Kudos to the "Daily Billboard"; Love and Hate the whole "Top Drawer" Crew; Yeah, Cabal; No, Cabal; Ditto for MUGGER; More

If I understand the thrust of Scott McConnell's "Things Fall Apart" ("Taki's Top Drawer," 5/2), it's not good for police to arbitrarily abuse and harass the middle class, because this might give some credence to the charges that they do this on a regular basis to poor and especially nonwhite people, for whom McConnell seems to have a particular distaste. Everyone knows that there's no racism in the NYPD and the city's finest would never mistreat or target people based on their skin color.

For years, racists like McConnell have screamed for more "law and order," meaning more police repression of those other, darker people. Now he's made the unsettling discovery that what the authorities can do to them, they can also do to him. Welcome to Giuliani's New York, Scott. Who was it who said, "A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested"?

McConnell also accuses the Italians of committing cultural suicide by achieving the world's lowest birth rate. One indisputable fact of demographics is that "prosperity is the best contraceptive." The average Italian now enjoys a great deal of economic security and thus has no need of a score of bambini to provide support in his/her old age. If McConnell is truly spooked (no pun intended) by the eugenicist nightmare of European culture receding before a dusky tidal wave, he should support economic policies that would bring greater opportunity and security to people everywhere.

Chris Sorochin, Brooklyn

 

A.O. Sure

Re "A.O., What the Fuck?" ("Daily Billboard," 5/31): I'll have to accept Ms. Vaisman's (presumably sarcastic) kudos, since I never read Amis' piece in the May issue of Talk.

A.O. Scott, Manhattan

 

Classical Gas

Matt Seitz's film reviews always take the fresh road. He is the only critic I know of who can take a film and look at it from a different angle and throw in some social commentary to boot, as exemplified in his review of Pearl Harbor ("Film," 5/30). It would be interesting to have him review some classic movies?perhaps by genre?from time to time.

Jim Lichtman, Santa Barbara

 

Tears over Tiger

Last I heard, Lionel Tiger's contributions to your excellent paper were going to be discontinued. I hope it's not true. He's always produced some of the most popular links we've placed on Arts & Letters Daily. It would be a loss. In any event, I take this opportunity to tell you how much I admire New York Press.

Denis Dutton, editor, Arts & Letters Daily

 

The editors reply: Lionel's column has been discontinued.

 

He's Just Easy

Alan Cabal must be some stud. In your 5/30 issue he reports being hit on several times: the gay guys ("Food"), who get turned down, and the "punkette" ("New York City"). He apparently goes out to reassure himself that he still has what everyone wants. New York Press should run his picture, ensuring a regular supply of lustful letters. Then he could stay home.

Kurt Klein, Manhattan

 

Irony of Ironies

As MUGGER notes, Paul Krugman has gone round the bend on the tax cut (5/16). His predictions of the absolute doom that must inevitably ensue from the cut sound like nothing so much as the similar grim forecasts on the Clinton tax increase of 1993. The lead forecaster that year was the Republican conference chairman, a former economics professor from North Texas State. Krugman once shared an office suite at MIT with Nobel laureate Paul Samuelson, and was himself credibly touted as a potential winner of the big prize one day. Now we compare him with Dick Armey.

By the way, I must say that I love Taki's absolute lack of self-awareness. He's no doubt correct that the success of Hillary, Andrew the loathsome Cuomo and various Kennedys is solely a function of their slip-streaming in the wakes of their husband, father, relatives, respectively ("Top Drawer," 5/30). And shouldn't that moron Bush be in this crew? Of course the funniest thing of all is Taki himself, who if not for Daddy would today be serving up mousakka at some diner in Astoria and dreaming of a date with Olympia Dukakis.

Gene Salorio, Storrs, CT

 

Jennaflecting

Just want to say thanks to Andrey Slivka for his castigation of the jerk-off bartender who had to call 911 for the First Daughter ("Daily Billboard," 5/31). Obviously he knew who she was and did it to embarrass the President. While I read Andrey, both in print and online, I don't believe I've ever had more than a minor agreement with some peripheral segment of his writing prior to this. That's not to say that I don't always enjoy his writings, as I do.

