Hearts and Minds
The articles included in the series "Playing Defense" ["The Eye of the Storm"; "Hey, Let's Play Ball," November 6] are the first I've read that sound as if the writers did their jobs properly. They listened, quoted on-the-record named sources, and reported it straight. No anonymous sources, no think-tank outsiders, no disgruntled career naysayers. Just one gratuitous "eavesdroppers" comment at the beginning. Bravo. The people at the National Counterterrorism Center are our first line of defense against our mortal enemies. They need to be supported, cheered, and rewarded.
JIM MCMAHON
Los Alamitos, Calif.
Way to go, U.S. News! tell our enemies all about our efforts and agencies to combat terrorism. Your recent articles exposing the efforts of the National Counterterrorism Center were the answer to a terrorist's dream.
DAVID L. SMITH
Punta Gorda, Fla.
In your report, you describe one mission of our intelligence agencies as "understand[ing] why people join terrorist organizations and other groups engaged in antisocial activity." We will get nowhere if we don't think outside our western value systems. Joining a group gives purpose to these terrorists' existence among approving peers and leaders and feelings of some control and power over their futures. This is particularly emphatic for those knowing only generations of poverty and oppression under authoritarian regimes. Not until we accept the reality of centuries of tribal, religious, cultural, and social hatreds and that we cannot cure their problems or expect them to embrace modern democracy, will we be able to deal with these issues.
DAVID HORN
Oakland, Calif.
Campaigns for a Cure
The interview with Columbia University physician, author, and historian Barron Lerner ["The Celebrity of Disease," November 13] serves as a timely reminder that celebrities, especially the ones who are sick, have "helped shape modern medicine and how we view our own health." In Zambia, a developing African country, former President Kenneth Kaunda openly declared that one of his sons was suffering from AIDS and then mounted a massive publicity campaign on the preventive aspects of the disease with creative, eye-catching posters and slogans that have helped save thousands of lives.
KANGAYAM R. RANGASWAMY
Waunakee, Wis.
Parkinson's disease patient Michael J. Fox is uncomfortable and suffering, but he is not a desperate patient as described by Lerner in his interview. Fox never fails to call this illness a blessing and his experiences, as a result, enrichment to his life.
PAULA WITTEKIND
Florida State Parkinson Action Network Coordinator
Parkinson patient for 17 years
Rockledge, Fla.
Lifetime of Learning
In addition to boomers taking regular college courses and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offering lecture programs to senior citizens, there is a tier of continuing education programs offered by many leading universities ["The Class Goes Gray," November 6]. UCLA Extension, for example, provides ongoing educational opportunities through the Plato Society, an organization of more than 400 mostly retired men and women who meet weekly in small study-discussion groups. Each 14-week term, Plato offers a choice of about 25 subjects from art and science to literature, history, and more. Courses are self-taught, and each member leads one discussion topic a term. Seniors who have time for the sheer joy of learning and doing so in concert with their peer group can get in touch with nearby colleges and universities to find out if they offer similar programs.
DON R. CUNNINGHAM
Pasadena, Calif.
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