Quotes of the Day

The View on Global Warming
It is encouraging that TIME is taking on the global climate crisis [April 28], but I am concerned that Bryan Walsh's solutions strangely resemble the war in Iraq: top-down policies and reliance on technology with little or no sacrifice required of U.S. citizens. If America is to lead this battle, much less win it, individuals and families will need to make radical changes in their lives. It is possible these changes could be made voluntarily, but an intensive national effort, like the one made during World War II, is probably required. For that we will need great moral and political leadership from above and great courage and commitment on the grass-roots level. I hope your magazine will continue to catalyze both.
Mary Earle Chase,
Novato, Calif., U.S.

Three of the soldiers on your recent cover were killed in the battle for Iwo Jima. Your alteration of this photograph devalues their sacrifice and that of many others. At this time when so many families receive a folded flag in honor of their fallen loved ones, your cover is truly offensive.
Richard Putney,
Richmond, Va., U.S.

Your article missed one important point. Walsh notes that we should mandate green building. We should, and it will pay off a lot over time. But we should also aggressively promote the retrofitting of existing buildings. Owners of homes and other buildings can save energy right now with existing technology, and in most cases, the cost is negative: they save more than they spend.
Doug Burke,
Oak Park, Ill., U.S.

By taking the lead in addressing the world's most critical problems, TIME has taken the Fourth Estate to its fullest potential: proactive journalism aimed particularly at global problems for which the clock is ticking and passive commentary is insufficient.
Chris Tong,
Kelseyville, Calif., U.S.

The Political Elite
Regarding "A Bitter Lesson" [April 28]: The pundits were frustrated when they couldn't label Barack Obama a racist, so they came up with élitist as an otherwise suitable condemnatory epithet. For heaven's sake, the man is running for President of the U.S., not chairmanship of the bowling league. An élitist is surely someone who has an appreciably wider field of taste, interests, education and comprehension than the average person. Like most of our great Presidents. Isn't that what the country desperately needs after eight years of the cowboy populist?
John W. Gray,
Toronto

Karen Tumulty has joined the rest of the Washington press crowd in condemning Obama for comments that the rest of America, outside the Beltway, knows to be essentially truthful. Why else would Obama's poll numbers have remained strong despite the fury and umbrage of those in Washington most sheltered from what the rest of the country is going through? Maybe lapel flag pins are the only story they've come to understand.
Jay H. Abrams,
Boca Raton, Fla., U.S.