Academic Hand-cuffs
Re: “Killing The Messenger”
07/09/02

This is another disturbing example of academics being hand-cuffed by politics. We in academia are apparently not allowed to be activists, have opinions, or question the system if we want to have careers. I believe that there was a time when universities were centers of thought, not just hubs of grant-writing and fundraising. The current corporate climate at universities damages our ability to educate and to follow lines of research that may be of value to humankind.

Julia Parker,
University of Idaho

 

Fear of the Reaper
Re: “A Coup in the Hague”
06/28/02

I’m afraid that as we sow, so we shall also reap. Somehow, we have in the White House a paranoid Texan who presents a danger to all of us. His foibles are becoming a matter of national security. I wonder how he thinks to justify removal of Bustani, nor have I heard the reason for his dislike of the International Criminal Court.

I think we somehow got as a president a cheap, small-time chiseler, and that the greatest scandal of our time is that such a defective person is making decisions for this nation. I’m afraid that we’ll all suffer for his foolishness.

Marjorie Colson,
Madison, WI

 

The World’s Bully
Re: “A Coup in the Hague”
06/28/02

This article is further evidence that our government under George Bush is taking us down a path that most of us don’t want, and reminds me that he was not elected by the majority. America is a big bully again, and not at the behest of her own people, but due to the platforms of an illegitimate government. Thanks Mother Jones.

Fritzie Gaccione

 

Selective Participation
Re: “A Question of Pride”
06/28/02

I think Mr. Witherington has allowed himself to be seduced by the cash that overflows from the buckets of corporate “sponsors.” It almost sounds like the Stockholm Syndrome: defending the very entities which are attempting to sell products to an essentially captive market. Does the corporate largesse only manifest itself during these massive, media-covered events, or is it a percentage of a regular, unadvertised funding stream?

Another question is: do the majority of people who attend Pride parades make a concerted effort to change the perceptions of the larger society during the rest of the year, or do they merely come to yodel to the drag queens and the leather boys and the Dykes-on-Bikes? Is there an organized LGBT Community or Resource center in your town? Do you donate time or money to it? Is your primary Gay activity clubbing, bathhouses, and parades? Do you know that Gay history in the U.S. extends further back than Stonewall? Do you read anything other than the Advocate or Out Magazine?

You are not a demographic. You are not a market. Wake up, folks.

Christ Davis,
Milwaukee, WI

 

Faith in the Left
Re: “The Rough Beast Returns”
06/17/02

Thanks for publishing Todd Gitlin’s article on anti-semitism. I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my life-long faith in left-wing politics given the increasingly stupid, blindly anti-semitic direction that much of the left has embraced. It’s reassuring to see that a progressive magazine has chosen to add some subtlety and distinction to the conversation about the Middle East and its tribulations.

With appreciation,

Samuel Hilt

 

Thanks
Re: “The Rough Beast Returns”
06/17/02

This is an extremely important article — both because of its content and because it was published in the pages of Mother Jones. Thank you.

Jacob Solomon,
Miami, FL