Mike Daley, San Andreas

 

We'll See

Hey, Andrey Slivka: Have a beer on me. I don't think two drinks in a few weeks makes anybody out of control, and the fact that Jenna may face jail time for her ignorance of what happens when you're famous because of your dad will be an embarrassment to the Bush family.

But I'll make a $10 bet with you: If Jenna goes 3-for-3, her dad (and her grampa) will not make a call to the judge to get her community service. Unlike the Kennedys, I'd wager GW would prefer his daughter take her medicine young rather than grow up and pretend she's royalty. Shake?

Frank Turk, Pittsburgh

 

Do You Even Read It?

Since I'm pretty sure you have a hands-off policy regarding the current President, I think you won't run this letter, but here goes: The Democrats are in trouble again. There seems to be another Bush on the horizon: Jenna, the party animal, is prone to getting governmental help for friends (the Secret Service bail-out of her friend); lying about her identity; underage drinking; and she's probably not much better than a "C" student. That must mean she's Republican presidential material, able to whip a decent Democrat in any election.

Timothy Doyle, Manhattan

 

Foodtv.com: Batali's Cioppino

Listen, Alex, all I want to know is how to make a really good fish soup from sea creatures and flora that have already been killed, gutted and washed by someone besides me ("Wild Justice," 5/30). And I have been looking for some broom, so please send all your extras my way.

Helen Weber, Oklahoma City

 

He Stokes Every Ember

Taki is just brilliant. You may think that perhaps the reason I say this is because he is contemptuous of the same people that I am. No, I don't think so. Maybe it was Jesse Jackson who said, "Keep hope alive"?whatever?I don't care. Taki keeps hope alive for this 85-year-old lady. Thank you, Taki.

Hester Nichols, Dewey, OK

 

You Mean Try to Emote

Thank you, George Szamuely, for elucidating a history shamelessly misrepresented in textbooks and movie theaters alike ("Taki's Top Drawer," 5/30). For those interested, I recommend Robert B. Stinnett's Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor as both an informative read and an alternative to watching Ben Affleck emote.

Raya Kuzyk, Trenton

 

MUGGER Loves a Parade

MUGGER: Just a quick fan note from an old New Yorker who has not lost his accent. I am a local real estate appraiser, been in Sonoma County for 25 years. Nee Cedarhurst, L.I., until I moved to Northern Westchester just west of Mt. Kisco in Yorktown Heights. If I had known you were coming to Sonoma, I would have held a parade. My wife and I are active Republicans who have vowed to fight liberal control of Sonoma County. It's a tough assignment but we enjoy the debate.

I also enjoy your conservative "Herb Caen" type journalism. I have to say I did love Caen, even if he was a liberal. I used to read him daily before he died. Please keep up your good writing and thinking. It is appreciated way out here on the Left Coast. I'm glad that you had a good time in God's country. Please come again, and thanks again for your humor and astuteness.

Paul and Dorothy Erickson, Santa Rosa

 

Ran Last Week, Too

I am amazed and appalled that you would print the trashily written, unsubstantiated and bigoted allegations that appeared in a full-page ad on p.138 of the New York Press Summer Guide (5/23). I am aware of some of America's shortcomings, but this kind of exaggerated revisionism is nothing short of vulgar nonsense. That it has Noam Chomsky's endorsement (if legitimate) is even more shocking.

Name Witheld, Manhattan

 

Disinformation

Re: Andrey Slivka's "Oil Crisis" ("Daily Billboard," 5/21). I've been assured by at least 10 McDonald's employees over the years that their fries are vegetarian, including a girl on a train, herself vegetarian, who took offense at my doubt. I have no idea if this is a conscious company policy, but if they're training their employees to answer vegetarians' questions, they're not doing it well. The suggestion that Hindus are making a fuss over nothing, since vegetable oil is as unhealthy as beef fat, is idiotic.

