Letters

MEN OF THE YEAR

"Bill Clinton and Ken Starr both on the cover? I'm surprised this issue didn't self-destruct and take my mailbox along with it." JUDI MILLER Plainville, Mass.

Your selection of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and President Bill Clinton was the most perfect choice that you could have made [MEN OF THE YEAR, Dec. 28-Jan. 4]. It was brilliant! SHARON WITHAM Lakeport, Calif.

You've got to be kidding! Clinton and Starr? One guy can't admit to the truth, and the other spends millions of taxpayers' dollars to prove a point that the American people don't want anything to do with. We could have used that money for education or to feed the poor. KURT SHOEMAKER Pennsville, N.J.

Clinton and Starr together at last! There's not a dime's worth of difference between those two; they simply gave in to different temptations. Perhaps both should be censured for their callous unwillingness to consider the consequences of their actions. In any case, your cover could facilitate a rather satisfactory game of darts. JAMES A. BLAIR Cumberland, R.I.

This selection has to rank as one of the most dismal TIME has ever made. These guys are the Humbert Humbert and Inspector Javert of U.S. politics. RICHARD E. HEGNER Columbia, Md.

Congratulations. Never before have I seen such a fascinating contrast of good and evil both within and especially between two men. It is like combat between God and the devil. But I won't say who is the evil one. LEE ZOOK Mabel, Minn.

Clinton and Starr are linked like my dog and his fleas. My pet serves as a watchdog and friend; Clinton does his job as a leader tackling difficult problems. My dog's fleas do nothing but irritate him and me. Starr's investigations have only done harm to the body politic. Let him flee the judgment of history. PAUL J. LAROCCA East Hartford, Conn.

You have contributed directly to the decline of America by choosing two of the biggest buffoons our planet has ever known. JAMES MABRY Anchorage

I won't be hanging any pictures of your Men of the Year in my kindergarten classroom. Shame on you! How could you relegate baseball's Mark McGwire to the (newly invented?) category of Hero of the Year? McGwire taught us all a lesson in sportsmanship and humility. ANNE M. HAGGERTY Silver Spring, Md.

IMPEACHMENT OF A PRESIDENT

The Fact that Bill Clinton was impeached as a result of partisan voting in the House of Representatives shows how ridiculous this process is [NATION, Dec. 28-Jan. 4]. Has any other American President met as much spiteful opposition as Clinton? How many more hypocritical Republicans are going to be forced out of the infidelity closet to follow in the wake of Henry Hyde, Dan Burton and Bob Livingston? When a Republican is next elected President, I hope the Democrats in Washington work as hard as possible to make his presidency a living hell. The actions of the Republicans have created a blueprint to follow. DEAN DUANE Highlands, N.J.

The vote to impeach Clinton is a verdict on his entire political life for consistently violating moral and ethical rules. JEFF SMITH Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Even though the polls showed that the majority of Americans support Clinton, Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to impeach. Maybe we need a new name for this body: the House of Misrepresentatives. JIM BIHARI Columbus, Ohio

We must remember that the American method of government is not one of consensus but one of representation. It is to be hoped that our Representatives sometimes cast a vote based not on political expediency but on principle. MARVIN YODER Galena, Alaska

In future elections, I don't care if the Democratic candidate is Satan himself; I will not vote for a Republican. TIM MCGLYNN Palatine, Ill.

House Republicans have finally achieved the unimaginable: they have captured the moral low ground from President Clinton. LYNN R. KAHLE Eugene, Ore.

WHO'S THE ENEMY?

Americans were confused as to who their enemy was. They launched bombing raids to attack Iraq's Republican Guard [NATION, Dec. 28-Jan. 4] when the real danger to the U.S. was in the Republican Congress! PAUL KELLY Victoria, B.C.

What if President Clinton had chosen not to make necessary air strikes against Iraq because he feared that an assault at the time of the scheduled impeachment debate would be seen as a wag-the-dog action? In that case there really would have been grounds for impeachment. Clinton would have been putting concern for his personal and political future above the good of the nation. I commend the President for having the courage to act as he did. JANE ENGLISH Mount Shasta, Calif.

Bombing is not the way to achieve military or political goals. On the contrary, bombing hardens the resolve of those who are subjected to it. My greatest fear is that this stupidity we are unleashing on Iraq will escalate and result in terrorist counterattacks. TED ZAJAC JR. Elyria, Ohio

LISTEN TO THE CHILDREN

In your article on the campaign by schoolchildren in Colorado to purchase the freedom of individual slaves in Sudan [PHILANTHROPY, Dec. 21], you mentioned that I put the kids and their message on our Nickelodeon channel. But it was my granddaughter Keryn who first informed me of the class's campaign against slavery. Initially, I didn't realize the significance of Keryn's concerns, but her persistence and tenacious focus on this international atrocity convinced me that I should spotlight the children's extraordinary effort. The credit for the resulting Nickelodeon News segment, which jump-started the effort, belongs rightfully to Keryn and other youngsters. This tale reminds us of some sage advice: Listen to your children. It is frequently they who show us the power of an individual to make a difference in this world. SUMNER M. REDSTONE Chairman and CEO Viacom Inc. New York City

The campaign to buy the freedom of slaves plays right into the hands of the slave traders. However well intentioned the effort may be, it is helping the traders carry out their atrocious activities, providing them with increased profits and an incentive to continue their behavior. STEPHEN DONNELLY Easthampton, Mass.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Your report "Descent Into Madness" depicted the mob incidents in Jakarta in the context of ethnic and religious hatred [WORLD, Dec. 7]. This is a mistake. Since President Suharto's resignation in May, Indonesia has entered uncharted territory marked by the guarantee of political freedom, a free press and the establishment of new political parties on an almost daily basis. We are facing huge challenges as we transform a society that has had over 30 years of authoritarian rule into one that is democratic. But the transition to democracy requires time and effort. We appreciate those who show their sympathy and support. MAHENDRA SIREGAR, FIRST SECRETARY Press and Information Division Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia Washington

PROTECTING THE FORESTS Your article on the need to preserve the world's wooded areas [HEROES FOR THE PLANET: FORESTS, Dec. 14] justifiably charged timber interests, population growth and suburban sprawl with reckless forest destruction. However, you should have included the illegal drug trade as one of the culprits. For years drug cultivators have claimed hundreds of thousands of acres of forest. Environmental organizations should adopt rigorous antidrug policies that compel government accountability and stem lethal drug cultivation. F. ANDY MESSING JR. Executive Director National Defense Council Foundation Alexandria, Va.

The loss of tropical rain forests is a tragedy that saddens all in the U.S. forest-products industry. Members of this association have worked hard to protect and conserve forests and wildlife both in the U.S. and elsewhere. American forest-products companies that have concessions overseas do not log in tropical rain forests, and public and privately owned forests in the U.S. are replanted as soon as possible after harvest. In 1995-97, our members reforested 3.7 million acres. W. HENSON MOORE President and CEO American Forest & Paper Association Washington