Letters

Dick Cheney's reluctance to reveal how his Armstrong Ranch idyll exploded into a bird-shot blunder triggered readers to pepper the V.P. with charges of sly unaccountability. But others insisted that the only misfire in the overblown affair was the press shooting itself in the foot

Vice President Dick Cheney decided that Katherine Armstrong, owner of the land on which he accidentally shot Harry Whittington, was the best person to tell the press about the event [Feb. 27]. Cheney handpicked someone who had potentially serious liability issues to give the story to the media even before the President was informed. The disclosure that Cheney and his friends were hunting from their cars without proper licenses adds a smarmy exclamation point to another display of his arrogance and shameful disregard for the law.

ED VECCHIO Huber Heights, Ohio

The most disturbing excuse for the delay in reporting the accident to the public was that Cheney had no press officer with him. Why couldn't he write his own statement about something supposedly so straightforward? How could relaying facts be beyond his ability? If only Cheney were committed to truth and transparency, and if only he were candid enough to face the public outside the comfort zone of Fox News. The media overreacted to the delay in reporting the shooting, but Cheney's excuses attest to his secretiveness.

WILLIAM A. MCCARTNEY Delaware, Ohio

Good grief! I can't believe the media could read so much into a simple hunting accident. The real story was how reporters went completely berserk, looking under every rock to find dirt. All the facts were in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on Monday and the sheriff's statement released on Thursday. What fools you make of yourselves--although it was hilarious watching the circus.

MARVIN VOLZ Houston

Safety-conscious hunters learn that it is their responsibility to know where the rest of their party is before taking a shot.

BRIAN CARMINES Hilton Head Island, S.C.

If I, as a police officer, shot someone accidentally and did not talk to investigators for 14 or more hours, I guarantee that the police department would take away my badge. Cheney's decision not to publicly disclose the accident until it was convenient for him shows more of the same "We're above the law" attitude from Republicans, when what they should be is beyond reproach.

MAJA RAMIREZ CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT Chicago

Thousands of Vietnam veterans heaved a collective sigh of relief that sharpshooter Cheney received five draft deferments.

HARRY PALMER Marblehead, Mass.

It's puzzling to think that anyone could enjoy blasting away at quail. The quail's bobwhite whistle is one of the most beautiful sounds. Quail are farmers' friends, eating insects that are harmful to crops. These birds harm no one and take good care of their families.

SHERRILL DURBIN Mounds, Okla.

Dick Cheney is the poster boy for the "shoot first, think later" approach, whether it involves war, torture or just plain getting even.

JAMES B. MORIN Guasti, Calif.

It's amazing that the victim was the one who apologized, while the shooter said, "It's one of the worst days of my life." Couldn't Cheney have apologized for shooting his friend without making the statement all about himself?

GEORGANNA DICKSON Hightstown, N.J.

TIME'S story suggested that this circus was the last thing the President needed. On the contrary, the circus seems to have provided the media with a less damaging diversion from the really bad news of the week. The shooting generated an 11-page story package, while the 520-page congressional report on the Hurricane Katrina fiasco was underreported. Seems like Whittington literally took a hit for his buddies.

MICHELE TOMBARI Las Vegas

What a bunch of brave hunters was at Armstrong Ranch! They rode around in old jeeps and got out to shoot helpless birds. Real sports, aren't they?

WALTER PHILLIPS Grand Rapids, Minn.

Risky Operation

U.N. Ambassador John Bolton's answer to your question about the possibility of a more aggressive response to the genocide in Darfur was quite telling [Feb. 27]. He said, "You could end up with a lot of dead military people and not save a single civilian." The Janjaweed militia, which is doing the killing, is armed with rifles and riding horses and camels. Surely the U.S. military is capable of taking them on.

PETE CASTELLUCCIO Indianapolis

Women Warriors

Re "Crossing The Line" [Feb. 27], on female troops in Iraq: We nominally exclude women from combat, but as your article explained, women regularly find themselves in full-blown battles. It is the normal instinct of every decent man to protect women and children. That we are now sending women--including the mothers of babies--into the cauldron of war is another sign that America has lost its way.

ANTHONY G. GUMBS Glendale Heights, Ill.

One of the most heartbreaking and infuriating things I have read about President George W. Bush's filthy war of choice is the deployment of medic Sergeant Dywata Reynolds, who had to leave her 4-month-old daughter to go to Iraq. What has our nation come to? It is becoming increasingly difficult to say I am proud to be an American.

JAMES RUOCCO Hillsborough, N.J.

Hamas Takes the Helm

Before winning the legislative elections, Hamas took charge of many Palestinian social-aid institutions while continuing to advocate the destruction of Israel [Feb. 27]. The swindling ways of the previous Fatah government made it easy for Hamas to be democratically elected. Let's hope the U.N. and the E.U. will not become emasculated appeasers. It would be an exercise in futility to negotiate with enemies who are intractable in their determination to destroy Israel.

