Reagan's Team

To the Editors:

Your rating of the President's men [Dec. 14] is a dynamic piece of political journalism. However, Secretary of State Alexander Haig should be given an A. He is one of the most able statesmen of our time.

John B. Smole Detroit

Since you so competently evaluated the Reagan Cabinet, why not rate the President? He has succeeded in getting his tax and budget proposals as well as the AW ACS deal approved. Yet his policies in the Middle East are inconsistent; the economy is sinking; relations with our allies deteriorating. I give him a B-.

John G. Kunit Alpine, Calif.

If my college professors had suffered from grade inflation as severely as you, I'd have graduated magna cum laude.

Spencer W. Stafford Roseville, Calif.

I saw a newsreel of our President as he was presented with a live Thanksgiving turkey. One couldn't be sure whether he would eat it or appoint it to his Cabinet.

Leon Ormond Brigantine, N.J.

Secretary of the Interior James Watt may merit a C for attempting to implement the President's plans, but for those who love parks, rivers, seashores and nature, an F is far too high a mark.

Arthur T. Hamlin Philadelphia

Young Murderers

You report how a dozen adolescents viewed a murder victim, and not one notified the police [Dec. 14]. What do you expect? We have become voyeurs of violence. On television, real bodies are shown on newscasts, and fictional victims are displayed on crime programs. The child murdered in Milpitas, Calif., is only one more body to look at.

Stewart Lindh San Francisco

I believe there should be equal punishment for all ages. If you commit a murder at 16, you're just as guilty as if you did it at 70.

Kevin Shaughnessy Alfred, N. Y.

There isn't a 16-year-old in this country who doesn't know that murder is a crime.

Cecelia Emanuel Tulsa

Cursing 'n' Cussing

Substituting dots, dashes and asterisks for profanity is a maddening hypocrisy. Consequently, "A Good Word for Bad Words" [Dec. 14] was a breath of fresh air. Today's sophisticated reader prefers cusswords to the coverup.

William S. Pfriender Glen Rock, N.J.

My mother, a healthy-minded Quaker, grew increasingly devoted to profanity as she aged. By 80, she had developed a good rule: "It's all right to swear, but not at people." Thus "Damn!" is fine, but not "Damn you!"; so is "Hell!" but not "Go to Hell!" However, my brother and I were permitted to say, "Damn thy hide!"

Eric W. Johnson Philadelphia

Your article on cursing made no mention of the people who must listen day in and day out to the foulmouthed release of tension. At school, swearing is not a means for letting off steam, it is a way of defying the teacher.

Susan Harris Rye, N. Y.

Wish to Live

Able-bodied critics and audiences judge Whose Life Is It Anyway? [Dec. 14] from an angle 180DEG different from mine. Why doesn't someone ask the disabled how they look on life? We want to be allowed to live, not die.

Rick Curry, S.J., Director

National Theater Workshop

of the Handicapped

New York City

I am an occupational therapist in a rehabilitation center and frequently work with quadriplegics. I have taught those who are paralyzed to feed themselves, dress, shave, put on makeup, write, type, paint, cook, and do push ups in a wheelchair (to prevent bedsores).

Because I know the possibilities open to the severely disabled, I am greatly disturbed by Whose Life Is It Anyway? The picture of quadriplegia that is portrayed in the play, of the immobile helpless patient, is no longer valid.

Rebecca Presswood Austin

Greening of Ginsberg

The article on Allen Ginsberg's appearance at Columbia University described the reading of Howl as a hoot [Dec. 7]. I'm sure that Ginsberg and many other people realize that excesses took place in the late '60s and find some humor in them. But Reporter Henry apparently views this humor with a disparaging slant that induces readers to avoid the valid social questions arising from those turbulent times. These issues are what Howl is all about.

Andrew N. Gray Bend, Ore.

