Letters

-#include virtual="/time/asia/magazine/2003/0811/thisweek.txt"-->Hong Kong's Velvet Revolution
It's inspiring to witness so many of Hong Kong's citizens standing up to the threats posed by China's one-party, authoritarian government [July 14]. But the odd and unfortunate thing missing from these protests is the noticeable lack of solidarity being shown them by anti-oppression protesters in the West. Shouldn't there be massive displays of outrage from like-minded organizations overseas, from musicians and even Hollywood? Surely, the socially aware, so clearly brought to life in recent years in response to America's foreign policy, should be addressing the current injustices in Hong Kong too.
Clifford Gantos
Nagaoka, Japan

Congratulations to TIME for the splendid, insightful and comprehensive report on the pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong. You provided cutting-edge coverage of the story that earned world headlines for Hong Kong. Hats off to all of you guys for a job well done!
Vernon Ram
Hong Kong

The Real Karachi
I'm very unhappy at TIME'S inaccurate portrayal of Karachi, the city where I was born and bred [June 16]. I feel it has been purposely exaggerated to create a wrong impression of the city and of the Muslim world. Karachi does have law-and-order problems, but not to this extent. So far, during the first 17 years of my life, all spent in Karachi, I have never—and, I am sure, never will—witness what you describe. Social work is taking place in Karachi, which is now the main seaport, industrial and financial hub of the country. The city boasts several top-notch educational institutions, its standard of living is increasing and security is getting better. I invite you to visit, and assure you of complete peace.
Marya Husain
Karachi

Spoils of War
I was thoroughly disgusted to read that American soldiers had looted and vandalized the airport in Baghdad [July 14]. Such acts show a gross lack of leadership on the part of the officers. During my 31 years in the U.S. Navy, including two tours commanding naval facilities in foreign countries, I never would have tolerated such conduct. I am proud of my country and want to show its best qualities. As for the comment by a U.S. military official that "soldiers do this stuff all the time, everywhere. It's warfare" —that is a total cop-out. How can we aspire to be the leader of the world if we can't even organize and properly lead our military personnel?
Jon C. McKenzie Captain, U.S.N. (ret.)
Fairfax, U.S.

Peace Is Hell
Your report "Life Under Fire," about the troops in Iraq, bore sad testimony to the failed postwar campaign [July 14]. While Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spars with journalists over the precise meaning of guerrilla war, Americans are suffering casualties on a daily basis, and their attempts to help the Iraqi people rebuild a country sputter and stall in the face of a security nightmare. No one in the U.S. government or military can take pride in the postwar situation. Instead of planning to protect Iraqis' most precious resources, we became helpless witnesses to the chaotic looting and sabotage of an entire country.
Harry Tubman
Pleasant Valley, U.S.

Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, is an extraordinary man, and he is doing everything he can to help Iraq, which is badly in need of a new order. In guerrilla warfare the most important strategy is to win the people's heart. We need to advertise why we are in Iraq. Get the Iraqi people on our side. Let them help us eliminate the bad influences. Make daily TV and radio announcements on Iraq's current situation and what the U.S. is doing to change it. Clarify the U.S.'s goals and objectives to the Iraqis. The more they see and hear about what we are doing for them, the more they will be convinced of our purpose.
Robert Ma
San Diego

You quoted Bremer as asking, "What's the alternative [to the U.S.'s rebuilding efforts]? Do you really think Iraq would be better off if we left?" My answer to that is yes. When the war started, I thought it was justified. I felt I should support my President in his decision, even though I have family members and friends in the military. Now the war is "over," yet U.S. soldiers are still being killed. How many more U.S. service members have to be killed before the troops can be pulled out for good?
Judy Fallon
Shrewsbury, U.S.

The deteriorating situation in Iraq, as ordinary Iraqis exhibit their dislike for the American and British presence, may prove that the troops have overstayed their welcome. It is one thing for a nation to show concern for the welfare of the world but quite another to interfere in another country's affairs. If Americans must play global watchdog, they might as well let the occupied nation do its own work. The images portrayed in your report were sad reminders of the mission that went bad in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993. Haven't Americans seen enough? How long will they allow their countrymen to suffer at the hands of the Iraqis? As long as the U.S. exerts its authority in other countries, it will certainly be unwelcome. It's time to use less force and more diplomacy in achieving peace.
Lakhvir Singh
Nairobi, Kenya

