Letters

COMRADES IN TROUBLE

"When we had not yet recovered from the Tequila Effect and the Saki Effect, we became the victims of the Vodka Effect." RAUL H. ALVAREZ Buenos Aires, Argentina

Russians should fasten their seat belts and get ready for the worst [RUSSIA IN CRISIS, Sept. 7]. The country, like most developing countries, failed to get off on the right foot. Any sudden change brings difficulties. It is easy to embrace something new, especially when it looks as attractive as capitalism does. Western society, particularly the U.S.'s, fueled this metamorphosis, forgetting that changing a system is one thing and changing the mentality of a people who have lived in the system for ages is almost an impossibility. Acting Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin reassured Russia--and probably the West--that there would be "no return to the past." Sadly, there can be no return, and, worse still, the future is not just uncertain; it is also certainly scary. TAMMY EYOLE-MONONO Mannheim, Germany

Why doesn't the U.S. make a generous offer to buy Russia's nuclear arsenal? If accepted, the U.S. would gain an additional measure of national security, and Russia would get an infusion of needed cash. If refused, the U.S. would benefit in world opinion from being seen as taking a stronger moral position if it declined to give further financial aid to Russia. ROBERT S. HANFORD Rochester, N.Y.

The only reporters asking questions about Monica Lewinsky at the summit news conference were American. With everything that is going on in Russia, those reporters--not the President--looked like idiots. And because American reporters asked the President the Monica question, they could go home and report how his personal problems are hurting him abroad. It is the American media that should be put on trial. LARRY T. MALINOWSKI Warren, Mich.

At the Moscow news conference, the questions reporters addressed to President Clinton about the Lewinsky matter were significant because they demonstrated the degree of freedom of speech and the press that Americans have. I hope the members of the communist bloc will be inspired to include among their proposals for reforms freedom of speech and the press. They are the only way to build and guarantee freedom. The U.S. should provide food, clothing and medical supplies to the poor and needy in Russia while the country is getting back on its feet. Monetary aid to foreign countries too often winds up in the coffers of the oppressors, the heartless and the greedy in government. If liberty is to flourish and the people are to prosper, those of goodwill in a society must have a chance to survive and elevate themselves. RON ZEH Binghamton, N.Y.

How ironic that it took the collapse of Russia's corrupt style of laissez-faire capitalism to bring about the ultimate results of Marxism. Russia has finally achieved a classless and cashless society. A marginal economic existence for the masses has created one homogenized class of poor people, and the worthlessness of the ruble has virtually eliminated it as Russia's medium of exchange. Karl Marx's utopian vision has now been realized, but it is no Shangri-La. Instead, it is a nightmarish world of anarchy. JONATHAN SPIVAK North York, Ont.

In the cover picture, both of Clinton's hands are visible, but Yeltsin's left hand is not. Where is it? I'll bet it's in Clinton's pocket--again. JON TAYLOR Jacksonville, Fla.

I liked your Clinton-Yeltsin cover, but it should have been captioned "Resignees-Elect" instead of "Comrades in Trouble." CARL A. LUKACH Wilmington, Del.

Your cover portraying Clinton and Yeltsin as crippled leaders outraged me. If Clinton's presidency is diminished, it's partly because the media keep asserting that that is the case. However, the bulk of the blame goes to Ken Starr, who has dogged the Clintons for years. As disgusting as the President's behavior was, even more disgusting is the obsession of the media with this story, which should have been confined to the tabloids. RUTH M. SCOTT Mill Valley, Calif.

Your cover cartoon of the crippled counterparts Boris and Bill was a masterpiece! But Yeltsin's nose should have been just as red as Clinton's. Actually, the faces of both men should be borscht-red for their antics. ALYCE BROWNE Waukegan, Ill.

Western countries cannot trust Russia and must never give it billions and billions of dollars. Why? Because Russia is so unreliable. We must not forget how Soviet power worked in our century. Soviet communism murdered 49 million people under a regime of terror, concentration camps and hunger. We Finns, especially, will never forget what an unmasked Russia is. ANTTI PEKOLA Pori, Finland

PRESIDENTIAL AFFAIRS

What I find most alarming in the Clinton-Lewinsky affair [SPECIAL REPORT, Aug. 31] is the apparent flood of opinion that says that what a person does in private has no bearing on his public office. This says that character, morality and integrity are no longer important in the individual who aspires to or holds public office.

