Letters

The Crisis of Foster Care

"I hope there is a special place in heaven for any child whose life was hell on Earth, and a special place in hell for those who made it so." TAMMY TALLENT Plano, Texas

Your report on how children in foster care are being abused and neglected [SOCIETY, Nov. 13] brought me to tears. I was not surprised, however, having worked in children's services for more than five years. Social workers are put in a very difficult, if not impossible, situation. They work horrendous hours. They are under constant stress; they deal with angry and violent parents and are expected to find placements for children when there aren't any appropriate homes available. It's no wonder there is a turnover rate of 70%. The only answer is increased funding to supply the resources, training and support that foster-care agencies need. This will help ensure that children are provided with the competent and caring social workers and foster parents they deserve. CAROLE WESTERMAN Monterey, Calif.

The U.S. government can spend billions on a single space mission, but it cannot dedicate more funds for capable foster care? The average car buyer does more research on the auto he or she wants to buy than states do in researching potential foster parents. There are millions of people out there who have loving homes for abused and unwanted children. I hope your investigation opened a lot of eyes and shames the states into major reforms. Which is more important: our future--our children--or exploring the possibility of colonizing space? JANE MCFADDEN San Antonio, Texas

Your article was not only unbalanced but also unfair. Unfair to the large number of social workers who are trying to make a difference. Unfair to the children whose lives have become more safe and stable in foster care. And incredibly unfair to the foster parents who give their lives and their hearts to the children in their care.

You have trivialized all these people's efforts by dwelling on the inadequacies of the system and showing only a couple of examples of foster care working well. You mentioned a few people who "survived" foster care, but said nothing about those who were nurtured by it. The acts you described are indeed terrible, but they would be happening at an even more alarming rate if foster care did not exist. Solutions are what's needed, not horror stories. GWYNETH JONES Wenham, Mass.

Is adoption the answer? As a school social worker who deals with the results of our foster-care system, my response is an unequivocal yes. No child should languish in foster care year after year while parents try to get their act together. You emphasized the abuses that take place in foster homes, but many more occur in the child's own family. The whole system needs a major overhaul. And while the issue is debated, children are growing up feeling unwanted and unloved. Foster care is not the answer. Adoption is. LINDA L. GENTILE East Longmeadow, Mass.

Sure, the foster-care system has failed many children, is too bureaucratic, and, yes, its youngsters are not all in safe homes. But the vast majority are, and they receive quality care from their foster families, with excellent attention by agency social-work staff.

Portraying our nation's foster-care system as shameful will only erode efforts to reform it. We need to focus on attracting some of our nation's best social workers, administrators and resource families to this difficult field. Reform is occurring, and children are benefiting. You failed to inform your readers of the many U.S. success stories in which public and private child-welfare systems are collaborating to serve foster children more effectively. JEFFREY NITZ Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

It is disturbing that you had to resort to a picture of a dead child to show the sad state of child protection and foster care in the U.S. But the unfortunate reality in Canada, as in the U.S., is that the child-protection system is in crisis. The problems are complex, the safeguards almost nonexistent, and, despite a number of dedicated individuals, children continue to die in horrifying circumstances. What will it take to stop the tragic death of youngsters who were brutally tortured and murdered by their so-called caregivers? I applaud the social workers who are trying to make changes, and I hope that more of us will realize this isn't someone else's problem. MELANIE MCCAIG Toronto

The juxtaposition of your article about the abuse of foster children with the one on the high-tech, billion-dollar telescopes seemed to show exactly what takes priority. We are willing to spend huge sums of money on space research but cannot find enough funds to keep our children from abuse, starvation and exploitation. But somehow money is found to finance prisons for the damaged survivors of our foster-care programs. As a society we have to reorganize our system to protect the future generations, or all that expensive space research will count for nothing and we will be lost in the chaos of our own planet. CLAIRE TARRANT Mississauga, Ont.

Mori's Verbal Gaffes

As you noted in your item about Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori [NOTEBOOK, Nov. 6], he keeps making misstatements. Sensible people here have lost patience with Mori's repeated irresponsible remarks about missing Japanese allegedly having been abducted by North Koreans. Why did we ever choose him as Prime Minister? His statements are rubbing neighboring nations the wrong way and undercutting the progress made since World War II. TAKESHI MIZUGUCI Toki, Japan

Lessons of the Crash

It is wrong to put the blame for the crash of Singapore Airlines Flight 006 solely on the pilot who turned onto the wrong runway [AVIATION, Nov. 13]. Surely authorities at Taipei's airport should share some responsibility for what happened. A runway that was under repair was not adequately closed off, and no one seemed to notice that a jumbo jet was taking off from the wrong runway. More than one person should take responsibility for the tragedy. BINA MENON Selangor, Malaysia

Airline travel today can be hazardous to your health. Isn't it time that the long-suffering coach-class travelers make some demands on the international airlines? How about giving us a modicum of extra seating space to improve comfort in what I call the cattle class? And what about cleaner, fresher cabin air to lessen the likely spread of bacterial infections? It is ironic that we probably experienced a better quality of cabin air before smoking was prohibited. SYLVIA GON Johannesburg

