Introducing Sarah Palin

Although I am not a Republican and do not agree with Senator John McCain’s war policy on Iraq — my son was killed there — I respect Sarah Palin for her decision to keep her Down-syndrome baby [Sept. 15]. I am the father of a 28-year-old Down-syndrome daughter, whom I’ve cared for almost single-handedly since the death of her mother 16 years ago. My daughter has been a source of joy and hope in the midst of family setbacks. Even if Palin does not win the election, she at least has put a new face on Down syndrome. I thank her for that.
Joseph P. Nolan, WATERBURY, CONN., U.S.

Palin would not acknowledge a need for “education” prior to ascending to the second highest office in the land. Her smirking, contemptuous dismissal of community service at the Republican National Convention; a litany of falsehoods including the claim to have said “no thanks” to the Ketchikan “bridge to nowhere” and discrepancies in her assertions on the investigation into abuse of power during her tenure as Governor; her campaign’s unprecedented demand for “deference” from a free press before answering questions — all paint a portrait of a woman who believes she has it all figured out.
Scott Kenyon, VIENNA, VA., U.S.

As many others do, I believe Bristol Palin’s pregnancy is a family matter. Yet Governor Palin decided to accept McCain’s offer to be his running mate knowing her daughter’s pregnancy would become fodder for the press. Who thinks it’s O.K. to put a 17-year-old girl — yes, she’s still a girl, even if pregnant — through this?
Christopher B. Romeo, KNOXVILLE, TENN., U.S.

You have to admire Palin’s handlers, who have created an image of her as a victim of the media. It allows them to justify Palin’s not having a single press conference: she is just protecting herself and her family. How convenient!
Janan Weinstein, CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL., U.S.

I was quite surprised when I heard McCain’s choice for Vice President. To me the United States of America have always represented an ideal of modernity, liberty, freedom and equality of chances, and I have always tried to persuade my relations that if we could put aside some sad facets (anti-abortion, evangelism, creationism) they remained our closest allies and friends in this world. Tragically my convictions were put to the test when I discovered that a possible Vice President of the United States represents all those tragic values. Does it really seem wise, in an age when the bonds between Western countries should be stronger than ever, to give some Europeans yet an other excuse to reject America?
Julien Dumont, LASNE, BELGIUM

I wonder if your American readers can imagine the incredulity with which we view the possibility that the free world might end up being led by the lipsticked pit bull. The crass naiveté of McCain and Palin has blown our minds.
David Brancher, ABERGAVENNY, WALES

Senator McCain’s choice of a woman as his running mate for the presidency will bring new flavor and new dimension to his candidacy. McCain is nobody’s fool.
Cosmas Uzoma Odoemena, LAGOS, NIGERIA

Mrs. Palin may be an expert at shooting moose and bears. But if she were President how would she deal with the Russian bear?
A. M. Gordhandas, SCUNTHORPE, ENGLAND

Art Smarts
“He’s given no evidence up to now that he knows what to do with a brush . . .” Thank you, Richard Lacayo, for the excellent profile [Sept. 15], exposing the factory “art” of Damien Hirst. As much as $720,000 for “spin paintings” that are simply manufactured in production facilities by an army of studio assistants? I think Lacayo’s term “product lines on canvas” says it all. Welcome to the Wal-Mart of art. I find it strange that however closely I look at the photo of his new work The Golden Calf, I can’t quite see the heap of gold-plated manure beneath the bull.
Kevin Wooldridge, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND

While I realized it would be disturbing (and so it was), I nonetheless read your article on Hirst, since I’d had the misfortune some months back of seeing in the flesh one of his grotesque works (a slaughterhouse on display to the public, really) at the base of Lever House, on the streets of Manhattan. Like Hirst, I’m amused by the affluent morons who feel compelled to throw their money at him for the monstrosities that his production lines seemingly roll out in copious quantities. Hirst himself appears to be a thoroughly tortured individual. He deserves that state, for the posthumous indignity to which he’s subjected the wretched creatures who are the victims of his factory of horrors.
Jonathan Tager, RICHMOND, ENGLAND

