Letters

The Battle over Elian

"If Castro had held a U.S. citizen this long, the Marine Corps flag would be flying over the rubble that once was Havana." DON BARKER Nashville, Tenn.

Those who said they were ashamed to be Americans after the Immigration and Naturalization Service agents forcibly removed Elian Gonzalez from the home of his Miami relatives should be ashamed of themselves [NATION, May 1]. Were they proud when the family showered Elian with every imaginable bribe? Were they proud when the family demonized Elian's father, in a desperate attempt to keep the child in Miami? Were they proud of that heart-wrenching video of Elian demanding to stay in the U.S.? Until now, only Fidel Castro himself could have orchestrated such manipulation and brainwashing. BARRY BERGER Mission, Texas

The picture of Elian being forcibly taken by the INS agents ranks with other unforgettable, searing images, from the Vietnam War and Kent State. MICHAEL B. VAN WINKLE Ridgefield, Conn.

My wife and I bypassed reading the Elian story in your magazine because we are waiting for the movie. RALPH SCHWEITZER Prince George, B.C.

Is everyone as sick of the Elian saga as I am? If it did not involve the Cuban-American community, the story would have been over long ago. As a lifelong Republican, I am ashamed of my party for not supporting Reno. Cubans in America should be glad that we have laws and that they have the same rights and responsibilities as other Americans. Elian was used by the Cuban community in Miami, by politicians, by lawyers and by Castro. The whole affair was a pathetic display of human selfishness. KEN CAMMENGA Hudsonville, Mich.

If Elian had been returned to his father immediately, he would be further along in the healing process than he is now after the agonizing five-month wait and the situations his Miami relatives have exposed him to. NELIA PYNN Rochester, N.Y.

The deed has been done, but at what cost? I have heard immigrants say the best thing about America is that one can be sure there will be no knock on the door in the middle of the night. Something sacred was forever lost in the early-morning raid on April 22. MARY M. SCHMITT Ellensburg, Wash.

The Gonzalez case is complicated, but I can find only one person to root for: Elian. All others involved should be ashamed of themselves--Castro for creating a country that a woman would risk her life to leave; Elian's relatives for parading the poor child around in a media circus; Attorney General Janet Reno for ordering armed commandos to drag the frightened child out into the early-morning darkness. With all the resources available to our government, I cannot believe there were no other solutions. HOLLY ROBINSON Norwalk, Conn.

Reno is to be commended for her patience in the Gonzalez debacle. I'm only sorry that she didn't take an offensive position sooner with the Miami relatives. She could justifiably have charged them with kidnapping and inciting a riot. Employing this strategy might have silenced their theatrics. KAREN LEVIN Severna Park, Md.

Elian's ordeal at sea was bad enough; the show of force was even worse. Let's hope it didn't do permanent damage. PATRICIA LIMON Guadalajara, Mexico

Did the Miami relatives really believe Elian would choose Nintendo and cable TV over his father? And what happened to the Republicans' tough stance on family values? They would have us believe that if you choose to live in a communist country, your love for your own flesh and blood isn't as strong as in the U.S. EDITH LARYEA Montreal

Should Gays Lead the Scouts?

Re your story "Can A Scout Be Gay?" [LAW, May 1]: When will the Boy Scouts of America and the rest of the world realize there already are gay and lesbian people occupying all sorts of unlikely positions in which they may interact with children? There is no strong evidence showing that gay and lesbian people have any particular influence over children, positive or negative. Can a scout be gay? Hundreds are. Ask them! MARY PONTERIO Jacksonville, Ill.

Almost 30 years ago, I drove my 12-year-old son to a weekend camping trip with his Boy Scout troop. We arrived at 8 in the evening. The boys were in their tents, and the scoutmaster, assistant scoutmaster and two father chaperones were in a camper trailer drinking whiskey sours; the scoutmaster was pretty well in the bag. I reluctantly left my son there and worried all weekend about his being supervised by that group of "morally straight" men. I would have been far happier to have him in the care of a responsible gay scoutmaster like James Dale [who is suing the Boy Scouts to admit openly gay men and boys]. I think if the personal lives of all scoutmasters were scrutinized, we would find that Dale is probably "morally straighter" than most of them. JAMES A. PASCHEN Mequon, Wis.

