Letters

The Bold Man and the Sea

Russell Crowe is a strong person and a great actor because of his intensity and savant-like dedication to his characters [Nov. 10]. It was refreshing to read an article about him that wasn't sensationalized. The quirks of temperament in his personality are what you find in most people who are as dedicated to their work as he is. While I like finding out a little bit about the person behind the actor, I have to agree with his statement about his privacy that you quoted: "I'll make movies, and you go to the cinema. Why can't we just keep it at that?" What is this insatiable need that so many people have to live vicariously through movie stars' lives? CYNTHIA WARREN Walnut Creek, Calif.

Crowe is an athletic reincarnation of the great Richard Burton, except that Crowe doesn't have to get drunk to behave obnoxiously. Nonetheless, he is today (as Burton once was) the finest actor on the planet. ANTHONY F. PROVENZANO Bronxville, N.Y.

Crowe didn't just take Hollywood by storm; he took it by tornado, hurricane and tsunami. After reading Josh Tyrangiel's fine cover story, I admire Crowe even more than before. EVAN DALE SANTOS Adelanto, Calif.

Crowe will eventually be seen as the pre-eminent actor of his era--surpassing Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Sean Penn and the rest. With Crowe you see a conflicted cop, a sensitive gay plumber, a fragile genius; with others, you see an actor playing a role. I respect Crowe's tenacity in staying true to himself. Because he won't play the fame game, he has been assigned a persona: arrogant bad boy. Your story unfairly perpetuated that image, leaving out instances of Crowe's generosity, loyalty and zest for life. Crowe is rugged, rebellious and tender. His complexity makes his roles mesmerizing and accessible to all. RHONDA PETERSON New York City

Tyrangiel included Hanks among the actors "condemned to deliver endless variations on the same performance." He is forgetting Road to Perdition, The Green Mile and Cast Away, all starring Hanks and all with very diverse characters and plot lines. FRANCES MOORE Gresham, Ore.

I am aggrieved by TIME's choice of cover story. Why feature a self-absorbed actor for an issue chock-full of stories about real heroes who have given so much for liberty and the sake of their fellow man? I hope our culture has the maturity to recognize the difference between those who are rewarded for how well they pretend and those who give everything with no thought of recognition. The fire fighters in California and the recovering wounded from Iraq deserved to be on your cover. MURRAY HILLS Auckland, New Zealand

Your reporting that Crowe "is frequently perceived as one of the world's biggest jerks" was uncalled for. Most people believe that an actor owes the public nothing more than good performances, and Crowe always delivers them. Because he is world famous, has won an Oscar for Best Actor and is earning megabucks, must he suffer fools like gossip columnists? Give him a break already; he's a great actor and deserves to be his own person, not the person journalists believe he should be. He's only human and has his faults, just like all the rest of us. JAN M. BARBARITA Novato, Calif.

Beyond the Ambushes

Thank you for the informative article on the average Iraqi citizen's new life after Saddam, "Where Things Stand" [Nov. 10]. Much news reporting makes it appear as if the whole country is hostile. It was interesting to learn that most attacks against our soldiers are occurring in the Sunni triangle--which lost the most jobs, money and prestige after the regime fell. Please continue to inform us about the life of average Iraqis throughout their country. AIMEE DEVEREUX Chicago

At last, news about Iraq and not just about bombings and ambushes! Your story suggested a different, perhaps more optimistic picture of daily life in Iraq since the regime change. Hope breeds optimism, and optimism breeds success. Long live hope in Iraq! DOUG HAWKINS Lethbridge, Alta.

The chart "Iraq: A Status Report" outlined changes in Iraqis' lives since the fall of Saddam. It included the economy, education, utilities and security but left out the most dramatic change in Iraqi life: free speech. In the months since Saddam's regime fell, many newspapers (free of state control) have sprung up, access to international media has exploded and people can protest without fear of government reprisal. ROB LAWLER Brewster, N.Y.

Tending to the Fallen

Your story about the hundreds of U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq was heartrending [Nov. 10]. It is important for us to know the full cost of this war. The Pentagon's willingness to acknowledge only the deaths (and an occasional injury that happens during a fatal attack) amounts to a cover-up. HETHIE PARMESANO Beverly Hills, Calif.

Soldiers wounded in Iraq are being returned to the U.S. under cover of darkness and getting little media attention. Would it take the death or maiming of a family member of someone in the Administration to change that? From their privileged positions, our government officials seem to believe that the youth of America is disposable as long as that youth is far removed from them. No wonder returning soldiers continue to support Bush. If they believed they were nothing but pawns in his game, they would have to add broken hearts and spirits to their list of injuries. PAM MCADOO Truckee, Calif.

I was disturbed by the comment that wounded soldiers aren't "fighting to be all they can be anymore. They're fighting to be as close to normal as they can be." I believe that these wounded soldiers are still fighting to be "all they can be" and that in their journey through recovery, they will find they have strengths and skills to draw on that will make them even better than most complacent, "able-bodied" people. GREG DAVIS O'Fallon, Mo.

