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Jim, stop beating your concave breast; you were right the first time not to be wowed by On The Road ("On The Skids," May 17-23). We can find better heroes than these, or live without secular saints. Ralph Nader makes a7 better permanent impression than those thrill-seeking self-justifiers. Or Sam Smith. Or Izzie Stone. Or Studs Terkel. By their heroes shall you know them. 

Patrick D. Hazard,  Weimar, Germany

Armond White's take on The Da Vinci Code is one of the best I've come across. All those who chide Catholics for protesting something that is "just a film" would do well to read his succinct piece pointing out what many in the media refuse to acknowledge: Hollywood would never insult Jews or Muslims the way it bashes Catholics. The Catholic League has had problems with New York Press in the past. That only makes it all the more pleasing to praise White, and the paper, for this article. I look forward to hearing more of what he has to say. 

Kiera M. McCaffrey Director of Communications

The Catholic League for Religious 

and Civil Rights

New York, NY  

Thank you to Mr. White for his eloquent and refreshing shredding of that idiotic and hateful "phenomenon" of the decade "The duh Vinci Code." His review stands as a clear and thoughtful reminder of how both the book and movie shamelessly display the anti-Catholicism that pervades Hollywood and much of the rest of the media. It brought me a moment of hope that the hypocrisy of those in the media, who claim to be both champions of social justice and despisers of prejudice, might not always go unrecognized.

Nick Melucci

Brooklyn, NY 

The article by Susan Crain Bakos ("A White Woman Explains Why She Prefers Black Men," December 7-13, 2005) was very informative and confirmed some thoughts of mine on the subject. I agree fully with the writer, white men perceive the world from a linear perspective, with everything beginning and ending with them, however the world is round and has others in it besides white men. Also, it is Susan's right to choose whomever she pleases: white men date who ever they want. In fact, while we are on that subject, recent statistics shows that there are more couples with white men dating Asian women, than black men with white women! But the so-called mainstream media is not appalled by this, and there are no books about it. 

Nkosinathi Sibanda