Allen Ginsberg sounds as though he is trying to rescue himself from his own emptiness. It is a shame when the mind of a man of his caliber becomes confused and resorts to making a mockery of the accomplishments of himself and his peers. The ultimate goal of dissent is change, not destruction. The once sprightly spirit of this "visionary" is dead. Jay E. Newcomb Lafayette, La.

In Grand Rapids, we are rejoicing at your mention of Native Son David Cope, a poet "who doesn't get published." It is ironic that he must wait so long to see his name in print, only to have it appear as David Pope. His grandfather would have loved it either way.

Jean Hamilton Cope Grand Rapids

Protecting the Artist

"Saved by the Numbers" [Dec. 14] correctly labels the arrival of the videocassette recorder (VCR) as "the home revolution." But the article fails to mention the would-be victims of the new technology--those writers, actors, set builders and others who create motion pictures and other quality programming for television. The property rights of these artists are ignored every time someone tapes a program without compensation to the copyright owner. Unless Congress comes up with an equitable formula for protecting copyright owners whose programs get taped, much of their work may disappear from the free TV market altogether.

Jack Valenti, President

Motion Picture Association of America Washington, D.C.

No-Shows

Do the airlines really expect passengers who are unable to keep their reservations [Dec. 14] to notify them? Getting through by phone often takes 30 minutes or longer. If the air carriers are serious about reducing the number of passengers who don't show, they should streamline the process of making a cancellation down to one promptly answered telephone call.

Lyle Kielley Atlantic Beach, Fla.

Bonding's Blessings

Your article on bonding in dentistry [Dec. 14] failed to mention a possible negative consequence: periodontal disease. In order to maintain healthy gums, the bonding must allow the patient to practice adequate oral home-care procedures. The edges of veneers have a tendency to retain dental plaque, which adds to the cause of periodontal trouble.

Roy Eskow, D.D.S. Bethesda, Md.

Guiding Greece

Your portrayal of Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou as the "enfant terrible" of Europe [Dec. 7] is erroneous. He is a popular, peace-loving and democratically elected leader in a predominantly unstable region. It is in the interest of the U.S. to negotiate with him, rather than push him toward the Soviet Union or depend on dictators who might vanish overnight.

Nick Retsos Chicago

Whose Intransigence?

In "Fahd's Failure in Fez" [Dec. 7], you call Israel intransigent, an adjective that is becoming customary in describing that nation. Why are Arab countries who refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist never called intransigent?

Ivor Svarc Paris

Flat Cat

In your discussion on cats [Dec. 7] you report that a cat "dropped from a height of less than one foot ... will land on its paws in an incredible 1.8 seconds." This cat is indeed incredible since, after being dropped from this height, it should hit the floor in less than .25 second.

George F. Finder, Chairman

Department of Civil Engineering

Princeton University

Princeton, N.J.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting Georgetown, Texas, where I saw a bouquet of blue silk flowers propped against a wall. Above was a stone plaque that read: SERGEANT RALPH, OUTSTANDING POLICE CAT, DEVOTED SERVICE, 1975-1981.

Julia Penn Austin

One thing your article failed to mention was how much our feline friends tend to look like us. At first glance, I thought that it was Brooke Shields who was on the cover again.

Marian Samshidi Tehran

The apparatus and meaning of purring may remain a mystery. However, the Irish have an explanation for it. It's for his own self that the cat purrs.

Jack Oldham Mississauga, Ont.

In a world with Gaddafi, missiles, the P.L.O., unemployment and deficits, TIME thrusts cats upon us. What audacity! And yet. What can one do, if one can't do that?

Brad Lucas Moses Lake, Wash.

Asparagus for Christmas

Your article on trends in the Christmas card business [Dec. 14] proves that we can't always get what we want from the designers. On a recent trip to a Maryland shopping mall, I saw a card displaying a dish of asparagus covered with hollandaise sauce. The message read HAPPY HOLLAN(DAY)SE! Ugh.

Louisa Vega Norfolk, Va.

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