Letters

TAKING ON THE SERBS

I have never been prouder of Bill Clinton and the U.S. military than now, for standing up to Balkan bully Slobodan Milosevic in order to stop the systematic murder of ethnic Albanians [KOSOVO CRISIS, April 5]. After Hitler exterminated 6 million Jews, the West said it would never let such a tragedy occur again. Well now is the time to back up that promise, because it is happening again. LYNN CAPEHART San Diego

Despite Michael Duffy's air of ridicule in describing Clinton's belief in the efficacy of conflict resolution, this is the only lasting way of resolving the situation in Kosovo. The use of armed conflict to settle differences throughout the centuries is what has led to the current situation. Fighting has not brought a lasting peace; it never will. War means winners and losers, and losers mean bitterness and desire for revenge. With war come death and destruction and children's growing up without parents and siblings, scarred and fearful. War perpetuates further acts of violence. The cycle is endless. ANNA CASSILLY Chapel Hill, N.C.

I am ashamed that the U.S. government and our allies are committing the same genocide against the people of Yugoslavia as the Serbs have been accused of carrying out against the Albanians in Kosovo. The massacre of innocent Serbs under NATO's so-called humanitarian mission must stop. Milosevic may have done wrong, but the NATO forces are doing wrong as well. RAM KOUSSA Rockwall, Texas

Clinton is making the same mistake Lyndon Johnson made in Vietnam in supposing that bombing will force a rational response from an irrational person. Assuming a dictator will act in the best interest of his nation's people is an error of judgment the West keeps making. Milosevic, like Ho Chi Minh, sees the struggles of his countrymen only as the means to achieve an ethnically pure nation. The bait has been taken: NATO and the U.S. are headed down the slippery slope of ever increasing commitment in Yugoslavia. CHARLES GARNER Greensboro, N.C.

If one substitutes 1999, Milosevic, ethnic Albanians and Yugoslavia for 1939, Hitler, Jews and Germany, your article could have appeared in my history textbook covering World War II. Milosevic may not want to control all of Europe, but he does have the will to fight for Kosovo. If America and Europe do not have the will to expel Milosevic, then this region will once again be the birthplace of a world war. DON C. TYLER Fort Wayne, Ind.

The U.S. does not want to be the world's policeman, but if there is ever to be peace, then action must be taken to ensure this goal. It is proper that the U.S., as the most powerful nation in the world, with high ideals of human rights, lead efforts to preserve peace. America's actions in Kosovo to protect the Albanians, a Muslim people, from genocide and abuse of their human rights show a commitment to a just and peaceful world without any bias of race, religion or nationality. DWIGHT M. GOWDEY Seattle

No people would approve aggression against my country, Yugoslavia, if they had the right information about what's going on here. How can one explain dropping bombs near schools and hospitals or killing an old man in his cottage in the middle of nowhere? Who will build new houses for the ethnic Albanians and Serbs or give them new jobs in a poor country such as Yugoslavia? I fought hard against the Milosevic regime for years, and I still strongly believe in democracy. Unfortunately, the bombs NATO drops on my country are striking the Serbian democratic movement. VLADIMIR STAJIC Zemun, Yugoslavia

The problem with the U.S. and NATO leaders is that they talk too much. Their strategies are thus exposed to the enemy. Material advantage is not a guarantee of success. The Yugoslavs and Russians are excellent chess players. While Russia is not directly involved in the war, Russian advisers may be giving their Yugoslav brethren practical pointers in order to win endgames. NESTOR ALMAZAN Mississauga, Ont.

What the Serb army has done to the Albanian Kosovars is terrible. However, the bombs that NATO drops do not discriminate between Serb and Albanian. Those who suffer more from the NATO attack are not the Serb leaders but the innocent Serb civilians, who watch their homes, bridges and the factories where they work being destroyed. With these attacks, NATO is uniting the Serb people under Milosevic. Now it will be impossible to overthrow this dictator. ANGELO GAITAS Athens

From Iraq to Monica Lewinsky, and now in Yugoslavia, President Clinton has shown an amazing inability to think of the long-term consequences of his actions. The only results we may see of the actions in Yugoslavia are an increase in the suffering of Kosovar Albanians and a rise in anti-American feeling around the world. OPONDO WANYAMA Francistown, Botswana