Conquering Evil

The ouster of Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic [WORLD, Oct. 16] was a triumph of justice over greed and deception. There could never be adequate punishment in any court for Milosevic. But his defeat is proof that when people unite, energy is released that conquers evil. CHITRA AMARNATH New Delhi

A Historic Example

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's strategy of imposing a "unilateral separation" on the Palestinians if Yasser Arafat declares statehood [WORLD, Nov. 6] reminds me of South Africa's semantic maneuvering to replace the word apartheid with words like "separate development." Of course, the Middle East and South African situations are totally different. But Barak and Arafat can follow Nelson Mandela's and F.W. de Klerk's example and not only talk but also work together and walk the whole mile of transformation to democracy without outside mediators. JAN MAARSCHALK Florida Hills, South Africa

Legacy of Hate

So there is fierce fighting again between Israelis and Palestinians [WORLD, Nov. 13]. Why should anybody be surprised? It has been going on for as long as Islam, Judaism and Christianity have been around. And it will continue while Israel exists as a Jewish state and controls holy sites of two other major faiths. Arabs, both Christian and Muslim, will rebel to get back these sites. What ever happened to the lesson of sharing? JAMIL BATCHA, Age 16 Hunt Valley, Md.

The Palestinians' use of children as combatants should be condemned by all human-rights organizations. How can putting children in harm's way ever be justified? Parents must ensure that kids get an education and learn that the world is a diverse place where people need to cooperate and peacefully coexist. True peace comes when parents know that food and education are more important than control of land. DANIEL STUHLMAN Chicago

Remedy or Rip-Off?

In his column titled "Something to Sneeze About" [SKEPTICAL EYE, Nov. 13], Leon Jaroff wrote that like other homeopathic products, Oscillococcinum, which is used to treat influenza, is "basically worthless." Where did Jaroff receive his doctorate of homeopathy? Perhaps until he is educated in this area of healing he should take a middle-of-the-road approach and present both sides equally. I have been helped by homeopathy and other alternative health-care approaches when practitioners of traditional medicine told me to live with my problem. Maybe Jaroff should take a close look at how many pharmaceutical drugs and traditional medical approaches may be hurting more than they are healing. DIANE STASHKO Berwick, Pa.

Jaroff's commentary on homeopathic products was sorely needed. Scientists never rule out a theory completely, and this approach has led too many people to think that something ridiculous might be valid. Too many discussions of alternative medicine emphasize possible side effects when what should really be pointed out is that most of those treatments just plain don't work. People all over the world are being scammed to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year. WENDY NATHER Chicago

Having seen infants and animals respond well to homeopathic remedies, I realize that Jaroff must have blinders on to call positive reactions a placebo effect. Just because science hasn't found a way to measure something doesn't invalidate it. I hope we can recognize that healing occurs at many levels. SIDNEY VAELLO Georgetown, Texas

I have used Oscillococcinum, and it has worked. So those of us who use homeopathy get the last laugh. It is certainly much cheaper and safer than relying on prescription drugs. BECKY WIREN Bryan, Ohio

Perfect Worlds

In his critique of the exhibit at the New York Public Library "Utopia: The Search for the Ideal Society in the Western World" [IDEAS, Nov. 6], Robert Hughes said, "This is a show about failure." However, there are thousands of successful utopian communities in operation today. Monasteries and other religious communities exist in all parts of the world from Tibet to America.

The search for a future ideal world is universal. It exists in every religion and every heart. This urge is a powerful, underappreciated force that draws us on our evolutionary journey, seeking perfection as we go. Hughes puts himself on the side of the defeatists when he declares the search for an ideal life has ended in failure. JAMES HELLMUTH Washington

The greatest irony of the concept of Utopia is that people are still searching for it when, at the dawn of the 21st century, most citizens of the world's industrial democracies are already living in one. Does anyone doubt that if we could communicate with any person--even the wealthiest and most privileged--who lived much before 1900, and told them that we live in a time when even ordinary people have clean clothes and houses, nutritious food and potable water with which to bathe and cook, the freedom to quit any job we dislike, the ability to hear symphonic music and watch dramas without leaving home and the opportunity to ride vehicles that can transport us anywhere in the world in a matter of hours, that their immediate response would be to cry out, "You live in paradise!"? THOMAS A. DIMAGGIO York, Pa.

Decoy Deer

Steve Lopez's column on using mechanical deer to catch poachers and trespassers in Michigan would have been laughable if it did not reflect his antihunter bias [STEVE LOPEZ'S AMERICA, Nov. 13]. As a hunter, I have no sympathy for poachers. But I object to Lopez's silly and inaccurate description of events. How can he claim to be "deep, deep in the woods" when he's near enough to see a pickup-truck driver on the road? Perhaps Lopez has never been in woods deeper than Central Park. The real issue, however thinly veiled, is his distaste for anyone who hunts or is a member of the National Rifle Association. I would prefer not to live in "Steve Lopez's America." TOM WANSLEBEN Claremont, N.H.

