Letters

Blind to Failure

"Although he is blind, Erik Weihenmayer has shown us he has a clearer vision of human potential than most sighted people." ANWAR SURAHMAN Bogor, Indonesia

Blind climber Erik Weihenmayer's ascent of Mount Everest was a great achievement, the product of strength of character and a lifetime of determination [ADVENTURE, June 18]. He is an inspiration to all of us because he has not only lived with a disability but has pushed his boundaries, developed his strengths and excelled at physically challenging endeavors. He shows us that none of us, disabled or otherwise, should settle for mediocrity. We should strive to be the best we can be. JOHANNA NG Manila

Weihenmayer can climb all the peaks he wants, but don't expect me to call him a hero! There are too many people at sea level who work for a living, struggling to support families and pay mortgages while this guy goofs off on mountains, risking not only his life but also the lives of his human seeing-eye guides. I never doubted for a second that disabled people are capable of doing fun stuff like skiing and scuba diving, so I don't find it newsworthy that this guy can put one foot in front of the other at high altitudes. PAUL RAMSEY Virginia, Minn.

I'm curious about the photo of Weihenmayer and his friends playing cards. JOAN PANCHARIAN Salinas, Calif.

The cards have embossed Braille markings as well as standard print.

I was a research scientist on the National Federation of the Blind 2001 Everest Expedition that placed a team of climbers, including Erik, atop the highest point on Earth. While achieving the summit of Everest is certainly an amazing accomplishment even for a sighted climber, the true success lies in the teamwork and heart-and-soul efforts of those involved and the fun had by all. Had Erik not reached the summit because of weather or another factor beyond his control, his efforts of sweat, blood and burning lungs would be no less inspirational to the blind, handicapped and just plain folks like me who are trying to make our own lives a little more extraordinary. JONATHAN MCDONAGH Seattle

Im sick of people who try to accomplish the improbable regardless of the cost to others. I'd have had more respect for Erik if he'd spent all those months at home with his beautiful baby, showing her what a great dad he could be. MICHAEL GRAFF Chicago

Weihenmayer's success symbolizes the courageous triumph over all the barriers confronting those with disabilities. To me, as a parent of two children with developmental disabilities, that means more than I can express. PAMELA CHATENAY-LAPOINTE West Greenwich, R.I.

Civic Crusaders

Your stories on community activists who are taking a new approach to civic change were very encouraging [INNOVATORS, June 18]. I hope the simplicity of their ideas will encourage others to join in the crusade to make this world a better place. An inspiring example is Bob Moses, the math teacher who traveled to Mississippi from Cambridge, Mass., to prepare high school students for college-prep math courses by teaching them algebra. It doesn't take a multimillion-dollar contract to make a hero. MICHAEL L. RUIVIVAR Horsham, Pa.

After losing her daughter to an auto accident caused by a driver using his cell phone, activist Patricia Pena launched a crusade to outlaw cell-phone use while driving. But regardless of how much sense it makes, I doubt we will ever see a ban on drivers' using cell phones. So instead of a campaign to eliminate their use, we should work with our elected officials to create legislation that would mandate severe punishment for anyone who causes an accident while driving and using a cell phone. No phone call is so important that a person must jeopardize the safety of others. DAVID LIGGETT San Dimas, Calif.

Invasion of Europe

Re your report on President Bush's trip to Europe [NATION, June 18]: I am appalled by your constant efforts to make Bush look inexperienced and dumb. You show your lack of knowledge about what he has accomplished during his terms as Governor of Texas. And as for the Kyoto Protocol, it is just a matter of common sense for Bush not to implement mandatory emissions reductions. They would be disastrous for the whole country. WILFRIED HEUER Fredericksburg, Texas

Europeans are not blind. They know an unworthy heir to the throne when they see one. They don't have Americans' desire to pretend that a man must be worthy of the presidency just because he's got the job. DAN HAGEN Charleston, Ill.

Could Bush's policies cause a renewal of anti-Americanism? That would be a dangerous development. I wish that the President of the world's sole superpower would have a greater sense of responsibility for humankind's future problems. GUENTER APSEL Orlando, Fla.

Inside the Intifadeh

Lawlessness and corruption are a huge problem in the communities under control of the Palestinian Authority [WORLD, June 18] and contribute to the poor quality of life of the Palestinians. In light of the fact that, as described in your report, the Palestinians are unable to capture the driver who killed a nine-year-old girl, Israel's request that they arrest known terrorists seems laughable. STEPHEN MALNICK Ashkelon, Israel

I am pessimistic about peace between the Palestinians and Israel. The Palestinians have been betrayed by their leaders as well as the heads of neighboring Arab nations. They have been lied to and told they could destroy Israel by continual enmity, by sniping attacks, by suicide missions. They have even been persuaded to sacrifice their children in order to win sympathy in the media. DAVID CARVER San Jose, Calif.

The Next Best Weapon

You reported that a Japanese madman stabbed eight schoolchildren in a suburb of Osaka [WORLD, June 18]. Some will argue that if knives were illegal in Japan (a country with a long history of swords and such), this awful attack wouldn't have happened. It's pretty absurd to claim that if knives and blades were made illegal now, this sort of killing would not happen in the future, but haven't we heard something like that before? KURT MAUSERT Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Driven to Extinction?

Scientists are speculating that primitive people alone may have been responsible for the disappearance of more than 100 species of large animals like the woolly mammoth, hunted mainly for food [SCIENCE, June 18]. Stone Age hunters didn't have to use "pointy sticks" to kill the megafauna. They might well have employed the techniques of pre-Columbian hunters in North America who killed large numbers of bison by herding them over cliffs. The Stone Age megafauna may have quite literally been "driven to extinction." JOSEPH J. CARVAJAL Brevard, N.C.

Your article "Who Killed Woolly?" inspired me to read Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. He believes that the overkill hypothesis best accounts for the mass extermination of megafauna in Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar and North America, where species were suddenly confronted by able human hunters. Diamond points out that it would have been unlikely for these giant creatures to survive countless climatic catastrophes over tens of millions of years and then succumb to environmental changes in a wide variety of habitats just after the first humans arrived. I only hope that modern research can help us learn from our prehistoric mistakes before it's too late for other species. DARREN MCKELLEP Oslo

Casting Call

Re your item on Nicole Kidman's playing the role of Virginia Woolf in a new film [PEOPLE, June 18]: Ridiculous! What's next, Jennifer Lopez as Emily Dickinson? Or Roseanne as Gertrude Stein? SARAH BROWN Evanston, Ill.

Corrections

Our story about the newly released documents in the Timothy McVeigh case [NATION, May 21] mistakenly said an FBI sketch of John Doe No. 2 was based on images captured by a surveillance camera in a bank near the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla. In fact, the sketch was based on an FBI interview with the man who rented to McVeigh the Ryder truck used in the bombing.

In our report on the disintegrating corporate relationship between Firestone and Ford [BUSINESS, June 4], we ran a photo of the 1947 wedding of Martha Firestone and William Clay Ford. In the photo, one bridesmaid was identified as Mrs. Walter B. Ford (niece of the groom) and one groomsman was identified as Walter B. Ford (nephew of the groom). Mrs. Walter B. Ford is not the groom's niece but his sister, and Walter B. Ford is not the groom's nephew but his brother-in-law.