Jacob Eliosoff, Brooklyn

 

And a Manly Man, at That

Your review of Bridget Jones's Diary ("Film," 4/11) was obviously written by a man.

Phyllis McDaniel, Jacksonville, FL

 

Who Knew?

"Having a rabbi" ("Another New Low," "Daily Billboard," 5/24) means having some elder statesman in a position of power looking out for your interests. Although the term is a Jewish one, I've heard it pretty generally applied, and I think that's how it was meant in Cynthia Cotts' article.

Lucy Fernhill, Santa Monica

 

Genius or Idiot?

MUGGER: As a fellow Hopkins grad and devotee of the Red Sox, I've been reading your columns since I moved to New York and enjoy them immensely. I haven't quite figured out how you actually manage to read The New York Times on a regular basis.

A thought: Have you noticed how carefully the Times, and press in general, reports each instance of the White House overruling a Cabinet-level decision? For example, Christie Whitman on the environmental pledge. The press writes it up as Bush not having command over his troops?a sign of a disorganized White House. I'm not sure this is the case.

Is it possible that Bush is letting these "disagreements in policy" become public so that the public impression is that he is actually in control, as opposed to the initial press coverage that implied that his aides and Cheney control the White House? Perhaps this is a strategy: take minor p.r. hits now so that, come 2004, there is less b.s. regarding his ability to govern as a chief executive.

Nick Lewin, Manhattan

 

A Real Independent

MUGGER: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your 5/30 column on Jeffords. I'm a registered Independent here in North Carolina, a backer of Bush, and more conservative than not. I have lived in Massachusetts (which gives me an inkling of the hubris level of Vermont) and in Tennessee (Oak Ridge), so I am accustomed to liberals pretending to be moderate. But Jeffords (the political crossdresser) and McCain (the petulant prima donna) are making me sick. I doubt their honesty now.

At one time, I thought that McCain was ringing true. but after his amazing and menopausal reaction to the use of some political hardball in the South Carolina primaries, I decided that he is just another egoist who will go the distance until he takes down everyone in his path, all to pay back someone else for an imagined and unproven insult to his dignity.

My main problem is with the press coverage of each of these senators. I just read Newsweek, and my supper is about to come back on me. Then I read your article, and feel better. I'd like to take Bill Kristol to the woodshed. What is wrong with his head? I cannot, for the life of me, understand how he and some of his friends have been so taken in, but the rest of the press corps is even worse. I believe that George W. needs to come off his high horse and realize the value of good public relations, but even if he cannot learn this important lesson, I still trust him and Dick Cheney to do a better job of changing the direction (ethical, political and economic) of the country and to help us get on track to something better. I am a retired educator, 70 years old, and hope that we can use some common sense to restrain the liberals, especially the teachers' unions, the government unions, and the big government crowd. Bush has done more, faster than anyone else has been able to do in the past, and is the nearest thing to Reagan that we have. So I am for him. Go, Dubya!

Martha N. Copenhaver, Tryon, NC

 

Jerrypandering

So I'm reading the Jewish Forward, a pretty good weekly. Congressman Jerry Nadler has an article this week celebrating Jeffords' defection from the Republicans and suggesting different things the Democrats can and should do. It is rather incredible. He writes:

"Mr. Bush will also need to reexamine his treatment of issues that are of importance to the Jewish community. On some of these issues, the impending changeover in Senate committee chairmanships will have a decisive impact. One of these changes stands out sharply. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut will become chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. In that capacity, Mr. Lieberman will be in charge of examining ways to reform the electoral system that disenfranchised so many elderly Jewish people in Florida who wished to cast their votes for the Gore-Lieberman ticket, but ended up voting for Pat Buchanan because of a confusing ballot. From the beginning of the electoral dispute until today, Mr. Bush has shown absolutely no sympathy or concern for the fact that thousands of elderly Jewish people, many of them survivors of the Holocaust, had the right to express their will taken from them. With Mr. Lieberman chairing the Governmental Affairs Committee, Mr. Bush almost certainly will be compelled to address this issue."

