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Government by the People
You got it right with your cover headline, "It's the Voters, Stupid. Forget the experts. Forget the polls. Forget the TV ads" [Jan. 21]. What the primary results from New Hampshire showed, once again, is the arrogance of America's national media — especially television news. The press seemed downright insulted that the voters of New Hampshire didn't vote the way the commentators and pollsters said they would. It's long past time that the talking heads acknowledge they don't have any more political insight than do the schoolteacher and garage mechanic pulling the lever in the voting booth. Frank Maurizio,
Schenectady, New York

I got a little weary of hearing about Senator Hillary Clinton's so-called victory in the New Hampshire primary. Clinton and Barack Obama each garnered nine delegates from New Hampshire. That's called a tie. Did the Clinton campaign buy off every media outlet to proclaim Clinton's Lazarus-like resurrection, her stunning victory, her overwhelming come-from-behind triumph? H. David Goldsmith,
Chatham, Canada

The pundits and newscasters were practically slobbering over Clinton's projected defeat and could barely wait to crown Obama the winner long before the polls closed. Obama is smart, attractive, likable and a fabulous orator, but we need much more than beautiful speeches. Bambi Lin Litchman,
Tacoma, Washington

Saved by Sentiment?
Although polls indicate that women were instrumental in Clinton's win in New Hampshire, I take exception to the premise that the majority of women were taken in when she showed emotion [Jan. 21]. My immediate reaction to the episode was that she was showing the frustration that had been building for days. Clinton is not a touchy-feely woman who has hidden her emotions all these years. She is cold and calculating, and I'm sure that in future months we will see the real lady, the one who will do anything to get the nomination. I doubt Clinton will be able to maintain this new voice she says she has found. Susan Kraebber,
West Lafayette, Indiana

A Diplomat's Doings
I nostalgically enjoyed 10 questions with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright [Jan. 21]. She is right that the world has been seriously damaged by the current Administration and that the next President, whoever that poor soul may be, will have an extraordinary amount of cleaning up to do. I find it amazing that the Secretary is able to convey her feelings without rancor, hostility or bitterness. That's the mark of a true diplomat. Oren M. Spiegler
Upper Saint Clair, Pennsylvania

Albright cited Kosovo as the greatest achievement of her career as Secretary of State. It was the first act of the U.S. in the post-cold war era by which military action was used as a human-rights tool, and it opened a Pandora's box. It might be too early to call the operation a success. Drasko Jovanovic,
Portland, Oregon

Locavores vs. Distavores
I'm sorry that the local-food movement is cramping Joel Stein's style [Jan. 21]. But just because 100 miles (160 km) has been used as an arbitrary procurement distance doesn't mean that people who try to eat locally walk around the supermarket with a GPS unit. I still enjoy bananas and coffee, and I have no problem drinking beer that comes from — gasp! — California. The point of eating locally is to become more familiar with our food. It's nice to hear a farmer say that my rib-eye steak came from a cow that ate local pasture grass rather than a corn-and-antibiotic slurry. Ben Kraft,
Ann Arbor, Michigan

If I were to limit my food choices to locally produced items, my diet some months would be based on dairy, eggs, chicken and frozen vegetables — not the most healthful or interesting food plan. Farm-to-table advocates might win more converts by focusing less on chastising consumers for purchasing convenient and economical foods and more on making those choices available to all. Sam Manbeck,
York, Pennsylvania

Stein's rant against Locavores only emphasized how some Americans have become spoiled brats. "I want Alaskan salmon, truffles from Europe, a bottle of Beaujolais, a damn pineapple." I want, I want, I want. Considering that two-thirds of our nation's adults are overweight, perhaps a few more carrots and fewer imported bottles of wine are just what the country needs. Nick Jensen,
Campbell, California

Avoiding ethiopian coffee, Italian olive oil and Indian mangoes is a recipe for both a bland and boring diet and harmful, protectionist trade policies. There is no reason we can't eat fresh, local carrots that are seasoned with saffron from across the world. In doing so we blend cultures the way only good eating can. Susan R. Holmberg,
New York City

The Root of Kenya's Chaos
As a Kenyan, I was troubled by "The Demons That Still Haunt Africa," which distorted the situation in Kenya either out of ignorance or in keeping with the Western media's romance with the bleak face of Africa [Jan. 21]. The postelection skirmishes in Kenya are not a natural consequence of poverty. Kenyans have been poor but peaceful for decades. Rather, the protests are the language of the weak against a regime that rigged itself into power. Second, tribalism is not new; it started with the imperial British driving wedges between people to facilitate colonization. It was later perfected by myopic postcolonial leaders. And developed countries like the U.S. are not half as enthusiastic about a stable democratic Africa as they are about forging partnerships against terrorism and for their multinational corporations. Rich nations are very much a part of the demons that haunt Africa. Mark Evans Ondari,
East Lansing, Michigan

You fell short of reminding readers that the same demons haunt Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas — they arise from the evil in human nature. And Kenya is not Africa's sole "island of stability." You have only to look at my home country, Ghana. Africa has been marginalized in the media except when it comes to bloodshed. Unfortunately, you affect Africa's efforts at development as much by what you choose not to report. William K. Agadzi,
Worcester, Massachusetts

Going NoKo
Having myself tried to channel James Bond by crossing the DMZ into North Korea with a busload of South Korean tourists, I read Jenn Gearey's report with pleasure and a touch of nostalgia for the government minders, bugged hotel rooms, and forced deleting of photographs that made for a travel experience like no other [Jan. 14]. Hope seemed present: a "unification flag" flew outside our hotel and a KOREA AS ONE banner unfurled during an evening circus show drew the loudest applause of the night. As for generations past who cycled through Hitler's Germany or crossed the Iron Curtain, it's certainly true that traveling to North Korea entails a moral decision. But I think it important that people see inside this controversial nation and that curious North Koreans continue to get glimpses of the West. David Mack,
Sydney

Cosmic Comics
Re "Lumps in the Cosmos" [Jan. 21]: as a member of the comedy group Firesign Theatre, along with Phil Austin, Peter Bergman and David Ossman, I would like to point out that we first espoused the "cosmic lump theory" back in 1971 with our album I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus. During a simulated ride, "Up Against the Wall of Science," at the holographic Future Fair, the narrator says, "For some reason, for some time in the beginning, there were hot lumps. Cold and lonely, they whirled noiselessly through the black holes of space. These insignificant lumps came together to form our first union — our sun, the heating system. And about this glowing gasbag rotated the earth, a cat's-eye among aggies, blinking in astonishment across the face of time." Please give credit where it's due! Phil Proctor,
Beverly Hills, California