Turmoil in the Mideast The violent takeover in Gaza by Hamas was the direct result of the United States’ ignoring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who tried to warn that Hamas was growing in power and that it would be a grievous error to allow it to compete in the January 2006 elections (“Why Gaza Matters,” June 25). The Israeli government was pressured not to obstruct but to facilitate the access of all participants to vote. Condoleezza Rice’s comment “Nobody saw it coming” is shocking in its revelation of just how faulty her management of the challenges facing the United States in the region is. The disaster in Gaza matters because it is symptomatic of the selective myopia endemic in the administration’s policy decisions regarding the Palestinians. The present chaos and lawlessness in Gaza is an ominous projection of what the future holds in the West Bank if all Palestinians cannot or will not assume the mantle of responsible civilized conduct. Fay Dicker Lakewood, N.J.
It hasn’t been long since Israel withdrew its troops and settlements from Gaza. The intent at that time was to forge peace by giving those who were angry what they wanted. Instead, extremists have become emboldened, not pacified, and have pronounced increasingly aggressive rhetoric upon those who withdrew. Violence has escalated to epic proportions, with the potential for a worsened situation that could last for generations to come. It is said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps that wisdom includes the recent history in Gaza. David V. Gregg Salt Lake City, Utah
Where is the outrage? Where are all the demonstrators in the American streets with placards protesting the carnage and barbarity in Gaza? Why the deafening silence and conspicuous absence of American greens, peaceniks, socialists and other allies of the Palestinian people? It seems whenever Israel battles the Palestinians on a much smaller scale the world joins in an anti-Israel chorus, and our public arenas are choked with “Down with Israel”-chanting protesters. Is there no sympathy for Palestinian children, women and innocent bystanders when killed by their own people? Daniel Schwartz Fresno, Calif.
Parents and Teen Drinking As a first-generation Italian-American I have early memories of drinking homemade wine mixed with orange soda at Sunday dinners (“The Teen Drinking Dilemma,” June 25). My parents allowed us to taste watered-down versions of whatever they were drinking. At family parties we were allowed to have a drink. As a teenager I watched my friends go to great lengths to acquire alcohol and then proceed to get falling-down-drunk or terribly sick. When I became a mother I did for my son what my parents did for me. Today I seldom drink and my now adult son never bothered with drinking as a teenager. Parents teaching kids to drink responsibly doesn’t mean that kids are going to turn into alcoholics any more than it ensures they won’t. The only way to treat alcohol abuse is to educate the masses about the dangers and make treatment available. Linda Gennari Cambridge, Mass.
My husband and I do not drink beer and rarely drink wine. Our idea of a stiff drink is a frozen strawberry daiquiri at the pool or beach during vacation. We often lectured our children about the dangers of drinking and always offered the “ride home with no questions asked” if they ended up drunk or without a way to get home. As cautioned in your article, we always modeled “honest, safe behavior,” and thus the importance of acting “responsibly.” Why, then, did our 19-year-old son decide to drink and drive and subsequently die in an accident? Why didn’t his two older siblings ever dream of drinking and driving? Maybe some parents really are good role models and really do parent without trying to win a popularity contest. Maybe the solution to such a multifaceted problem involves more than merely placing the blame on Mom and Dad. After all, if we can’t take responsibility for every wonderful thing that our children do, how can the opposite be true? Laura Goldner Bedford, N.H.
Angelina’s Mighty Heart Many of us would love to help more people in Africa where the extreme needs, due to AIDS, millions of orphans and civil wars, cause millions to suffer and/or flee (“Angelina Wants to Save the World,” June 25). Kudos for Angelina Jolie, who’s using her position and money to bring these often-forgotten people back to our attention. She reaches out with sensitivity, playing and laughing with the citizens of these nations. She adopts their kids. She meets with kings and presidents as easily as children. On screen she plays the part of Mariane Pearl, whose response to her husband’s murderers is to embrace life. On a planet torn apart by hatred and racism, we need more people like her. Wanda Puder Santa Clara, Calif.
Correction In “Dissenters in Uniform” (the last word, June 25) we said that Lt. Ehren Watada is the first officer to face court-martial for refusing to return to Iraq. In fact, Watada never served in Iraq, having refused deployment there. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.