Intervening Interests
Michael Elliott stated that the Bush Administration needs to clearly explain why it wants to intervene in places such as Liberia that do not appear to pose a direct threat to the U.S. [July 14]. He noted that "dangers await any Administration that strays from the national interest as the lodestar of its policy." I disagree and support U.S. intervention in troubled countries for humanitarian purposes. George W. Bush should definitely send troops to Liberia, regardless of whether doing so is a matter of national interest for the U.S. On many occasions the U.S. has been way too slow in taking action, most notably during the beginning of World War II and in Rwanda.
Michael Swieca
New York City

I would be 100 times more willing to back a "social work" kind of military intervention than to support one that is a "just in case they have weapons of mass destruction and by the way let's get their oil" kind. We Americans should value the lives of our foreign brothers and sisters as much as we value our own. We started the war with Iraq at a time when there was no ongoing civil war, no uprising, no massacres. The situation was quite different in Bosnia and Kosovo: our troops ended years of bloodshed and prevented many more people from being killed, even though the conflict was not a direct threat to American interests.
Laura Chiu
Palo Alto, U.S.

A Riveting Read
Re the article on the novel by Monica Ali, Brick Lane [July 14]: reviewer Aparisim Ghosh is an Asian living in Britain, which I suppose he thinks gives him excellent credentials to castigate Ali's book in no uncertain terms. Well, I am Bangladeshi; I lived in England for 10 years and worked in Brick Lane, a Bangladeshi neighborhood in London. I knew the type of people Ali wrote about very well, and I found her book riveting. It caught the truth of Brick Lane exactly and sensitively. Ali is one of Britain's best young novelists.
Zeenat Chowdhury
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Where Are Those Weapons?
The headline "Who Lost The WMD?" [July 7] suggested (correctly) that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to lose. This fact was well documented by the allied forces at the end of Gulf War I in 1991. As to what happened to these weapons in the intervening 12 years, I see only three possibilities: 1) they have been very well hidden in the California-size country, 2) they have been secretly moved out of Iraq into another country, or 3) Saddam voluntarily chose to destroy the wmd without maintaining any record or evidence of their destruction. For those who believe that No. 3 is the correct explanation, I would offer them a magnificent bridge over the Rhine at a bargain price.
Marvin Clark
Frankfurt

Of Taxes and Tourists
In his conversation with TIME, Rudy Giuliani stated he was proud of reducing the hotel-occupancy tax [July 14]. When I was considering a visit to New York City, the thought of paying a tax to stay in a hotel room never crossed my mind, but the fear of being mugged certainly did. Giuliani deserves credit for controlling street crime so visitors can feel safe. As a result, my wife and I visit that great city frequently. By crediting a tax reduction for the increase in tourism, the former mayor is not doing tourists or his record full justice.
Sudhir Jain
Calgary, Canada

Britney All Grown Up
When I saw the ghastly fashion photo of Britney Spears in her bosom-baring outfit [July 14], you could have knocked me over with a water balloon. From the very first moment of her success, I said, "I hope fame doesn't ruin this beautiful young girl." That she has let the world dictate how she looks, how she acts and what she wears is a crime.
Dolores Nissim
Wildomar, U.S.

Master of Jazz Potpourri
Musician Herbie Mann, who died in July [MILESTONES, July 14], fused the music of different cultures to create new kinds of contemporary jazz. We described the talents of this versatile flutist in a Dec. 18, 1964, report:

"This week [Herbie Mann] was voted the top musician in his field for the eighth consecutive year in the Down Beat magazine readers' poll... With a canny eye on the box office, Mann has attracted a devoted following from the 'lay and fringe public' with a unique amalgam of jazz and ethnic music. Last week in Manhattan's cavernous Village Gate, the Herbie Mann Septet was serving up one of its typical jazz potpourris: gently infectious bossa nova, thumping Afro-Cuban, variations on a North African tribal chant, a Middle Eastern treatment of the theme from Fiddler on the Roof, a brooding interpretation of a classical piano piece written in 1888 by French composer Erik Satie ... Mann's flute is a sparrow in the treetops, lightly flitting and chirping above a heavy, sensuous beat laid down by the rhythm section ... Mann plays with eyes closed, standing disjointedly and undulating as if to entwine himself around the microphone ... [Says Mann:] 'We play simple, enjoyable music. My audience doesn't know it's supposed to be something they shouldn't like. It's not jazz, and it's not authentic ethnic; it's a crossbreed, a third thing.'"