Quotes of the Day

A General in Burma
I was excited to read the cover story when I saw the image of Burmese chief Than Shwe [Oct. 19]. People inside and outside Burma should welcome U.S. engagement with the Burmese junta. Burma desperately needs prodding toward a real democratic transition. Without the full participation of the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi in the coming 2010 election, I don't think that will occur. The U.S should encourage the Burmese generals to engage with the NLD and other ethnic leaders for a long-lasting peace.
Salai C. Alexander,
Seoul

One wonders what deeds of valor are commemorated by the medals adorning Than Shwe's chest.
Tony Turner,
Tuross Head, Australia

Debating Detroit
I applaud TIME's decision to spend a year in Detroit looking at the city's and region's challenges and efforts at revitalization [Oct. 5]. However, I find it curious that you start intensive research into the city with an opinion piece by a resident of New York who left Michigan four decades ago. With all due respect to the acclaimed Daniel Okrent, simply reciting old grievances repeatedly rejected by voters, such as my having "resisted ... more stringent mileage standards," seems counterintuitive to the magazine's mission. I would ask that Okrent take another look at my work and the record, including my calling on the auto industry to take "bold, serious and visionary" steps on fuel economy and my role in passing 2007's Energy Independence and Security Act, which increased fuel-economy standards 40%. I will continue to fight currency manipulation and unfair trade practices by our foreign competitors, work for affordable health-care coverage and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 80% by 2050 because I believe those positions are in the best interests of the people of Michigan.
John D. Dingell, U.S. Representative,
15th Congressional District, Michigan

Support Our Whistle-Blowers
Former U.N. official Peter Galbraith should be congratulated for taking a courageous stand on fraud in the Afghan elections, knowing he might lose his job as a result [Oct. 19]. I voted for Barack Obama, but I would like to see more support from Washington for officials who try to do the right thing.
Sanjay Gowda,
Austin, Texas, U.S.

The crisp, no-nonsense observations in Peter Galbraith's article are testimony to the clear-minded and progressive views of his highly regarded father, Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith. The world needs many more like them.
S.R.A. Das,
Kannur, India

Europe in Step?
Michael Elliott's article "The Next Step" misunderstands the major issues that concern Britain, the Lisbon Treaty and membership of the European Union as a whole: the principles of sovereignty, democracy, transparency and accountability [Oct. 19]. Elliott refers to how convenient it would be if Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic "fall into line soon." That phrase should fill the people of Europe with dread. Democratic nations are a collection of people who are governed by those chosen to serve them. The majority of the people of Britain have no confidence in an expensive, faceless bureaucracy like the E.U. I urge all Europeans to consider the potential consequences of union, since they dovetail with the current fears we all have over our economies — economies that have been wrecked largely by bureaucrats and kleptocrats ensconced in ivory towers.
Marissa Cockling,
Portsmouth, England

At a service to commemorate the sacrifice of British forces, the father of a deceased soldier refused to shake hands with former Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying that Blair had blood on his hands by sending troops to war on a false premise and underequipped. If Blair is guilty of such offenses, he should not be even considered for the role of President of Europe, despite being portrayed as a front-runner.
Major Bob Ritchie MBE,
Livingston, Scotland

Your article about the European constitution and the anticipated resistance of the Conservative Party does not explain why this opposition exists. Quite simply, it exists because a substantial proportion of the British people do not want to be in the E.U. They see the increasing disempowerment of both the British individual and the British state. Moreover, the British taxpayer has to pay a substantial amount of money to the E.U. each year, to an organization that cannot, will not or dares not tell us how it is all spent.
C.S. Lewis,
Derby, England