Skiing's Wild Child

Time's story on controversial American skier Bode Miller drew sharply divided reactions from our readers. Many wrote to applaud Miller for his exciting, iconoclastic approach to his sport and his willingness to speak his mind. Other readers registered their disapproval of Miller as a party boy and poor role model

It was good to read an objective article about Olympic skier Bode Miller [Jan. 23]. The cover photo was good too. Miller isn't a bad guy just because he loves the sport of skiing more than simply beating his competitors. He's capable of independent thinking, and he consistently strives to do his best. It is unfortunate that Miller's self-confidence seems to intimidate the conformist coaches who have trouble coping with him. They should be grateful that they have an athlete who excels.
Natalie D. Dunlap
Lewiston, Maine, U.S.

You said Miller believed "it's playing the game that counts." Maybe so, but one glance at Miller's ski clothing shows nearly a dozen logos from the corporate giants that sponsor him. That hardly makes him a "Rebel on the Edge," as your story's headline proclaimed. He looks more like a billboard on skis.
Alice Kelly
Boston

Bode Miller may be an unorthodox member of the U.S. Olympic ski team, but I find his honesty and integrity refreshing. He must be doing something right to have won as many races as he has. After reading the article and seeing him in a TV interview, I was taken by his pure heart. He is uncomfortable about the money and acclaim and seems like a well-grounded young man. I hope uptight Americans can see past Miller's rebellious streak and cherish him for the free spirit and fine skier he is.
Deborah A. Schmuck
Denver

Your story referred to competitive skiing as a "world where winners get endorsements and losers work for the ski patrol." That view serves only to demean a rescue cadre established to serve the public in ways that no other organization could. Members of the ski patrol are skilled and passionate about what they do.
Tom McCoy
Heidelberg, Germany

Time certainly didn't devote its attention to Miller because he's a role model for young skiers with dreams — he's not! A professional athlete who admits having competed at the World Cup level while hung over can't be all that smart. In skiing, it takes a split second to fall and break your neck, and it's much easier for it to happen if you aren't completely sober.
Enzo Concina
Piacenza, Italy

Republican Reform
"Can This Elephant Be Cleaned Up?" reported on the influence-peddling scandal in Washington involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff and members of Congress [Jan. 23]. It's a sad point in U.S. history when a lobbyist's extensive ties become equivalent to political clout. Even with the exposure of the Abramoff scandal, Republicans "debate how they can project change while keeping things much the same." What an insult! Instead of endeavoring to serve the people, these "public servants" want to use lip service and cosmetic changes to pull the wool back over our eyes. There can be no excuses for their flagrant disrespect and misuse of public office.
Jeremiah Duke
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, U.S.

A Sweater for All Seasons
Your notebook item "No Changing His Stripes," about Bolivia 's new President, Evo Morales, and his omnipresent striped pullover [Jan. 23], made me wish there were more leaders like Morales who would pay less attention to how they look for photo ops and more to their job.
Anurag Chatrath
New Delhi

Above the Law?
Andrew Sullivan, in his essay "America Doesn't Need a New King George" [Jan. 23], was right to criticize President George W. Bush's habit of attaching signing statements that give his interpretation of the legislation he signs. Taking the oath of office, Bush swore to "protect and defend" the Constitution. But his Administration is undermining that document's checks and balances. If lying under oath about an affair was reason enough to bring impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton, then there is cause 10 times over for impeaching Bush. Shame on him, and shame on us if we let him get away with it.
Karen Montgomery
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The idea that the president can unilaterally transform legislation that Congress has passed by using a presidential signing statement to explain his actions is outrageous and contrary to the Constitution. No rational American wants the presidency to have such power.
Mike Ford
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Andrew Sullivan's blog, the Daily Dish, can be found at time.com.

Telling Stories
your report "the trouble with memoirs" described the controversy over how much of author James Frey's "memoir," A Million Little Pieces, is made up and how much is real [Jan. 23]. Frey's shamelessness after being exposed for having embellished parts of the book is symptomatic of a much larger problem in American society. As your article pointed out, fiction doesn't sell nearly as well as nonfiction, and Frey couldn't find a publisher when he tried to market his work as fiction. So it was called nonfiction. Making a ton of money is apparently more important to him than being truthful, but the real tragedy in this case is that most people don't care. Liars and cheaters have been around since the beginning of civilization, but only in the present era have they been so lavishly rewarded for their bad behavior.
Mark Stuart Ellison
New York City

As readers we often find ourselves investing significant amounts of emotional energy in the characters who inhabit our favorite books. We expect an author to ensure that our heroes and villains remain true to themselves. In this way, we feel empathy for them. Imagine our sense of betrayal if we found out at the end of Moby Dick that Captain Ahab had lost his leg in a riding accident rather than to a whale. If the events that define a character's personality and interaction with the world have been greatly embellished or never occurred, a story loses its meaning and power to move. Frey's A Million Little Pieces cannot, as the author espouses, contain emotional truth, since the principal character, Frey, is not true to himself. If the defining moments of the book are falsehoods, Frey is lying to his readers.
James Sheil
Dublin

"The Trouble With Memoirs" was extremely hard on Frey. You suggested that the author has not recovered from the problem of "bending and breaking the truth on a regular, routine basis," which accompanies addiction to drugs and alcohol. Frey wrote a book to help people. By sharing his arduous journey through hell, he thought he might prevent others from doing the same. His book inspires and helps millions. I was upset by the critical tone of your article.
Niels van der Kloot
Rotterdam

A Not-So-Super U.S.?
Michael Elliott's column, "Be Careful What You Wish For" [Jan 23], referred to a new book by political scientist Michael Mandelbaum in which the author argues that the U.S. has provided the world a degree of security by damping down the prospect of global war and opposing the spread of nuclear weapons. But Elliott's piece was simplistic; he omitted historical information about Iran. You cannot offer a one-sided view of the serious issue of Iran's nuclear-enrichment program while ignoring the reasons that created the current political situation there. Iran is one of numerous countries in which the U.S. has practiced intervention in order to set up a political administration more sympathetic to the U.S. During the rule of the Shah of Iran, it was the U.S. that provided much of the weaponry and technical support that Iran used in later years for purposes less friendly toward the U.S. and the world in general.
Chris Angelis
Tampere, Finland