May 31 issue - Those who responded to our May 17 cover story were more than willing to assign Donald Rumsfeld responsibility for the abuses at Abu Ghraib. "He declared to the world that the Geneva Conventions wouldn't apply to detainees," wrote one. "This provided conditions ripe for abuse and mistreatment. Without independent international observation, what did he think would happen?" Another added, "By refusing to fire Rumsfeld for his dereliction of duty, President Bush has in effect signed off on these disgusting actions." Though some readers denied Rumsfeld's ultimate culpability and staunchly defended the administration's efforts to resolve abuses in Iraq, many agreed that, as one wrote, "Rumsfeld should still resign: it's the only honorable action left to him." But another observed, "Blaming Secretary Rumsfeld for the prison-abuse problem is like blaming the commissioner of baseball for the performance of the last-place team."
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Abu Ghraib's Shocking Images
Your cover article on Donald Rumsfeld ("Is He to Blame?" May 17) and the overall coverage of the Iraqi situation are both insightful and disturbing. It remains incredibly sad to me. With the state of the Iraqi conflict, should we really be so surprised that the myopic "liberation" of the country would continue to beget violence on both sides? What our administration failed to consider before entering this complex state is not that we "broke" a country and have to "buy" it, but that through our actions we have now opened a door of violence that will be incredibly difficult to shut. Melissa Fletcher Coquille, Ore.
Thirty-five years ago, when I was a recently discharged Vietnam vet, you published my letter concerning the shameful abuses of the Phoenix program in Vietnam. Today your magazine asks who is to blame for Abu Ghraib. The parallels come flooding back to me. While in Vietnam, I rarely heard my fellow soldiers, officers or enlisted, refer to the Vietnamese, North or South, in terms other than "slopes" or "gooks." The dehumanization of the enemy contributed to behavior that haunts many veterans to this day. How depressing to travel that sad road once again. The president refers to all who oppose us in Iraq as terrorists, thugs or dead-enders, thus justifying and encouraging severe retaliation against them. Muslim detainees—never mind that up to 90 percent of them were picked up by mistake—have become the slopes and gooks of the current conflict. Our abuse of defenseless civilians at Abu Ghraib Prison will haunt the next generation of veterans for years to come. It will also incalculably damage our standing with the Iraqi people. We are facing a widespread insurrection born of bitterness at an oppressive, arrogant occupying force. So long as we allow ourselves to become terrorists in the eyes of those we purport to help, we will recruit unlimited numbers for those who wish to destroy us. Paul W. McBride Ithaca, N.Y.
Who is to blame? How about those who hide their faces behind ski masks as they kidnap and execute people? How about those who show their "courage" by putting bombs under buses and along roadsides? Personally, I have little sympathy for those prisoners. If Iraqis can generalize their hatred to all Americans, then I can certainly generalize blame to all Iraqis. We might as well try and make friends with rattlesnakes. Barbara A. Smith Roosevelt, Utah
I do not condone the prison abuse, but neither do I respect certain American leaders who are using the tragedy for partisan political purposes, or media sources that provide a forum for them to do so. They do not consider how their damaging words might affect the safety of our soldiers, the outcome of the war or the prospect of freedom for Iraqi citizens. It would have been far more profitable if these intense rebukes were made behind closed doors to appropriate people who have the authority to make positive changes and to initiate needed safeguards. Responsible leaders should not escalate problems but work with one another to solve them. Bonnie O'Neil Newport Beach, Calif.
Lynndie England and her moronically smiling comrades are products of our society. We own them and their racist actions, and, like it or not, we must take responsibility for them. The ultraviolent aspects of our American culture, the de-humanizing training techniques employed in U.S. military boot camps and the total lack of accountability existing at the highest levels of our current administration create situations blurring the lines between right and wrong and the deadening of emotions such as empathy and compassion. Susanne Severeid Flagstaff, Ariz.
Donald Rumsfeld's lawless regime began in January 2002, when he decided that the hundreds of people detained by U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan have no rights under the Geneva Conventions. According to the Taguba report, the detention system Rumsfeld oversees is grossly distorted. Abuses could have been prevented if he had responded to earlier reports of violations. Instead, he publicly dismissed or minimized such accounts, delivering the message that the United States isn't bound by international law. Rumsfeld has said he "would resign in a minute" if he thought he couldn't be effective. With all the lies, broken promises and strategic blunders he has committed, I would say that he is ineffective. Our servicemen and -women need to be provided with the leadership they deserve. Gary Dean Colorado Springs, Colo.
As someone who worked in the pentagon when it was attacked on September 11, I had the utmost respect for Donald Rumsfeld's handling of the aftermath of that horrific event. In fact, much of my support for the invasion of Iraq was based on the fact that Rumsfeld headed the Department of Defense. But today I have lost confidence in his ability to continue as secretary of Defense. Rumsfeld told Congress that he did not see the pictures from Abu Ghraib until eight days after they were first shown on CBS. He has either committed an act of perjury or acted in an enormously incompetent manner—not bothering to view the pictures for eight days after they were exhibited to the entire world cannot be seen as competence. In either case, the president should ask for his resignation. Jonathan Steinsapir Santa Monica, Calif.
