Reality Check for the E.U.

The defeat inflicted on the European constitution in the French referendum does not signify a failure for the idea of a united Europe as a whole [May 30]. Quite the contrary: it represents a purely political choice in opposition to the neoliberal character of Europe today and in favor of a Europe that is more socially conscious and responsive. It is also a vote against the élitism and arrogance of the Brussels bureaucracy, which presumes it can complete its version of European unification without ever consulting directly with the citizens of Europe. Finally, it is the starting point of a new political era in the European Union, in which issues affecting its form and content are openly contested in public rather than being settled through secret diplomacy behind closed doors.
Panos Drakos
Athens

The French apparently are afraid their children will not be as well off as the present generation. Of course they won't! The 35-hour week has killed the work culture in most of Europe. That shortened workweek cannot create wealth for the future. The people of France and the other European nations have squandered the assets gathered by their parents and are now worried about their own children's quality of life. Parents can create a good future for their children only through hard work. The good times and the mentality of having an easy life are basically over. It is time for the French to roll up their sleeves and start producing in earnest.
Paul Cardona
Valletta, Malta

Your article mentioned the 1789 French Revolution several times and noted that "it's ironic, maybe even quaint, that people on both sides of the constitutional debate should cite the French Revolution to bolster their case." You should have mentioned a key worry of many French citizens: the "democratic deficit," or the lack of democratic legitimacy of nonelected E.U. bodies, some of which have more authority than they merit.
Françoise Blin
Vers sur Selle, France

The critical issues at stake during the debate on the E.U. constitution included increased unemployment, the loss of social advantages, offshore industries, cheap imports from countries with low labor costs and increased immigration. It was rare, however, that one heard of the progress that has been made since the movement toward the unification of Europe began. Jobs have been created and market potential of E.U. countries improved. Non-European companies have established production facilities in E.U. nations. Free trade and democracy can only result in economic growth and political stability. The power of political and social solidarity that the E.U. provides has been proved over and over again to be the right choice for progress. Unfortunately, however, personal prejudices and lack of knowledge often hinder valid decisions by the people who are voting on the constitution.
Tom McMurtry
St. Paul, France

The Class of 9/11
Thank you for the insightful, compassionate story on the U.S. Military Academy and the profiles of three graduates [May 30]. They are very different yet are terrific in their individual ways. We Americans too often forget that the military academies have a mission to prepare leaders for the future, whether we are at war or not. We take for granted that there are young people who are willing to make extraordinary sacrifices in order to become those leaders. The 2005 graduates deserve praise and our gratitude. After 9/11, they could have decided the war on terrorism wasn't what they had signed up for and left West Point without any commitment to the Army. Yet they decided to remain, even though the stakes had changed. I salute them and those who are making similar sacrifices.
John D. Wooters
Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.

Your report on the class of' 05 tragically illustrates how history tends to repeat itself. Today another young, idealistic generation is being fed into a vague, brutal war machine by an arrogant, self-righteous U.S. Administration. Forty years ago, the West Point classes of the '60s were sent to Southeast Asia to fight an equally vague, brutal war, ostensibly to promote freedom in that region. Many of us who served there came back scarred and maimed, and others did not return at all. The aims of our "glorious cause" were never achieved. May fate be kinder to the class of'05.
Steve Williams, u.s.m.a., 1966
Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.

It was my honor to attend the recent graduation from West Point of my nephew, 2nd Lieut. Chad T. Fifield. Your article captured the sacrifice those young men and women are willing to make for our country. In this age of self-gratification and materialism, it is nice to see young people who exemplify the ideals that make our country great. I am sure that the U.S.'s future is in good hands with institutions like West Point producing our future leaders.
Jeffrey E. O'Neil
Chanhassen, Minnesota, U.S.

