WIRED DEMOCRACY

Your report on electronic populism hits the bull's-eye: contemporary communications systems too easily accommodate everybody's reactions to everything [Jan. 23]. Senators cite percen tages gleaned from phone and fax communications from the citizenry to prop up their points. The media don't help with their frequent telephone polls. It is high time we give our representatives some breathing space to legislate without constant reference to the whimsy of the popular opinions of the moment. Even if 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still considered a foolish thing.

David M. Powers Briarcliff Manor, New York

We great unwashed have become cynical and disillusioned about representative democracy. Politicos promise us anything, only to toe the party line and defer to the bureaucracy once elected. Until we personally feel we have some real input into the political system, we will remain as cynical as we are.

Lance C. Gunnlaugson Kelowna, Canada How ironic it would be if, after defending the U.S. from outside threats during the past two centuries, we Americans, through our access to easy intercommunication, have acquired the means to damage our country.

Skip Snyder Beacon, New York As an american living abroad, I can't agree with what Robert Wright wrote about the ``electronic dangers'' to American democracy. Using electronic communications is not against the intentions of the Founding Fathers, nor does their use create a substitute direct democracy. Discussion is the strength of democracy, and an increased amount of it cannot take the power of legislation out of the hands of the people's representatives.

Peter Zvagulis Munich

Don't call it hyperdemocracy. today's political scene is mobocracy, with the know-nothings of talk radio in charge. The Fairness Doctrine may give Americans some respite from the cheap, the vulgar, the mean and the ugly, and is our only hope.

Mildred P. Katz Manhattan, Kansas A problem in our pseudodemocracies is lack of access to those making decisions on our behalf. Having representatives make laws for citizens has merit. But in such a system, we lose the input of others who may be more qualified than the legislators to judge, or we may fail to hear from those who will be affected. A pure form of democracy does exist in a country of economic and political stability: Switzerland. Why haven't more countries imitated this model? The answer lies in the type of person attracted to politics in the democratic system, which bestows power, prestige and privilege. Politicians are not about to voluntarily give up their status. We have to change the system; we have to change the people representing us. The revolution is incomplete.

Terry Vulcano San Ignacio, Belize Some politicians are in touch with the people, and some are not. However, a hyperdemocracy is more of a good thing than a bad thing. The architects of the U.S. government wanted it to be of the people, by the people and for the people. Politicians like Newt Gingrich are trying to expand the involvement of the people in the process. If you close the government off, you will get social discord, and members of Congress will have a one-way ticket back to their home districts.

Lacey Rayner, age 15 Modesto, California I am increasingly frustrated with our tendency in North America to pander to the lowest common denominator, a practice known as participatory democracy. Both U.S. and Canadian democracies are supposed to be based on representation by principled leaders. The Achilles' heel of today's North American political environment is the demand for the government to be slavishly obedient to the mass of ``empowered'' individuals, neatly packaged among a multitude of special-interest groups. In everyday matters, our expectations of government are limitless. Yet we hamstring its ability to act freely with propositions, referendums and excessive public-opinion polls. The environment we've created is at best incapacitating, and at worst suicidal, for effective leadership.

Don H. Caplan Edmonton, Canada Hyperdemocracy was an excellent article about an important issue of our time. Congress is becoming a poll-watching, poll-taking Babel, far from the independent deliberative body envisioned by the Founders. We are witnessing the decline of representative democracy to a level not unlike that of rabble- led assemblies in Revolutionary France.

Duane Robertson Orangevale, California

YELTSIN'S NASTY WAR

The Russians are going to win the civil war in Chechnya [Jan. 23]. Interference by other countries would prolong the period before an inevitable Russian victory and cause more deaths and unnecessary suffering.

John Q. Webb Derry, New Hampshire It's too late for Yeltsin to learn any lessons. Before invading Chechnya, he should have remembered the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and the fact that it took czarist armies nearly 50 years to subdue the Chechens in the mid-19th century. Yeltsin should seek a peaceful and humanitarian solution in Chechnya now. The Soviet invasion and defeat in Afghanistan led to the fall of the Soviet empire. Similarly, the invasion of Chechnya could eventually unravel the Russian Federation. Furthermore, the events in Chechnya raise serious questions about peace and stability in central and south Asia. Is the cold war really completely over?

