Letters

Mission to Mars

"Bush's Mars plan is an election-year strategy: a weapon of mass distraction designed to divert our attention from the economy."
Gail Moore
San Francisco

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The urge to explore space is in our blood, and only the uneducated can stop us from going [Jan. 26]. It is certain we will benefit from the knowledge we gain. We should embark on this venture as part of a cooperative worldwide effort. It sounds like a pipe dream, but there is enough out there for all of us.
Robert King
Edgerton, Wis.

We must aggressively venture into space to exploit the vast resources of other planets and asteroids. It would be the height of stupidity to ignore the opportunity and continue to strip our planet bare. Space exploration is also an insurance policy for humans and other Earth species. We must colonize the moon, Mars and then other worlds to ensure that our species goes on should Earth suffer a cataclysmic disaster.
William Hubbell
Miami

The proposed manned trip to Mars is a political boondoggle supported only by NASA and the aerospace and defense industries. It will be very expensive, with a low probability of success and very little real scientific value. The same goes for the International Space Station and the Star Wars missile-defense program. It's time we demand real results and use common sense to control reckless, wasteful, political-payoff spending.
Truman Hunter
Oxford, Ohio

As a freedom-loving American, I would gladly back the mission to Mars if the first person to go were President Bush. I am quite certain that we won't be able to find Vice President Cheney, or I would insist that he go too.
Colleen Stone
Merced, Calif.

Unless there is some plan to pack billions of dollars into garbage bags and hurl them into space, the Mars project will be essentially a domestic spending program. The bucks will be spent in the good ole U.S., for the most part. They'll be used to pay top-notch technicians, engineers and scientists plus manufacturers — a worthwhile subsidy indeed.
Frank L. Cooke
Tallahassee, Fla.

U.S. troops are still in Iraq, and we have no reason to believe they can leave anytime soon; the economy has major problems; we are constantly at risk from a terrorist attack. With conditions such as these, only George W. Bush would come up with a stunt like a mission to Mars. It is a slap in the face to our troops, the working class, senior citizens and those of us who are worried we won't have Social Security when we retire.
Lisa George
Shreveport, La.

Why should we spend vast amounts to reach Mars when there is a very high chance of its not providing anything that would improve our lot here on Earth? Why not allocate those billions for "home improvement"? Think of the progress that could be made in curing cancer, aids and other diseases; in cleaning our water, air and soil; and in feeding hungry nations. Why confront the hazards of outer space when we should be fighting homelessness, poverty and unemployment on Earth?
Corey Brunish
Lake Oswego, Ore.

We are doing a pretty good job thus far of ruining Earth, so is now the time to spoil other planets?
Paul Pugliese
Long Branch, N.J.

Would being the first to set foot on Mars earn Americans more respect from other nations? Why not concentrate on making friends with earthlings before engaging the Martians?
Junan Ecijan
Melbourne, Australia

Do we want to spend money on an expensive, potentially dangerous and nonurgent manned ego trip to Mars or on human welfare and the protection of Earth from real dangers like greenhouse gases? All the world's people should have a say in the matter.
Percy N. Kruythoff
Oldenzaal, the Netherlands

Martian Musings

In his viewpoint "Why We Shouldn't Go to Mars" [Jan. 26], author Gregg Easterbrook argued that we should be researching advanced methods of propulsion to launch payloads into orbit affordably. But Easterbrook needs to understand that this is not going to happen all by itself. Exploration drives research, not the other way around.
Ben Parris
Garden City, N.Y.

Easterbrook wrote, "Mars will still be there when the technology is ready." That is like saying we shouldn't go to Mars until we have the technology to do it in days instead of months. But would Easterbrook have argued that Lewis and Clark shouldn't have made their journey of exploration into the Louisiana Purchase until interstate highways had been built? I think our technology is ready now.
Michael Gallagher
Cortland, N.Y.

Democrats in Name Only

In "Living in Bill's Shadow" [JAN. 26], you discUSSED Bill Clinton's lingering influence over the Democratic presidential candidates' strategies for beating Bush. But genuinely Democratic politicians have been missing in action since the 1960s. The Democrats are vying for the hearts and minds of the party faithful, but they abandoned their core values and hung their supporters out to dry long ago. They made their pact with the devil to stay in office no matter what the cost. Principles were the first casualty. Democrats should stop their charade and join the Republicans. After all, enough Dems sided with the G.O.P. to pass tax cuts, reform Medicare and approve the invasion of Iraq. At least we know what the g.o.p. represents: borrowing and spending, massive deficits, militarism and Big Brother. The Democrats lack the moral fortitude to stand up for their ideals and constituencies. One can only hope that a defeat of the Democrats in the 2004 elections will lead to the party's dissolution.
Rick Moniz
Davis, Calif.