Now forget whether you were for Gore or Bush. Forget whether you think the election was stolen or not. That's not the issue here. The issue is that a congressman from Manhattan would look at the Florida vote entirely in the context of whether or not Jews were disenfranchised. According to most observers, all kinds of people had problems voting in Florida. Most reports are in agreement that African-Americans faced the most difficulties. But Nadler homes in on the Jews and ignores the rest. Is he the biggest panderer or what? In Florida, Jews and African-Americans joined in protests against the way the system failed on Election Day. Holocaust survivors and Baptist preachers marched together. But that is not Nadler's way; first and last, he's a Jewish chauvinist. He embarrasses me.

Ray Markowitz, Queens

 

Savannah Panna Cotta

Taki: the Italian dishes joke was hysterical with Tortellini Torricelli ("Top Drawer," 4/25), old by Cuomo ("Top Drawer," 5/30). Priapic perjurer is great, though, as is "so shameless, even I'm coming around to her."

C.J. Mellor, Savannah

 

Robert Rucola

Every time I feel that Mr. Taki T. has written his best column, he comes out with another one. This is a masterpiece!

Robert Kress, Staten Island

 

Volpe Polpetti

Once in a while I read the articles in New York Press?even the reactionary Taki can be amusing to read, though I never agree with him. This latest, "Oh No Cuomo" ("Top Drawer," 5/30) was embarrassing to both him and the editors at New York Press. What an offensive, racist, anti-Italian rant! I always imagined Taki to be more than 50 (if not older); in other words a mature man. Yet the level of debate of this article is infantile?name-calling is not a way to convince others of your point. It just demonstrates the inability to argue with any persuasiveness. In the end, the article was boring and trashy. I was left wondering which editor approved this article. Or even if there had been any editorial oversight.

Kate Volpe, Manhattan

 

Six Degrees of Yummy

MUGGER: Highway 61 Revisited is unquestionably Bobby Dylan's best album. Everything prior led up to it, everything after was something less. (That he hasn't done anything worth taking the time to listen to in more than 30 years should go without saying.)

That said, lemme say this: Highway 61 Revisited was the roots; bubblegum the flower. Lemme back that statement up: From the snotty folk-rock whine of Highway 61 Revisited it's a hop, skip and a jump to the snotty folk-rock whine of Texas garage-punkers Mouse & the Traps. The Traps took Dylan's sound and reduced it to its essence. From Mouse & the Traps, it's a hop, skip and a jump to the snotty whine of studio garage-punkers the Third Rail, whose lead singer was Joey Levine. That their late-60s protest single, "Run, Run, Run," was only a minor hit is of little consequence. Levine would soon be contributing mightily to the Ohio Express, Levine supplying the majority of their lead vocals?the familiar snotty whine on "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" and "Chewy, Chewy" and "Down at Lulu's" to name but a few.

The thing about bubblegum was that it took much of the enthusiastic and fun rock 'n' roll of the first half of the 60s (the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Brill Building stuff, the Four Seasons, garage punk), tossed it in a blender, then took that blend and reduced it to its essence, then whipped it into a frothy confection. And just in the nick of time! By 1968 rock was growing wayward and pretentious. What was a teenybopper to listen to? A mere eight years later?after rock was constipated beyond recognition?bubblegum was part of the blend of the stuff that was to save the day?part of the blend that the world came to know as the Ramones.

JD King, Stockport, NY

 

Lies, Damned Lies

The oddest thing about working for Disinformation is witnessing how resistant people are to new information. Leftists cry "Sell out!" whenever Disinfo.com changes, occultists tsk tsk when skeptical arguments are made and underground purists whine whenever rock acts like Radiohead or Iron Maiden are featured. Alan Cabal shows the same tendency in his report on Disinformation's recent event surrounding the publication of the book You Are Being Lied To ("New York City," 5/30).

