Letters

Facing the Fury

"Americans don't fear the wrath of protesters. It is those who carried out the heinous attack who must face the rage of the world." ROBERT SOLOMON New York City

Enough hand wringing over angry Muslims [THE TALIBAN, Oct. 15]! Americans are angrier, and we're ready to fight too. These people are the enemy, and I'm sick of seeing them on my TV screen. Remember Sept. 11, America, and let your anger rage until we've made the world a better place for everyone. WES REEVES Amarillo, Texas

I have had it with the notion that we Americans had better be careful or we might make "them" more angry than they already are, and then we'll be in real trouble. There is a grain of truth to it, but I am tired of it. What about my anger? What about my fury? Five thousand Americans were slaughtered without provocation. American foreign policy is not perfect, but it did not cause this hideous display of evil. MICHELLE JACKSON Sacramento, Calif.

President Bush and his administration are doing a great job in the most complex of situations. Hats off to them! Because the U.S. is pitted against such a ragtag lot, it seems ludicrous to describe this conflict as a war. But if the air strikes can rid the world of terrorism or something even worse, we will have a better world for future generations. VIJAY RUNGANADHAN Mumbai, India

Let the terrorists know that we are just as determined as they are and we have the weapons to show our resolve. Let's put some fear in their lives. I don't like to advocate the use of violence, but you have to fight fire with fire. If violence is the name of the game, then we should play the game! DEWEY T. JONES Green Oaks, Ill.

Your cover photo may indeed reflect the fury of some in Pakistan, but it may also be highly misleading. There are 144 million people in Pakistan, and it appears a few thousand have taken to the streets. What are the other 143,995,000 doing and thinking? PETER ZHEUTLIN Needham, Mass.

--The angry anti-American protesters on our cover were the last thing many of you wanted to see. "What are you trying to do," asked a Louisiana reader, "scare all the mothers of the servicemen and -women sent to fight this war? It would have been better to show the righteous fury of a Navy SEAL or an Army paratrooper." Objecting to the "Muslims screaming hate against America," a Texan asked, "Why not show the heroic workers cleaning up the rubble in New York?" "We have enough reminders of the terror without that revolting picture," declared an Arizonan. But plenty of you were struck by something else. "That Pakistani protester must have a great dental plan," wrote a Californian. "He has a perfect set of teeth." A New Jersey man agreed. "My two daughters' orthodontia didn't come close to those teeth. What's in the water over there?" We don't know about Pakistan's water or dental plans, but we can tell you that the photo was unretouched.

Food Fight

Much of the U.S.'s humanitarian effort in Afghanistan is simply adding fuel to anti-American fires [THE STRATEGY, Oct. 15]. Dropping tons of food that the Afghans neither like nor understand (peanut butter, for example) merely perpetuates the image that Americans are trying to convert Afghans to our way of life--or that we are so arrogant we really don't care what they want. We need to discover what food Afghans want and need and then distribute that rather than the stuff we're giving them now. This would do much to advance our humanitarian image. DUNCAN WIMPRESS San Antonio, Texas

Instead of dropping food, we should drop the foolish idea of a coalition against terrorism that seeks to include the very terrorist nations we should be fighting against. DANIEL WAHL Kannapolis, N.C.

If Afghan planes were flying over the U.S., dropping packages with Arabic writing and the Afghan flag, what would Americans' reaction be? Would they know it was food? With the wartime paranoia, I suspect most would think it was some form of biological warfare. To be recognizable, a food drop must consist of McDonald's hamburgers, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Recognition of those logos is universal, and the Afghan people would immediately know what they were getting. DONALD M. CURRIE North Vancouver, B.C.

Building the New Nation

To totally destroy the military infrastructure of the Taliban while at the same time strengthening the Northern Alliance (which represents only about a third of the tribes) would lead to extreme political imbalances in Afghanistan and be a cause of more bloodshed [THE TALIBAN, Oct. 15]. So it is of the utmost importance that the U.S. clean up the mess it creates in Afghanistan, help set up a fair and balanced government and not desert the Afghans as it did in the 1980s. SIBGHAT ULLAH Lahore, Pakistan

Both President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair speak of a post-Taliban government that would represent all tribes and ethnic groups. If it is to be a government of all, let's hear a lot more about Afghanistan's women, who have borne a terrible burden during the Taliban's medieval rule. Under the former, Soviet-dominated regime, they were well educated and played important roles as physicians and teachers. Today the nation's women are the brightest and best hope for democracy. TIM SYMONDS Lamberhurst, England

Who Is to Blame?

