I am an American running for president, not a Mormon running for president, but I am also very proud of my faith. And I am not a cafeteria Mormon, choosing some parts to accept and reject—I am “true blue, through and through.” My family and I are better people and far happier than we would have been without our faith. It is puzzling that when NEWSWEEK looks at me (“A Mormon’s Journey: The Making of Mitt Romney,” Oct. 8) what you mostly see is a Mormon. I would have thought that more important to my potential presidency would be my record as a governor, 25-year business leader, Olympic CEO, father, husband—and American. Mitt Romney Belmont, Mass.
The stories of children suffering from AIDS and malaria in Africa (“How to Heal the World,” Oct. 1) are heartbreaking. Equally heartbreaking are the stories of children suffering from diseases such as cancer right here in our own backyard. Are they more deserving of a cure than children halfway around the world? Certainly not, but when I see our government cutting cancer-research funding in the United States while proposing $30 billion to fight AIDS in Africa, I can’t help but wonder where its priorities lie. Because of these cuts, the clinical trial that is keeping alive my son and countless other children suffering from cancer may not get the funding needed to continue. Hundreds of children will not get the lifesaving treatment they so deserve. Before we try to “heal the world,” maybe we should start with healing a little closer to home. Randy Lea Fredericksburg, Va.
After reading “how to heal the World,” I am again struck by the conundrum: if we keep the children alive, and they become adults, how will we feed them? Certain continents are scarcely arable for thousands of square miles, devoid of firewood and incapable of supporting the present population. Are we thwarting what anthropologists have discovered, that populations migrate in search of food? It looks as if our humanity and generosity have run ahead of basic survival needs. And that says nothing about greedy rulers sucking out much of our charity. Donald Ford New Braunfels, Texas
Your cover story asks how to “make a difference.” It is actually pretty easy to do. The nonprofit organization Isabella’s Little Miracles (bellaslilmiracles.com) provides humanitarian aid to war-torn and impoverished nations. In Afghanistan, I work with an orthopedic surgeon who runs a free clinic in Kabul. I collect clothes, household items, blankets, shoes, school and medical supplies, books and toys from family, friends and our local hospital in the United States. They are shipped from Wyoming to Baghram, Afghanistan, where the surgeon picks up the donations. Medical supplies go to clinics and hospitals throughout the country. He distributes clothing, blankets and other supplies, mostly in Kabul, to the very poor. We have sent more than 50,000 pounds in aid so far. Older hospital beds, incubators and operating-room tables are also welcome. Everything must be in good condition. Also, because clothes such as shorts cannot be worn in Afghanistan, they are given to poor tailors who sew kids’ clothes from the material for additional income. Nobody in my organization is on a payroll. Everyone who helps does so free of charge. First World nations need to donate their secondhand items to Third World countries. Rita Iverson, R.N., President Isabella’s Little Miracles Casper, Wyo.
In the developing world, population-growth rates are inhibiting solutions for most of the problems cited in the areas of hunger, environmental degradation, education, maternal and child health, economic development and even infectious disease. My former employer, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has sponsored research identifying the close association of infant mortality with children being born to adolescent mothers, born to mothers who become pregnant again shortly after giving birth and being born to women of more advanced age. You allude to this problem by referring to the high maternal mortality associated with childbirth. Emergency obstetric care, training in local caregiving and education for women are desirable but not adequate to deal with a problem of this magnitude. On the other hand, programs that provide widespread, easily accessible contraceptive supplies and information have proved to be low-cost and effective. Time is running out for many countries to increase the quality and reach of voluntary family-planning programs and avoid the coercive excesses resulting from waiting too long to address this problem. The world cannot afford to ignore the problem out of misguided, “politically correct” perceptions. William D. Bair Park Rapids, Minn.
Thanks for putting altruism on your cover. As a volunteer coordinator, I consistently see that once people start donating their time and realize that it’s almost infinitely more satisfying than donating their money—although that’s important, too—they become hooked on volunteering and the good feeling it brings. The only reason the nature preserve that I work for has hike leaders, a nature shop and a museum is because of our expansive volunteer pool. More than 300 hearty souls contribute to us their most valuable resource—their time—every year, and they tell me that what they get out of the experience is truly priceless: a powerful sense of worth. Jeff Robertson Yellow Springs, Ohio
In your cover story, we learn of the major investments of international governments, corporations, civil society and high-profile individuals to help solve global issues. The question is, how can we tailor solutions that empower local communities and lessen long-term dependency on foreign aid? Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian agency that works with communities stricken with disaster, conflict and chronic poverty to develop long-term, sustainable economic solutions. It also provides essential technical training to create community self-reliance and economic independence. Access to financial resources, such as microcredit programs, help disadvantaged women gain much-needed credit, thereby providing them with livelihoods and, in turn, the means to obtain nutrition, health care and education for their children. Healing the world requires not an ad hoc strategy of foreign aid from multiple sources but an aggressive development program that breaks the cycle of dependency, fostering self-reliance and promoting citizen participation. Keeping women and children at the center of this agenda is sound policymaking that is quantifiable and transformative. Shyama Venkateswar, PH.D. Mercy Corps New York, N.Y.
