NATIONAL PASTIMES

After reading the letter from Canadian Peter T. Lochtie commenting that baseball was invented, watched and played by morons [LETTERS, Aug. 17], I had to respond. Mr. Lochtie, would you prefer for us to watch the "sport" of curling? Or maybe hockey--where all but the few truly terrible teams somehow make the playoffs? Granted the sport of baseball has changed over the years, and not always for the better, but to condemn it across the board is ridiculous. Please, sir, leave my national pastime to me, and I'll leave yours to you. MITCHEL W. GILREATH Lewiston, N.Y.

LIKE GYPSIES IN THE PALACE

Eric Pooley only scratched the surface in writing of Jimmy Buffett's appeal to his Parrothead fans the world over [SHOW BUSINESS, Aug. 17]. Buffett is a folk, country, rock-'n'-roll, calypso, Latin, honky-tonk, Big Band, reggae, bebop, Tin Pan Alley, zouk, polka singer. He has become a spokesman for those of us who still enjoy being "the people our parents warned us about." For 364 days of the year, we deal with unadulterated crap, but on the 365th, Buffett comes to town and we slip away to Margaritaville. Being a Parrothead isn't without its responsibilities, however. Like Gypsies in the Palace, Parrotheads know that the good times aren't free, that giving back is part of the Pascagoula Run. BETH MEISNER Yorktown, Va.

I am a follower of and an adviser to the "Church of Buffett." Being a fan for so many years has been a real treat, and it was refreshing to read about one of the legends of the summer-concert scene. I just hope that your story doesn't bring more people out to see him next year and make tickets that much scarcer! CHRIS PALLAY Franklin Park, N.J.

My husband is fighting a terrible battle with cancer. In June we went with friends to a Buffett concert in Milwaukee, Wis. We danced to Cheeseburger in Paradise and cried to "Mother Ocean." For a few hours, we were able to push away the nightmare. Thank you, Jimmy. EILEEN LUCAS Fontana, Wis.

Too often people write Jimmy off as a drunken rocker who sings about getting high and getting women all at the same time. Yes, he has songs like that, and I probably know all the lyrics to them, but happily you showed us the man who had these crazy experiences and then evolved to another level. Like many others, I have lived vicariously through Jimmy and his adventures, and now I am growing vicariously through him too. BRIAN COLLINS Columbus, Ohio

WHEN TO E-MAIL YOUR M.D.

If your article about patients and doctors exchanging e-mail is true [PERSONAL TIME: YOUR HEALTH, Aug. 17], and people really believe communication has opened up, then I guess everything we physicians were taught in med school about interpreting nonverbal cues and other interactive signals during an examination was useless. You suggested limiting e-mail to "routine inquiries" such as requests for referral. This would indicate that a particularly complicated medical problem has arisen, demanding a thorough clinical investigation by a person's present doctor. Motives of both patients and physicians willing to carry out such a complex interaction via e-mail must be questioned. Malpractice lawyers must be drooling! GERALD G. GROSS, M.D. Fargo, N.D.