Letters: Jul. 8, 2002

A New Proposal to Protect the U.S.

“President Bush’s plan for a Homeland Security agency is like sweeping the floor while a pot boils over on the stove.” G. RICHARD THOMAS Ajijic, Mexico

President Bush knows better than anyone else that our country faces disaster at the hands of terrorists if aggressive measures are not taken immediately [NATION, June 17]. Bush’s proposed creation of a Department of Homeland Security is a major step in bringing the country’s terrorist-fighting forces together to meet this end. Sadly, the time it will take to create a Homeland Security office gives terrorists a large window of opportunity. Critical tactics in fighting this new and different war will require the utilization of human-intelligence operatives whose primary duty will be to infiltrate terrorist organizations, compromise and thwart their plans and ultimately identify and eliminate the leaders. ARMOND SIMMONS Pell City, Ala.

My adoptive grandparents were involved in the anti-Nazi resistance. Knowing their struggles, I strongly oppose the creation of a Department of Homeland Security. The name alone makes me shudder. The proposed agency would remove many checks and balances, placing too much power in the hands of too few. By creating this department, America would open itself to terrorism from within–terrorism most would call fascism. BETH HATCHEL Forest Grove, Ore.

A primary management principle is to make no major decision until you must. It is also imperative to keep major decisions confidential until the conditions are ripe for announcement. This is especially true within the political, back-biting world of Washington. The President’s proposal for Homeland Security may not be perfect, but it is a step in the right direction. RICHARD J. RANDAZZO Bluffton, S.C.

Some personal freedoms must be sacrificed for security, but at what cost? And who will decide how many of our rights will be sacrificed? KELSEY HAYES Lenexa, Kans.

Mucking about with federal agencies will do nothing to ensure our liberty. Just bring back the Department of War, and turn it loose. The best defense is a solid offense. JACK CRAWFORD Silver Spring, Md.

I grew up in communist Poland, where the internal-security bureau had virtually no restrictions on investigating individuals or groups that were antigovernment. Is this the sort of country we want to live in? PAWEL BIEGUNSKI Naperville, Ill.

–The threat of terrorism makes everyone nervous, but some anxious readers misread our cover headline “Will His Plan Make Us Safer?”, on the President’s proposal. “I scanned the cover too quickly and erroneously thought it said, “Will His Plan Make Us Suffer?”, stated a man from Spokane, Wash. “And after reading the article, I’m not so sure that wasn’t the proper question to ask.” A Las Vegas woman had a similar experience: “When I got my issue from the mailbox, the headline was partly covered by other mail, and I thought the word safer was suffer. I think this version of the question may be the right one.”

Heroic Rescue Raid

I must strongly disagree with TIME’s characterization of the Philippine troops’ assault on the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping gang as a “debacle” [WORLD, June 17]. While the deaths of two of the three hostages are tragic, one, American Gracia Burnham, was able to return home to her children. And that occurred thanks to decisive action by our Philippine allies. Had the Philippine government decided to take a more passive course, all three kidnap victims would ultimately have been killed when they no longer served Abu Sayyaf’s political ends. Now the path is open to exterminate what is left of that band of criminals. JOHN WINDERS Macungie, Pa.

Protest In The Pews

Andrew Sullivan has given an eloquent voice to the very real frustrations that we lay Roman Catholics have experienced, not only in the wake of the recent scandals, but in our everyday lives [RELIGION, June 17]. The threat to the church in America is very real, and Sullivan is correct that the voice of change must come not from the hierarchy but from the congregation. Perhaps one upside to this scandal is that we Catholics are finally beginning to open a dialogue for change. As a gay Catholic who has struggled with my desire for a spiritual life and my obligations to my own happiness, I am helped by the knowledge that someday the two may be reconciled. BRIAN FINDLEY Jackson, Miss.

The power struggle in the American Catholic Church is reminiscent of Christ’s disciples, who argued among themselves about who was the greatest. Jesus told them to stop pursuing power and start performing service. His instructive reprimand echoes across the centuries, even to the controversies of the present day. GRAEME BARRY Saint John, N.B

Soccer Fans Kick Back

Joel Stein’s commentary on why Americans don’t care about the World Cup exemplifies the U.S.’s disdain for other cultures [ESSAY, June 17]. Stein should feel sorry for the millions of Americans who have no notion of geography and cannot come to terms with cultures other than their own, which they always deem superior. That lack of interest breeds anger elsewhere around the globe. Sadly, it seems that the only way some in the U.S. can get acquainted with other countries is through war. NICOLAS BAYCHELIER Chungli, Taiwan

Stein was right on the money with his description of America’s ignorant response to world sports. We rest-of-the-worlders are always amused when Americans refer to the winners of the World Series and the Super Bowl as “world champions.” And exactly what world would that be? JIM ARMSTRONG Victoria, B.C.