Backtalk
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China Eats the World
Jacques Leslie's "The Last Empire" is the best article I've read in the last 10 years—on any subject—in any magazine. It brings to focus the huge problem we have: China's massive population becoming more and more Westernized and how any decision it makes is compounded 1.3 billion times. Scary, indeed.
david drell
Mundelein, Illinois
"The Last Empire" unfairly characterizes Armstrong's wood-purchasing policies. Armstrong is the country's largest manufacturer and seller of wood flooring. We are absolutely committed to protecting the resource base that is so important to our livelihood. We require our suppliers to provide documentation certifying that flooring is made from legally harvested logs and produced in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (national and international), including those covering raw materials and labor. For example, we sell merbau flooring—in an amount that is equivalent to 110 trees per year. Given the substantial evidence of illegal logging of merbau, we engaged an independent third party, the Tropical Forest Foundation, to audit our purchases and tff confirmed that the lumber used to manufacture Armstrong's merbau flooring was acquired in accordance with Indonesian law.
meg graham
Vice president, corporate communication
Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
The editors respond: The story stated that Armstrong "sells endangered Indonesian merbau, and declines to join the certification plan." Both are correct. Regarding the merbau logging audit, it should be noted that an Armstrong ceo sits on the Tropical Forest Foundation's board of directors.
Blame Us, Dodd
In "Assume the Position" you give Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards each a column and then one to "Other Democrats." I suspect you followed the mainstream press' pernicious presumptions that equally covering the candidates is a waste of time because voters can't process so many choices, and that most will drop out soon enough. In so doing, Mother Jones furthers this self-fulfilling prophecy.
paul lachelier
Somerville, Massachusetts
Cheap Trick
Regarding Nicole McClelland's "SugarDaddy.com" I'm extremely disappointed that Mother Jones would print such an article. I can think of a vast number of reasons why prostitution is wrong, but I suppose we're not allowed to list any "moral" reasons. I find it tragic that after women fought so hard to win the rights to vote, to an education, and to fair wages, they would feel that prostitution is a career alternative. P.S. And in case anyone is wondering, yes, I'm pretty, and no one pays my bills!
rose titus
Andover, Massachusetts
Citizen Pain
As a former community-newspaper editor who effectively resigned in protest, I could have written a nearly identical essay regarding the sorry state of newspaper journalism in America. While the industry faces understandable cost cutting, it's unfortunate that what suffer are the editorial divisions. Gone is the copydesk and the graphic-design department. A handful of editors and reporters must do everything, without regard for the toll this takes on the staff and the finished product. I have witnessed executives lauding the benefits of "citizen journalists" as a solution to an underpaid, understaffed newsroom. In recent years the public has lost such respect for the "media" that many feel they could do a better job. What many readers and newspaper ceos forget is that journalism is a profession with very real societal responsibilities. News reporting is not a hobby. It is serious work for serious people. Any other approach does a grave disservice to our democracy.
blaine crimmins
Frisco, Texas
You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again
Nick Baumann's review praises my book Free Lunch for exposing hidden giveaways to the rich, but then goes off track with a factual error. I didn't write that ceos worry about sullying their reputations. The line is about think tanks like Cato and Heritage that spout about the horrors of government spending while relying on donors who gorge at hidden troughs of government largesse. Baumann also dismisses the fundamental reform I propose to free Congress from the political-donor-class' grip. Corporate jet trips, meals, and other favors give corporations and the superrich access to pitch more laws favoring them. This costly free lunch is unhealthy for the vast majority. Free Lunch suggests that we pay all the costs of Congress, require detailed disclosure—and in return impose prison terms on those who take any gift, even a shot of free whiskey. Call it zero tolerance for legalized bribery. I hope Mother Jones will stimulate debate on this crucial issue.
david cay johnston
Rochester, New York
Grow up people of color time to take responsibility like Bill Cosby has always said.
In 2008 a massive movement will be started by individuals
who are fed up with the election process that exists in
the United States.