As someone who supports legitimate artists and is a collector of original art — albeit on a modest level — I am offended how British “Bad Boy” artist, Damien Hirst, is raping and plundering the art world. He is merely another in a sad and long string of con men who found a gimmick and capitalized on it, suckering those wannabes who are more interested in bragging rights than promoting a fresh, honest talent in the art world. Dead animals preserved in formaldehyde and a diamond-encrusted skull — is this even legal? Spin paintings done by studio assistants — give me a break; kids have amused themselves for decades creating identical masterpieces at fairs and school fund raisers.
Susan H. Warren 
 SWARTHMORE, PENN., U.S.

Palin’s Progress
I found myself in tears reading Nancy Gibbs’ essay [Sept. 15]. Now I know that I’m not alone. I’ve been struggling to express my feelings to my circle of liberal friends. As a 60-year-old retiree and single parent who raised a child in the 1970s while working full-time on my career, I am haunted by my roads not taken. This article expresses why I won’t be voting in this election. I can’t vote for the McCain-Palin ticket in good conscience, due to their stand on issues that are dear to me, but I can’t vote against either. Too many sacrifices have had to be made by women for me to take a hand in keeping the first woman from holding the second highest national office. Gibbs is right: I “don’t want to see her fall.”
Joanna Ramos, NICOSIA, CYPRUS

This is the first intelligent essay I have read in the mainstream media regarding Palin. I am a moderate Democrat but was very disappointed at the obvious partisan trashing of Governor Palin by so many of my fellow women. Their intemperate critiques fly in the face of the feminist principles they claim to uphold. Gibbs has the good sense to realize that the issues successful women face are the same regardless of political ideology.
Jeanne Mallett, WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.

I congratulate Gibbs for her thoughtful essay, which excellently describes the challenges that married working mothers face regularly, without being judgmental for political purposes. Everyone should admire Governor Palin’s organizational and management skills to be able to achieve as she has, irrespective of politics.
Tim Kasparek, GOODYEAR, ARIZ., U.S.

Gibbs’ article seems to blithely overlook what many people consider to be Palin’s most alarming beliefs. Yes, she’s a woman, but she’s a woman who doesn’t believe in science, a woman who believes that abortion should be illegal under any circumstances, and a woman who is the poster girl for the extreme right-wing religious element of the Republican party. None of these beliefs seemed to matter to Gibbs, but they matter to a majority of American voters who are looking for sound leadership and not a continuation of the culture wars.
Rodgers Frantz, WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.

McCain’s Choice
I admire Joe Klein’s attempt to find an honest reason for McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his Vice President, such as his “rebelliousness” or his devotion to the issue of abortion [Sept. 15]. However, Palin was chosen for only one reason: to get votes. McCain seems to think that Hillary Clinton supporters will support Palin’s ultraconservative agenda just because of her gender. By choosing Palin over a more experienced or knowledgeable candidate, he has made it clear that he cares only about winning the election and does not have the best interests of the country in mind.
Elina El-Badry, GAITHERSBURG, MD., U.S.

Klein’s column concentrated on Palin as shoring up McCain’s right-wing supporters. He missed a key point. She is a blue-collar mom, with a blue-collar hairdo, a blue-collar husband and a blue-collar family. That will have tremendous appeal to blue-collar voters. Jesse Ventura won this segment over when he became Governor of Minnesota, with many voters registering on election day. Attacking McCain for selecting Palin might turn out these voters on election day — for the Republicans.
Don Debelak, MOUNDS VIEW, MINN., U.S.

