Quotes of the Day

Surveillance State
Re "The Geeks Who Leak" [June 24]: What is more terrifying: the obsessive worldwide intrusion into the privacy of people by American and British secret services or the widespread leakage of secret information? Who controls that, who decides the classification of information and what to do with them? Unfortunately, the article does not question the legitimacy of such an intrusion vs. human rights, taking for granted that the fight against terrorism justifies an ever increasing "Big Brother is watching you" attitude.
Klaus Kleffner,
Berlin

We are no better in Russia. President Vladimir Putin would not tolerate any adverse criticism, let alone a leak of state secrets. People in power have their right of way and would want to hold on tightly to their hidden agenda forever.
Yuri Czekov,
Moscow

You compare antiwar protesters of the Vietnam era with protesters of U.S. data collecting today. Maybe this comparison will turn out to be completely true. The U.S. lost the war in Vietnam and its reputation as a peaceful nation with many young people around the world. With the current surveillance programs as well as with Guantánamo, it will lose its reputation as an advocate for civil rights and freedom and — as to be feared — its fight against terrorism. I also wonder if government spying is seen as a U.S. interior affair only; because human rights are not divisible, it is a global issue.
Karl Kick,
Lappersdorf, Germany

Am I the only person who finds it more than a little odd that Edward Snowden and Julian Assange (both of whom claim to champion freedom of information and human rights) should have sought asylum in Ecuador — a country whose record on both is highly questionable, if not downright appalling?
Robert Readman,
Bournemouth, England

U.S.-China Relations
Re "Hail, President. Well Met" [June 24]: The U.S. and China have everything to gain from cooperation and everything to lose from hostility, so why is it so strenuous an effort to achieve a win-win situation for both?
Michael Driver,
Ichihara, Japan

China Rising
Re "How China Sees the World" [June 17]: From the historical perspective, China had always been rather inward-looking, contented with what it had in the confined Middle Kingdom. Things began to change gradually toward the end of the past century when the Chinese, armed with determination and perseverance, began to venture further and deeper into other continents, to look for energy and trade. Emboldened by lots of spare cash, China now thinks big, wanting to call the shots wherever and whenever possible.
Hua Chen Zi,
Nanjing, China

The Genius of LeBron
Re "Basketball Einstein" [June 17]: Compared with Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, LeBron James would at best be an also-ran. Elgin Baylor, Rick Barry, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan would all average 45-plus points per game in today's soft league. NBA commissioner David Stern knows this well, that's why he's desperate to fabricate a hero out of James. We are not fooled.
Ben Leo,
St. Kilda East, Australia

The article did not illustrate the (sometimes inhuman) greatness of King James. On the court, he is so all-rounded that he can rank at the top in any position. His fast break is unstoppable, with quickness and strength that defy the laws of physics.
Bobby Poon,
Hong Kong

We are truly amazed by the abilities of athletes like James. Yet comparing him to Einstein amounts to arrogance. One is trying to figure out a basketball pitch while the other was trying to make sense of the whole universe! Wake up, Sean Gregory and John Krakauer, and please leave Einstein out of this!
Vladimir Ivanov,
Pretoria, South Africa