Letters

Sec

After all the stories about crises, the war in Iraq and SARS, I was very happy to see the actors in the new Matrix movie on TIME's cover [MOVIES, May 12]. It felt good to look at your magazine and not see pictures of war and destruction. Thank you for informing and entertaining your faithful readers around the world.
SEHZAD M. SOOKLALL
Paris

LATEST COVER STORY Mind & Body Happiness Jan. 17, 2004 Past Issues Tsunami Jan. 10, 2004 ----------------- Person of the Year Jan. 3, 2004 ----------------- Secrets of the Nativity Dec. 13, 2004 ----------------- The Stealth Killer Dec. 6, 2004 ----------------- Coolest Inventions Nov. 29, 2004 ----------------- Battle for Fallujah Nov. 22, 2004 ----------------- Four More Years Nov. 15, 2004 ----------------- The Joy Of Sox Nov. 8, 2004 ----------------- The Morning After Nov. 1, 2004 ----------------- The God Gene Oct. 25, 2004 ----------------- The Vote Battle Oct. 18, 2004 ----------------- Visions of Tomorrow Oct. 11, 2004 ----------------- The Tragedy of Sudan Oct. 4, 2004 ----------------- CBS Controversy Sept. 27, 2004 ----------------- America's Border Sept. 20, 2004 ----------------- Struggle Within Islam Sept. 13, 2004 ----------------- World of George Bush Sept. 6, 2004 -----------------   SPECIAL REPORTS  Coolest Video Games 2004  Coolest Inventions  Wireless Society  Cool Tech 2004 PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS  At The Epicenter  Paths to Pleasure  Quotes of the Week  This Week's Gadget  Cartoons of the Week More graphics >> More photos >> MORE STORIES Advisor: Rove Warrior The Bushes: Family Dynasty Klein: Benneton Ad Presidency More Stories >> CNN.com: Latest News

What am I to think when TIME decides to put The Matrix Reloaded on its cover, given everything that is going on in the world? What's more, the story was an exclusive sneak peek. What a "coup" for a magazine owned by the same company, AOL Time Warner, that controls Warner Bros., the studio putting out the movie.
JACK SHEEHAN
Eden Prairie, Minn.

Your cover showed the sunglassed heroes of The Matrix Reloaded and their glamorous lethal weapons. The story, which focused on the film's style-setting influence, will be self-fulfilling. A mass-market publication doesn't just report on culture, it also creates it.
AMLIN GRAY
Byrdcliffe, N.Y.

I was disappointed, not to mention angered, by writer Richard Corliss's blow-by-blow description of the film. Please consider the casual moviegoer when publishing such articles, and please don't spoil things for those who haven't yet seen the movie. It leaves a bad taste in the mouths of millions of people.
JEFF BURTON
Dover, N.H.

I like reading about Hollywood's latest blockbusters, but I do not like to learn too many plot details before I see a movie. So I appreciated the "warning" in the article, which allowed me to get information without sacrificing my enjoyment of the movie.
MARCOS CEDILLO
East Lansing, Mich.

I jumped across the couch when I saw your cover on the new Matrix movie. It ushers in the most anticipated film since Star Wars. At first glance, the cover photo looked like a simple group shot of the characters, but to me the photo-montage represents the very essence of the deceptiveness of reality that is the Matrix. Corliss's article added to the excitement we fans have been feeling.
GORDON ROBERTS
Barrington, R.I.

Corliss was wrong to suggest that only a small, lonely segment of "cybernerds" was stimulated by The Matrix and its intellectual allusions. I was grateful to the writer-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski and their incredible cast and production team for inspiring me to dust off my copy of French social theorist Jean Baudrillard's Simulacres et Simulation, get out my books by semiotician Roland Barthes, argue with my friends about the theories of psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan and remember the thrill of the first time I read abstract mathematician Edwin A. Abbot's Flatland.
KEVIN HALL
Bowie, Md.

No Clear Road to Peace

In his article on the road map for peace in the Middle East [VIEWPOINT, May 12], Charles Krauthammer mistakenly credits the "radical new policy adopted by President Bush" for the current irrelevance of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. While the Bush Administration deserves high praise for its role in the Palestinian reforms, the real decision to strip Arafat of any relevance was made by Israeli citizens in the 2001 elections, when they chose Ariel Sharon to be Prime Minister on the basis of his promise to cease talks with Arafat until all Palestinian violence was brought to a halt. Under tremendous pressure from the U.S. and Europe to resume talks in spite of attacks, Sharon publicly declared, "We are not Czechoslovakia." Thus is the power of democracy!
JOSEPH CHEMTOB
New York City

President Bush's nonpolicy satisfied people like Krauthammer who believe that the Palestinians do not have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in their own land. But Krauthammer apparently hasn't noticed that Sharon's unchecked brutality has just about destroyed the Israeli economy. The once thriving tourist industry is dead. Sharon doesn't even pretend he will comply with the road map. It's clear that there can be no peace or justice until Israel is forced to comply with U.N. resolutions and an international force protects both sides. Only then will Israel no longer be able to steal Palestinian land under the pretense of security needs. The American people said they were happy to see Iraq "liberated." When in the name of God are they going to care that their tax money is supporting the destruction of an entire people?
JULIE ADAMS
Salt Point, N.Y.

Krauthammer attempted to put the best face possible on Bush's train wreck of a Middle East policy. It took the Administration 1 1/2 years to develop a plan for peace that completely fails to include participation of the key players in the region. If Bush is looking for a policy that sounds good in a 10-second sound bite during a presidential election, the road map may be the ticket. However, if we want a policy with teeth and a legitimate chance at success, we had better not hold our breath.
AARON MICHAEL ZITZELSBERGER
Kenosha, Wis.