First, Cabal complains that Mickey Z, when discussing the United States' attitude toward Japan and the Japanese in the years leading up to World War II, didn't mention Japanese atrocities in China. That much is true. Of course, there is an incredibly good reason for Z not to have done so: Japanese atrocities in China had little to do with the anti-Japanese propaganda and the trade battle between Japan and the United States that led up to Pearl Harbor. Cabal, a victim of one of the more tedious forms of neoconservatism, "Evil Equalization Syndrome," can't bear to have only U.S. wrongdoings discussed. They must be qualified, somehow, someway, even if Japanese atrocities had as much to do with Z's talk as, say, a recipe for bundt cake.

Then Cabal denounces me as "just plain wrong" but doesn't even bother to let the reader know why. It's that darn equalization thing again, though. You see, after my talk, Cabal congratulated me for being a sometime Village Voice contributor who dared to say something "positive" about the Ku Klux Klan. Any rambling on my part aside, Cabal is the only one of the dozen or so people who talked to me about my speech, and the only one of thousands who read my article in You Are Being Lied To or on Disinfo.com, who came away thinking that I'd expressed pro-Klan sentiments. He then suggested that a "heckler" "got" me, when an audience member responded to a question I advanced about racial separation and the Klan, by shouting, "Rastafarians!"

I briefly discussed the Klan's long history of violence with Cabal, and compared it to the largely nonviolent black nationalist movements. (Quick, how many towns has the Nation of Islam burned to the ground?) Cabal waved away my argument with what he called "two words." Those two words, inexplicably, were "Camden, New Jersey." Yeah, I know those are three words too. Turns out that Cabal got beaten up while a young man in Camden. Those beatdowns must have been racist, and not, say, due to Cabal's personality. The doctrine of equalization mandates that Cabal getting punched in the face is the equivalent of nearly a century of Klan terror.

Politics aside, Cabal can't even get the most mundane details of the night correct. One example: Genesis P-Orridge did preface his second poem of the evening by explaining that it was about the grotesque, but didn't mention that the poem was about politicians until after he had read it, as a thematic punchline of sorts. Of course, what does it matter if the night ended in a speedy blowjob. Now that's reporting!

Nick Mamatas, Jersey City

 

Alan Cabal replies: Ah, Nick, I'm as critical of America as the next guy, but the Japanese got off so easy on their unspeakably barbaric behavior during World War II that I have a nearly irrepressible impulse to puke when some p.c. dunce gets up and starts offering apologetics for them. Hirohito and his scum crew should have been hung for what they did, as were their Nazi counterparts. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were no less deserving of incineration than Dresden or Lubeck. The fellow who shouted out "Rastafarians" when you offered your open-ended query regarding racial separatism was none other than my good friend and associate Chris Simunek, whose account of his own experience at the hands of black supremacists in Jamaica is readily available in his magnificent book, Paradise Burning. Until you have walked the streets of Camden as a white man, just shut the fuck up. I wasn't "punched in the face," and you are no more qualified to discuss race relations in Camden than you are to dissect the role of the Klan in American history.

 

Four Heart Strings

Re: Ned Vizzini's "Rock's Last Great Summer" ("Songs of Summer," 5/23). Surprisingly often the bass player is the hottest guy in the band. Def Leppard is my favorite band precisely for that reason. The other four could be running around stage stark naked with their hair on fire, but my eyes would be glued to Rick Savage. I used to judge the quality of any Def Leppard video on how much face time Sav got. I also knew a gal who thought Duff McKagan was the shit, and another was mad for Nikki Sixx. Years ago, when Paul McCartney used to be in a real band, what was his instrument again?

Anne Stevens, Manhattan

 

Unless They're Indifferent

Matt Zoller Seitz nailed it with his critique of film criticism ("Film," 5/30), but he may not have gone far enough. The critics' negativity is now nearly year-round, but it has reached the point of diminishing returns. As the venom-to-insight ratio rises, so does public indifference to critics. The box office says this quite clearly, as more and more movies are "critic-proof" and "overcome bad reviews." Except for art-house films, critics are losing their ability to make a difference. Critics don't yet get how influential and rapid word-of-mouth has become (but marketing departments do).