Perhaps you are right to say "gays are no more likely to molest children than are heterosexuals," but given the fact that there are adults who would molest children, we take natural precautions, which is why an adult male leads a Boy Scout troop--not a girls' troop--and normally there is not any danger. If the adult is gay, however, even under your hypothesis, the precaution is weakened, and tragedy could follow. HUGO R. ZEA BARRIGA Lima

I had 25 years of scouting in England, where the founder, Lord Baden-Powell, instituted the tenet that a scout is a brother to every other scout, no matter to what class, color or creed the other may belong. That is the essence and beauty of scouting. I'm not gay, but I see it as abundantly clear that antipathy to bigotry of any kind is implicit in the above canon. Whoever injected the phrase "morally straight" into the American version cannot possibly hold to an ethic of Christian charity. In 46 years of teaching, I have put my arms around many students of both sexes who needed me, and I shall continue to do so. Academic subjects are what we teach; love is what we practice. CEDRIC VENDYBACK Kelowna, B.C.

Zimbabwe in Chaos

President Robert Mugabe is conning the world into believing the biggest problem facing Zimbabwe is the land issue [NOTEBOOK, May 1]. If we could wave a magic wand and immediately end the invasion of white-owned farms, would this solve Zimbabwe's problems? Absolutely not. Government corruption, incompetence, high unemployment and inflation, and Mugabe's fanatical intolerance of any form of opposition would still remain. In reality, white farmers and their lands fire up emotions, but this issue does not rank among Zimbabwe's top 10 difficulties. The agricultural sector has been one of the country's few shining lights. Zimbabweans know the only solution is to get rid of their single biggest problem--President Mugabe. GAVIN MURRAY Tonbridge, England

The events in Zimbabwe remind me of the plight of white farmers in South Africa who are being attacked at an alarming rate. Most of them end up dead, while from what I have read, the attacker has only a small chance of getting caught. DANTE M. STRAUCH Pretoria

Musclemen

I read your informative article "Never Too Buff," about increased testosterone use by men [HEALTH, April 24]. You noted the new book The Adonis Complex, which reveals men's obsession with their body image. Maybe the authors should consider changing the title to The Narcissus Complex. Muscles alone maketh not the man. BARRY SWINDLES Auckland

Vietnam Revisited

In his report on the recently declassified Vietnam War documents [HISTORY, April 24], Douglas Brinkley described with some pathos the American agony over the war. He touched on American attitudes toward what must be a tremendous problem--how to deal with what the U.S. government did or did not do--during and after nearly 15 years of involvement in Vietnam. While the American people will surely come to their own reckoning, one cannot help wondering whether the Vietnamese will one day achieve justice. Perhaps the American soul could rest easier if the U.S. government acknowledged its sins--maybe even the crimes of some individuals--and adequately compensated the Vietnamese people for the suffering unjustly imposed on them. SAMIR BHOJWANI Prague

In 1995, shortly after relations were normalized, I visited Vietnam. I was too young to have served in the war, but nonetheless I felt uncomfortable being there until my last day in Saigon, when I went to the old U.S. embassy. Walking up to the building was a surreal experience. Then one of the all too many street vendors approached, trying to sell me some postcards. After a week of beggars and pickpockets, I wanted to say no, but she had a kind face and offered to give me some history of the final days before the fall of Saigon. Afterward she asked me where I was from. When I said America, she stared into my eyes and said, "Welcome back." She explained that it was because of us Americans that she is able to have her small business selling cards. Freedom will prevail. BILL NEWMAN Singapore

The Life of an Idealist

Tthank you for the article on "the New Radicals" who protested against World Bank and IMF policies in Washington [WORLD, April 24]. I support those who participated in antiglobalization demonstrations in Seattle and elsewhere. Everyone who has tried to be an idealist knows that it means leading a more problematic life than if you chose to follow society's dictates blindly. The situations in which an idealist is forced to confront personal beliefs can be so draining that the will to change the world might vanish. I hope all who are ready to swim against the current never let go of that will, because idealists are the ones who will bring about change. They nurture a healthier way of thinking, ultimately benefiting all. ARVINN EIKELAND GADGIL Tromso, Norway

The world bank and the IMF may have made mistakes, but they have financially bailed out many developing countries and promoted projects that improved the welfare of the Third World. If you ask donor recipients whether they would like to do away with the World Bank, I wonder if any would seriously consider the idea unless they could somehow get free handouts with no strings attached. But is that what the Seattle and Washington protesters are willing to give? I doubt it, especially if it comes out of their own taxpaying pockets. HOWARD M. LIEBMAN Brussels

People have a problem with large "global" organizations because those entities have a poor track record for considering anyone and anything other than wealthy investors and companies. Globalization keeps products cheap and the competition at bay. It helps companies avoid responsibility. CATHLYN CARLEY Basel, Switzerland