Your article on wounded soldiers was very sad. Even sadder is the fact that they are so young and will have to live with their injuries for the rest of their lives. These soldiers do not want to believe that they went to war for no good reason. But if President Bush hadn't gone on this crazy quest, these boys would not have been wounded. The 21year-old would have finished his service and moved on to college. The newlywed would have a normal start of family life, and the new father would be able to run after his daughter instead of dragging himself across the floor. I admire these guys' optimism about their situation. But this could have been avoided. VANESSA LANDRY-CLAVERIE St.-Lambert, Que.

Tyco in Margaritaville

Your item on the $2 million birthday party that former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski threw for his wife [Nov. 10] asked, "$2 million and the best he could do was Jimmy Buffett?" But Parrot Heads (as Buffett's fans are known) the world over would insist that Kozlowski's choice of musician was probably the single best decision he made during his Tyco tenure! RICHARD D. BELISLE Severna Park, Md.

The Moral Minority

Re Joe Klein's essay on the integrity of Senator Joe Lieberman [Nov. 10]: Democrats and Republicans may not like Lieberman, but I do. He isn't the kind of Democrat who always votes the party line; he is guided by his morals. A sense of ethics and trustworthiness are two characteristics of the ideal politician, and Lieberman is the closest you will come to the ideal. Such a politician, however, is never elected President. ROBERT AMON Howell, N.J.

I'm a lifelong Republican and would probably not vote for the man, but Lieberman has my respect. He says what he means and isn't afraid to depart from his party's dictates. He has character, principles and moral fiber. He strikes me as what's right about politics, even though I don't always agree with all his positions. I'd happily welcome him in my house anytime. PHILIP O'MALLEY Thiells, N.Y.

Lieberman is the only Democrat I would consider voting for, and it's good to see him get some attention. It will take a sincere Democrat to challenge Bush. Klein made very clear how Democrats should vote in the upcoming primaries. DAVE JASINSKI Middletown, R.I.

Come a Long Way, Baby?

Re "Bod For A Burqa?," Your PEOPLE item on Afghan-born beauty contestant Vida Samadzai [Nov. 10]: The Afghan supreme court's condemnation of Samadzai is outrageous. But just how far has she come when she has traded her burqa for a bikini in the male fantasyland of a Miss Earth pageant? MARY LAUER Atlanta

Equality of Belief

Michael Kinsley, in his essay "The Religious Superiority Complex" [Nov. 3], wrote about Lieut. General William Boykin's preaching that Christianity's God is superior to Islam's. I have no patience for people who say their God is bigger than that of others. In fact, it's mere nonsense and malicious, especially in reference to Christians, Muslims and Jews, all of whom believe in one God. Religious fundamentalists from any faith who slander and sow hatred against others of a different creed are using religion as an excuse for pursuing their personal worldly interests. In a spiritual way, we are all God's children. So let's stop hating and killing one another. DIETRICH HUCKE Jena, Germany

The World Debates Iraq

When U.S. soldiers are killed in Iraq, I'm shocked to hear the raucous cry from politicians and ordinary Americans alike for George W. Bush to bring the troops home [Nov. 10]. Aren't these the same people who panicked at the anthrax scare, who were united by grief after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and who expect their President to find solutions to security problems? Americans must shut up and take the good with the bad. Bush is doing his best to protect the U.S. Americans make me sick when they gang up with foreign detractors to condemn their President. There's really no winning with them. OGOCHUKWU EKWENCHI London

It is sad to see the worsening turmoil in Iraq after so many friends of the U.S. sent warnings about what lay ahead. No amount of advice would sway the Administration's headlong gallop to war. Perhaps now there will be a more reflective process for creating foreign policy. The U.S. must accept that its system is not the only form of humane and caring government and that some people conditioned by centuries of culture want other solutions. MARCUS KNEEN Zesfontein, South Africa

What is right or wrong depends upon the area you live in, the group of people you are surrounded by and timing. If you find yourself in the wrong shoes, try to change one of these elements. Timing is the key factor for U.S. action in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Muslim world and the Americans in due course will realize that Bush's action was right. SALAHUDDIN JAN Karachi

The Fight Against AIDS

I was relieved to read that former President Bill Clinton's foundation has launched a program to help developing countries fight AIDS [Nov. 3]. Some months ago, I watched a harrowing documentary about a young child whose immune system was so weakened by the advanced stages of AIDS that he kept succumbing to a continuing series of illnesses. By the time sufficient funds were raised to treat him, it was too late. The program highlighted the need for affordable antiviral drugs. I learned a lot about the plight of countries in which urgent help is needed. I hope others follow Clinton's initiative. MARY HICKMAN St. Brelade, England

Selling Their Heritage

The real tragedy of the black market in looted Asian antiquities is not so much the crime against the dead as the crime against the perpetrators themselves [Oct. 27]. Wittingly or unwittingly, the looters have sacrificed their heritage on the altar of greed. Thoughtless European and American dealers and buyers, weary of their own heritage, now prefer Asia's. But no matter how many Asian relics they collect, no alchemy can transform Europe or America into Asia. COSMOS ODOEMENA Sokoto, Nigeria