This is what will happen:
The citizens in this group will start mailing out envelopes
filled with small amounts of various powdered substances
normally found around the house.
These envelopes will be sent to the addresses available on
the Internet for all the candidates that the persons
are NOT in favor of.
This is why:
In 1991 an engineer, working in Boca Raton, Florida
wrote an e-book about this different form of terrorist
warfare (available Free on web site www.farviewu.biz).
Ten years later, just after the 9-11 event another event
occurred (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks).
Based on this post 9-11 their envelopes will close up the
candidates offices and possibly even the post office.
It may even shut down the 2008 election.
The individuals involved in the act will spend about
50 cents for each envelope mailed out. As long as they are
careful to not leave finger prints on/in the envelopes or
stamps and use bogus return addresses they will not be traceable.
I also would like to take exception to Joshua Kulantzick in his article "Put a Tyrant in Your Tank". Let's review, Chavez of Venezuela has promoted literacy programs and social improvement in his country. He helped subidize oil sales to his allies and helped stabilize the Argentine economy. Helped other countries to build their national oil firms, thus making more money, and increased his national defense capabilities. What an S.O.B! And then he has the temerity to "dole" out tens of millions of gallons of heating oil to poor Americans! When can I vote for this guy for president. At least he has an energy policy that spends some of it's largesse on helping people, and not on multi-hundred million dollar golden parachutes for retiring CEO's.
When will women stand up to say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH -- I WANT MY MIDWIFE!"
safe_birthing_midwife@yahoo.com
Thanks. How can Del Monte justify the use of the world's resources to make "Jell-o" in plastic cups in China and ship them to Michigan?
What is that?
Nancy Sanders
I read with interest the article regarding the organization “Take Back the Land” that refurbishes abandoned property for use by homeless folks. The article recalls to my mind the time in the early 1990s when the U.S. government, via finds distributed by USAID to non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), supported a program for squatters to gain legal title to the vacant lots they occupied in Jakarta (known as “kampungs,” or squatter villages) in exchange for assisting with uban-improvement projects.
Every evening as the sun set we “bule” (white-faced) expatriates, comfortably ensconced in our walled compounds, would experience a “brown-out” caused by “innovative ways to connect to electricity.” We also usually paid for more bottled water than my family actually consumes in our home – our maid generally gave some arcane explanation in bahasa when we asked her about the disparity. We did not begrudge the sharing of electricity and water with the kampung residents because they were good neighbors – vastly preferable to the “Texas ‘49” gang that would otherwise use the vacant lot as a hangout.
The brown out signaled that it was time to take an evening stroll with my children, which invariably included passage through the kampung to chat with some of our maid’s extended family, recently arrived from their mountain village, before dodging cars on the main street. While dodging the kamikaze buses, I would warn my children to avoid jumping into the disease-laden and rat-infested “binjo-ditches” (open sewers) that lined the streets.
Imagine my delight when I noticed that the kampung residents were constructing cement panels to cover over the binjo-ditches! Not only did it cover over the stench of the ditches, but it also provided us a sidewalk – safe haven from the wild-eyed bus drivers (if not the bajas’s, otherwise known as motorcycle taxis). Chatting with one of my U.S. Embassy buddies, who worked for USAID, I learned that the U.S. government was paying for the binjo-ditch project. It seems that the squatters were supplying the labor, and their reward would be that they would gain legal title to the vacant lot where they squatted and legal residence in the city of Jakarta. They not only performed a valuable service to the community, but they also gained valuable job-skills and legal residency, which paved a way out of homelessness and poverty. As for me, I was happy that we quit experiencing brown-outs, our water bill declined, and my children now had a safe place to walk. Talk about a win-win scenario!
If we can use our tax dollars to fund such a worthwhile and successful project in another country, why can’t we do the same for our own country?
Sincerely,
Brent E. White
417 E. 6th St.
Kinsley, KS 67547
Bwhite61@cox.net