HARRY GRUNSTEIN Hampstead, Que.

Grim News from Greenland

"Has The Meltdown Begun?" [Feb. 27] reported the discovery that Greenland's glaciers are melting faster than anyone expected. That is more proof of global warming, and the resulting rise in sea levels makes the immediate impact of climate change worse than anticipated. The glaciers are also receding at Glacier National Park, Mont. We are having milder winters in the Midwest, and tropical frog species are disappearing. What more evidence does anybody need?

SHANE NODURFT Chicago

Our greedy, growing world is fast running out of resources, two of them being oil and freshwater. Maybe we have to rethink our priorities. It might be better to build pipelines to ship pure glacial water to the thirsty people of the world, as I haven't met anyone yet who drinks oil.

PATTI TETRAULT Truro, Mass.

A Mixed Diagnosis

In her essay "Why I Dumped The Baby Doctor" [Feb. 27], Michelle Cottle argued that pediatricians should be more responsive to the concerns of nervous parents. As a nurse and mother for more than 25 years, I was dismayed by Cottle's account of her irrational fears. She traded a doctor who was very busy for a doctor who had plenty of time to develop a codependent relationship with a phobic parent. Her new doctor, whom she said she is seeing "about once a week," is taking advantage of a mother who apparently would rather spend time chatting with the baby doctor than caring for her baby.

SUE BORCHERDING, R.N. Peoria, Ill.

As a pediatrician in practice for 22 years, I think the messages in Cottle's essay are important for doctors in all specialties to understand: have respect for your patients' time, listen to what they are saying and directly address their concerns. In other words, examine and treat the patient's body but also pay attention to the person inside it.

JOSEPH GOLDENBERG, M.D. Chesterfield, Mo.

Had it not been for the internet, many of us parents of autistic children would still be watching our toddlers bang their heads against the wall while our dumbfounded pediatricians stood by telling us it's just a passing phase. If you have reason to doubt your child's pediatrician, your instincts are probably working perfectly.

JOANNE PALMER Los Angeles

Cottle complained that "Pediatricians often treat parents like children" and whined about not getting enough attention from her baby's doctors. My pediatricians treat me the same way they treat my children: with love, respect and clear boundaries. Cottle wants her doctor available for weekly visits, daily calls and weekend chats. That reminds me of my teenager, who wants that kind of 24/7 availability as well as access to the family car. Someone has to be the grownup.

MICHELE BOMBARDIER Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Cinematic Mirror

I have to disagree with your critic's assessment of the movie Crash--that "people either like the movie or loathe it" because "it is too wide-ranging to really draw you into the lives it recounts" [Feb. 27]. People loathe it because they are forced to recognize their own flaws in the ugly and in some cases unforgivable failures of the movie's characters. I loved Crash because it is not just a story about the people of Los Angeles but also a beautiful film that shows the very real flawed and fractured lives of regular Americans.

NATALIA MEDINA COGGINS El Paso, Texas

An Avoidable Mess

I am still saddened by the events unfolding in various Muslim countries following the undesirable and unnecessary publication of cartoons of the Prophet [Feb. 20]. That mess could have been avoided if there had been sensible restraint and mutual respect. People generally don't take religious insults lightly, but my fellow Muslims overreacted, intensifying the conflict between two similar faiths. Sometimes I wonder whether humans really need religions. Perhaps what we need is a humane education.

IBRAHIM MUSA Kuala Lumpur

Ciao, Torino

Were the Olympic Games necessary to introduce Torino to the world [Feb. 27]? In Italy, Torino is known as an industrial city, but perhaps outside Italy it is unknown. Italy isn't just Venice, Naples and Milan; there are also a number of very nice small cities. People of the Piedmont region may have a reserved character, but they are not inhospitable. They are like a timid boy: at first they might seem unsociable, but all things considered they are only prudent. I invite everyone to visit Torino, a city with many things to discover!

ALBERTO BILI Torino, Italy

It is unfortunate that we Canadians will remember the Torino Olympics more for the quarter-final elimination of our men's hockey team than for our record haul of 24 Winter Olympic medals.

THEO LUYKENAAR Burlington, Ont.

I find it slightly disturbing that TIME didn't use its Olympic reporting to counter all the hype about how well the American athletes would do in Torino. Athletes from all over the world should get credit for their achievements. To focus so much attention on U.S. athletes instead of recognizing the top individuals in each contest is narrow-minded. I find it only fitting that some of the prominent U.S. competitors underperformed. I would have preferred a little less cheering for your home team.

RIKU REIMAA Espoo, Finland