Unlike theater and music critics, who attend opening night performances with live audiences, film critics operate in isolation. If they went to multiplexes, they'd see opening-day audiences hit the street and whip out cellphones to tell their friends what they'd just seen. Combine that with the Web and e-mail, and here's what you get: within maybe 36 hours, people all over the U.S. (and overseas) had heard that Pearl Harbor wasn't the fiasco the critics said. The more often this happens, the less stock people put in reviews. None of this means critics shouldn't write negative reviews. But they should realize that if they write unfair ones, the audience will find out.

Lee Hyte, Brooklyn

 

Limited Range

MUGGER: Predictably, the Jeffords story seems to have swayed the tone of your punditry from the smug satisfaction of W's first 100 days back to the wounded incredulity of the previous eight years (5/30). Keep it up?the shrill, hypocritical outrage is far more compelling. By the way, your arguments are certainly bolstered by referencing Geoffrey Norman's unimpeachably reasoned May 26 argument that a "Silent Majority" of Americans hates Vermont because of its dark history of syrup production, macrame and Red politics.

John Atkins, Manhattan

 

Rural Reds

MUGGER: There should be no mystery in Sen. Jeffords joining forces with Daschle. It was just a matter of one quasi-Marxist joining forces with another.

Ken Wyman, Huntsville, AL

 

Idiot or Genius?

MUGGER: Funny how last Thursday seemed like Christmas to me. The Yankees slip by Pedro, again, and surely this can't last forever but we might as well enjoy it while we can. Jeffords jumps ship and guarantees Orrin Hatch will have a little more free time. God Bless America. Though you're right about Jeffords, the man's not really a prize for either party. But more importantly, is Jimy Williams an eccentric genius or the village idiot? From my admittedly remote vantage point, he seems like the latter.

Harley Peyton, Santa Monica

 

Yeah, DC's a Lot Better

MUGGER: Sonoma?my hometown. Don't see a lot of references to the first capital of the Bear Flag State (and still one of its prettiest towns), so I salute your good taste (5/30). Keep up the great work. I cordially detest New York City and all it stands for, but truly enjoy your column.

John Scanlon, Washington, DC

 

Dylan Pickle

MUGGER 5/23: Which do you think is better, the best five off Nashville Skyline or the least great five from Blonde on Blonde?

Scott Pellegrino, via Internet

 

Russ Smith replies: Although I think "I Threw It All Away" is a terrific song, I'd opt for your latter option.

 

Fan in Flames

Congrats, MUGGER, for writing the most annoying Dylan article (5/23) of them all. Calling Blood on the Tracks a dishonest album because it makes no reference to wife-beating is just bizarre. "Something There Is About You"? Don't think so. It's called "The Man in Me." At least get the song titles right.

Jonathan Flinker, Manhattan

 

Russ Smith replies: "Something There is About You," from Planet Waves, asshole.

 

Nashville Byline

MUGGER: Re Dylan lyrics referencing his abuse of Sara, how about this one? "I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me"?"Idiot Wind." Pretty oblique, but what else could that line mean? Good piece by you. I just got curious to see whether Dylan did make any reference to what came out at trial as his bad behavior. Dylan fans and several biographers tend to get nervous about that period. I certainly would not defend him on that score. It is just another part of his long saga that gets no easier to understand with time.

Thomas Goldsmith, Nashville

 

Dope Notes

MUGGER: Too bad Dylan was monotone and you could not understand anything he sang!

Ed Vesely, Pittsburgh

 

Sean John Wesley Harding

Five thousand years of civilization and the best we can produce is Dylan as the voice of our generation. Instead of extolling the great virtues of love, knowledge, honor, faith, responsibility and exploration, all we get is another middle-class-to-millionaire celebrity crooning about adolescent angst, loathing, nihilism, solipsism, self-absorbed depressionism and ultimitely egocentric me-ism. Of course we liked Dylan in the 60s. We were kids. We didn't know any better. Of course he didn't write anything worthwhile after 1975. He grew up. So did we. Let the rappers carry on and extend his legacy. Just imagine Puff Daddy in his 60s.

