Letters: Oct. 23, 2006

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I very much appreciated Weisskopf's article and started to cry when I read about Specialist James Fair, the young man who suffered a brain injury, lost his eyesight and both hands. He weighs on my conscience because I have not reconciled myself to my responsibility for his injuries as an outspoken supporter of our liberation of Iraq. I have work to do on that, and it continues to keep me awake.

KAREN HOWARD Redmond, Wash.

Having torn a tendon in my right rotator cuff, for which the only treatment is surgery, I have been obsessed with how I'm going to get dressed, do my hair and apply my makeup with my dominant hand in a sling. Then I read Weisskopf's story. I am no longer worried about my situation. The courage exemplified by Weisskopf and the amputees at Walter Reed are awe inspiring and humbling.

MARY ELLEN LUKASIEWICZ Cumberland, R.I.

Hurricane Hugo

Hugo Chávez's speech at the U.N. General Assembly, in which he called President George W. Bush the devil, made no contribution to peace [Oct. 2]. Chávez tried to transform an important forum of debate into a circus. Maybe he thought that he was on Jon Stewart's Daily Show, or maybe he was trying to mimic Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who banged the lectern with his shoe in the same forum. Both leaders were disrespectful to the delegates, U.N. officials and the U.N. as an institution that represents our ultimate hope for peace. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should take measures to avoid such occurrences in the future and uphold the dignity of the institution.

JOSÉ THOMAZ GAMA DA SILVA Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Instead of criticizing Chávez for his verbal attack on the President, perhaps we should ask why foreign leaders like him are attacking Bush. Has a U.S. President ever been so vilified worldwide? Is the rest of the world wrong? I applaud the courage of Chávez, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others who are not afraid to speak out. If our leaders are pigheaded and hell-bent on having their erroneous way, we should stop them from pursuing their ill-conceived, self-destructive course.

DAVID CHEN Hacienda Heights, Calif.

I was disappointed that your story did not mention what every American should know about Chávez: there is legitimate opposition to his rule in Venezuela, but his method for dealing with it has been to replace the legislature and decree that all law come from a special council he appointed. The judicial branch of the Venezuelan government was packed with Chávez loyalists, and the constitution was rewritten. He might have come to power by the ballot box, but he has remained in power using different tools. In short, Chávez is actually the kind of President that many delusional leftists accuse Bush of being: an ideologue who has reshaped his country's government to stifle political competition and consolidate his authority.

MIKE GRADY Atlanta

As far as I am concerned, President Chávez owes an apology to the devil.

JAMES MILLS Hanover, N.H.

A War for Darfur?