While even the pentagon admits there was a glaring lack of supervision and training at Abu Ghraib, that doesn't acquit the soldiers involved of the torture they inflicted on the Iraqi detainees. Claiming a lack of responsibility for those vile and inhuman acts because they were following orders is cowardly. Nazi SS guards and Saddam's elite Republican Guard were also simply following orders. Abusing, raping and torturing people is still immoral. Absolution is not granted by claiming that the Devil made you do it. Shay McAtamney Rosedale, N.Y.
In discussing the publicity surrounding the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal, Evan Thomas writes, "The effect on Arabs will be to make them want to kill Americans." This overarching, irrational stereotype of Arabs is what has gotten us in so much trouble with the world and is why so many Americans believe that Iraq may have had something to do with 9/11. The Arab grocer from whom I buy my newspaper every morning now wants to kill me? I don't think so. This sort of editorial rhetoric incites hatred and fear, and creates an us-versus-them mentality that is detrimental to everyone. Celia Sack San Francisco, Calif.
It seems to me that the only people who are excessively raging against alleged prisoner "abuse" are the media. Having a few Iraqi prisoners walking around naked doesn't even come close to the actions of the Iraqis. These are the same people who danced in the streets after the attacks of September 11. These are the people who videotaped beheading an innocent young American. These are the people who cheer after each American death. And the media are screaming bloody murder after seeing a few prisoners in naked poses? Give me a break. Jim Caskey St. Mary's, Ga.
Thank you for having the courage to let the public know just what this administration is trying to cover up. I voted for George W. Bush because I thought he was a good man and would be good for this country. How wrong could I have been? The pictures and videos from Abu Ghraib should be made public. As an American, I am tired of the lies and half-truths we are getting from this administration. The only thing Donald Rumsfeld is sorry for is that the whole mess has become public. Eleanor Toler North Richland Hills, Texas
Rumsfeld should not be fired for the prisoner-abuse situation. He should be fired for underbudgeting, underpreparing and undermanning our military for a badly planned war and postwar occupation (against the numerous protests of career military men who have since been proved right); for failing to adequately consult the State Department and Congress (against the numerous protests of career diplomats who have since been proved right); and for misleading Congress, the media and all Americans about the true costs of his efforts and the values at stake. Any one of these are worthy of firing—all of them together are a travesty. Rumsfeld's arrogance knows no bounds. He has to go. Kenny Herbert Brooklyn, N.Y.
Still Separate, Not Equal
Your article on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ("A Dream Deferred," May 17) was right on target, as I recently found out. I have twins who, because of behavioral problems associated with autism, have been placed in special-needs classes at opposite ends of the school district. Twin A was sent to a middle-class, mostly white neighborhood school; Twin B to a poor, mostly black school. The work Twin A brings home is easily two grade levels ahead of Twin B's. Twin A's school is clean, fully carpeted, air-conditioned and attractively painted, and his teacher has a proven record for reaching problem children. Twin B's school has none of those attributes. His teacher is new to the system, and the teaching assistant is obviously undereducated, based on her atrocious grammar. The "time out" area of his classroom reeked of urine until I called the health department and pressured them to refurbish it. I don't feel that the problem is with funding so much as with attitude. I was told the stench didn't matter: the kids made it that way, so they'd have to live with it. Poor grammar is excused by calling it a "dialect." The better teachers gravitate to the better schools, and there is an insidious underlying current that some kids deserve a good education and other kids don't matter. Ellen Gardner Aurora, Colo.
Thank you for highlighting the shameful inadequacies and economic inequalities inherent in our public-school systems. However, I must take issue with your portrayal of an America in which the only schoolchildren are upper-middle-class whites on the one hand and impoverished black and Hispanic children on the other. Making bad schools a minority-only issue only furthers negative stereotypes, and portraying whites as unquestionably privileged only shames the millions of poor, often rural whites of this nation who have also struggled in run-down, underfunded public schools. I should know. I went to such a school. As Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote, "To this day the white poor also suffer deprivation and the humiliation of poverty if not of color... It corrupts their lives, frustrates their opportunities and withers their education." Unfortunately, the picture has not changed very much. The education gap in America is not so much between black and white as it is between rich and poor. Sean Croston Canajoharie, N.Y.
"A Dream Deferred" underplays the fact that no educational system, no matter how it is designed, can make up for that which is not given to children in their homes. Although differences in funding probably contribute to differences in educational achievement, home preparation for learning and absolute orderliness and safety in the school environment are the only things that will bring about lasting improvements, whether or not the schools are integrated. Saul D. Raw Brooklyn, N.Y.
