Letters

CLASH OF FAITHS

That was a poor comparison you made between Castro and the Pope. History proves that faith remains while ideology fades and dies. MOSES ANOH EKRA Montreal

Pope John Paul II and Cuba's Fidel Castro are a harmony of opposites--the statesman and the politician [WORLD, Jan. 26]. They have placed in view their respective dogmas, which are in collision. Both claim commitment to social justice in a world at peace. The Pope relies on engagement and evangelization to propagate his religious faith. Castro resorts to oppression to impose policy. JOHN J. KARAKASH Bethlehem, Pa.

The American embargo of Cuba is passe. The U.S. should be sending volunteers to work with the Cubans and help them lead normal lives. One may agree or not with the Pope's religious doctrine, but as a world leader John Paul II should no more be compared to Castro than Churchill should be compared to Mussolini. RALPH E. WALTER Munich

Castro has failed in every objective he has set for himself and the country he governs. You said he is smart and charismatic. However, it is difficult to correlate those things with his denial to 11 million people of the most basic human rights. The only explanation for Castro's behavior is his overriding need to stay in power. The Pope's willingness to meet with the symbol of everything he opposes to improve the lot of his flock is a clear indicator of his true leadership and greatness. John Paul II knows that in the end his view will prevail. JORGE E. RODRIGUEZ Lexington, Mass.

If Richard Nixon could go to China, then Bill Clinton can bring the voice of democracy to Cuba. MARCIA ABAD-RONKA Calabasas Park, Calif.

Your fawning coverage of Castro might have been understandable in 1959, but not after a 39-year dictatorship remarkable only for its brutality. TIME has helped perpetuate the suffering of the Cuban people. But the Pope has demanded freedom and justice for the Cubans. The flame of Christ's love has been lighted in their hearts, never again to be blown out by evil. GEORGE J. FOWLER III, Director Cuban American National Foundation New Orleans

Putting "their faiths to the test" might be an appropriate comparison in the religious realm but hardly in the secular vs. the religious. Castro and Marxism have failed miserably, a demonstrable fact. I am a believer in an omniscient and loving God, as is John Paul II, but I can't prove I'm right. Nor can the Pope--that's faith. And as you pointed out, "the Catholic Church will survive the death of the 264th Pope," while few believe the Cuban revolution will outlive Castro. ROBERT F. MORAN Methuen, Mass.

HANDLING DIFFICULT TEENS

Adam Cohen's report on "attitude rehab" camps aimed at helping troubled youngsters angered and saddened me [FAMILY, Jan. 26]. Does Cohen know the anguish and pain felt by parents who watch a bright, once happy child sink deeper into drugs, anger and self-hatred? When parents have done all they know how to do and counseling has run its course, when services and the judicial system have failed? Parents are thankful for emotional-growth programs and the competent and dedicated staff who run them. It was a difficult decision, but the best thing we ever did for our son was to send him away to such a school when he was 16. In the two years he spent there, he not only finished high school but also learned how to love and respect himself, be a good and supportive friend and set goals for his future. Cohen failed to note the painful, joyful and powerful journey toward self-discovery that is the heart of these programs. STEPHANIE BACON Newton, Mass.

I was dismayed that you lumped long-term behavior-modification programs like Tranquility Bay together with shorter-term wilderness programs. What does a short-term, rugged, outdoor survival program have in common with a long-term, well-staffed behavior-modification program? A large number of teens have issues that go deeper than the rebellion that parents see on the surface. These youngsters are hurting, and have not been able to deal with the heartaches that plague them. For many teens, the joys of youth are lost beneath layers of self-limiting beliefs, low self-esteem and scars on the soul. They need a program that takes them away from their negative environment with its peer pressure and temptations and places them in a structured place of love and accountability. Our teens are in crisis. They are slipping through the cracks of our society because parents do not know that there are options to help them bring about change. These troubled teens need help, and their families have the right to seek it from conscientious and principled behavior-modification programs. JERI FONTYN, Admissions Coordinator Teen Help St. George, Utah

Children who display obvious signs of mental illness--including drug abuse, suicide attempts, depression--are often simply living, breathing symptoms of a troubled family. Does subjecting a depressed adolescent to "boot-camp" training foster true recovery? Is "strict discipline" really the answer? RICHARD T. GIRARDS JR. Mattituck, N.Y.

SO LONG, BILINGUAL CLASSES

The decision by the Santa Barbara, Calif., school board to halt bilingual education [EDUCATION, Jan. 26] will finally put the burden for acculturation where it belongs--on the new immigrant population. When my grandparents came to the U.S. in 1914, they knew they would have to learn English or they would starve. My grandfather went to school at night to learn English. My grandmother also learned the language. Instead of spending education dollars on bilingual classes, we should increase accessibility to English as a second language in classes available to both children and adults. VENETIA M. TIMM Margate, Fla.

It is interesting to read about the controversy over bilingual education in the U.S. In Canada it is politically incorrect to denounce official bilingualism. But providing a bilingual society has a high price. Precious tax dollars go to providing separate schools, court services and the publication of print articles in both official languages, French and English. The unofficial result has been a polarization of the country. Politicians in their quest for power play one language group against the other. In Canada, with about 30 million people, bilingualism costs the taxpayers more than $350 million a year. It could cost the U.S. 10 times that amount. FRED HAMILTON Amherst, N.S.

