Also this issue:

A Friend to the End
Rick Santorum's questionable defense of Trent Lott.
-J.J. Balaban

Torture By Hire
-Bruce Schimmel

January 2- 8, 2003

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Hidden Truths

(Re: Fugitive Fumble, Deborah Bolling, Nov. 28, 2002)

Deborah Bolling's article addressed issues that are important to not only the black community but to modern society as a whole. Bolling took on three of the most powerful entities in the information business: print media, black leadership and the police. These image-shaping entities influence how many of us perceive ourselves and those around us. Misinformation, misguidance or failure to respond on the part of any of these institutions threatens to handicap each American's well-being, freedom and potential to think critically and compassionately.

Misumbo Byrd
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dirty Little Secrets

The regulations issued by the Bush administration recently to limit the dumping of animal waste from factory farms into our lakes and streams represent too little too late. They are a sweet deal for polluting cattle barons, but they literally stink for the rest of us.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that agricultural runoff dumps more pollution into our lakes and streams than all other human activities combined. The runoff contains soil particles, animal manure, assorted debris, salts, pesticides, drugs and heavy metals that produce vast dead zones around U.S. estuaries.

Yet the rule covers only 6 percent of the 238,000 factory farms, and none of the croplands growing animal feed. The polluters have four years to come up with a waste management plan, and then they can shop around for a money-hungry state to approve it. Alas, this is totally in tune with the rest of the administration's bankrupt environmental policy.

Fortunately, every one of us has the power to stop subsidizing this outrage three times a day, just by saying no to polluting meat and dairy products. It shows the power of the individual in a democratic society.

Paul Parilla
Philadelphia

Spy Vs. I

The United States has troops stationed around the world, as did Britain and Rome in their time. This is known as protecting the empire. In order to do this, the U.S. must be on the cutting edge of military technology, thus the enormous military budget. To pay for all of this, the empire must cut expenses where it can. So, the Bush administration has decided to cut spending in every area from health and education to the environment.

This has a tendency to annoy most progressive people who feel social needs should come before empire-building. As the list of disgruntled Americans grows, the government must find ways to keep them in check. That is why the FBI now has the authority to wiretap anyone they want and they can now peek into your checking account and medical records and spy on people on the Internet.

Even the far right seems mistrustful of all this empire-building. What's a government to do? Desperate times call for desperate measures. Such as neighbor spying on neighbor. Besides being horribly offensive, it's useless. What terrorist group would discuss sabotage while a meter reader was in the house or postman was delivering the mail? It doesn't have to net any spies or terrorists, just make Americans mistrustful of each other and not the government.

Harry Schmidt
Holmesburg