Letters

Inside Bush's Secret Spy Net

News that the government has been tracking Americans' phone calls created static in the Beltway and the blogosphere. Although we heard mostly from readers who charged Uncle Sam with putting constitutional protections on hold, some welcomed the data mining in the hope that it would yield a direct line to terrorists

TIME reported that the National Security Agency (NSA), with help from phone companies, has been tracking the calls of tens of millions of Americans--in secret, without a warrant and without Congress's approval [May 22]. President George W. Bush will never stop al-Qaeda by spying on innocent Americans. In addition to being a waste of resources, that expansion of government power invades our privacy and tramples our freedoms. It must be stopped. If our government continues to spy on ordinary citizens, then the terrorists will have succeeded in eroding our liberty.

ROBERT BODEN II Tecumseh, Mich.

Thank you for your article on the government's data-mining program. Like most Americans, I understand that al-Qaeda is planning more attacks on U.S. soil. But I have noticed something equally troubling. Every time President Bush defends an action for which he is criticized, he states it is necessary for national security. Over time it seems more and more power is being amassed by the Administration at the expense of Congress and the courts. That is dangerous tinkering with the U.S. Constitution, and that concerns me just as much as any threat of terrorism.

MARCIA MOROCCO Thousand Oaks, Calif.

President Franklin Roosevelt said it well: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." TIME's reporting on the NSA seems aimed at making the American people paranoid. Let the civil libertarians be fearful and anxious. If monitoring our phones keeps just one American from being harmed, the government can listen to my calls anytime it wants.

NORM ROSSELL Fallbrook, Calif.

It doesn't matter whether the polls show that the American people do or do not support the NSA's monitoring of Americans' phone calls. It matters only that such actions violate the Constitution, specifically the Fourth Amendment, which requires probable cause and warrants for such investigations. The Founding Fathers never said the Bill of Rights had to pass a popularity test in order to be enforced. The phones of suspected terrorists have been and should continue to be monitored--with court supervision. Without such oversight, the possibility for abuses of private information is very real.

MARGERY WINTERS West Simsbury, Conn.

Ben Franklin is thought to have written, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." I am not willing to give up the constitutional freedoms that Americans have died to protect just because I have nothing to hide.

JEFF MORRIS Saugerties, N.Y.

Even if the NSA and the President never abuse the power to invade the privacy of Americans, who can say that a future Administration will not abuse the power obtained through the precedent? History teaches that the rights of individuals may be more easily lost than regained. Let us guard against future abuse by protecting our privacy now.

ROBERT E. MANN Chandler, Ariz.

The NSA program is long overdue. It should have been implemented after the initial truck-bomb attack on the World Trade Center. Had we been connecting the dots in that way all along, 9/11 might never have happened.

MICHAEL PATMAS West Linn, Ore.

Wouldn't it be more effective to track only the calls of suspected al-Qaeda members, rather than the millions of calls made daily in the U.S.? In the forest of all that data, we're much more likely to miss something important.

DEBORAH T. WILCOX Bedford, Texas

Decoding Autism

Bravo for your reporting on autism and treatment options [May 15]. I encounter many toddlers and young children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Explaining the diagnosis to parents causes them immediate confusion, panic and pain at the loss of the "normal child" they expected, as they confront a child who responds to the world in his own foreign code. Your article highlighted the Floortime approach. My colleagues and I are firm believers that for most children and families, it is the method that best enhances the bonding between child and parent, child and therapist, and eventually child and peers. The therapy is intense and long, but the developmental outcome is rewarding.

ELLEN REISEL Rishon LeZion, Israel

I was heartened by your reporting on autism, particularly the story of Hannah, who started expressing herself at 13 with the help of facilitated communication. My son Ken lost the ability to speak when he was 5, and everybody assumed he was very impaired mentally. He was rescued from his world of silence at age 16 by wonderful teachers applying the methods of facilitated communication. People like Hannah and Ken not only see the world differently but also are trapped by others' misunderstanding and closed minds. Your article may help change the paradigms of how these children are assessed, treated and educated.

JULIE WILKINSON Melbourne, Australia

Your report provided insights that can improve the quality of life for those affected by autism. The behavior-modification techniques used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) lure parents into believing that their children can be "fixed," or at least trained to act appropriately. In my experience, ABA works at finding solutions without necessarily providing an understanding of the cause of the problems. The Floortime method is a long-term solution that teaches children how to communicate and helps them repair problems at the foundation. My child with autism has had experience with both methods. Floortime takes more time, effort and patience, but it has helped me connect with him.

ROSE KIMBER Toronto

"A Tale of Two Schools" clarified the importance of treating the core deficits of children who suffer from autism: a lack of flexible thought and spontaneous communication, and lagging social and emotional development. It emphasized the role of emotion in learning, something that people have known for years and yet somehow tend to underestimate. In describing the philosophy behind ABA and Floortime, your report will help parents make a more informed decision.