All we need is a shell, a suit filled with straw, a marionette controlled by the vacillating tide of public opinion. Certainly there needs to be forgiveness for human failure. But there is a great difference between a lapse of judgment and the ongoing practice of deliberate, damaging behavior. Those who cannot control their own impulses should not be given the role of controlling nations. STAFFORD WILLIAMS Maudsland, Australia

Step down, William Clinton. The time has come. You are no longer America's favorite son. TONI FULLERTON Marbella, Spain

Oh, my gosh, the man lied about having an extramarital affair. Is this not a common instinct for any guilty person? I dare anyone to show me a politician who does not stretch the truth to get elected. Since when do a man's personal affairs affect how he runs a country? Clinton is doing fine and should be left alone. Americans, you should spend your millions on education, ending poverty and researching cures for AIDS and cancer, not on feeding lawyers and tabloids. ILMAR JAAN KENTS Brantford, Ont.

Clinton's demonstration of repeated errors of judgment should be of deep concern not only to the American people but also to the whole world. This is the man on whose judgment we rely in a wide range of international issues, including armed nuclear response. JOHN DEVERE-LOOTS Kloof, South Africa

The U.S. needs to concentrate on the larger issues and forget the man. As has often been seen, Clinton is a master manipulator, a strategist. He went before the nation with a four-minute travesty of the truth. His speech was sanctimonious. But Americans, one hopes, are astute. They should want the resignation or removal of this man. The missile attacks on Sudan and Afghanistan, if not contrived, were convenient. Americans must be alert to the dangers that arise from indifference. They could be spawning a common Clinton species as an acceptable model for future Presidents. JINI DHANRAJGIR Bombay

Clinton is playing a major role on the world stage, and whether you like him or not, he holds that position. It would serve us best if we gave him our full support. MAUREEN CHEN Hong Kong

In the country of liberty and freedom, what happened to the right of privacy? Is it gone with the wind? FABIO PESSOA DOS SANTOS Sao Paulo, Brazil

Most people in Europe couldn't care less what Clinton does in his private life. Here he is judged, as he should be, by what he accomplishes as President of the U.S. The snide jokes and questions do not center on Clinton and his sex life but on the circus the American media have made of things. No one can understand why Lewinsky has any relevance to the workings of the American government. STEPHEN HOLODINSKY Bonn

TERRORISM AROUND THE WORLD

Why should the world find Clinton's missile attacks in Sudan and Afghanistan acceptable when he found the terror bombings against the U.S. embassies in Africa unacceptable [NATION, Sept. 7]? I thought the only way to deal with terrorism was through international agreements and diplomacy. I thought only terrorists used violence to reach their goals. But I was wrong, so wrong. And by the way, in what fashion did he think terrorists would respond? How else but with new bombings? When is the violence going to stop? Who is going to stop the vendettas? HARRIETH LUNDBERG, 17 Kvaloysletta, Norway

Americans were the targets in the East African terrorist bombings. Unfortunately, the victims were mainly poor Tanzanians and Kenyans going about their normal daily activities. In no way have the perpetrators gained anything. The suspects are Muslims, and I wonder whose teachings they are following. Muhammad's? Definitely not. He practiced Islam the religion of peace. Please--peace, not terror. MUBARAK BIDMOS Pretoria, South Africa

President Clinton inspected the bomb site in Omagh in Northern Ireland to comfort the people there. That's all well and good. Now will Clinton go to Sudan to comfort the people who lost relatives when U.S. cruise missiles destroyed the Shifa medicine factory? ERIK AMKOFF Stockholm

When I consider the main features of American ideology and its resulting contemptuous behavior toward the rest of the world, I fear for the future of the human race. The bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan are reminiscent of the lynchings of the wild west and bode ill for the future. Such conduct shows us that the line between civilization and the law of the jungle is a very fine one. HILARY PETTS PERE Pau, France

Why stop at Sudan and Afghanistan? The same strategy could be applied to halt the unpardonable killing of thousands of innocent citizens every year by drivers under the influence of alcohol. The bombing of a few strategically located "factories" where the production of alcohol is alleged to take place would send the message that such behavior will no longer be tolerated. HARRY K. ELDON Lethbridge, Alta.

