Letters

The End of al-Zarqawi

The killing of Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, the ambitious and notorious leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, removes a high-profile terrorist from the battlefield. But readers were skeptical about whether al-Zarqawi's death would hasten the end of the war--and whether it merited the big-red-X treatment on our cover

"The elimination of al-Zarqawi was important. But Iraq will not regain security and stability until U.S. forces are out of the country." MOHAMAD HASAN Cairo

I was pleased that U.S. and Iraqi forces killed the monster Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist [June 19]. President George W. Bush should rightly be enjoying an upturn in his political fortunes. I hope it's not wishful thinking to regard al-Zarqawi's death as a step toward peace and the welcome departure of coalition troops.

JEFF ROBERTSON Yellow Springs, Ohio

TIME reported that Al-Zarqawi had a $25 million bounty on his head and that an al-Qaeda informant pointed the way to him. Al-Zarqawi's death may have been, as you stated, "a desperately needed break for the White House and the U.S. military." Yet that break was bought and paid for, and money talks. The world is rid of an evil, warped mind, but let's tell it like it is.

WILDA FONSECA

Avon, Mass.

Crossing out Al-Zarqawi's face in blood red sent a strong message. He was an embodiment of evil who deserved his fate, and your graphic statement was right on the money. Still, I bet that you received lots of protests from softhearted readers decrying the image.

PAUL G. REES

Tucson, Ariz.

I found the cover image so offensive that I had no interest in reading the story. The picture promotes violence. Such disregard for human life is damaging to all of us, no matter who the victim of the attack is.

LEORA SAPON-SHEVIN

Syracuse, N.Y.

A portrait of Osama Bin Laden with a black question mark over his face would have made a more appropriate cover image. I am concerned that Americans are starting to believe bin Laden does not exist, Iraq caused 9/11 and war is the only way to defeat fundamentalists.

RACHEL CROMIDAS

La Jolla, Calif.

A City on the Seas

Re "A Whale of a Boat" [June 19]: Not only do behemoth cruise ships, such as Freedom of the Seas, clog ports and squeeze in huge numbers of passengers, they also dump city-size volumes of sewage and bilge water--some of it treated, but much of it not. Every day these vessels foul harbors and coastal waters with millions of gallons of filthy water and pollute the air with diesel fumes. Cruise ships are exempt from most U.S. pollution laws. Until Congress increases regulation, floating cities will continue to foul our seas and air.

TERI SHORE

BLUEWATER NETWORK

San Francisco

Your article about Royal Caribbean's new cruise ship painted a subtly negative picture of cruising, which is not warranted. I recently cruised on a sister ship that carries nearly as many passengers, and I was amazed at how well the crew handled so many people. There were few lines for boarding and dining, and I never felt I was in a large crowd. Many Caribbean islands cater to multiple ship dockings in one day, and local excursions are managed by the ships or taxi services with very little hassle.

JIM KASHISHIAN

Madrid

The report on freedom of the seas noted that the ship sailed out of Miami and made references to the Statue of Liberty, so readers might be left with the wrong idea about where the ship was built. The world's biggest cruise ship was built in Finland; it took about 7 million working hours to complete, in a nation of about 5 million people.

RAIKKO HYTONEN

Helsinki

Cave Art in Peril

Thank you for shining a worldwide light on the crisis in Lascaux, France [June 19]. Clearly, the cave and its irreplaceable paintings are still at grave risk. An international group of experts in cave art and conservation should be allowed to monitor and report to the world on the cave and its health. Lascaux is an expression of the earliest experience of being human. The cave's discovery in 1940 redefined what was known about human beings' creative development and ability to construct image from abstract thought. This critical leap and its resulting tangible evidence is invaluable to understanding global human heritage. We must take immediate steps to ensure that generations of our descendants have the benefit of Lascaux's lessons.

MELODY K. DI PIAZZA

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LASCAUX

New York City

One Tongue for All?

Re "In Plain English, Let's Make It Official" [June 12], it was wrong for essayist Charles Krauthammer to argue against bilingualism by comparing the Hispanic immigrants of the U.S. to the Quebecois of Canada. Francophones sailed up the St. Lawrence River almost a century before the English did. That means that the French and the French language deserve at least some kind of official status and recognition in North America.

DAVID KOJAOGHLANIAN

Montreal

It's worth noting that whitehouse.gov the official website of the U.S. President, offers the option of viewing that site in Spanish. I suppose if English were to become the official language, the website would have to change, and that could pose a problem at election time. Moreover, I think more revenue will be collected if tax forms continue to be available in Spanish. I suppose with the new mentality of Fortress America, if you're going to build walls to keep out the foreigners, you might as well use language to keep them out as well.

DAVE HORNE

Helvoirt, the Netherlands

A Rich, Impoverished Nation

Congratulations for your excellent report on the Democratic Republic of Congo [June 5]. It is a very rich country inhabited by an overwhelming majority of impoverished people, victims of foreign rapacity and the unlimited greed of some nationals. International cooperation is needed to halt the looting of Congolese resources, and to bring peace and efficient, honest democratic governance. Otherwise, the so-called First World will continue trying to stop African immigrants with walls, patrol boats and airport controls.

LUIS BELTRAN

Alcala de Henares, Spain