Letters: Dec. 25, 2006

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RE "So, Should You Buy a Diamond?" [Nov. 27]: This is a serious question, given the unsavory facts about how these stones are procured. A diamond is nothing but crystallized carbon that shines up prettily. The gullibility of people could just as easily lead us to admire a cow patty, glazed, shined and set in aluminum. It is all a matter of the value placed on something by those who profit from its sale and by those who believe its possession makes them enviable. These folks ignore what it takes to get a diamond: the slave labor, the exploitation of entire nations, the dastardly deeds of mining-company overseers. It would really be something if one day the world would wake up and realize it has been duped. PATRICIA GREEN Columbia, Mo.

TV's Melting Pot

Essayist James Poniewozik's "Ugly, the American" [Nov. 27] seemed to champion the cause of illegal immigrants, at least as they are depicted in the TV show Ugly Betty. It's easy for him to do, since most of the people sneaking into our country illegally aren't vying to pen pieces for TIME for a fraction of Poniewozik's salary. But American citizens and legal immigrants who face unemployment as a result of weak border security can't afford to be so glib. BOB HEANEY New York City

I am insisting that all my friends and family read Poniewozik's article. My grandparents were from Mexico. My parents were born in the U.S. and grew up in a mainly Mexican community. They were raised to be bilingual and bicultural and graduated high school at a time when they were forbidden to speak Spanish there. My dad is a Korean War veteran. My brothers and I attended college. I married a Mexican farmworker with a green card. ¡Dios mio! I remember a time when we rarely saw a brown face in the media. Immigrants remain the hardworking, grateful backbone of this great country's stability.

DOLORES CARDENAS Safford, Ariz.