Norma Kautzman, Mt. Pleasant, MI

 

"The Twist"??

MUGGER: You're right about the "freshness" of "Like a Rolling Stone." For years, it did take on a dated quality for me, but for some reason it's fresh again, to my ears, anyway. There are some tunes that are 100 percent as fresh now as the day I heard them, such as "Jailhouse Rock," "All Summer Long," "The Twist," "Little Town Flirt," "I'm into Something Good," "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted"...

Tom Ekwurtzel, Atlanta

 

Sour Power

MUGGER: Your piece on Dylan was a load of self-absorbed crap, very typical of your baby-boom generation. Please stay away from stories about how cool you are.

Dave Power, Chicago

 

Stephanie Fettuccine

I have never enjoyed an article as much as I did "Oh No Cuomo" by Taki ("Top Drawer," 5/30). He is a breath of fresh air and a brilliant mind who has the foresight to see through all the crap and get to the heart of the matter. Bravo, Taki!

Stephanie Feagle, Bradenton, FL

 

Morzenti al Dente

Hey, I like this guy Taki, a man of the right who uses the vitriol of the left, though to no real avail. Truly, no words could do them justice, but Taki deserves high marks for making the effort.

John Morzenti, Devon, PA

 

Blackstone Zabaglione

Kudos to Taki for his impressive piece. With the democratic Taliban national party now comprised of eco-Nazis, p.c. fascists, the ignorant, the illiterate, corrupt unions, trial lawyers, "teachers" and other lifelong parasites (such as the media), it's nice to see a journalist not afraid to write the truth. Of course Taki won't be getting an invite to those wonderful Beltway wine and cheese parties. I appreciate his sacrifice just the same.

Paul Blackstone, Jackson Heights

 

Seda Speda

Taki: I just loved your commentary on the Cuomos and Clintons ("Top Drawer," 5/30), birds of a feather.

Nestor Seda, Sunnyside

 

Inner Beauty

I very much enjoyed Matt Zoller Seitz's thoughtful review of Shrek ("Film," 5/16), and went on to enjoy the movie as well. However, I can't quite agree with Seitz's final statement, regarding Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Yes, the Beast becomes human. Yes, he turns into a handsome prince (though with his wide eyes and mouth and long, prominent nose, he's hardly cookie-cutter cute). But if you look at the ending carefully, it's not quite as simple as an ugly person becoming pretty to be with another pretty person. Belle confesses her love for the Beast while he is still a beast; she has no idea that her confession will change him, or indeed that such a change is possible. And once he does transform, she stares at the prince suspiciously, not believing that this is her love, until she looks into his essentially unchanged eyes and recognizes the spirit that inhabited both bodies.

In the end, that is the point and the reason for the Beast's transformation?it is an outer manifestation of the crucial change that had already happened within. This is not to deny the importance of Shrek's message, or the need for sympathetic portrayals of less-than-perfect people. While there are many culprits out there, I don't believe Beauty and the Beast should be counted as one.

Shanti Fader, Jersey City

 

All You Have to Do Is Ask, Tom

Several weeks ago I wrote a letter asking that you only let Armond White review shitty movies that nobody cares about ("The Mail," 4/11). And so far, you guys have honored my request. So I just want to give you my deepest thanks. Keep up the good work.

Tom Patterson, Brooklyn

 

In the Crosshairs

MUGGER: Please keep up the excellent articles concerning the Democrats and non-persons like Jeffords (5/30). In every century there are individuals like him and they always come to their just end. I hope he gets to feel the pain of a marked man. I do enjoy your journalism.

Gene Hill, via Internet

 

Damn Straight It Is

MUGGER: How does a rabid Red Sox fan get to be in charge of the best alternative paper in New York? Here's another question: How does a shallow leftist suck-up like Jon Alter get gigs at Newsweek and MSNBC? The man has yet to show he has any understanding of politics or policies but his mug is everywhere. I'd be happy to apply to NBC and take his place. Since when has being for free market policies like free trade, tax cuts and limited government become a radical, extremist idea? This is America, right?