How can Robert Hefner, natural-gas-exploration pioneer, claim that natural gas is a viable alternative to coal and oil when it shares both those energy sources’ primary drawbacks (“It’s Not ‘Star Wars’,” Oct. 1)? All three—natural gas, coal and oil—are nonrenewable and emit carbon dioxide when burned. Switching from coal to natural gas is no different in principle than switching to petroleum. To claim otherwise is dishonest, and Fareed Zakaria should have called him on it. Changing the topic to the hydrogen economy only serves to further obscure these inconvenient truths. Generating hydrogen from seawater is great, but it is 50 years away. We can’t wait that long for an “environmentally stabilized Earth”; it appears likely that stabilization will be impossible by that time. Vance Bass Albuquerque, N.M.
I enjoyed reading Fareed Zakaria’s “It’s Not ‘Star Wars’.” More than 20 years ago I had the privilege of being a part of a small Wisconsin-based company that developed compressed natural gas/gasoline dual-fuel vehicles and CNG refueling stations, and it still exports this technology to a number of other countries today. As Robert Hefner noted, there are more than 5 million vehicles worldwide utilizing CNG. Natural-gas fuel is clean, but at 130 octane it was too powerful for most earlier engines. At last, today’s efficient high-compression engines can handle it. We in the United States could have compact refueling stations, which Canada subsidizes, but it seems that our subsidized oil companies would prefer that we use this natural gas to create their ethanol. I am optimistic about the future. I hope our vehicles will be ready for “the hydrogen economy” instead of settling mostly for complicated, underpowered hybrids. Kevin E. Hartlaub Manitowoc, Wis.
“It’s Not ‘Star Wars’ " speaks glowingly of the “hydrogen economy.” Unfortunately, the hydrogen economy will never be. While not directly a greenhouse gas, hydrogen acts like one, because it blocks the breakdown of greenhouse gases—and studies have shown that the inevitable leaking hydrogen would have a more severe greenhouse effect than the CO2 it replaced. Doug Taber Newark, Dela.
Lorraine Ali correctly quotes me as saying, “We do not oppose the teaching of Arabic in public schools” (“Education: Speech Impediment,” Periscope, Oct. 1). Citizens for American Values in Public Education encourages teaching Arabic—a language that promises to play an increasingly important role on the world stage—as an elective course in every U.S. public school. What we oppose is the taxpayer-supported indoctrination of public-school students in radical Islamic doctrine. Given the ties of the Khalil Gibran school to so many radical Islamic organizations, the refusal to release to the public any information concerning the school’s textbooks, curricula and teacher handouts naturally leads one to suspect a cover-up of the true purpose of the school and the deliberate intent of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Department of Education to hide their heads in the sand. There is very definitely a problem with Islamist indoctrination in our schools—first universities and now public elementary and high schools. If those teaching Arabic would actually address the problem, there would probably be less concern. Instead, Prof. Mahmoud Al-Batal, who is quoted in the article, was dismissive of the ongoing threat, saying that students should “just be allowed to learn.” Stuart Kaufman, President Citizens for American Values in Public Education New York, N.Y.
As a member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, I found Robert Samuelson’s Sept. 17 column, “Our Giveaway Farm Programs,” on the 2007 farm bill, misleading. In the months I helped to author the House version of the farm bill, I witnessed the least political, most practical discussion I’ve seen so far during my first term in office. No one would claim that our legislation is perfect, but it takes steps in the right direction to combat consolidation, correct imbalances in commodity payments and provide a disaster safety net to farmers. It is so important because the farmer’s job is so risky. Just this April, a late freeze cost many Kansas farmers the majority of their wheat crop, which had looked very promising. Floods and tornadoes also ravaged the state during an unusually harsh spring. If you think that farmers don’t need federal support, try standing on a field that lost 90 percent of its crop in a single weekend due to a late frost. In light of the challenges that farmers face and in recognition of the critical importance of America’s food supply, our country should continue to support the farmers who sustain our way of life. Rep. Nancy Boyda Democrat of Kansas Washington, D.C.
