Letters

9/11 One Year Later

"Every life that was lost that day should remind us to stay united. It unfortunately takes such a tragedy to strengthen America's spine." TERRI VANGORDEN Elmira, N.Y.

TIME did an exceptional job covering the events of Sept. 11 and those that led up to it [9/11, ONE YEAR LATER]. We must never let the pain inflicted on the innocent fade from our collective memory. I have an uneasy feeling that we may be letting an opportunity pass if we do not engage in an honest national discussion about the roots of the hatred of the U.S. A great nation should have nothing to fear from a candid review of its dealings with others. ERNEST MONTESANTO San Jose, Calif.

Why can we not allow Sept. 11 to die a normal death? If we were to stop picking at old scabs, perhaps true healing could begin for those who need it most. For many, the constant reminders are worse than what happened. We cannot change the past. We must look beyond our tears to the future. KENDRA LYONS Vancouver, Wash.

After the sad events of Sept. 11, a parade of politicians has raised our feelings of fear, hate and revenge, not for anticipation of a better future but for political opportunism. Many of us have submissively joined the outpouring of fury. We denounce dictatorships, and rightly so, but democratic nations also have a duty to elect responsible and peace-loving leaders. We must never forget the words of Mohandas Gandhi: an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. We should learn to live in a manner to make our lives and those of others more enjoyable on Planet Earth. NAREN PATEL Hickory, N.C.

The number of bleeding-heart pacifists has increased exponentially over the past few months. Your memorial stories should have focused on the horrors perpetrated by Islamic extremists on Sept. 11. America needs to be reminded of the terrible acts that occurred on that date. TIMOTHY S. EVANS Whittier, N.C.

You may have published a more meaningful issue, but I certainly don't remember it. Thank you for putting the horror of Sept. 11 within a perspective of diversity, common sense and compassion. MARYBETH LYTLE Urbandale, Iowa

I was a dogface at an Air Force base in Texas a year after Pearl Harbor. I don't recall that first year's anniversary as comparable in any way to the crescendo of media hype now being thrown at us over Sept. 11. While we feel compassion for those who lost loved ones, we need to look ahead. As a great nation, we should try to overlook our religious and ethnic differences and work with other nations to alleviate poverty and disease and create an environmentally safe world for future generations. Such a common goal would be a far greater memorial than publishing more pictures and stories of the World Trade Center towers falling. DICK BAURMANN Atascocita, Texas

I agree with the Iowa writing instructor, Mary Nilsen, who said she "misses the country we were during those weeks" following Sept. 11. We were more patriotic, we loved one another more, and President Bush and Mayor Giuliani were everyone's heroes. Now Giuliani is off the stage completely, and the President is busy trying to decide whether to attack Iraq. We have learned a lot, but we have much more to learn. AMANDA ROY Houston

Artist Robert Rauschenberg's cover collage encapsulating the loss and sorrow of 9/11 met with a mixed reaction. Complained a Rhode Islander: "It looks like a freshman design project; all its bits and pieces make no impact." A Californian winced at perceiving a certain countercultural element: "You should be ashamed of portraying the biggest tragedy in American history as a feel-good 1960s Woodstock party." But closer to ground zero, a New Jersey librarian welcomed Rauschenberg's gentle memorial: "I saw so many horrible pictures last September and will probably see many more. Thank you for not putting on your cover a horrific picture of the Twin Towers burning or collapsing."

Championing Clarity

Michael Duffy's "Marching Alone" [11 LIVES, THE PRESIDENT, Sept. 9] showed his apparent disdain for President Bush's "simple moral clarity." If the American media insist on trivializing the enormity of Sept. 11 by rinsing its reality away in a river of moral relativism, they will have themselves to blame if terrorists launch an attack even more deadly. MICHAEL O'DRISCOLL Blackrock, Ireland

Duffy described Bush's term before Sept. 11 as "Bush's strange little presidency." That demeaned President Bush, but, more important, it demeaned the office of the presidency. There are no "little" U.S. presidencies. MELINDA PENNER Los Angeles

When people, especially those in power, talk too much about divine guidance and moral certainty, they risk being accused of hypocrisy. The President's "regular guy" persona contrasts sharply with his past business dealings and his positions on labor, health care, privacy and tax cuts, to mention a few. So Bush likes to have clear choices and wants to make clean decisions. Don't we all? If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, the world doesn't present choices like a dinner menu, and many decisions have unintended consequences. SUSAN CALHOUN Tucson, Ariz.

A Faith Forged in Tragedy

John Cloud's article on Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the last person found alive in the debris of ground zero, was a beautiful story of survival in every sense [11 LIVES, THE SURVIVOR, Sept. 9]. The description of Genelle's new faith in God touched my mind, heart and soul. None of us know all the answers, but there is a definite purpose for our being here. We must continue to give God thanks for our life, strength, peace of mind and the ability to be steadfast and persevere. God is a good God. SHARON SMITH London

Perhaps God's purpose in Genelle's survival is already fulfilled. I'm sure I am not alone in finding inspiration from her refocus--from temporal things to family, faith and the intangible rewards of life--since the tragedy. Her story of survival and rebirth belongs to all of us. Genelle, your job is done! TONI FERNANDEZ Boston

A Model of Courage

Thank you for your beautiful story on Hilary Strauch, the 12-year-old girl whose father died in the collapse of the south tower of the World Trade Center [11 LIVES, THE DAUGHTER, Sept. 9]. I am 62 and also a father. I could not get through your article without wiping away tears several times. Hilary's story and the way she has had to get along without her father are touching. She may be scared, but she will survive. LARRY GERRMAN San Mateo, Calif.

I marveled at how eloquently Strauch was able to describe her feelings. As a 33-year-old New Yorker who lost nothing more than his sense of self-assurance, I find pure inspiration and hope for my own future as well as this great country's, given the likes of Hilary. ROBERT MOSES New York City

The Future of Ground Zero

I wholeheartedly agree with former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani that ground zero should be a memorial and only that [ESSAY, Sept. 9]. I envision a building with an atrium at its center, a quiet oasis where visitors can come and be alone with their thoughts or share them with others. On the walls would be the names of the victims. We should listen to Giuliani; he knows more than most about the unbelievable horror of that September day and the unselfish courage that so many displayed. MARY GRACE DEMBECK Westport, Conn.

I am doing my part to rebuild our city by working to rebuild and reoccupy my home on Liberty Street. Now the powers that be need to do their part and rebuild 16 acres of very special ground. Bringing life back to the World Trade Center site will honor those who died while simply living their lives. The site is a murder scene, not a burial ground. I hope the decision makers consider their plans wisely--and not just emotionally. DAVID STANKE New York City

Unforgettable Images

Eugene Richards' photographs are astonishingly beautiful, empathic, eerie and direct [PHOTO ESSAY, Sept. 9]. All the pictures in the anniversary issue gave me the chance to try to wrap my mind around the inconceivable, and reminded me that we longingly reach for the past as, like it or not, we are inevitably edged forward. DEBORAH S. ROGERS Lansdale, Pa.

Widening the War

RE John McCain's comments about regime change in Iraq [ESSAY, Sept. 9]: Here in mainland Europe, many believe that George W. Bush and his belligerent backers confuse emotive warmongering with legitimate patriotism. Senior U.S. foreign policy experts are rightly concerned about the shaky justifiability of an invasion of Iraq.

Frankly, I wonder why President Bush focuses most of his energy on an invasion of Iraq when the U.S. economy is ailing and its national security is tattered. The Sept. 11 terrorists came from several Middle Eastern and North African countries, but there wasn't a single Iraqi citizen among them. M. NICOLAS FIRZLI, CHAIRMAN CANADIAN EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COUNCIL Paris

Girl Meets World

Sana Shah, the 16-year-old Pakistani girl whom you profile in "MTV or the Muezzin" [11 LIVES, THE MUSLIM TEEN, Sept. 9], describes her and her friends' reaction to the Sept. 11 attacks: "A lot of us thought the Trade Center bombings would make the U.S. more aware of what is going on in the world, of the frustrations that Muslims feel." Shah should consider that our previous President spent much of his political capital trying to establish a Palestinian state; that the U.S. has for decades been allies with Muslim Pakistan; and that in Kosovo, America intervened with the military to save the Muslims. There is ample reason to be frustrated over these issues, but to direct those frustrations at the U.S. is to accept at face value the ideology of extremists and ignore the facts. BENJAMIN KLAFTER San Francisco

Correction

We reported that presidential adviser Karl Rove said the G.O.P. will make the President's "handling of the war on terrorism the centerpiece" of its plan to win back the Senate and keep the House in November [11 LIVES, THE PRESIDENT, Sept. 9]. This was a paraphrase, not a direct quotation of Rove's remarks. Time regrets the error.

The New Dictators

Philip Bobbitt's "Get Ready for the Next Long War" [ESSAY, Sept. 9] drew an interesting image of the forthcoming "market states," in which important responsibilities will shift from government to the private sector and multinational corporations will become surrogate agents of the government. Bobbitt politely chose not to mention what these market states will not be: democracies. They will be corporate dictatorships not controlled by any parliament, constitution or responsibility before God. They will have only one sovereign--money. Let's not underestimate the threat these market states pose. JUERGEN WEBER Schwabisch Hall, Germany

The Yanks Held Court

Your story on tennis star Lleyton Hewitt [ON AND OFF THE COURT, Sept. 2] quoted my comment that "a dream match" in this year's U.S. Open tennis tournament "would be four Americans in the singles finals," an outcome you predicted as unlikely. But the championship matches between the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, and Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras proved that sometimes dreams do come true. An all-American conclusion to a great international event! MERV HELLER PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN U.S. TENNIS ASSOCIATION White Plains, N.Y.