How to Save the Earth

Your Earth Day 2000 report [SPECIAL ISSUE, April-May] brought up many important and critical points but missed a few others. For example, protecting trees, or limiting the trade in wood, should be put in the same category as safeguarding endangered elephants from being killed for ivory. Governments and organizations should aggressively fund research on how to use water more efficiently for agriculture. Eating more vegetables and less meat should become as normal as recycling is today. We need to focus on technological methods of reducing our impact on the earth. We need to change cultural patterns. LAURENCE EVANS Stanger, South Africa

I don't think mother nature loves cyberspace quite as much as Chris Taylor says in his story about how working, reading and shopping online will save fuel and preserve forests. The fact that using the Internet saves natural resources doesn't mean that Mother Nature is happy to see us become more dependent on a machine. ODED BEN-HORIN Dietikon, Switzerland

One might get the impression from your special issue that we are ever so slowly turning the environmental corner. The fact is, we have passed the point of no return in our ecological destruction. There are profit worshippers and money amassers at work who will eventually destroy the natural world. These movers and shakers plainly have no soul, not a penny of poetry in them, no mystical sense of what a privilege it is to be alive on this magical planet. Someday, if we ever wake up, we are going to be profoundly ashamed of ourselves. BARRY PETERSON Nanaimo, B.C.

World oil production is increasing, reducing proven petroleum reserves, but to allow a smooth transition to renewable fuels, oil prices must be allowed to rise, giving private enterprise the incentive to develop clean-fuel technology on a large scale. Keeping oil prices low is counterproductive because it delays such development, leading to more global warming and the possibility of major economic disruptions--not to mention a new war in the Persian Gulf. SIEGFRIED GUY DEUTSCHER Tel Aviv

The wrapping had hardly come off your Earth Day anniversary 2000 issue when the magazine was spotted by Robert, my nine-year-old son. The issue and my son disappeared into his room and were not seen again for a few hours. If our young can show such interest in their environment, then the future of our world appears to be assured. LAWRENCE HEYN Brisbane, Australia

A Source for Clean Energy

The article "Unleash the Rivers" by Mark Reisner in your report on Earth Day 2000 [SPECIAL ISSUE, April-May] was puzzling to us in the hydroelectric industry. With government officials warning of the likelihood of energy shortages in the near future, not to mention scientists predicting global warming, we cannot be as cavalier as Reisner about removing such a significant source of clean energy as hydroelectric power.

Hydropower accounts for 80% of the nation's renewable energy. By generating carbon-free electricity, we avoid burning fossil fuels and releasing an amount of carbon dioxide that would equal the exhaust of 50% of the cars on U.S. roads each year. Many hydropower projects also provide year-round drinking water, flood and drought control, irrigation for farmers and recreational enjoyment for tens of millions of Americans every year. The hydropower industry recognizes that some power and nonpower dams may have outlived their usefulness and should be removed. But productive hydroelectric dams should be recognized for their multiple benefits and not irresponsibly torpedoed by their critics. LINDA CHURCH CIOCCI Executive Director National Hydropower Association Washington

What's Normal?

Not every film is for everybody, but if the mail you published on American Beauty [LETTERS, May 1] is any indication, this movie is suffering from a general misunderstanding. The two families portrayed were never meant to be seen as "normal."

Of course, in these days of Clinton and Columbine, what exactly is normal? Rather, the families were meant to be symbolic of certain aspects of life in America. Unfortunately, adultery, murder, voyeurism and abuse of women are part of our existence. It is not a pretty picture, but how are we to understand these aspects of life if they are not honestly revealed and discussed? Aren't we all a bit dysfunctional at times? American Beauty is one of the most honest films ever made. DAN WALLACE Williamsport, Md.

Too Many Vitamins

The otherwise fine article "Vitamin Overdose" [PERSONAL TIME: YOUR HEALTH, April 24] was marred by a few errors. The Institute of Medicine Panel on Dietary Antioxidants, of which I was chairman, recommended a daily allowance of 55 micrograms for selenium, and an upper limit of 400 micrograms per day (not an upper limit of 55 micrograms per day). Exceeding the upper limit can lead to hair loss and brittle nails, not to the loss of fingernails. And finally, the upper level for dl-alpha-tocopherol, a synthetic form of vitamin E, is not 700 mg a day, but 1,000 mg, which is equivalent to 1,100 IU (international units). NORMAN I. KRINSKY Department of Biochemistry Tufts University School of Medicine Boston

Clarification

In the article "Box Score: Who's Rich Now?" we listed people who sold stock before the April dotcom market debacle [BUSINESS, May 1]. We incorrectly listed Julian A. Brodsky, a director of Internet Capital Group, as selling $327 million worth of indirectly held company shares. In fact, the shares were owned by Comcast ICG, a subsidiary of Comcast Corp., of which Brodsky is vice chairman, and all the proceeds of the sale went to Comcast, not to Brodsky himself.