Tom Donelson, Marion, IA

 

Yessiree Bob

MUGGER, Keep up the good work.

Bob Bradshaw, Omaha

 

What Is It Good For?

I agree with the points Scott McConnell made ("Taki's Top Drawer," 5/30), especially the one about Israelis concentrating their extremists in the settlements. The point he left unmade, however, was the Palestinians teaching their children that Hitler didn't finish the job.

The problem is that the Palestinian Authority is a dictatorship. And dictators do best in war. There is little need for them in peace. In my opinion the current dust-up is just Arafat trying to keep his job. You will not get an Arab republic by coddling Arab dictators. As a side note, just look at the 1947 plan's map. It is amazing how much territory the Arabs have been willing to give up in order to pursue their policy of war. I predict further shrinkage at least until peace is declared.

M. Simon, Rockford, IL

 

Magician Tiger

Lionel Tiger believes that it's wrong for missionaries to go to South America and impose their truth on the natives ("Human Follies," 5/16). "What on Earth," he writes, "gives some people the right to decide that their view of God or nature or destiny is the right one?" What indeed.

What gives Tiger the right to say that it's wrong that missionaries do what they do? Laugh at the missionaries if you will, but at least they know why they do what they do, why they believe what they believe: because it's written. Tiger, on the other hand, just pulls his metaphysics out of thin air. There is a mote in your eye, Mr. Tiger.

B. T. Swaim, Edinburgh

 

You Mean Protestant Theology

I CAME ACROSS Lionel Tiger's "Missionary Come Home" ("Human Follies," 5/16) on Arts & Letters Daily . I believe that everyone has a view of God. Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, etc. all believe, at least implicitly, that their view of God is the correct one. They have the right to try to persuade (not coerce) others that a particular view of God is correct. Tiger appears to be confusing arrogance with conviction.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes the case that missionaries are imperialists. But I believe you'll find that this approach is being replaced with a more biblical view that Christianity is not Eastern or Western. Rather, Christianity can work within existing cultures. Christian missionaries do not believe that their mission work gets them into heaven. In Christian theology, one gets to heaven solely through the grace (unmerited favor) of God. Missionary work is meant to get others to heaven.

Matt Donnelly, Pacific Grove, CA

 

Tiger Bomb

I read Tiger's piece on the missionaries ("Human Follies," 5/16). What gives missionaries the right to leave home and help people of other cultures in a free discourse and exchange of ideas? The same right that you have as a journalist to spread your own ideas and have people listen and accept them, if they choose. Take away their right or delegitimize their efforts and you undercut your own.

David Couturier, Beacon, NY

 

Sophomore Slump

Someone forwarded to me the article you wrote on missionaries. I found it deeply offensive and incredibly sophomoric. How can you presume to sit in judgment on the thousands of missionaries worldwide? You exhibit the same arrogance that you so blithely attribute to them. Granted, some missionaries have shown disrespect for the customs and beliefs of indigenous peoples. But you completely ignore the vast number who have taken courageous stands on behalf of the human rights and dignity of these people and against the governments and other forces that are oppressing them. Have you any idea how many missionaries have been imprisoned, tortured and killed?not because they tried to convert people but because they stood in solidarity with them? Or how many have initiated projects to improve health, nutrition and sanitation for native peoples?

Rev. Martin Pable, Marathon, WI

 

But You'll Miss Your Letter!

I have always eagerly awaited Jonathan Kalb's theater reviews in your publication. I consider him to be one of New York's finest theater critics. It is very sad indeed that you decided to eliminate reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. It is incomprehensible to me that you continue to review all of the other performing and visual arts, yet leave theater out. New York City and theater are bound together; you can't talk about one without the other.

Count me and probably many other New York theatergoers as former readers of your paper. Let's hope you change your decision.

Grant Huddish, Manhattan