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WHEN YOU KILL THE ARTS, YOU KILL THE soul of the nation. LETICIA SAINT-GERMAIN Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
ONCE AGAIN TIME HAS FAILED TO PRESENT anything approaching an objective view of the proceedings in our nation's capital. Robert Hughes' rantings about the Republican assault on the "arts" is more liberal drivel. To equate the pseudo art funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with Thomas Jefferson's library or the Lincoln Memorial shows clearly the inability of the left to discriminate between junk and true greatness. DOUG KLASSEN Tempe, Arizona AOL: Ferd94
I RECOMMEND THAT THE CAPITOL AND all congressional offices be stripped of every piece of art and all members of Congress be prohibited from attending events at the Kennedy Center, National Theater and Ford's Theater. J. FRANK SHROYER Fort Worth, Texas
I FIND THE ARTICLE BY HUGHES SELF-serving and self-aggrandizing. America is filled with special interests, including my own. When laws are enacted by the majority, should the minority whine? While I do not feel strongly about ending funding for the arts, I violently oppose spending dollars on cultural programs that are controversial. What is art to some is pure trash to others. If I am compelled to contribute, it will not be at the expense of my value system. SCOTT PETERSEN Olathe, Kansas
TO PRISON FOR A LIFETIME
ATROCITIES WILL BE SELF-PERPETUATING unless someone breaks the cycle. To execute Susan Smith [CRIME, Aug. 7], considering her age and her family background, would have perpetuated the crime she committed. The jury chose a path that offers hope for a break in the abuse-and-atrocity cycle. In years to come, Smith's sharing of the distorted emotions that caused her to commit such an atrocity may prevent another from occurring. That is Smith's destiny, that is her challenge, and that is her salvation. MARTIN KOPACZ Houston
WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING THE DEATH penalty if it is never used in brutal cases like Smith's? Her two defenseless, innocent, loving children died at the hand of their manipulative mother. Not only did Smith lie to Union, South Carolina, the black community and the world, but she is also alive. If all those who suffered sexual molestation reacted the way Smith did, we would have an epidemic of infant murders on our hands ANDRE DUGUAY Raleigh, North Carolina
NOW THAT THE SMITH TRIAL IS OVER, I can't help wondering what the sentence would have been if Smith's original accusations had been true and a black man had been caught, tried and convicted of the crime. MARJORIE CLAUSEN Santa Barbara, California
OF MICE AND FAT
IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF THE PUBLICITY surrounding the so-called fat substance [SCIENCE, Aug. 7], an obesity-reducing hormone, fooled your readers into abandoning a prudent diet. Obesity is a life-threatening condition that has become prevalent in our country. Recently the National Center for Health Statistics reported that 34% of Americans exceed their ideal body weight by more than 20%. A quick-fix cure for obesity is a nice thought, but prevention of this problem is much wiser. ALEX HERSHAFT Bethesda, Maryland