CLONERS' CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

In "Of Headless Mice...and Men" [ESSAY, Jan. 19], Charles Krauthammer wrote that "Congress should ban human cloning now. Totally. And...the deliberate creation of headless humans must be made a crime, indeed a capital crime." May I (facetiously?) suggest a capital punishment for this "capital crime"? How about...decapitation? ALAIN PIETTE Brussels

For once, I totally agree with Krauthammer. I'm not sure a capital crime can be charged for creating headless humans, but withholding any kind of funding should help. The argument that cloning humans for their organs might save lives is spurious, since any respect for life seems completely absent from this misbegotten enterprise. Simply because we have the technology to do something does not automatically lead to the conclusion that it should be done. FRANCES STANDAERT Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Isn't a crime by definition supposed to cause harm? While distasteful, cloning humans for harvesting organs would not actually harm anyone. Executing people for doing "distasteful" things is characteristic of countries like Iran or Stalin's U.S.S.R. Is Krauthammer's attitude yet another indicator that this is where the U.S. is heading? PETTERI SULONEN Helsinki

SCIENTISTS PLAY GOD

It was gratifying to note that it is an eccentric physicist, Richard Seed, who is planning to start a clinic in Chicago to clone human beings [SCIENCE, Jan. 19]. The fact that it doesn't appear he will succeed brings some solace. It is very scary when academics start discussing the cloning of headless human beings. Scientists should stop playing God. KENNETH MUSANA Montreal

Should we demand a legal stop to inhuman research? Possibly. Would that be enough to stop dehumanizing technology from expanding into our everyday lives? Hardly. INGEMAR LINDAHL Lidkoping, Sweden

OVERTURES FROM IRAN

Your article on moves by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to improve relations with the U.S. [WORLD, Jan. 19] was typical of the U.S.'s massive superiority complex. The plan by the U.S. to slap sanctions on European companies that trade with Iran is abhorrent. What right has America to intervene in the new liberalization of Middle Eastern trade? Is the U.S. trying to upset the promising progress being made by Khatami? The U.S. has done a lot for nations having difficulty moving into an era of openness and democracy, but it is time for the U.S. to drop its Big Brother routine and assume the role of passive bystander. Only time will mend the Middle Eastern autocracy. DANIEL FURNER Wellington, New Zealand

Laudable as Khatami's comments about freedom are, he should perhaps start the process of reform by making his true beliefs known to the Iranian people at large rather than airing them in the Western press, access to which is denied the majority of his nation's population. Of course, such freedom of speech may lead to Khatami's being deposed, but that is the "risky and rough" path to which he refers in his essay in TIME and the one upon which he must now be prepared to embark. TIM PURCELL Wing, England

When I read the essay by Khatami, the first thing I thought of was the slap I received, simply for possessing a copy of TIME, from the special interrogator in a political prison in Tehran. I finally had to escape from my beloved homeland and settle in Europe. Despite Khatami's hints that there should be freedom of thought, if you want to speak about freedom nowadays in Iran, you are accused of being a corrupt person. Khatami's remarks bring hope not only to the people who voted for him but also to Iranians like me who love God, human beings and Iran. We want to return home and try for peace, freedom and improvement. Now I have good feelings about the future. AMIR HAMI Rotterdam

MACHINES AREN'T ALL BAD

Japanese reader Sachiko Himeno wrote to TIME describing how, in order to spare the environment, she lived in a machine-free world, washing her laundry by hand and doing without a TV, air conditioner, stereo and vacuum cleaner [LETTERS, Jan. 19]. By contrast, I am surrounded by the machines that help destroy our environment. But as a single parent living with a seven-year-old son in a one-room apartment, I find that appliances help me a lot. I am a nurse who works long hours. I don't have time to do my laundry by hand. I prepare meals in advance, freeze them and use the microwave to heat them. I know many machines can be harmful to the environment, but they make raising a child and working for a living much easier. They save money and make me happy. We can't go back to the Stone Age. MARY ROSE SKRINGER Munich

ASIA'S BLOODLESS ECONOMY

Your stories have opened a lot of eyes to how the Asian economies fell apart [WORLD, Jan. 12]. It's very disappointing to see what is happening. Many Asian young people who were studying abroad have been forced to return home. And the price of many products in Indonesia has risen as much as 100%. But if we let the economies in Asian countries fail, would it be good for the U.S.? Asians would not be able to buy imported products. And if the U.S. cannot sell products to Asia, won't it mean less money for America? ANDY HALIMAN Jakarta

The Indonesian government aggressively encouraged anything that would boost exports and thus increase the nation's income. It established rules that let companies do business more effectively. But we grew too many businesses. They were like cockroaches and rats, and now it is very hard to get rid of them. Only a miracle can solve Indonesia's problems. We are too scared to change and afraid to sacrifice our comfort. PARIANTORO HADIMOTO Bogor, Indonesia

NETWORKS PLAY THE GAME

So the TV networks paid $17.6 billion for the right to broadcast National Football League games until 2005, even though viewer ratings have fallen 33% since the 1980s [BUSINESS, Jan. 26]. I don't understand the logic behind that staggering price, but I do know why fewer people are watching the NFL. The networks use, and sometimes even call, time-outs to insert commercials at every conceivable chance. They disrupt the flow of the game by presenting more advertising than action. The new agreement may last until 2005, but by then, will anyone be watching? R. CONRAD STEIN Chicago

TALK ABOUT JUNKETS

NASA's geezer-in-space program starring Senator John Glenn holds many benefits for American society [SPACE, Jan. 26]. The ultimate political junket, this program could entice Senators such as Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms to leave terra firma, giving us respite from their earthly resistance to progress. C. "JACK" BEECHER West Swanzey, N.H.

LIVING WITHOUT SEINFELD

Life will not be the same without Seinfeld [TELEVISION, Jan. 12]! Ask four of your friends which is their favorite character, and you'll get four different answers. What's more, a month later, your four pals will all have changed their opinions. Jerry Seinfeld claims to have no time for anything, says he missed the '90s and doesn't know what happened. The answer is his show happened. PETER HUNT Cherrybrook, Australia