Ahmed S. Kahn Lombard, Illinois Why has the U.S. government decided to sit on the sidelines instead of helping the Chechens? Because this is truly an ``internal affair,'' or because there are not sufficient financial interests for the U.S. to take action? I believe America takes military steps only for economic gain or to test new equipment. The Gulf War is an excellent example.

Nicolas Canadas Liverpool, Australia It is incredible that Western leaders could give a free hand to a state in its transition period by accepting Russia's wrongheaded policy. The West is playing the same wrong politics with Yeltsin's Russia as it played with Hitler's Germany before World War II.

T. Thaddeus Hutyra Antwerp, Belgium The Russian tale of woe continues unabated as the war in Chechnya rages on. Should its mighty army quell the uprising at heavy human price, the Russians would be a hated lot in their own backyard. One the other hand, a breakaway Chechnya would set in motion a series of rumblings that would destroy for the second time a great people and a prosperous land. Sadly, it is the bloody uprisings that catch the media's attention, while peaceful protests are side- tracked. Take for example Tibet and Bhutan, where entire populations have been shunted out. These law-abiding refugees just don't seem to matter and get only occasional lip service mentions by the press. Such are our human failings as to make all our ``achievements'' pale into insignificance. We're still the barbarians of cave-age times.

Sush Kocher Calcutta

MEXICO'S FINANCIAL CRISIS

There has undoubtedly been a period of social, political and economic turmoil in Mexico, but the recent events are very far from being catastrophic [Jan. 23]. The country should never again overvalue its currency and create huge trade deficits, leaving it vulnerable to internal and external forces. However, we should never give in to pessimism. The overvaluation of the Mexican peso has been eliminated, and this step will provide badly needed oxygen for Mexican industry. Inflation will go down again, the exchange rate with the dollar will be adjusted, and Mexican shares will climb to their fair value. The prophets of gloom will once more be proved wrong, because the underpinnings of our economy--human, industrial and commercial--are intact. This society has an extraordinary potential for growth.

Gabriel Heffes Mexico City

The degree of innocence and candor (or is it shameless complicity?) that the U.S. government shows in dealing with Mexican problems is unbelievable to those of us who live and work in Mexico. The U.S. seems shortsighted. It should realize that the economic factors of a given moment are not important. As long as the ruling political party is made up of people who are looking out for their own wealth and power and who use a government post as a personal fiefdom, it won't matter how much milk the cow produces. If democracy is the best option for the U.S., it also has to be the best option for its neighbors.

Francisco M. Beltran Nogales, Mexico There is now a universal awareness of Mexico's political and economic drama. Unrestrained plundering and conspicuous political corruption can no longer be the order of the day. But aren't all of us Mexicans sadly united by mounting rage? The former President, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, and our new President, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, owe every kind of satisfaction to our country. It is their national duty to face the people and make it clear to Mexicans and the nations of the world why and how this country has fallen into this economic crisis.

Yolanda Peralta Sandoval Mexico City

ALL IN THE NAME OF LOVE

You said Princess Diana is alleged to have dubbed Camilla Parker Bowles ``the Rottweiler'' [Jan. 23]. I take great umbrage at that. The Rottweiler breed is handsome, noble, intelligent, courageous and steadfastly loyal, and these dogs have an inherent desire to protect home and family. Puh-leeze, Diana. Do not bestow the regal title of Rottweiler on Camilla the Cow.

Lynn Goertzen Calgary, Canada

BADGE OF HONOR?

In response to the Connie Chung-Kathleen Gingrich incident in which Newt Gingrich's mother revealed he had called Hillary Clinton a ``bitch'' [Jan. 16], I believe bitch is a badge of honor. A woman should feel honored when the word is applied to her. It means that she has been assertive and her efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Nancy L. Naugle Auburn, Alabama Bitch is an insult to Hillary Clinton, who is a brilliant, attractive and feminine First Lady.

Lucy Eerdmans Manchester, New Hampshire A kinder, gentler image is not what Hillary Clinton needs. A firm stance and a reply of ``I am bitch, hear me roar!'' is the ticket for dealing with her critics.

Ben Himes Chesterland, Ohio