Letters

I urge you to look into this and do a story on it.

—Tony Nejad
Los Angeles

SCREAMING PRAISE

I am writing to praise Margaret Wertheim’s article “Buckyballs and Screaming Cells” [April 4–10]. Man, can she write! I think this article should be submitted for a science-writing award: It both explained the science clearly and simply, and narrated a story in beautiful, descriptive language. I am a science writer myself and know how difficult seamlessly melding these two skills can be.

—Whitney Clavin
Los Angeles

THE REPUBLICANS ARE COUNTING ON YOU

On Marc Cooper’s article “Beat Bush” [Dissonance, May 9–15], here is yet another “let’s be reasonable” sermon by Mr. Cooper. He asks where all the paranoia about Mr. Bush comes from. Perhaps it stems from the fact that in two and a half years, he has assumed power under dubious circumstances, taken this as a mandate for imposing his neo-Christian beliefs on everyone, turned an economic surplus into a massive deficit (a good part of which has been used to feed his fat corporate friends and annihilate a couple of Third World countries), and blatantly resurrected the image of the “Ugly American” worldwide. And you think Dick Gephardt is a worse choice? Contrary to your feeble attempts at reassurance, Mr. Bush is a dangerous president. LBJ killed 2 million Vietnamese. Bush has killed ONLY thousands of Iraqis, but he still has five and a half years to go. Yes, Mr. Cooper, we realize only too well that Bush’s 70 percent approval rating is not a myth.

Bill Clinton may have had one blowjob too many for his own good, but I’ll take the state of the union from 1992 to 2000 over that of Bush Nation any day. Yes, the United States has survived depressions, wars and despotic administrations without, as you put it, learning German. African-Americans have survived and overcome slavery and lynchings, and Jews have survived holocausts and bigotry. So, what’s your point — that we should just sit back and say things could be worse? The Republicans are counting on you. Keep up the good work.

—Fred Stratton
Los Angeles

WRONG PYTHON

In “The Back Story” [May 9–15], you refer to an Observer story written by Terry Gilliam. The story was actually written by Terry Jones.

—Mark Kohler
Santa Monica