Letters: Apr. 12, 1999

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The prostitutes at a legal brothel in southern Nevada, where I served as madam for five years, hooted at the absurdity of Monica's claim that "telling 10 people [of her affair with the President] was being pretty discreet" [NATION, March 15]. Girls who work in legal brothels entertain some pretty high-powered men whose names are instantly recognizable. The anonymity of the men who enter the brothel is sacrosanct. No professional brothel prostitute reveals the identity of any of her clients, regardless of their status or celebrity. A prostitute's commitment to total discretion is a prerequisite to her employment. In my tell-all book about Sheri's Ranch, the brothel where I was madam, I gave readers a fly-on-the-wall view of brothel activities. I did not reveal the identity of the clients. No promise of financial gain could have persuaded me otherwise. Interesting, isn't it, that professional prostitutes have more integrity than Monica, whose loose lips almost sank the ship of state? LORA SHANER Pahrump, Nev.

HAIL TO THE YANKEE CLIPPER

My eyes were damp when I finished the eloquent and touching piece by Paul Gray on Joe D. [SPORT, March 22], truly an American legend and icon. The sports aura in which DiMaggio flourished is apparently gone forever. NORMAN R. KIRK Etobicoke, Ontario

Back in the mid-'60s, my dad took me to Joe's restaurant in San Francisco. Somehow Dad sneaked away and asked DiMaggio if he'd come talk to me. I will never forget that moment when Joltin' Joe sat down with a 10-year-old ballplayer to talk about baseball and give me his autograph. This middle-aged man is still deeply touched that the great Joe DiMaggio would take that time with me, and no doubt thousands of other young men. To me, that will always be the measure of his greatness. GARY DEWITT Tahoe Vista, Calif.