Letters: Jan. 15, 2007

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A million bravos for naming the millions of us Person of the Year! We transformed the Internet into a great resource for education and creativity. The world will never be the same, and we all did it! LOUIS PERRY New York City

TIME's editors must have been under enormous pressure not to name Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Person of the Year, as your readers did in the online poll. What percentage of people in the world have ever heard of YouTube? What is the scale of its effect on people outside the U.S.? The proper headline for your cover should have been AMERICAN PERSON OF THE YEAR. ZAC ZHANG Shenzhen, China

In this era of rampant and unbridled narcissism, you have made the perfect choice. Thanks for the mirror. I just can't take my eyes off me, me, me. BRIAN O'NEIL Alameda, Calif.

I respectfully decline TIME's Person of the Year distinction. To paraphrase Groucho Marx, I don't want to be chosen by any magazine that would select me as its most newsworthy person. BILL EISEMAN Virginia Beach, Va.

Family Feud

I was deeply offended by James C. Dobson's Viewpoint "Two Mommies Is One Too Many" [Dec. 18]. Isn't it just too bad that not every human being falls into a neat little category and not every family lives the Father Knows Best lifestyle? Dobson cites expert research about the importance of children having a father in the home. I have likewise read about many same-sex couples who provide love, nurturing and stability for their children. I have such a couple in my family and am very proud of how they are raising their children. Same-sex couples raising children are not conducting, as Dobson put it, a "social experiment" but are simply living their lives. Why should these couples be denied the right to parent? JUDITH A. PFEIFER Evanston, Ill.

I was mortified to learn that Dobson distorted my work in a guest column. Not only did he misrepresent my research in saying that only mothers stress sympathy and care to their children and only fathers stress justice and fairness, but his citation of my work to support his attack on Mary Cheney's intention to raise her child with her lesbian partner is completely without foundation. CAROL GILLIGAN NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW New York City

My husband and I are very appreciative of Dobson's work on behalf of children and wish to thank you for publishing his views. We believe that children need both a father and a mother and that time will show how important it really is for them. Although all viewpoints are supposed to be worthwhile in the age of information, very often the Christian viewpoint is hushed. It was nice to know that TIME magazine still believes in religious tolerance. COLLEEN GLASS Henrietta, N.Y.

Taking Aim at an Epithet