Letters

Spider-Man Rules!

"The main point about Spider-Man: you may be a superhero, but when you get home, you still have to take out the garbage." DAVID P. VERNON Tucson, Ariz.

After seeing the box-office receipts for Spider-Man and reading about superheroes who have made the leap from the pages of comic books to the big screen [BLOCKBUSTER SUMMER, May 20], I wonder if comic-book readers will finally get some respect. Will the public thank us comic-book fans for keeping these characters in print and alive for decades? What would the film world be like if George Lucas and young directors like Kevin Smith hadn't been inspired by comics growing up? I am grateful to anyone who has ever written or drawn a comic book for helping readers feel better about the world and themselves. PHILIP LANCE North Hollywood, Calif.

Fans and retailers in the comics industry have known for decades that we've been sitting on a gold mine for movie adaptations. Comics are an incredibly literate medium, producing stories of the same quality as any movie, novel or TV show today; still the general public seems to think that comics are only for semiliterate geeks or deviants--kids who haven't grown up yet. But comics fans pray the success of Spider-Man will not be a fad and people will become more interested in buying comics than plush toys and video games. Comics educate as they entertain. JOHN HEFNER Cabin John, Md.

Why did they have to go and wreck a classic comic strip by turning it into a computer-animated, teen-spleen movie? LIAM CONLEY Columbia, Md.

The reason that the character Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) and many of the other Marvel comic-book heroes strike a chord with my generation is that Parker is a conflicted young man. Our connection to his confusion makes him much more relevant than the do-gooder musclemen that DC Comics and others have produced. That Hollywood could stay so true to Spider-Man's character is admirable indeed. Moviemakers should have opened the comics a long time ago, really read them and listened to comic-book artists and writers. After Spider-Man racks up several hundred million by staying true to the comic book, more studios will follow suit. KEITH HIGGINBOTHAM Long Beach, Calif.

In Joel Stein's article, he lists the rules for how to create a modern blockbuster. I disagree with Rule 4: "Don't Worry Too Much About the Writing." Spider-Man is actually well written; its taut script mixes serious and thoughtful characterization with over-the-top action and excitement. People are genuinely moved by some of the film's more dramatic scenes. It is this emotional component of Spider-Man's tortured-soul brand of heroism--as he realizes that his loved ones could be put in danger because of his superheroics and that happiness will often take a backseat to his altruism--that makes people identify with the film and want to see it over again. TONY WOLF New York City

Your Spider-Man cover was so cool that it inspired my 9- and 7-year-old sons to read the full story inside. That brought back memories of when I was a kid reading my mom's copy of TIME. It has been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember, and now it looks as if there are two more future subscribers. Thanks for the story and the memories. SHARON KELLEY Jacksonville, Fla.

Battle for the Basin

Your item on extracting natural gas using coal-bed methane development in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, "Rocky Mountain Deep: The Next Drilling War" [NOTEBOOK, May 20], left some mistaken impressions. The Powder River Basin is not in the Rocky Mountains but is some distance from those scenic mountain peaks. And although the basin is home to wildlife, it is not exactly "pristine," having been a major energy-producing area for more than 20 years. Also, you implied that the impacts of drilling new methane wells are uniformly negative, overlooking the benefits of the clean, nonsaline water that is pumped in the production of methane; some of this water can be used in local reservoirs in places like Gillette, Wyo. We are committed to developing our energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. KATHLEEN CLARKE, DIRECTOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Washington

The scenic beauty of the West is a wonder to behold and, once seen, never forgotten. Why do we have to destroy what we have to feed our lust for the "better life"? MAUREEN BACALLO Lafayette Hills, Pa.

The Fate of the Crusader

This particular old soldier has the greatest respect for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld [NATION, May 20] but wonders if he should have the final say on axing the Crusader, the U.S. Army's mobile howitzer. Though not yet deployed, it is an important component of U.S. tactics for the 21st century. How ironic that Rumsfeld, who has been so skillful at overseeing the use of military force, is against a weapon that would give our ground troops a decisive edge on the battlefield of the future. Our nation's military successes in Afghanistan are as much a result of planning as of Rumsfeld's administrative talents. It wouldn't hurt to hear what the generals have to say about the Crusader. JAMES M. WHITE SGT. FIRST CLASS, U.S.A. (RET.) Las Vegas

Best-Selling Bunkum

In his book The Horrifying Fraud, Frenchman Thierry Meyssan puts forth the ridiculous theory that U.S. government officials were behind the Sept. 11 attacks as an excuse to launch a war on Afghanistan and Iraq [LETTER FROM FRANCE, May 20]. This is preposterous! Meyssan should show some respect for America. He should know that were it not for the U.S. government and our military, all French people, including him, might be speaking German today! EDMOND ROBERT MANSOOR Thousand Oaks, Calif.

