Inbox

Teddy’s Legacy

The life, work and legacy of Ted Kennedy are vivid reminders that it is possible to remain passionate and committed to one’s worldview and still inspire love, respect and gratitude from those in opposition [Sept. 7]. Through Kennedy’s example, we can see that graciousness and a spirit of compromise can accomplish wonderful things and that lives can be redeemed at any point. Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck and others, take note. Ron Kuhlmann, DANVILLE, CALIF.

When I recently heard Kennedy was dying, my thoughts went immediately to Mary Jo Kopechne, the 28-year-old schoolteacher and former assistant to his brother Bobby who drowned when Kennedy drove his car off a bridge. Rather than call for help, he hid out until the next morning. When Kennedy died, I could have, and maybe should have, been more sympathetic. I should not have yelled out, “You lived 40 years longer than she did, Kennedy!” But all I can think about is that July 18, 1969, night. If he by some miracle should see Kopechne in heaven, he should apologize profusely. Stewart Perry, WAYZATA, MINN.

As Southeast Asian Immigrants, my family owes Kennedy a debt of gratitude. Because of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 that he helped pass, we were able to come to this country many years ago and build a new life. His countless good deeds on behalf of the common man will reverberate in our nation’s soul. The best tribute his colleagues in Congress can bestow is the health-care-reform bill that was his life’s cause and that he worked so hard for but, sadly, did not live to see enacted. Farewell to a true patriot. Cheers Echevarria-Leary, PINOLE, CALIF.

Why would you use a youthful shot of Kennedy with an airbrushed glow surrounding him? Is the suggestion that we should exalt him somehow? Kennedy was a handsome elder statesman and a wonderful Senator–but not a saint. David Moore, SILVER SPRING, MD.

Who is this grim, gray-faced man? Where are the smile, the twinkling eyes, the great white mane of hair? Virginia Duquette, CENTERVILLE, MASS.

Senator Kennedy had the economic and political clout to challenge the powerful on behalf of the powerless and did so many times. To me, an African American who grew up in the South and was inspired–at times emboldened–by the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedys, he did even more. Like King and like his brothers John and Robert, Ted spoke truth to power, but when black folk in the South who thought themselves powerless were moved to action by his message, he spoke truth to impotence and generated power. David L. Evans, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

The More Things Change …

Re “How the Taliban Thrives” [Sept. 7]: Our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is comparable to placing one’s hand in a pail of water. When you stick your hand into the water, you create an effect. When you pull it out, the water returns to its original state. While we occupy those countries, we suffer casualties and financial disaster. Once we leave, everything will return to the way it was before: tribal wars, Muslim traditions and culture. We will have accomplished nothing. You cannot change thousand-year-old cultures into democratic states in a few years. It takes decades, even centuries for cultures to evolve into advanced political systems. Frosty Wooldridge, GOLDEN, COLO.

Workin’ 9 to 6

The four-day week may be a good idea, but why 40 hours–the norm since 1935 [Sept. 7]? Have we not made some small productivity gains since then? Those who work a four-day week can now be as productive working nine hours a day as they would be in 10. We should transition to a standard workweek of 36 hours as full-time employment to recognize a small part of the productivity gains of the past 70 years and to give two-earner families extra quality time with loved ones. That might even create a few more jobs. Walter J. Costello, WALLOPS ISLAND, VA.

A New Crime for Lockerbie

Thanks for the “Spotlight” on the Lockerbie bomber [Sept. 7]. The deeply disturbing release of this mass murderer becomes even more horrific given the background allure of “multibillion-dollar energy and defense contracts.” Was this, then, an act of “compassion” or commercial passion? Richard D. Wilkins, SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Hair: The White House Version

I disagree entirely with your article on why the First Lady’s hair matters [Sept. 7]. Every woman, regardless of ethnicity, deals with hair issues. To ask Michelle Obama to define some kind of norm for African-American women is ridiculous. I’m Irish with red, naturally curly hair. Both my kids inherited the curl, but they choose to straighten their hair. Do I tell them that they are betraying their birthright by straightening their hair? No. How a woman chooses to present herself in public is her choice, and it shouldn’t be of particular importance to people because she is a woman and she is famous. Anne Lindsey, DALLAS

One must indeed wonder whether Barack Obama would have been elected if Michelle had worn a natural, unstraightened hairdo during the campaign. One must also wonder what the effect would be on the President’s approval ratings and the First Lady’s fashion ratings if she chose such a style in the White House. I’ll wager we never find out. Charles Walpole, FARMERS BRANCH, TEXAS

In these days of health-care debates, budget destruction, a nuclear Iran, global warming and more, do we really need two pages on Michelle Obama’s hair? David Reber, LAS CRUCES, N.M.

Medicare’s Not the Problem

Why do politicians and economic writers keep touting Medicare and Social Security as major factors in U.S. debt, as in “Brief History: The Federal Deficit” [Sept. 7]? These programs are funded by payroll deductions and matching payments by employers. Yes, the trust-fund debt is part of the federal debt because politicians saw fit to borrow that money at no interest. There is now a surplus in the Social Security trust. My children, ages 40 to 48, should be able to receive the same benefits, adjusted for inflation, that my wife and I receive. Congress must stop playing with our money and start taking care of the majority of hardworking Americans. David Bailey, NEWCASTLE, MAINE

Prosecuting Torture

In “The Moment,” regarding Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to investigate the possibility that torture methods were used during the George W. Bush Administration, TIME asks, “Did harsh methods like waterboarding lead to actionable intelligence?” [Sept. 7]. It doesn’t matter! Torture is morally repugnant, regardless of outcome. Those committing torture lose their humanity. When a country condones it, it likewise loses its soul and becomes defeated from within. I applaud Holder. For the U.S. to be a moral beacon, we must look at ourselves with the same eyes with which we look at other countries. Tom Schrack, FAIRFAX, VA.

Made in the U.S.A.

Re “The Clunker Debunker” [Aug. 31]: I find it interesting that the top five vehicles traded in under the cash-for-clunkers program were from U.S. carmakers, and four of the top five fuel-efficient vehicles purchased in return were from Japanese companies. It doesn’t do much to help General Motors and Chrysler, but perhaps it tells us something about how U.S. car manufacturers got themselves in this mess to begin with. Archie Gillis, TORONTO

Show Me the Money

Re “The Rage Over Goldman Sachs” [Aug. 31]: I will take CEO Lloyd Blankfein’s word that he is shocked by the perception that the firm “burned down the Reichstag, shot the Archduke Ferdinand and fired on Fort Sumter.” What a relief that is. Nevertheless, many of us are still wondering if Goldman Sachs’ former employees who now hold influential government positions have unduly influenced national economic policy to Goldman’s advantage. It is also high time we discovered whether Goldman’s astronomical profits are the upshot of its alleged ability to perpetuate sophisticated market manipulation and fraud. These are real questions to which we still do not have satisfying answers from Goldman Sachs or anyone else. Daniel Clemens, NEW YORK CITY

The Business of Food

I am saddened that TIME has joined the bandwagon of maligning modern animal agriculture [Aug. 31]. I have invested 20 years into the daily management of 12,000 dairy cattle. Few of the “small-scale” farms I saw as a rural veterinarian achieved the degree of cow care we have been able to provide on our current “factory farm.” None converted their manure to electricity or took advantage of new, more environmentally friendly technologies. The modern direction of large-scale animal operations is to employ skilled professionals in all areas to better care for animals, the environment and the consumer. Getting this done successfully has been far from “soul-killing” for me and those with whom I work. Thomas Sarosy, FAIR OAKS, IND.

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo to TIME for revealing the truth about where our food comes from and what it’s doing to our health and environment. This issue is a huge elephant in a room where everyone’s wearing a blindfold. Movies like Food, Inc. never reached mainstream theaters, and only those who really care are reading Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser. Please don’t let this issue go. Too many people are oblivious, and until they become informed and horrified, nothing will really change. Jeanne Knight, TYNGSBORO, MASS.

Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts or samples before recycling