Why is there a dogmatic insistence that spending more money at taxpayers' expense will somehow improve education when a mountain of research refutes this idea? The solution to our educational problems for all races is the abolition of the government's near monopoly on education. By allowing the free market to enter fully into the educational process, we make it accountable to the consumers (parents and students) and not to politicians and teachers' unions. Until the politicians and the media embrace school vouchers for the poor and tax cuts for the middle and upper classes, there will be no improvement in educating American children. Eric Roth Owens Crossroads, Ala.
I am a caucasian male raised in a Newark, N.J., neighborhood that went from Italian, Irish and other European second- and third-generation Americans to predominantly African-Americans and West Indian and Asian immigrants. In fifth grade I was the only white kid in my class. I found it to be a valuable part of my character development and have cherished memories of friendships. Even as a child I noticed how, when the white people left, so did the financial support and commitment to the school. After-school programs were cut, athletic programs suffered, provisions and expectations diminished and the children were left to make the best of a substandard situation, with no voice or power to protest. John A. Sheppard Madison, N.J.
It certainly was a pleasure to read in your story the kind comment about Farmville, Va.: that integration is finally working. After turbulent times of massive resistance, school closings, pupil-placement boards, freedom of choice and finally integration, we in Southside Virginia are proud that other parts of the country can look to us as the standard for integration. Lealand D. Luck South Boston, Va.
Dear Class of 2004:
Anna Quindlen's "An Apology to the Graduates" (May 17) accurately describes the dilemma facing young people. As a college professor for 40 years, I view today's students as having the drive to get through school, to get the degree and to start earning a living—with little time to reflect on what is being learned. Too often, the result is students who, while striving for "success," are afraid to take the risks of seeking an adventure or taking the path less traveled. Playing it safe may help the individual survive, but it weakens a nation that needs original thinkers and innovative doers. Allan Carter, Professor Emeritus College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Anna Quindlen is apologizing when she shouldn't. She and her generation have paved the road for us. Because of higher expectations, enrollment in my college is up. My generation needs to be pushed, but we also need to be challenged. Let's face it: with computers, we no longer need to think on our own. Why travel when you can take a virtual tour on the Internet? I'm not putting down computers, but they have certainly made my generation a lazy one. If anyone should apologize, it should be us. We expect everything handed to us on a silver platter. Quindlen's generation worked hard to achieve what it has; we just inherited it. Anyway, let one of the younger generation thank Anna Quindlen and her generation for paving the way and being patient with us. All I ask is that they stick around and teach the next generation as well. Mine is just too damn lazy to care. Jamie Green Opelousas, La.
As a therapist who works in a college counseling center and has a private practice, I hear daily of the stress that young people and families experience because of the degree of competition in, and the unhealthy pace of, our society. From stressed-out grade-schoolers to lonely grandparents, many of the people with whom I speak feel depressed, anxious, tired, inadequate and—worst of all—powerless to make a change. They wonder what is wrong with them. Anna Quindlen points out what many of us are moving too frenetically to see: that we've created a culture run amok, in many ways to our detriment. I'm convinced that those graduates who are "brave enough to stop moving" will certainly benefit in terms of improved individual mental, spiritual and physical health. If enough of us slow down to regain some balance, we can also improve the quality of our relationships, increase the stability of our families and civic participation and decrease health-care costs. Imagine the possibilities! Joan Livingston Erie, Pa.
The Few, the Proud, the Wives
As a Beverly Hills attorney turned proud Marine Corps wife and stay-at-home mom, I related so well to Gina Chon's my turn, "Going From Big-City Girl to Military Wife" (May 17). Without question, military wives are the strongest group of women I've ever encountered. They take in stride, with little complaint, the fact that they are too often left behind to take care of the house (including during hurricanes and other disasters), care for their children (including potty-training one while the other is sick and both are crying for Daddy) and keep everything as normal as possible, especially during the holiday seasons. The silver lining is that we military families cherish our marriages and our children, because we live with the reality that Daddy will be sent away for months at a time, sometimes with very little notice. Also, there are few other professions that come with such an impenetrable sense of pride and honor. It's a beautiful feeling when my husband flies over our house and my two boys yell, "That's my daddy! He's a Marine!" Jenny Ratkovich Jacksonville, N.C.
Gay Marriage in Oregon
We're in a blood-soaked foreign war, the national debt threatens our financial future, hatred of Americans is soaring and the issue that finally inflames conservative Oregon voters is the possibility of some people marrying their same-gender loved ones ("A Rising Tide, Rocking Boats," May 17)? Wow! I'll have to get my priorities straight. Bill Perry Gualala, Calif.
A Nice Chunk of Change
Although I am appalled at the $139.5 million in accrued salary and pension that Dick Grasso received while head of the New York Stock Exchange, I do not think he should return it ("Street Fighting Man," May 17). The comp committee approved it. The board approved it. If they did not know what they were approving, they should be let go. And someone please tell me what qualifies Madeleine Albright to be an NYSE board member. Maybe that is part of the problem. It seems to me the board should take responsibility for its actions. Who would turn down money offered to him for a job well done? Anita N. Roglich Los Angeles, Calif.