THE CLINTON DOCTRINE

I read with great interest and sadness Charles Krauthammer's commentary "The Clinton Doctrine" [ESSAY, April 5], in which he quoted a foreign policy expert's description of managing the "teacup wars" of the world and the "uncivil civil wars" of nation-states. The interest came from its facts and logic, the sadness from the doctrine's "highfalutin moral principles [that] are impossible guides to foreign policy" and the inevitable wavering between the deplorable poles of hypocrisy and naivete. After reflection, however, I find that both President Clinton and Krauthammer are correct. The Kosovo affair seems like the pursuit of knowledge. One ought to gain some new learning and put it to use. But omniscience and omnipotence are beyond human capacity. MIKE M. BEHESHTI North Salt Lake, Utah

Krauthammer's ill-considered essay belies his usual knee-jerk hostility toward everything Clinton does. Krauthammer claims that the President meant for his "doctrine" to be "universal," and then the author unwittingly cites cases of U.S. nonintervention that disprove this claim. In fact, Clinton has never said the U.S. seeks to stop all humanitarian abuses in the world. And just because a goal is not fully obtainable doesn't mean it is not worth pursuing. Clinton's policy in the Balkans may be too reactive, but it would indeed be immoral not to stop Milosevic's rapes and murders by any means possible, including sending in ground troops. BLAKE WU Coralville, Iowa

Krauthammer caught Clinton's foreign policy dead center and crystallized what I feel: we Americans are experiencing self-righteous delusion. DAISY SPEARS STROUD Charlotte, N.C.

GUILTY VERDICT FOR DR. DEATH

Although physician Jack Kevorkian claims that his acts of euthanasia were carried out in response to requests from those who were suffering [NATION, April 5], I still believe it is an inhumane act to aid a person in his own death, regardless of consent. And I was quite impressed by your article, for it lays down the facts while expressing the views of Kevorkian boldly and concisely. JEFFREY PARK Berkeley, Calif.

Grandpa is slowly dying. Too slowly. Excruciating pain. Medications no longer effective. Bladder, bowels, lungs are all tubed up; he's wired like a switchboard and totally helpless. His rolling eyes have begged, implored for merciful release, pleading, "I've had enough. Help! Let me go!" But no, 67% of Oregon doctors still say, "Sorry, pal, we can't violate our 'Do no harm' oath!" Those doctors don't get it. Can't they see that by their very refusal they are prolonging suffering and doing harm? NANCY L. FOX Talent, Ore.

THOSE LYING EYES

I am apprehensive about the advances being made in developing computers with the ability to read facial expressions and possibly detect a lie [SCIENCE, April 5]. In the early stages of development these machines may merely "read" facial expressions, but they will no doubt bring about the creation of even more sophisticated interactive computer behavior instruments. Imagine our future--it will be similar to scenes in the writings of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. Will the day come when trust becomes nonexistent, and we depend on computers to feed us our truths? SETH ERICKSON Jacksonville, Fla.

RESOLVING A TRAUMA

David Van Biema's article on how forgiveness could be good for your health [RELIGION, April 5] might leave readers with the impression that unconditional forgiveness is the only route to peace or mental health, and that the only alternative is vindictive hatred and eternal bitterness. On the contrary: deciding not to forgive can also be a healthy choice. Resolving a trauma is what counts, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. JEANNE SAFER New York City

TRUTH-OMETER FOR CANDIDATES?

Bravo to TIME for exposing the truth behind presidential candidates' statements in your feature "Candidate Truth Watch" [NOTEBOOK, March 29]. I would also like to know when a candidate understates his or her achievements. Too often, people running for office try to portray themselves as something they are not. Don't they realize that the public would much rather hear honest statements and anecdotes? We'll vote for them on the basis of who they are, not who they aspire to be or wish they were. CHERYL A. SACEK Salt Lake City, Utah

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

My hat is off to Steve Lopez for putting into words my very sentiments in his piece "Nothing Means Something" [STEVE LOPEZ, April 5]. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks a little Y2K shutdown might not be so terrible. When I asked my 16-year-old what he thought of this essay, his reply was, "I wouldn't want to waste my life that way [doing nothing]." Mmmmmm...I think the first night this spring that I walk outside to sit and listen to the frogs croaking in the distance, I'm going to unplug the computer and take my son with me! LORI DUTTER Cedar Grove, Wis.

The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you're done! PHIL KIRCHER Hopland, Calif.

CORRECTION

In an item about several presidents' announcements of military actions [NOTEBOOK, April 5], we mistakenly described some of the background accessories in Clinton's Oval Office as "campaign buttons." The array of small disks visible behind Clinton are not campaign buttons but special coins with the emblems and mottoes of various U.S. military units.