Inbox: Nov. 19, 2007

Wildfires of the West

As a resident and native of San Diego County, I have to say that the fires we’ve experienced this century are a result not of increased population but of Mother Nature at her worst [Nov. 5]. We’re very grateful that the loss of life was far less this time than in previous fires. I praise the local authorities for using reverse-911 calls and making sure people were out of harm’s way. Nevertheless, there was a lot of property damage, thanks to the Santa Ana winds and very dry conditions. You cannot win against Mother Nature–whether you’re confronting hurricanes in the East or fires and earthquakes in the West. You can only do your best to save people and the things that are important to them.

JANET LECLAINCHE LAKESIDE, CALIF.

Why is anyone permitted to build where wildfires are inevitable? If people just have to live there, they should live in mobile homes that they could move. I know this wouldn’t solve every problem and some homes might be lost, but it seems sensible to prohibit the construction of permanent structures in such areas.

COLIN KREITZER, HARRISBURG, PA.

The sheer arrogance of the article about California’s fires was astounding. So we should not live in fire-prone areas? Perhaps people in New England shouldn’t live in snow-prone areas, people in the Midwest shouldn’t live in tornado-prone areas, and people in the Southeast shouldn’t live in hurricane-prone areas. Storms in other parts of the U.S. cause far more deaths, injuries and economic losses every year than do the relatively infrequent major fires in California. Perhaps you can suggest a spot on the planet where we can all live free of risk.

JOSEPH LEASER OCEANSIDE, CALIF.

When the swimming pools are dry and the golf courses are brown, then–and only then–will I be convinced that the people living in the Southwest are serious about resolving ecological problems. Meanwhile, we will keep on subsidizing their peccadilloes.

GEORGE YOUNG, VANCOUVER, WASH.

Brick and Masonry homes with metal framing do not burn. Wood is the culprit–the fuel for fire. Building-permit rules should disallow the use of wood in all new construction. Communities in fire-prone areas should also think about stocking forested and undeveloped lands with goats. These creatures could devour the underbrush that dries and fuels firestorms. Firefighters could better spend their time tending the goats than periodically risking their lives on uncontrolled fires. The goats could become part of the firefighters’ arsenal, as important as trucks, hoses and protective gear. As Californians rebuild, incentives from insurance companies could help defray the added costs of masonry-and-metal construction. With fewer fires in the future, insurance companies would stand to profit substantially.

PAUL A. WINDER, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.

I can imagine the near impossibility of culling from a mountain of great photos the one image that reveals the essence of a harrowing story that took days to convey in newspapers and on radio and TV. But the cover picture of a lone firefighter kneeling to check a fire-hose connection against the background of a tree erupting in a ball of flame summed up Californians’ frustration and helplessness. The Dantesque orange glow bathing the entire scene imparted a netherworld aura to the image and gave me the uncomfortable feeling that there was no escape. I was arrested by a stark sense of the anguish and loss that those fires caused but even more by the primal insecurities that are aroused whenever we confront such unpredictability in nature. That was one of the best covers TIME has ever produced.

KENNETH E. KILPATRICK, NORTHVILLE, MICH.

The Young and Apathetic

In “China’s Me Generation,” Simon Elegant wrote as if it were a wonder that for the 20-to-29-year-old élites of China, “a Nintendo Wii comes way ahead of democracy,” as a Chinese publisher put it [Nov. 5]. Elegant portrayed the Chinese twentysomethings as self-absorbed aristocrats, but when was the last time young adults in the U.S. gave a damn about anything political, moral or nonmaterialistic? In the ’70s? America’s spoiled youth are just as bad as, if not worse than, spoiled Chinese kids.

BRANDON NAUTCHIN, TORONTO

While I am proud of the U.S. and its democratic institutions, it is indeed sobering to compare the accomplishments of the Chinese Communist regime with our own tarnished image. The Chinese government, despite its political repression and failure to improve the lives of the rural poor, has fostered a newfound prosperity for millions of its people. Our government, on the other hand, condones the torture of war prisoners, uses massive computer surveillance to spy on its own citizens and continues to vainly pursue a war that kills our youth. China’s Me Generation can ignore its government yet still admire the pragmatic benefits. I only wish we could do the same.

CLARK MURRAY, DANVILLE, CALIF.

Starbucks, iPods, Playstations, blogs, IM, high-end snow gear: the anesthetizing of China’s Me Generation sounds just like what’s happening right here in the U.S. It seems that as long as we have our morning cup of coffee, iTunes and the latest high-tech cell phone, then all is well. These are the values we ourselves embrace and teach our children. Who cares about politics and civil rights as long as you have the best stuff?

NANCY LEVY, LONG BEACH, CALIF.

Reviving the GOP

Reading William Kristol’s commentary on why a Republican could win the White House in 2008 made me flip to the cover and double-check the date [Nov. 5]. Kristol must be living in a time warp that sent him back to 1978 if he can describe today’s Republican Party as the “anti-Big Government party” and the “party that understands war” while calling the Democrats the “party of big spending.” I guess Kristol was away when his party reconvened Congress to interfere with the decision to end Terri Schiavo’s life; sent gallant troops to Iraq ill-equipped, undermanned and without any strategic plan to win and keep the peace; and rolled up the largest deficits in our history.

MARK HORNAK, UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA.

Kristol is still perpetuating the myth that only the GOP understands war. Republicans may understand the concept of war, but they don’t know how to win one. Both world wars were successfully prosecuted by Democratic Presidents: Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

ROBERT BLACKSHAW, GLENWOOD, MD.