A Story Gone Wrong
Re your report on Newsweek's botched item on mistreatment of the Koran at the U.S. detention center at Guantá namo Bay [May 30]: The media have let themselves be bamboozled by the Bush Administration once again. Officials concentrated on putting out stories about how Newsweek got it wrong, and we lost sight of the story of the desecration of the Koran. Our mainstream media outlets are much too quick with the mea culpas. How about a little tenacity when it comes to standing up to the White House? Shouldn't Bush's spotty National Guard record have been pursued instead of Dan Rather's sloppy reporting? Confidential sources prefer to remain unnamed because they fear retribution. What do editors fear? Is there still a free press?
Paul Lennemann
Glenwood, Iowa, U.S.

Perhaps the first line of Time's story suggested the reason for the media's current problems: "Journalists strive to be influential." Members of the media who wish to influence public opinion should be writing essays and editorials; journalists who report news need to stick to the facts. Today's journalists seem to blur the distinction between news and opinion.
Joseph K. Valaitis
Brecksville, Ohio, U.S.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan's call for Newsweek to "repair the damage" rang hollow. It's the White House that should repair the damage done to the U.S. by the war in Iraq. What about the suffering of the families of U.S. service members who lost their lives? It is time for Americans, regardless of political party, to demand that our government be accountable to us. The Administration should stop mischaracterizing the reporting of news as attacks on the Bush presidency.
William Cinnamon III
North Hollywood, California, U.S.

Outside the Box
"Science on the Fringe" was an entertaining story on the far-out ideas of the Society for Scientific Exploration, which pursues topics like ufos, reincarnation, astrology and parapsychology [May 30]. But the persistence of belief in tarot cards, esp and the horoscopes found in most daily newspapers in the U.S. is no joking matter. Widespread irrational belief does not bode well for a democracy that depends on the informed intelligence of the citizenry for sound government and an efficient economy.
Lawrence Cranberg
Austin, Texas, U.S.

Eyes on Iran
Joe Klein's column " Iran's Pragmatic Face" [May 30] referred to former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as "a dealmaking pragmatist [who] may push to repair ties with the U.S. " Viewing Rafsanjani as pragmatic is dangerous, since that is an example of seeing the political landscape of totalitarian countries through the U.S.'s democratic eyes. Rafsanjani is pragmatic in comparison with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei in the same way that the Soviet Union's Nikita Khrushchev was pragmatic in comparison with Joseph Stalin. Klein should recall that the Cuban missile crisis, during which the world was brought to the brink of nuclear war, occurred under the Soviet leadership of the "pragmatic" Khrushchev.
Arun Khanna
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Although I admire President Bush's sincere attempt to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and bring democracy to the Middle East, his policies are doomed to failure. In Arab Muslim states, real democracy is an impossibility. In the Arab world, history has clearly demonstrated that the man with the longest knife will rule. Instead of trying to force democracy where it cannot take root, at a cost of thousands of lives, we should choose our man in the region and make sure he has the longest knife.
Peter E. Goldman
Surfside, Florida, U.S.

The Stem-Cell Breakthrough
"Inside the Korean Cloning Lab" [May 30] reported that South Korean scientists have created human stem-cell lines that are perfectly matched to the dna of human patients. That story gave me mingled feelings of delight and worry. Although the whole world is now one step closer to an ideal situation for studying how diseases develop, I worry about whether the U.S. can maintain its scientific and technological superiority. Many other countries have been vigorously pursuing stem-cell projects, while the U.S. government restricts the research that federally funded scientists may do in that field. I hope that despite the roadblock, more Americans may be inspired by the successes in South Korea to get interested in science.
Junho Song
Torrance, California, U.S.

Your story seemed to suggest that foreign research labs are hungrier than those in the U.S. That is ridiculous. American medical-research laboratories, such as the one in which I am finishing my Ph.D., are also whirlwinds of purposeful activity. As I see it, the U.S. regulatory environment is the sole reason that the U.S. is ceding the lead in stem-cell research. That is not the fault of academic or industrial scientists, and the problem can be helped just so much by progressive state governments such as California's. The blame lies solely with the man in the White House, who seems to value the life of cells a few days old more than that of an 80-year-old Alzheimer's patient. Bush is an idiot.
Chris Antolik
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.