Law and Order

Re “The Street Fighter” [Feb. 13]: In all the time I have known Preet Bharara, since we were children, he has always been humble and sociable. That said, Preet has been causing problems for people all his life. He was the gold standard against which all the children in his family’s circle of friends were compared. “Preet skipped his freshman year of Harvard! Work harder!” was a common theme heard by the children of members of a medical-school alumni group that Preet’s father and mine were part of. At least once a year, when we would all meet for a reunion, we were guaranteed to hear about Preet’s great accomplishments. His actions indirectly pushed many of us to reach deep and make something of ourselves. I can’t wait to hear from the parents this year, “Preet is on the cover of TIME! Work harder!” Thanks, Preet.
Dr. Sandeep Sharma, PITTSBURGH

It was very refreshing to read about Bharara’s efforts to cleanse the finance field of some of its criminals. The next step will be to bring to book the individuals who knowingly created junk derivatives and their conspirators, the rating agencies that gave AAA ratings to these products. Their actions amount to nothing less than cheating and pickpocketing.
Ravindra B. Shetye, MUMBAI

In most industrialized countries, a major fraud like those that helped bring down the economy in 2008 and cost millions of jobs would have been investigated, and charges, if warranted, would have been brought in a timely manner. Almost four years later is certainly not in a timely manner.
Asher Pavel, WEST CORNWALL, CONN., U.S.

Republican Beliefs
Grover Norquist’s take on conservatives is ridiculous [What Is a Conservative? Feb. 13]. He says, “Conservatives ask only one thing of the government. They wish to be left alone.” How can anyone take those words seriously when conservatives are the ones intruding on every American’s liberty? I wish to be able to call my relationship with my boyfriend a marriage, but conservatives won’t let me. Women want to have more control over their womb than the government does, but the conservatives refuse. Conservatives may say that the smallest form of government is the best form of government, but they should live up to their own ideals.
Koichi Sakamoto, TOKYO

If Ann Coulter doesn’t believe waterboarding is a form of torture, I invite her to try it.
Daniel Greenhalgh, TRONDHEIM, NORWAY

Coulter says conservatives face a danger now that some Republicans are “showing a susceptibility to self-promoting charlatans more interested in getting a gig on Fox News than saving the country.” Does she realize she is describing herself?
Greg Otey, CANBERRA

Continental Diss
The answers Loretta Napoleoni gave to your 10 Questions reveal how shallow and narrow her views are on the complex matters she writes about [Feb. 13]. Saying Europeans are pessimistic, immobile and stifled by language barriers is just stating clichés of Europe’s early days.
Gianclaudio Andreolli, BRENTONICO, ITALY

I’m with Castro
The quote by Fidel Castro calling the U.S. Republican presidential primaries “the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been” was a gem [World, Feb. 13]. Regardless of what you might think of the retired Cuban leader, I doubt many would legitimately be able to challenge the insight. In fact, articles in the same edition merely reinforced his comment.
David Stanton, SYDNEY

For once, Castro got it right. To us outsiders, observing the Republican primaries is like watching Comedy Central.
Timothy Goy, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

Show of Faith
William Green opens his article on the British Museum’s exhibition on the hajj by reminding readers that non-Muslims are still forbidden to enter the holy city of Mecca [Pilgrim’s Progress, Feb. 13]. We accept this fact as how it is in Islam. But what would the world say if non-Jews could not visit the holy city of Jerusalem? Would the world be satisfied with a “splendid new exhibition” of the place?
Joseph Feld, LONDON

As long as Saudi Arabia flogs women for driving, extirpates any hint of Christian worship and executes gay men, we should say, “No, thank you,” to such a Saudi-partnered exhibition.
J.J. Gross, JERUSALEM

Life Story
Re “This Is Your Life” [Feb. 13]: Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook’s Timeline is “how you can tell the whole story of your life on a single page.” I would surely hope that a person’s life is worth more than a page. A book, maybe, or an essay at least.
Athanasios Hatzilakos, ATHENS