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Reeve is no hero. Heroes sacrifice not out of necessity but out of choice. Heroes build houses, feed the poor and go into harm's way out of a sense of duty and honor. Heroes are not rich Hollywood actors who get hurt riding their ponies and then lecture the rest of us on why more of our hard-earned tax money should go to help them out. DANIEL J. ADAMS San Diego, California
You mentioned Reeve's work on the establishment of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California at Irvine, noting that it started with a $1 million gift from the philanthropist Joan Irvine Smith. You erroneously said, however, that the state will match Smith's donation. In fact, all of the matching-fund money will come from private donations. We have begun a major campaign to raise this money from concerned citizens and corporations so that we may achieve the goal of finding a cure for spinal-cord injury. JERRY E. MANDEL, Vice Chancellor University of California, Irvine Irvine, California
If Reeve, through his mishap, can draw greater attention to the cause of spinal-cord injuries, bless him. I recently visited a children's trauma hospital where I saw babies, toddlers and young children who know only the bed they sleep in, the rehabilitation room down the hall and their many nurses. Let's pray that Reeve's star power pays off and that he and these children walk again. DEBORAH LYNCH Ithaca, New York Via E-mail
A man who cannot stand or walk, who has not the strength of a babe, is waging a heroic battle against apathy, pain and despair. ELIZABETH ITTS Canfield, Ohio
HURTING AMERICA'S ALLIES
The Clinton administration should take a closer look at the effects of laws aimed at curbing terrorism by applying sanctions [WORLD, Aug. 26]. Although the Helms-Burton Law and the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 are well intentioned, the result has been to hurt our allies. They have made it clear that they will not allow themselves to be bullied by the U.S. Unless the Administration modifies or repeals these laws, there will be serious repercussions. J. RICARDO SOLIZ Houston
Any nation that deals with Iran can not be called a friend or an ally of the U.S.'s, when business with Iran can help fuel the terrorist machine that attacks Americans and Israelis. It is the radical Islamic world that seeks to impose its standard of death and slavery upon the U.S. WALLINGTON SIMPSON JR. Montebello, New York
BRUTALITY IN CHECHNYA
The photograph showing the smoldering body of a Russian soldier [WORLD, Aug. 26] is yet another powerful image of the brutality that is taking place in Chechnya. This gruesome depiction of the war's ceaseless fighting should serve only one purpose: to force Moscow pull its troops out of Chechnya. ANTHONY SAAR Toronto
NO-NEWS CONVENTION?
So the media thought that the convention was dull and sanitized and that it produced no news [THE REPUBLICANS, Aug. 26]. Those comments probably best describe what's wrong with the media. Would they have been happier with a bomb blast or two, perhaps some good old riots and violent abortion-rights battles? Apparently speeches that enable you to learn about candidates do not qualify as news. And here I thought one of the responsibilities of the media was to inform, not just report sensationalism. WILLIAM R. BROWN Pauma Valley, California