Letters

TICK, TOCK, TICK...TALK

Clinton has done remarkable things in his public life and some questionable things behind closed doors [SPECIAL REPORT, Aug. 10]. Perhaps the reason that the American people appreciate him and his polls rise with every scandal is that we see a bit of ourselves in him. It's heartening to know you can be imperfect and still make it to the top. TONY REICHENBERGER Madison, Wis.

Every male over the age of 13 has lied about his sex life, and I couldn't care less about Clinton's liaisons. It's not a matter of national importance, and it's none of our business. Investigators such as Ken Starr make McCarthyism look like child's play. It's frightening to see how our government is in peril because of a twentysomething twit. We are heading down a dangerous road with these investigations, and I hope our representatives realize that everyone can be subjected to this invasive process. ANNE M. CORE Sonoma, Calif.

How can we, the intelligent American people, allow a fame-and-fortune-seeking intern and the vulture-crazed press to degrade and disgrace our wonderful country with bedroom graffiti? EILEEN S. COLEMAN Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Clinton should be paid millions by the press. His entertainment value far surpasses that of the English royals. KNUT SUHR Hamburg, Germany

As a parent, I would hate to have government lawyers define a sexual relationship for my children! DEBORAH H. LARSEN Murray, Utah

I have never been more disgusted with the American legal system. No one should ever get immunity (especially in a case such as this) when testifying against the President of the United States. This is not some regular Joe Doe with a job. This is the man who occupies the most influential government seat in the world. ANNA MARIE ANGELONI Calabasas, Calif.

Of course, the man at the top should be a model citizen. But one must not go too far in judging a public man by his private life. Besides the risk of mak-ing ourselves ridiculous in giving too much importance to a commonplace matter, there is the terrible danger of sinking into extreme puritanism--that is fundamentalism. JEAN-PIERRE CAUSSE Sete, France

Bill Clinton is exactly what he was when we all first came to know of him. Does anyone recall Gennifer Flowers? What did we expect? The man is highly flawed and clearly captivated by power--but somewhere inside him, he is also a sincere and good leader. Yes, it's a very difficult paradox. BRUCE LANDRY Milford, N.H.

I'm sure someone is working on the movie script of what Clinton would like to call "the show about nothing." Now that the Seinfeld crew has finished with the series, I hope that Jason Alexander, the funny guy who played George Costanza, will volunteer to play Clinton. There are a lot of similarities in the two characters. A.B. LUISISTIDES Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.

Why all the praise for Ken Starr and his wooing and winning of Monica Lewinsky? Is it not possible that this whole thing was a setup from Day One by a very clever female? Lewinsky's moves are impeccable. I wonder if she's available to coach the Chicago Bears. CAROL O'HERN Palatine, Ill.

Enough about Bill and Monica. A matchmaker's dream is Ken (Starr) and Linda (Tripp). They deserve each other. JIM BOLIN Shreveport, La.

Is this investigation worth the damage it has done to our society? It has made us the laughingstock of the world. MANECK S. WADIA Del Mar, Calif.

If the people of the U.S. decide to dispose of Clinton, maybe we can trade. We offer 20 Italian politicians, all guaranteed sexually harmless, for one U.S. President. Just come and pick the ones you prefer; we have a rich choice. FABIO FUMI Trieste, Italy

HOW MANY CARDS IN THAT HAND?

I noted with interest the number of cards Starr is holding--nine [NOTEBOOK, Aug. 10]. Unless he is playing some crazy wild-card game, unlikely in high-stakes poker, he has way too many cards. In real life, he would lose the hand and perhaps even be banished from the game! Is this an omen? ROBERT P. CLIFFORD Palos Verdes, Calif.

LE TOUR DES DRUGS

Your description of the 1998 Tour de France as the "Tour des Drugs" [MEDICINE, Aug. 10] as well as your characterization of the striking riders as "unsportsmanlike" is insulting and unfair. Given that the majority of the riders, who were not involved in steroid use, were striking against the manhandling of themselves and their possessions by police goons who interrogated first and thought later, their actions were quite reasonable. And your reportage somehow neglected to mention that these "unsportsmanlike" riders nonetheless finished the course for the benefit of the many spectators who had turned out to see them. You owe the entire Tour de France an apology. MIKE W. BARR Canoga Park, Calif.

While I do not condone the use of illegal, performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, I feel you dropped the ball in your coverage of the drug controversy at this year's Tour de France. This race is the most demanding sanctioned athletic competition in the world, and that has led to a notorious history of drug abuse and even death.

The cyclists, however, staged their sit-down strike the day after police raided a hotel and hauled away some team members for drug tests in the middle of the night. Can you imagine the reaction if cops raided the Super Bowl locker room at half time and hauled off a linebacker for drug tests? That is roughly the equivalent of what the gendarmes did. MIKE VANDERVEER Cheverly, Md.

THE CLARENCE THOMAS SPEECH

I am enraged after reading "Says He's Nobody's Slave," about Clarence Thomas [VIEWPOINT, Aug. 10]. Thomas has a severe case of amnesia. He obviously does not remember or respect the ancestors who sacrificed their lives to make it possible for him to hold his position. The endurance, motivation and dedication of our ancestors to fight for equality aided Thomas in pulling himself out of poverty. Now he gives those ancestors a blatant slap in the face. MANIKO BARTHELEMY Landover, Md.

The speech of Justice Thomas to the National Bar Association was disingenuous. He has got to know what the actual effect of his rigid egalitarianism means. It has caused a drastic drop-off in enrollment of blacks in colleges and graduate schools. Thomas saw early on that as a liberal he would be just another face in the crowd, but as a conservative he would have special value. The personal motives of their allies do not matter to the enemies of black America so long as their policies are served. JACK TUFF New York City

ON THE GOOD SHIP MICKEY MOUSE

How can you even attempt to compare the elegance of the Normandie with the makeup of the Disney ship Magic [AMERICAN SCENE, Aug. 10]? The Normandie was a true accomplishment of her time--in engineering, design and service, while the Magic is no more than a common cruise ship clad in Mickey ears. Your comparison of original style and reproduced folly is truly unbearable. You can be assured that Normandie designer Vladimir Yourkevitch is turning in his grave. MATTHEW R. FOX Mount Holly, N.J.

I was in Venice this summer as the Disney Magic pulled into port. When the ship repeatedly blasted its When You Wish upon a Star horn (at least 20 times that evening and the next day), I was positively embarrassed to be an American. Who but Disney could bastardize one of the most beautiful cities in the world? The powers that be at Disney might give careful thought to limiting the use of the novelty horn so others do not have to apologize for our obnoxious American culture as I did. MICHAEL J. MEALY Willington, Conn.

THE RAP ON GANGSTA RAP

Not all rap music is about violence [MUSIC, Aug. 10]. There are songs from artists like L.L. Cool J or Method Man that talk about loving a girlfriend. You should stop criticizing rap and look at the positives of it. There are other genres of music that are gangsta. On MTV I saw an alternative group sing, "Give me my money back, you bitch." You tell me, What kind of lyric is that? JOANNE JUELE New York City

As a teacher in the public school system and a former teacher of teenage delinquents in wilderness programs and emergency shelters, I speak from years of observing teens who have been influenced by gangsta rap. These children can recite verbatim the lines from the songs, and they can talk big and bad and disrespectfully about cops, yet they can barely read or write. It is unconscionable that the music industry is making millions of dollars helping lead these kids down a dead-end road to jail or death. I've seen both consequences. ROSALIND GOLDEN Columbia, Tenn.