I laughed as I read Lopez's piece. it just reinforces my opinion that the N.R.A. has a healthy portion of full-fledged irresponsible, disrespectful (of the law), trigger-happy morons who will shoot at anything that moves and then gripe because they think their rights have been violated by law-enforcement officers. That's pathetic! KRISTI RICHTER Chicago

Does Lopez realize that Michigan's department of natural resources, with its robotic deer and all its other poacher-catching, habitat-protection and fish-and-game-release programs, is funded almost entirely by law-abiding hunters and fishermen? The N.R.A. does not support illegal activity involving guns or wildlife. While I applaud Lopez for reporting on a conservation issue, he owes apologies to the N.R.A. and to hunters. FRED CHESLEK II Kalamazoo, Mich.

Allen's Paranormal Interests

It was sad that in your item about the death of Steve Allen [MILESTONES, Nov. 13] you failed to mention one of his most important contributions to rational thought--his fellowship in the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Along with many of the best minds of science, philosophy and journalism, he helped confirm or debunk the constant eruption of astounding claims of events or discoveries that the lay public might accept without question. ROBERT N. RADER Moore Haven, Fla.

Delivery, Rebus-Style

I think the fan letter Sarah Vowell wrote when she was six addressed only to "Farrah, Hollywood" would have been delivered to the Charlie's Angels star [COMMENT, Nov. 6]. I can offer an improbable precedent. Back in the early 20th century, my father, then a sportswriter in Syracuse, N.Y., wrote a note and put it in an envelope with nothing on it but sketches of a necktie and an ear of corn and a stamp. My dad knew it was delivered because in due time he got a reply from baseball immortal Ty Cobb from his Georgia home. NELSON C. HYDE JR. Vesuvius, Va.

Extreme Entertainment

I enjoyed Mark Leyner's commentary on the new, wild XFL [ESSAY, Nov. 13]. His suggestions for increasing extreme football's level of excitement were O.K. as far as they went, but it's time for him to stop living in the past. Leyner is suffering from the delusion that fans of the World Wrestling Federation are interested in watching a contest. Forget Homer's Iliad and the battling Greeks and Trojans. It's time to move forward! Bring back the Christians and lions! PAUL MELL St. Louis, Mo.

Legendary Likeness

When I saw the photo accompanying the article on Sade and her new CD [MUSIC, Nov. 13], I was struck by her beauty and regal bearing and experienced a feeling of recognition. I soon realized that she is a modern-day version of one of the most celebrated beauties of antiquity: Nefertiti, wife of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten. Together the couple led a cultural and religious revolution centered on the worship of Aten, the sun god. Compare Sade's photo with the painted bust of Queen Nefertiti in the collection of Berlin's State Museum. ROBERT S. ANDERSON Baltimore, Md.

Beyond Hubble

My fellow astronomers Wendy Freedman, Robert Kirshner and Geoff Marcy and I were delighted with your exciting article about the renaissance in ground-based astronomy and optical systems [ASTRONOMY, Nov. 13]. The explosion of new telescopes and other state-of-the-art tools is providing astronomers with unprecedented opportunities. What should also be emphasized is the way ground- and space-based telescopes work together. Far from being just a finder telescope for the Keck, as the piece suggested, the amazing Hubble Space Telescope--arguably the most productive astronomical instrument ever--has been a wellspring for investigations with ground-based telescopes. Indeed, collaboration with the Hubble and other space telescopes, such as the orbiting Chandra and the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, has been a rationale for building these new ground-based telescopes. The synergy between them is a key part of the bright future for astronomical research. ALAN DRESSLER Carnegie Observatories Pasadena, Calif.

Phthalates and Early Puberty

As recent studies have concluded there is no link between phthalate exposure and puberty effects in young girls, we find it troubling that TIME included a reference to phthalates in your article about early sexual development [HEALTH, Oct. 30]. Phthalates are added to plastic to impart flexibility and are used in medical devices, toys, food packaging and a variety of other products, such as pharmaceuticals and personal-care products. Phthalates are among the most thoroughly studied compounds in the world. There has been more than 50 years of extensive research, testing and use of phthalates without any confirmed reports of adverse health effects in children or adults. Given the weight of scientific evidence, we believe it is highly unlikely that phthalates are a causative factor in early puberty. COURTNEY M. PRICE Phthalates Esters Panel American Chemistry Council Arlington, Va.

Napster Makes a Deal

If the remarkable agreement between Napster and Bertelsmann pans out [BUSINESS, Nov. 13], the New York State liquor authority might want to investigate, as the legal age for drinking alcohol in New York is 21. In describing how the partnership came together, you noted that Bertelsmann chief Thomas Middelhoff and Napster founder Shawn Fanning consumed a bottle of "$219 Phelps Insignia Cabernet" wine with their power lunch at a New York City restaurant. Perhaps that was the reason why 20-year-old Fanning was so "entranced" by the German media giant. Should the deal turn sour, I'll wonder if the alcohol Fanning consumed distorted his judgment. GEORGE W. ROTH Boston