In the shadow of every national tragedy, there's always someone standing there, pointing his finger at the government and calling it a conspiracy. That Meyssan could even consider that the U.S. government would cause such a tragedy as Sept. 11 is bad enough. But that he is profiting from a best seller full of such screwed-up nonsense is worse! JEFF FISHER Decatur, Mich.

Meyssan's scenario is goofy. How would the French have reacted to a crazy theory that the terrorist bombings in Paris during the '80s were the result of a French right-wing conspiracy to shake up the Socialist government? The French would have called it a ridiculous fantasy. As a French citizen, I feel ashamed that such lunatic propositions are taken seriously in France. THIERRY COURTES DE CARVALHO Rio de Janeiro

Unholy Standoff

It is quite significant that the standoff between Israelis and Palestinians at the Church of the Nativity [WORLD, May 20] occurred in one of the holiest sites in Christianity, the presumed birthplace of Jesus. I found the way the besieged Palestinians behaved at this holy site extremely disturbing. Instead of respecting the sanctuary offered them, they acted like common thieves, robbing the Armenian priests of their crucifixes and blankets. If the situation were different and Christian militants were seeking refuge in a mosque or some other Muslim holy site, would they be granted sanctuary? Would the abuse of an Islamic holy site in Mecca be tolerated by Muslim clerics? Or would such actions be punishable by death? Since Islam accepts Jesus as a prophet, the least these fighters could have done was respect the site of his birth. In capturing the men without storming and invading the church, the Israeli army showed consideration for its sanctity. TONY COSTA Toronto

Requiem for a Thoroughbred

I am heartbroken by the loss of my favorite racehorse of all time, Seattle Slew [MILESTONES, May 20]. He was special for the number of races he won and the winners he sired. He deserved to have a perfect retirement, to be out in the pasture every day, looking around and feeling the breeze in his mane. Maybe he wasn't able to race any longer, but he could enjoy the view and have a good time. He had a great heart, immense courage and the determination to win any race in any weather, under any track conditions. He always showed his championship qualities by rising above all obstacles. There will never ever be another horse like him. BRENDA BAILEY REINHART Wewahitchka, Fla.

Gay Priests and the Church

It does not matter whether a Roman Catholic priest is homosexual or heterosexual as long as he is true to his vows of celibacy [RELIGION, May 20]. The real scandal in the church is how the hierarchy has swept under the rug the actions of pedophile priests. Being homosexual should not be equated with being a pedophile. This misleading connotation is causing great pain to many gays and to innocent priests. JOYCE RHODY Albert Lea, Minn.

I am grateful for your informative and well-researched article. Gay priests have always been part of the church and will always continue to be. The challenge now is whether they will be forced even further into the closet, creating another generation of tormented and lonely men who want to serve God but are told they are sinful. The church authorities seem reluctant to see this as a problem of their leadership. They have failed the people, and they have failed the clergy. Perhaps your report will help put a human face on the clergy who are gay and help people understand that being gay doesn't make you a bad priest. Chances are that every Catholic in the U.S. has at some time been served faithfully and lovingly by a gay priest. (THE REV.) EDWARD W. EDWARDS Watchung, N.J.

New Burlesque Takes Off

Benjamin Nugent's report "Stripping Down to the Roots" [THEATER, May 20] described the growth of New Burlesque and painted a beautiful picture of an old art form coming back to mainstream entertainment. He noted the strict regulations in some cities, but what consenting adults do in the privacy of adult clubs, theaters or their own homes should not be the business of Big Brother. Individual civil and economic liberties prosper best in a free society when government and the morality police stay out of both the bedroom and the marketplace. LARRY PENNER Great Neck, N.Y.