Green Gas
I was surprised to read Bryan Walsh’s Going Green [Sept. 15]. Composting? Come on, we can do better than that. Sewage sludge, food waste, manure and slaughterhouse waste can all be turned into biogas. This can be upgraded, distributed through existing natural-gas networks and used as vehicle fuel. This is being done today, at least here in Europe. We have cars, buses and trains running on biogas. This is the future, and also a way of reducing dependence on foreign oil. Composting isn’t, so why don’t you write about biogas instead?
Kristian Ekeroth, STOCKHOLM

A South African Success Story
Alex Perry’s article refers to Sasol’s “dirty little secret”, supposedly that Sasol used a process also used by Nazi Germany [Sept. 15]. The founder of Sasol was my brother, the late Etienne Rousseau, a chemical engineer. In 1990 he described to me how he had used a combination of the Fischer-Tropsch and the complementary American Kellogg process, not the German process only. Moreover it is common knowledge that after World War II the U.S. used captured German scientists to work on synthetic fuels. This was a U.S. Bureau of Mining project instigated by the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act. Not many people would call the U.S. a Nazi country.
Leon Rousseau, JEFFREY’S BAY, SOUTH AFRICA

I am an ordinary South African and I am amazed that you publish such disparaging rubbish about Sasol. Perry’s pernicious tone is an attempt to blacken Sasol’s achievements. Sasol technology is being used in several countries around the world because it is the most advanced. Sasol gasoline and diesel has never been produced in sufficient quantity to prop up any government. Contrary to Perry’s comments, CTL and GTL fuels are likely to play a major role in the future. This is why so many different countries are commissioning plants to produce them. Why didn’t Perry look a little deeper into what Sasol is doing to reduce its carbon footprint instead of just bad-mouthing its efforts? It is public knowledge that Sasol is devoting considerable resources and funds to develop new and noncarbon energy solutions.
Max Braun, SOMERSET, SOUTH AFRICA

It is interesting to note how successful Sasol has been, thanks to the South African taxpayer who has heavily subsidized Sasol over many years and under very questionable circumstances [Sept. 15]. As Sasol globalizes its business operations, it will be interesting to see how it deals with its most vital challenges: the protection of its intellectual property, increasing political demands at home to contribute much more substantially to the economy of South Africa, and the worsening skills shortage in its core operations. Instead of claiming transformation by counting how many black directors sit on its board, or how many discounted shares it has sold to the so-called strategic investors, Sasol will have to contribute to the transformation agenda of South Africa.
Tshilidzi Marwala, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Your report on Sasol got me thinking about racism and democracy. Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as running mate shows wisdom in balancing his own weaknesses (political and governing experience and foreign policy). Aging and angry John McCain picks young Sarah Palin, ambitious but inexperienced and not remotely qualified for a position that demands brave yet sensible world leadership. In South Africa, our precious 15-year-old democracy is dominated by a single party that has chosen a leader with no governing track record, intent on quashing a state case against him for fraud. This same government, notes Perry’s report, owns 24% of Sasol, a cutting-edge coal-to-liquid oil company started by the former “white supremacist” leaders and now used by the incumbents to “dilute white domination of the economy.” Sasol’s board boasts a black majority; all but one of its executives are black and a recent $3 billion share release was confined to “employees, black South Africans and other previously disadvantaged groups.” Racist? Democratic? Whatever. So long as Sasol continues to be well run and responsibly developed, and helps save South Africa from becoming another Zimbabwe-like wreck, I force myself to accept that “black domination” has replaced “white supremacy.” And I envy Americans their choices. Politics is important: it’s up to voters.
Wendy Toerien, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Victims of War
The picture of the two wounded Afghani children that accompanied the article “Collateral Tragedies” literally took my breath away — like a kick to the chest [Sept. 15]. I wonder if those in favor of our military actions could look into these children’s eyes and explain to them why America is right to do this to them and their families. All the arguments in the world can never justify the fear and pain reflected in those children’s faces.
Kelly Czermerys, HUNTER, N.Y., U.S.