With more than 10 years as the Governor of Arkansas, which had a Democratic legislature during that time, Mike Huckabee dominates the GOP candidates in leadership experience. Mitt Romney’s roles in the public and private sector earn him second place. Rudy Giuliani uses his record as New York City mayor to inflate his leadership qualities, while Fred Thompson, like the top Democratic candidates, lacks experience. If those who possess the most leadership chops are the ones who win the race, then the Republican candidates will line up in the primaries just as I have laid them out here. Huckabee will continue to rise, and his experience will provide the buoyancy.

ERIC WORTHINGTON, LAS VEGAS

The Pleasures of Paddling

RE “Floating Your Own Boat” about the rise in the popularity of kayaking [Nov. 5]: In 2005 my son asked me if I wanted to look at kayaks with him. I went with him, took a kayak for a trial ride and bought it immediately. I can’t adequately describe the pleasure of paddling on lakes, rivers and bays. I have since bought a second kayak and a trailer for travel. By the way, the first kayak was my gift to myself for my 70th birthday. It’s an age-irrelevant sport.

YVONNE HERRON, CHELSEA, MICH.

Six years ago, our family’s new kayaks were among only a handful at our local lake. Today at least a quarter of the boats are kayaks. Aside from enthusiasts who learn rolling, many of us are content to paddle quietly. For those who don’t need the high tech, the craft and accessories can be purchased for under $500. Our simple kayaks have served us well and have helped us introduce several friends to the joys of the water.

PAMELA LEAHEY, LEBANON, PA.

Tale of the Closeted Headmaster?

John Cloud stated that because Potter’s headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was outed posthumously, “We can only conclude that Dumbledore saw his homosexuality as shameful” [Nov. 5]. I’d like to suggest a much more radical conclusion: Dumbledore saw his homosexuality as irrelevant. So do I. Sexual preference is only one component of the wonderful, complex beings that we are. Leading an exemplary life and being of service to others are much more important to me than introducing myself by saying, “Hi, I’m Jennifer, and I’m a lesbian.”

JENNIFER P. JONSSON, DALLAS

Dumbledore’s sexuality is about as important to the story as Rubeus Hagrid’s or Filius Flitwick’s sexuality. The Harry Potter story is about Harry and his best friends working together to fight evil. It is not a p.c. statement about sexuality. It is not Harry and the Angry Inch. J.K. Rowling’s story started as a children’s book and evolved into teenage reading material. That is it. Cloud is gay and proud, which is fantastic. But as Grey’s Anatomy’s T.R. Knight said, “I hope being gay is not the most interesting part about me.” I am sure Dumbledore thought the same thing.

KRISTY VAN DEN HERIK, ARLINGTON, MASS.

Does everything have to be politcal? Why can’t Rowling’s explanation that she “always thought of Dumbledore as gay” simply be an author’s attempt to describe her vision of a character and how she imagined a broader fictional life to skillfully shape a written character? I am as bothered by this article as I would be by conservatives complaining that Rowling’s statement was part of some gay agenda.

TIMOTHY KOIRTYOHANN, FORT WORTH, TEXAS

If Rowling had outed Dumbledore in the books, she would have denied millions of children a tremendous reading experience because homophobic parents would not have let their children read the books. But this way, Rowling has infiltrated plenty of homophobe domiciles. There is far greater benefit to the understanding of gays when there is dialogue.

DENNIS A. SCHAEFER, EUGENE, ORE.

In observing a “Rich supply of homoeroticism” in The Lord of the Rings, Cloud shows that he projects homosexual lust onto any friendship between members of the same sex. It’s a pity he apparently has no concept of intimate friendship without a sexual aspect. Like too many people these days, he sees the world through a prism that puts the focus on sexuality.

JOE SMONGESKI, SHREWSBURY, MASS.

I don’t understand why gays want everyone to explicitly state their sexual preference. I have never seen a character say, “I’m straight.” I imagine that since gay people have been oppressed for so long, they need to be combative about the subject so that in the future things will be better. This shows how far society has to go. But Dumbledore would be the same person to me if he liked women, men, sheep or trees. He is a great man, and his sexual preference has no bearing on his greatness. I hope we can get to the point at which a person’s sexuality is no more an issue than the color of his socks.

KENAN OZDAMAR, MIAMI

LETTER FROM A PHYSICIAN

TRADING TATTOOS FOR CHARITY

The three years and $5,000 that Detective Ed Soares has spent on his tattoo could have been better spent on nonprofit shelters, hospitals, clinics, cancer research or any other worthy cause [Nov. 5]. Such a donation would be a better way to demonstrate his humanity. As a physician I have seen many tattoos of varied quality, meaning and placement on the body. I have encouraged my tattoo-loving patients to forgo the ink and instead donate their dollars to nonprofit medical research.

Michael Canham, M.D., DENVER

LETTER FROM A CHROME DOME

A LITTLE OFF THE TOP

As a follicly challenged American male, I certainly enjoyed John Rushin’s amusing and informative piece “The Bald Truth” [Nov. 5]. He points out that it is hard, if not impossible, for a bald man to be elected President these days. But we chrome domes have always suffered prejudice and discrimination. Even our Founding Fathers covered their bare heads with powdered wigs, undaunted by the British but cowed by hair loss. Today, however, remembering the noble bird the founders chose to represent our country, more of us refuse to wear rugs. Bald by nature or by our barbers, we proudly expose our shiny pates, revealing that a full head of hair is not what makes a man.

Harvey Fenigsohn, WORCESTER, MASS.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

In the Oct. 22 article about retirees who take up “lifestyle” farming, we misspelled the name and misidentified the title of one of our sources: she is Karen Keb Acevedo, editor in chief of Hobby Farms.

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