Letters: May 15, 2006

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Christ invited all people to celebrate with him in his earthly ministry, but Opus Dei seems to be an exclusive club. Any group that separates itself from daily contact with the faithful violates the teaching that the faithful form one body in Christ. Shame on the Vatican for encouraging the divisive work of Opus Dei. DANEEN WARNER Durham, N.C.

It's puzzling that people join Opus Dei to live their faith on a daily basis. Anyone can do so without joining an esoteric group. One simply has to attend church, pray regularly, be sincere in trying to live a good life and become an active member of the local parish--no self-flagellation required. Perhaps that is too simple, similar to the injunctions in The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, which remind us that we treat Jesus as we treat one another. (THE REV.) TOM ZELINSKI Marathon, Wis.

Sizing Up the Senate

Re "America's 10 Best Senators" [April 24]: When it was created, Congress was intended to be the most powerful branch of our government, and in a time when most Americans can't even name 10 Senators, it is refreshing to see TIME putting them back in the spotlight. The media's greatest responsibility is to inform the public when our representatives are performing well, in order to encourage them, and to inform us when they are doing poorly, so they might either change their behavior or be fired through an election. DANNY G. GIBBENS Aurora, Colo.

The resolution to create a Federal Department of Peace and Nonviolence that Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton introduced was portrayed as an impractical liberal endeavor. In fact, that idea is neither impractical nor liberal. It is commonsense. The proposed legislation strives to establish a framework for resolving conflicts without military aggression. Will it prevent all future conflict? No. Will it reduce the amount of violence? The answer is yes. Is it worth a try? Yes! I tip my hat to Senator Dayton for standing his ground on what he believes, something that seems to be rare on Capitol Hill these days. MATT ROTELLA West Chester, Pa.

The Return of Newt

I enjoyed columnist Joe Klein's "Why Newt Is So Much Fun to Watch" [April 24], on Gingrich's tour in New Hampshire. I would vote for him for President in a New York minute. It's too bad he left Congress. Had he stayed, he would have pushed through the fiscal reforms that Republicans thought they were going to get when they elected Bush. The President would have had to use his veto early and often to keep Newt from eliminating a quarter of the federal programs and their related wasteful bureaucracies. And we would have already had a Mexican border fence. DARRELL HANSHAW Austin, Texas

To Deter or Disarm?

TIME's comprehensive analysis of the Iranian nuclear standoff was wonderfully well written and insightful [April 3]. Iranian leaders rely for the defense of their country on a simple perception: that an opponent doesn't dare make an aggressive move for fear of devastating consequences. Peaceful negotiations through sustained diplomacy seem to be the only viable way out of this threatening situation. Then again, isn't the unwelcome prospect of mutually assured destruction a universally acclaimed deterrent against the unbearable perils of terrorism's ultimate expression? PIERRE GALIPEAU St.-Léonard, Que.