A SUNDERED WORLD
"The massive earthquake in Kobe is a reminder we cannot put all our confidence in governments or in scientific prediction."
Dale R. Yancy Merrimack, New Hampshire
When I saw photos of the Kobe earthquake [Cover Stories, Jan. 30], it looked like a war had occurred. But this sudden devastation was done by nature, not by human beings. There have been complaints that the response of the authorities was too slow because of its bureaucracy. They are deserved. But this earthquake was much more destructive than the government ever imagined. It is easy to criticize, but everyone has to learn from this experience.
Yoshiko Kawada Hachioji, Japan
It happened all of a sudden in predawn darkness. My house was almost destroyed. It was a nightmare. Like a thunderbolt, violent movement ran through our street. After this tragic moment, deep silence came back in the darkness, and then I heard a voice crying for help. It was a horrible dream. After dawn, people in the street composed themselves and began to rescue those trapped under the crushed houses without considering their own lost property. My son started digging through the rubble with bare hands to help rescue a friend under a crushed apartment building. We accepted the reality. I was impressed by people's will to live and their ability to help one another in the crisis.
Masaaki Otani Hyogo, Japan
THE KOBE EARTHQUAKE LEFT MY DAUGHTER and her family homeless; they had to be evacuated from the city. I was determined to get to them even if I had to walk. I was able to take one of the few remaining trains halfway to my destination. There I met a young man who for the next five hours led me to Kobe, clearing the road of broken glass and steering me away from danger. He was constantly concerned about me, disregarding his own safety during our often perilous journey on foot. I was dazed and shocked by the destruction around me. My guide led me through the ravaged area right to the front door of where I needed to go, whereupon he thanked me for the honor of escorting me and left. To my mind this man, Masaru Katagawa, epitomizes the noble spirit of Japan.
Jeanette Hamber Osaka, Japan
The true character of people is often most apparent when they are faced with adversity. In the aftermath of the Kobe quake there have been few reported cases of looting; we haven't seen the police and military guarding the possessions of those whose homes were destroyed. Compare this with what Americans saw following Hurricane Andrew and the recent California disasters. It is a sad commentary that in the U.S. we have a ``carrion class'' that when disaster strikes, descends on the scene to feed on the misery of others.
Robert D. Schoales Melbourne, Florida
Photographs of Kobe lead one to suspect that steel rebar and concrete reinforcements are missing from the expressway and other public projects. The Japanese should turn their formidable energy to a great national purpose: survival of a superquake. The government must oversee the inspection and retrofit of all structures in the Tokyo-Yokohama metroplex. Time is short.
Robert Hurwitz Newport Beach, California
AMERICANS LOOK AT AMERICA
Your article on ``The State of the Union'' in 1995 was very valuable [Special Report, Jan. 30]. Our leaders too often fail to see the big picture. The federal budget is more than 10 times what it was 30 years ago. In 1965 inflation was lower, unemployment was lower, interest rates were lower, the deficit and national debt were small fractions of what we have today and the rate of economic growth was higher. Is it mere coincidence that we are spending 10 times as much money and that everything is worse? And does the moral decay in America have anything to do with the massive federal handout programs?
Fred Brown Palomar, California
I find it quite paradoxical that a country that champions the concept of democracy is so skeptical of its own government. Rhetoric claims that Americans want a government of the people and by the people, but most Americans deeply dislike being governed by other people. In fact, as your article points out, more and more Americans distrust the people they sent to Washington, and they have decided to take matters, from education to sanitation, into their own hands. Self-reliance is a good concept; however, it does little to build a nation. Is there an America, a nation, a community with shared visions and aspirations? Or is America simply a parcel of land holding some 260 million voices singing 260 million different tunes?
Andreas Couraud East Rutherford, New Jersey
WONDER-WEAPON DEBATE
Your report questioning the price of and need for 20 additional B-2 Stealth bombers for the Air Force [Defense, Jan. 30] barely scratches the surface. The venerable B-52 will be flying long after both the B-1 and B-2 are retired. The B-52 is combat proven and requires no major modifications to carry popular weapons configurations. Why then are we rapidly modifying our new aircraft to match the capabilities of our old aircraft so that these still viable planes can be retired? Yes, I want a strong defense, but imagine how far the $20 billion being spent on unnecessary B-2s would go toward improving readiness.
Ed Phillips Bossier City, Louisiana AOL: Ed7556
Your article, for which I was interviewed, misrepresents several key points regarding the discussion of the need for more B-2 bombers. You say that Northrop Grumman's firm fixed-price offer for 20 additional B-2s is ``dubious,'' that these aircraft will be ``stripped-down'' versions with ``scant strategic value.'' Northrop Grumman's firm fixed price offers new B- 2s for an average price of $570 million each. Those who question the validity of this price fail to understand the meaning of the term firm fixed price. It means just what it says. It's true there are additional costs to owning any weapon system--including the B-2. These costs are controlled by the operating service. In this case, Air Force estimates for the total cost to acquire the aircraft, including airplane, spares, military construction and support equipment, are 40% less than the figures you cited. And these aircraft are not stripped-down versions. All additional B-2s will be identical to the first 20, with full operational war-fighting capability.
Ralph D. Crosby Jr., Corporate Vice President and General Manager B-2 Division Northrop Grumman Corp. Pico Rivera, California
The $500 hammer is alive and well--except that now the price tag is far higher. No weapons to arm the B-2 with? Perhaps Ollie North can work out a deal with Iraq for some superaccurate Scuds. Christopher D. Barrett Bath, Maine AOL: CD Barrett
FIGHTING FOR O.J.
THE ONLY WINNERS IN THE O.J. CASE WILL be defense attorneys Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro and F. Lee Bailey [Justice, Jan. 30]. Whether they win or lose the case, they will take O.J. Simpson's bank account to the cleaners and make even more money selling their stories after the trial.
Charles F. Reese Jacksonville, Alabama
WHAT COCHRAN IS DOING IS WHAT ALL OF us should do. We should all fight a system of justice that has different rules for different people based on color, creed and socioeconomic status. Such a system will never be enough anywhere.
Farzana Rastogi Gernsheim, Germany
TRASHY IS AS TRASHY DOES
YOUR ARTICLE ON TALK-SHOW HOST RICKI Lake and the rise of trash TV was very timely [Television, Jan. 30]. Lane's show in particular was the reason I recently had my cable service canceled. I find it very disturbing that trashy people are allowed to go on national TV with the sordid facts, real or fabricated, about their pathetic lives. These are people I would never associate with or ever want to meet. It's maddening to have them on network TV, screaming out from channel to channel. There are viewers watching these shows who feel if it's on TV, this must be the way everyone lives. Susceptible people will think this behavior is normal and acceptable.
Mary V. Hall Playa del Rey, California
RICKI AND THE OTHER MEDIA SLEAZE merchants are simply giving the people what they want. It worked for P.T. Barnum, and it still works today.
John P. Hayward Stone Mountain, Georgia