Quotes of the Day

Your cover exclaims, "Vanishing Act: How Climate Change Is Causing a New Age of Extinction," but the article does not — and cannot — say that [April 13]. Climate change is mentioned only in passing, and the major causes of extinction are clearly shown to be deforestation and encroachment on habitat. The pictures in "10 Species on the Brink" show nine truly endangered species, then throw in the polar bear, which is 10 times as numerous as any other animal depicted, to try to make the climate-change link. An otherwise fine issue on extinction is thus marred by a gratuitous climate-change reference that is inapplicable and misleading.
Fred Gray, SPRINGFIELD, VA., U.S.

Your issue gives us 10 convincing pages on how to restart worldwide economic growth, followed by 10 equally convincing pages on the New Age of Extinction caused by worldwide growth of human activity, a deadly danger to many species, including our own. The clash of these two conflicting principles signals we are at a threshold: shouldn't we quit being obsessed by growth at any cost? Shouldn't we rather aim research, money and industry on how to achieve stable, balanced evolution?
Nicolas Gessner, PARIS

The theory of evolution is supposed to include the survival of the fittest and adapt or die, yet environmentalists rail against the extinction of certain species, the natural result of evolution. Their efforts to stop this natural process leads one to ask, just who do they think they are? God?
Ian Stuart, DINGWALL, SCOTLAND

Tragedy in the Military
I find it difficult to put into words the depth of my outrage at the U.S. Army for its policies and actions toward its recruiters, which drive some of our most dedicated soldiers to suicide [The Dark Side of Recruiting, April 20]. More aptly put, it is murder, and I have little doubt that the Army will cover it up, accept no responsibility and take no meaningful corrective action. My personal pride as an Army veteran has suffered yet another wound.
David J. Doyen, LANDENBERG, PA., U.S.

As a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, I assure you that those soldiers who killed themselves had plenty of other options. They could have picked up the phone and started working their way up the chain of command. If that didn't work, they could have requested a transfer or simply walked away. Or they could have done nothing and left the Army at the end of their enlistment. Suicide was the coward's way out.
Scott True, MIAMI

Turkey's Place in Europe
Re Katinka Barysch's article "Europe's Turkey Problem" [April 13]. Once more, we are told that the E.U. simply has to accept Turkey as a member country. Not doing so, says the article, "would be a mistake of historic proportions." Translation: America wants to accommodate Turkey and at the same time kill off any possibility of Europe making independent decisions. The U.S. thinks it is entitled to tell us which countries we should include, regardless of how alien, oppressive or hostile to genuine secular values they are.
Öjevind Laang, LUND, SWEDEN

Barysch failed to state the main reason why Europe and Turkey will probably never get along. There are too few common elements linking them. Turkey can't be seriously considered European in terms of history, geography, culture, religion or politics. European countries share common historic, religious, political and legal values, such as the rule of law, freedom of speech and the outright ban on armed forces participating in any political activity. Unfortunately, these are of very little importance to Turkey. This country, whose strategic value has been vastly overestimated, continues to bully, demanding that the E.U. adapts to its unacceptably low standards, instead of making some serious efforts both in domestic and foreign policy to rise to the level of a modern, Western democratic country.
Georgios Kapellakos, KHALKIS, GREECE

• Tragedy in the Military; Turkey's Place in Europe