In the gripping account of “The Day That Changed America,” you say, “Condoleezza Rice felt her throat catch…” I, too, felt my throat catch several times as I read your article in one sitting. I was deeply moved by the photographs of John and Connor, son and grandson of deceased Fire Chief Bill Feehan. The grief and determination of these faces tell stories of their own. Reading about the heroism of innumerable individuals on that fateful day revives one’s faith in the human race. Your piece is worthy homage to all the unsung and unseen heroes who battled to bring normalcy back to New York. Articles like this one make me happy to continue my subscription to Newsweek, which I started in 1974. Thanks, and keep up the good work. S. Mohanakrishnan Auckland, New Zealand
Your article read like a novel, except it’s not fiction. It’s a true story about real people, some bad, but most of them great. I was gasping and crying and laughing and trying to imagine myself in the position of at least two of your heroes–Bill Feehan and Virginia DiChiara. I couldn’t help wondering where these people got their strength from, what made them act the way they did. Now I know the world is not a bad place because there are people like them in it. You made that horrible day in September more real than it was for anybody watching these shows on television. We so easily mix reality with fiction nowadays, not knowing what is life and what is just a television show anymore. Your article brought back some kind of proportion, a human rendering of what really happened that day. One could smell the fire, feel the heat, hear the walls tumble down. I feel privileged to have met Feehan and DiChiara through your splendid article. Thank you, NEWSWEEK. It was proof–if any were needed–to convince me that I do right staying with you for 20 years. Gienek Brzezinski Harlem, Netherlands
America and the World
Dazzled by a Horse?
Peres’s Vision
I hope the United States and the West will apply the exception to the rule on Afghanistan this time, and help to build a national production-based economy–not just help nurse the wounds or patch the surface. Unless the fight against poverty is honestly addressed by the West, there will be many more Afghanistans. E. Petrakakis Maputo, Mozambique
I couldn’t agree more with Christopher Hitchens’s Letter From America (“Bah, Humbug!” Dec. 17). There doesn’t seem to be any other religious festival as commercialized as Christmas. I’ve stopped sending Christmas cards since 1999 as a form of protest against all of this commercialization, and many of my family and friends have followed my example. I urge all of NEWSWEEK’s readers to do the same. Lisa So London, England
As an American who has lived overseas for 17 years, I usually enjoy your feature Letter From America. It keeps me in the loop and brings a smile to my lips as I contemplate the American mind-set as juxtaposed with the nations of the world. However, Christopher Hitchens’s “Bah, Humbug!” was a great disappointment. NEWSWEEK seems to have found the real Scrooge. Facing the consumerism of the holiday which America has exported to the world may not be the most pleasant prospect, but that is not a reason to be un-American and outright blasphemous. Had he ridiculed Ramadan the way he did this Christian holiday, there would have been cries of bigotry from all corners. I am saddened that NEWSWEEK saw fit to include this disgruntled and angry grumbling. Perhaps Hitchens should take advice from Karen Springen’s Letter From America (“Unplugged in America,” Aug. 20) and unplug his television set so that he is not bombarded by the season. He might experience some of Dickens’s transformation and begin to understand the true meaning of the season: peace on earth and good will to men. Sharon Fleming Bogota, Colombia
“The season of cloying coyness and enforced good cheer”? One need not have a degree in psychology to understand that Christopher Hitchens, like Scrooge, is one very lonely, embittered and depressed individual. I, too, am lonely at times, but our uniquely American Christmas is a time when we can at least hope for peace on earth and good will to men. It is a time to count our blessings and reach out to our fellow man. Most of us do it willingly and genuinely. Hitchens says that America is “a multicultural society,” but we are not. We are an all-inclusive society, and will fight to ensure anyone’s freedom of religion, but America has a unique culture and a big part of that is the celebration of Christmas. I am surprised that NEWSWEEK would print this kind of garbage, given our national crisis, at this most special time of year. Gary W. Cole Mexico City, Mexico
Forbidding Television
I’m an English-speaking South African living in Italy. I encourage my 3 1/2-year-old to watch children’s programs on English-language satellite television as much as possible. As a result, she speaks perfect English, despite hearing only Italian from her father and at nursery school. She’s aware of the war in Afghanistan and the geographical difference between England, Canada, the United States and South Africa–thanks to TV and some help from our atlas. She can distinguish between various accents, thanks to programs made in different countries. This daily exposure has not affected her ability to play with blocks and Lego, listen to stories, play inventive games on her own or interact with others. Lara Gochin Rimini, Italy
South Africa’s Whites
Has your writer ever been to South Africa? Or lived there? Does she know how it feels to live in fear every day, having to sleep with a gun under the bed, fearing that a loved one will be brutally shot or stabbed while standing in the driveway or on the way to work? I watch American television and see the luxury of living in the States: the freedom to drive safely, go camping, fish at a lake and do other nice, regular things. I have a college degree, but when I return to my country I will struggle to get a job. If I wanted to sip “Chardonnay at sunset with elephants wandering the horizon,” I would have to save for a year. I’m not part of a privileged white community; I am part of a minority whose language and culture are under threat. If some people in this minority are rich, it is because they work hard for it. South Africa has been a land of equal opportunity for more than 10 years. Capitalism is colorblind. If there are people who can afford the good things in life, even if they are white, you should understand that. South Africans are hardworking. We are proud of our country and have come a long way. Give us some credit. Cornelia Hattingh Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands
