Regarding your cover story “Drugs & Sports” (Society, Feb. 15), I say let’s change the playing field for the Olympic Games and legalize all forms of enhancing drugs. If these athletes want to take them and destroy their bodies for the gold, I will be the first to hand them out. There would be an equal playing field for all, and our new torch for the Olympics would be the syringe.
Timothy S. Sullivan New York, N.Y.
I have no problem as a spectator with chemical manipulation of the corpus athletic if it results in greater human milestones of personal achievement–designer drugs for designer humans. However, these drugs must be strictly limited to the elite-performance arena. They are not for the college, high-school or local-gym weekend warrior.
Keith A. Raymond, M.D. Hickory, N.C.
Carl Lewis reminds us that “athletic achievement of the highest order” is still what the Olympics are all about (" ," Society, Feb. 15). The United States Olympic Committee keeps sight of that fundamental truth in part by ensuring that athletes have a strong voice in all our decisions. Fully 20 percent of the members of the USOC’s board of directors and all standing committees are drawn from our Athlete Advisory Council. Include Olympians who serve on task forces, and their number rises even higher. Lewis, a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, is absolutely right that recognizing the primacy of the athletes in an environment of more open and democratic governance is the best way to restore the luster of the Olympic rings.
William J. Hybl, President United States Olympic Committee Colorado Springs, Colo.
Nick Sheff’s My Turn article about the pain of long-distance joint custody for children ( Feb. 15) ought to be required reading for divorcing parents and for the professionals, whether judicial, legal or clinical. This 16-year-old young man’s words are a wonderful reminder about the need to be child-focused when making decisions about children.
David G. Sacks, First Justice Hampden Probate & Family Court Springfield, Mass.
The essay by Sheff is as important for divorced parents whose children travel across town as it is for those whose children fly across the country. As a social worker, I know that children of divorced parents are always “missing somebody,” no matter how far away they really are. Children who travel 10 miles in a car share the same stresses of going back and forth as those who travel 1,000 miles in a plane. Sheff has poignantly described these stresses from a child’s point of view.
Marcia Lebowitz Woodbridge, Conn.
I read Sheff’s essay with tears in my eyes. My ex-husband moved to London last year. His relocation, made for valid economic reasons, has been traumatic for everyone involved, particularly our two children, ages 8 and 91/2. Instead of traveling two blocks to see their father, they now travel thousands of miles several times a year. They are painfully aware of the costs of long-distance joint custody. They never have downtime, never spend vacation time with their friends. I agree with Sheff that in any joint-custody arrangements involving long-distance travel, children’s needs should take priority over parental rights and the adults should be the ones traveling.
Name Withheld New York, N.Y.
Reading about Sheff’s long-distance life reminded me of my own childhood commute. It had never occurred to me that perhaps my parents had a choice about where to live after their divorce, and I don’t blame them for choosing to live where they did. Divorce isn’t easy under any circumstances, but I can tell you I would have preferred earning my frequent-flier miles on a family vacation rather than traveling back and forth between New York City and Boston to deal with my family separation.
Amy Solomon Charney Washington, D.C.
In your Feb. 15, 1999, publication, you state that my client, Julie Hiatt Steele, is suing NEWSWEEK claiming the magazine brought her unwarranted publicity ( National Affairs). That is hardly what the suit is about. We are suing Michael Isikoff and his employer, NEWSWEEK, because Mr. Isikoff made an agreement with my client to keep all of their communications off the record. When this agreement became inconvenient to Mr. Isikoff and NEWSWEEK, he broke it … turning Julie’s life into a living hell. A wee bit more than “unwarranted publicity.”
John P. Coale Coale, Cooley, Lietz, McInerny & Broadus Washington, D.C.
Editor’s note: NEWSWEEK believes its description of the Steele litigation was accurate.
A Lawyer’s Role
The quote attributed to me in your Feb. 15 section about representing Hitler was taken out of context. I said that if Hitler had asked me to represent him during the Holocaust, I would have agreed, in order to get close enough to him to strangle him with my bare hands. I also said that if he had been put on trial in America now, as a 100-year-old man, and nobody else were willing to represent him, I would reluctantly have to agree to do so rather than see that monster go free because he could not be tried without a lawyer, and far too many Nazi murderers have gone free. Finally, I said that if I were to represent him I would have to try to win–distasteful as that would be–because a lawyer cannot deliberately throw a case.
Alan M. Dershowitz Cambridge, Mass.
I would like to comment on your article about the recent earthquake that struck the city of Armenia and the surrounding coffee region of central Colombia with tragic consequences (International, Feb. 8). It left over two thirds of Armenia in total ruin, and rural villages decimated in addition to the loss of life, the injuries and the damage to the infrastructure. Few societies are fully prepared for such unexpected shocks. However, after the initial wave of stunned disbelief, Colombia, with the help of many around the world, has been able to organize relief efforts to meet the immediate and long-term needs of the survivors, although there is still a great deal to do. Your article incorrectly states that the problem with initial relief efforts was the fault of President Andres Pastrana, and that as a consequence, trust in the Pastrana government was seriously damaged. This is not the case and, in our view, is in stark contrast to reports from other media. The president’s overall standing remains quite strong. The first two major polls from Colombia, released Feb. 8, clearly demonstrate that as many as 73 percent of Colombians approve of the way Pastrana has handled the emergency. You mention how the president was elected six months ago on a platform of change, but do not mention his accomplishments, such as giving a new jump-start to the peace negotiations with the two major guerrilla groups, tackling the fiscal-deficit crisis, making significant constitutional reforms and meeting with great diplomatic success, particularly here in the United States.
Luis Alberto Moreno Ambassador of Colombia Washington, D.C.A Time to Read
Author John Grisham sells himself short when he says his books aren’t literature ( Arts & Entertainment, Feb. 15). While his novels may not be challenging to read, they certainly include literary themes–greed, vengeance, courage and honor. When I look around at the number of my high-school students who choose to read Grisham’s novels, I’m thrilled. I know that most of them will not pick up a Faulkner or Hemingway novel once they’re out of school, but I do want them to continue reading for pleasure. As an English teacher, that’s my long-term goal.
Olga Polites Cherry Hill, N.J.Will and Sam
Your article (Arts & Entertainment, Feb. 15) remarked on the variety of contemporary artistic interpretations of William Shakespeare in the film industry and noted how “every generation creates its own Shakespeare.” On a historical note, it was only a few generations ago when my uncle Sam Taylor directed the very first talkie of a Shakespeare work. “The Taming of the Shrew” (1929) starred Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. However, while today’s filmmakers enjoy ample artistic leeway, my uncle was publicly ridiculed by his peers for having had the audacity to include in the opening credits, “Written by William Shakespeare; additional dialogue by Samuel Taylor.” Such nerve, indeed!
Jean Taylor Schubert Paso Robles, Calif.