ALISA VIG, PH.D. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST Jerusalem

The TIME 100

Your selection of the world's most influential people was heartwarming [May 8]. Those individuals, especially the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, portend a bright future for mankind. There will surely come a time when despots, dictators and Presidents-for-life will be a minority among world leaders. Those like the King will no longer be described as surprising. Able leadership will become the norm.

GABRIEL A. AMADI Aba, Nigeria

The "Artists & Entertainers" selected for the TIME 100 are undoubtedly the world's best known, but not the most influential. Real influence has the same nature as real political power: it is under the surface and very rarely seen by the public. An entertainer, however famous and accepted, can't affect the world so much as the companies whose financing is the most important factor in producing a film or an album. To me, that's real influence.

MATE ENDREDI Budapest

Support for Students

Your article "When Colleges Go On Suicide Watch" [May 22] misled readers about how universities confront a complicated societal issue. It would have been difficult, but far more worthy, to describe how we assist students when their judgment is compromised by physical or mental illness. Cornell works tirelessly to keep troubled students on campus and provide them with the proper assistance and support. The article did not even acknowledge the honest struggle to strike a fine balance between the freedom of the student and the responsibility of the university. Instead, you took the easy way out, offering a sensationalized account, using statements out of context, pitting universities against students.

JANET CORSON-RIKERT, M.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CORNELL UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES Ithaca, N.Y.

Send Missives, Not Missiles

"Why Not Talk?" [May 22] described the reasons President Bush will not respond to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rambling 18-page letter. Although Ahmadinejad's missive wanders, covering a multitude of issues, the central message is that Bush does not live up to Christian teachings. The letter repeatedly refers to Jesus Christ and Moses, followed by the acronym for "peace be upon him." Indeed, Ahmadinejad cites Jesus but never mentions the Prophet Muhammad. Bush should reply in kind by citing Koranic passages to point out how Ahmadinejad does not live up to Islamic principles. Who knows? A continuing correspondence might reveal some unexpected common ground between two religious heads of state.

CHARLES MOSKOS Santa Monica, Calif.

Richard Nixon would have talked to Iran while relying on a certain craftiness in foreign affairs and a perspective of global reality. But Bush's approach looks remarkably like his No Child Left Behind education policy, which simply punishes noncompliance.

JOHN JANOVY JR. Lincoln, Neb.

At a White House luncheon in 1954, Winston Churchill said, "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war." Besides, failing to respond to one's mail is not polite. Before we choose war and death, perhaps we should try diplomacy.

JOE E. DUNLAP Clearwater, Fla.

In Defense of the Dems

In Joe Klein's "Easy Targets for Karl Rove" [May 22], the description of Congressmen John Conyers and Charles Rangel as "embarrassments" was excessive and uncalled for. Conyers and Rangel express a clear-eyed African-American perspective gained from hard experience. Klein may not share their politics, but he still owes them respect.

ADELE BATCHELDER Rocky Hill, N.J.

Klein pointed out the ugly political ploys the G.O.P. has used to get power, and he anticipated Republicans' playing the race card in the November elections. Then he basically justified their tactics. I wish Klein were more appalled by what right-wing extremists who are in control of the government are doing than by what Democrats might do if they win control of the House.

WILLARD TAYLOR Upper Marlboro, Md.

Klein noted that Conyers could become chairman of the Judiciary Committee and that he has threatened impeachment hearings against President Bush. Klein said that would be a case of Democrats' "emphasizing witch hunts instead of substantive policies." Impeachment might be incendiary, but it is important and necessary to discuss and explore. Impartial and thorough Senate and House investigations need to be conducted to bring to light the massive corruption of Bush and his Administration.

WILLIAM WARNER Portland, Ore.

The Personal Is Political

Re "10 Questions for Mary Cheney" [May 22]: As a gay man, I was nauseated by her self-pitying indignation at John Kerry's bringing up her homosexuality during the third debate with George Bush. It was the introduction of anti-gay-marriage initiatives that tipped the election for Bush and her father in key states like Ohio. Those initiatives didn't end up on the ballot merely by accident. Instead of pointing a finger at Kerry for what she calls a "cheap and blatant political ploy," she should remember that the Republicans are longtime masters at exploiting divisive issues that rile single-issue voters on the right and get them to the polls.

RICHARD OLIVER Raleigh, N.C.

Cheney believes we shouldn't turn against this Administration solely because of the issue of gay rights. But there are many other issues as well: the pre-emptive war justified by lies, environmental degradation, the lame response to Hurricane Katrina, rampant cronyism and political smearing. Shall I go on?

CINDY ROE Ashland, Ky.