A HARD LOOK AT THE MONARCHY

While every newspaper and journal fawns over Diana and the House of Windsor [WORLD, Sept. 7], it may be wise to remember that many British subjects do not care for the monarchy. I would be overjoyed if the ridiculous practice of primogeniture were to cease with our current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. I also would be grateful to hear from people who support this system. Perhaps they believe in the inherited status of doctor, lawyer or journalist. More than 200 years ago, patriot Thomas Paine, born an Englishman, advised the people of America of our flawed system of government. MARK KOBAYASHI-HILLARY London

PASSIVE PARTICIPATION

I am outraged after reading your account of David Cash's despicable behavior following his discovery that his friend Jeremy Strohmeyer had molested and murdered a seven-year-old girl in a rest-room stall in a casino at the California-Nevada border [LAW, Sept. 7]. Granted, Cash is not legally responsible, according to current Nevada and California law, because he kept the knowledge of the occurrence to himself. But why can't he be held accountable for entering a women's rest room and peering over a toilet stall? Does this mean that any male can walk into a women's rest room and engage in voyeurism with impunity? PATRICK IVERS Laramie, Wyo.

The fact that in approximately three years there will be a nuclear engineer out in the world with the morals and values of Cash should have all of us lying awake in our beds at night. AMANDA A. ASHBACH Mattawana, Pa.

Sherrice Iverson might still be alive if Cash had reported what he saw. Although I do not condone his behavior, a bigger question is, What is a little girl doing in a casino by herself at 3:47 a.m.? Cash showed callous disregard for the child. But Sherrice's father also showed callous disregard for his daughter's safety. Parents who do not parent should look to themselves when assigning guilt. KAREN INMAN St. Paul, Minn.

I'm surprised that the people who are outraged don't realize that Cash was only 18 when the murder occurred. Of course, it would have been better if Cash had intervened, but would an 18-year-old want to be involved in a case such as this? The public doesn't seem to understand that an 18-year-old mind is not capable of handling situations like this. We teenagers could be geniuses, but emotionally we're still underdeveloped. You can't expect us to take on every task that adults seem to be able to handle. Have sympathy for a teenager, will you? Go ahead and petition for that new law; I'm all for it. But leave the poor guy alone, for heaven's sake. JUDY LI, 16 Walnut, Calif.

People of color should not be surprised that Cash was not indicted. The criminal-justice system has historically punished black males more harshly for raping white women than it has punished white males for raping black women. Cash is a white male who participated, by his passivity, in the rape and murder of a black child. The message conveyed once again is the same old one: a black person's life is not worth as much as a white person's life. The stance of the University of California, Berkeley--there will be no expulsion--is no different from that of Cash or the young intellectual at Berkeley: He came here to get an education, not to uphold any moral standard. These are splinters from the same calamity. MALCOLM A. CORT Detroit

In 1987 I heard Elie Wiesel speak at Anderson College in South Carolina about his experience as a survivor of the Nazi death camps. One thing he said has stuck with me, word for word: "There is a thing that is worse than evil. What is it? It is indifference to evil." If there's a better example than David Cash, I'd rather not know about it. KEVIN L. BACHER Homestead, Fla.

SPEAKING OF POETRY AND SLAMS

In Deborah Edler Brown's piece on the poetry slam in Austin, Texas [AMERICAN SCENE, Sept. 7], she fails to mention one of the most newsworthy facts: New York City won. Furthermore, Brown writes about poets and poems from every team except New York's. Her essay was an unfortunate slight against a team that won with powerful performances, inspiring teamwork and well-crafted, creative poetry. In a slam, I'd give Brown's article a 5. STEPHEN COLMAN, member Nuyorican Poets' Cafe 1998 National Poetry Slam Champions New York City

Poetry as a serious art form is dead in America. A "published poet" today is but an undertaker--undertaking to find any of the hundreds of publications that will accept his abstract free verse. The slam poetry competitions are funerals in the form of theater of the absurd. How many professors will remove Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot from the syllabus and replace them with "The Best of Slam"? DENNIS GRUNDY Fort Worth, Texas

INTERESTING + UNIQUE = NASTY

Here comes the inevitable. Howard Stern has a new television show [PEOPLE, Sept. 7]. Let's slam it! It's time for us to swallow the bitter fact that at least Stern is interesting and unique, unlike the dull and indistinguishable personalities that currently line our screens like anonymous insect specimens. And please don't try to compare Stern's well-honed skills as a talk-show host with Magic Johnson's dismal performance as an interviewer. If Stern is that untalented, why would writers across the nation consistently grab every opportunity to write about him? Face it, we all like him in a perverse way--even if he is nasty. GARY HO Arcadia, Calif.