I would like to commend Arab columnist Hazem Saghiyeh for his commentary "It's Not All America's Fault" [VIEWPOINT, Oct. 15]. Saghiyeh wrote that the Arab world has a "certain fixation on the past" and has not established the free press, trade unions and civil society necessary for debating matters related to the common good. Nor have we resolved the question of political legitimacy. We in the Arab world seem unable to fathom the principle that charity starts at home. Unrest is never our fault. It is time for us to realize that we have to fix our own world first, that we actually do have some control of our destiny and that the West is not our enemy. All proud Arabs must see harsh dictators and radical manipulators for what they are and not as heroes. AMIN K. KAWAR Amman

Saghiyeh and his compatriots could have used their money, Western education, expertise, talent and brains to build democracy throughout the Arab world. Japan and Germany built postwar democratic institutions. Even nations that were formerly part of the U.S.S.R. umbrella are doing it. Instead, the Arab leadership has spent and wasted gazillions in wars against Israel. Arab leaders use Israel and the U.S. as whipping boys so that their poor and uneducated do not have the time or energy to examine their own greedy rulers. FRAN WEISS WALDMAN Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Denouncing the Heretic

When Salman Rushdie wrote the Satanic Verses, which included a mild mockery of some of the verses of the Koran, the Islamic clergy in Iran were quick to call a fatwa against him. When Osama bin Laden made a barbaric mockery of the Koran by killing 5,000 innocent people, the Islamic clergy largely remained silent [VIEWPOINT, Oct. 15]. If ever there were a reason to issue a fatwa, it is for the acts of this criminal who perpetrates terrorism in the name of Islam. OMER J. KOETS Noordwijk, the Netherlands

Saudi Arabia's Riches

To billionaire Saudi Investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud, who urged the U.S. to "wake up, and look at what you are doing in the Middle East" [THE UNEASY ALLY, Oct. 15], I would reply, "Wake up, and look at what you are doing to your own kingdom." The prince chastises the U.S. for our imperfect policies and practices in the Middle East, yet the per capita income for a Saudi is $7,000 a year; the prince has more than $11 billion invested in U.S. holdings alone. Where did that money come from? Not from hard work, but rather from his fortunate birth into the ruling family. How about giving a little back to your own people, Prince Alwaleed? If the estimated 30,000 members of the Saudi royal family would plow their billions back into creating opportunities for Saudi citizens, there might be fewer conditions that spawn the likes of Mohamed Atta and Osama bin Laden. DANIEL HELLER New York City

To Win the War

Our American leaders talk about the new war [THE STRATEGY, Oct. 15]. They mention many fronts--financial, economic, intelligence--and the need for flexible and decisive military operations, diplomatic coalition building and humanitarian aid. An additional and equally important "weapon" is informed spiritual outreach and dialogue.

Theologians and clergy of all faiths in America need to articulate our spiritual values and ideals in a clear way. Spiritual leaders need to enter into serious talks with Muslim clergy around the world. We need to find a common ground. World War III will be won not by bullets and bombs but by ecumenical prayer and the best we can mobilize in the human spirit. PETER OLSSON Keene, N.H.

Lucky to Be Employed

Your report "Paying To Keep Your Job," about how some workers are taking cuts in bonuses and salaries to avoid being laid off [THE ECONOMY, Oct. 15], spoke to some important problems in today's economy. But I must take issue with your example of auto dealer Joe Torchia, whose business was down 27%. While I feel sympathetic about Torchia's loss of business and income, having to cancel a vacation and halt a home-remodeling project are not what I consider hardships, given that the recent economic downturn has put some people out of work and caused them to miss mortgage payments, which could force them from their homes. Torchia should be happy that he still has a job and a home. VICTOR PEREZ Schaumburg, Ill.

Time to Travel Light

You reported that U.S. airport-security screeners miss more than 20% of potentially dangerous items that pass through X-ray machines [NOTEBOOK, Oct. 15] and implied that higher wages and better benefits might significantly improve the situation. Though you noted that European screeners are twice as effective, that suggests they still miss about 10% of potentially dangerous items in spite of their superior wages and benefits. That's not much improvement for substantially higher costs. The problem isn't wages; it is that we allow too many items to be carried aboard planes. The more luggage that must be inspected, the greater the probability that dangerous items will be missed. GABE WASHO Cadillac, Mich.

Ancient Wisdom

Your drawing of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the one-eyed leader of the Taliban [NOTEBOOK, Oct. 15], calls to mind the old adage: In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. ROBERT ELLIS Copenhagen

Not a Buddhist Cult

In the article "America's First Bioterrorism Attack" [AMERICA ON GUARD, Oct. 8], you mentioned the 1984 incident of spreading salmonella by the Rajneeshee and referred to the group as a "Buddhist cult." It is untrue and misleading to call the charlatan Rajneesh and his misguided followers Buddhist. Buddhism encourages practitioners toward gentle, life-affirming, virtuous behavior. Recklessly pasting the name Buddhist on behavior as outrageously lawless as that of Rajneesh and his followers strains credulity and is an insult to Buddhism. (THE REV.) HENG SURE, DIRECTOR BERKELEY BUDDHIST MONASTERY Berkeley, Calif.