Mail Call: New Weapons in the War on Drugs

Thank you for your informative and comprehensive cover story on addiction. As the mother of a heroin-addicted son who took his life 12 years ago, I know only too well what does not work. I no longer mourn his death but the life he was denied. Let's hope that the millions of dollars wasted on the criminal-justice system can be diverted into the community mental-health system, so that continued research on the brain and addiction can proceed. My son's legacy says it: "Cool it, Mom. You can't compete with heroin."
Rita Lowenthal
Santa Monica, Calif.

While it is good that pharmacology may eventually provide the means to alleviate the pain and suffering associated with substance addiction, I am concerned that such a treatment may do more harm than good. Does our victim-oriented society really need another excuse for people not to take responsibility for their own lives? Addiction starts after the substance is sniffed, swallowed or injected. If there is the perception of no price to pay, what do you think will result? Just look at the obesity epidemic and the multibillion-dollar industry devoted to its treatment.
Kevin J. Barry
Salem, N.H.

Obama and U.S.-Israel Relations
More than a sendup of divisive political strategy, "Good for the Jews?" (March 3) calls attention to the potential of a new McCarthy era in which intelligent discussion about issues surrounding Israel can lead one to be blacklisted as anti-Semitic. The expectations by some American Jewish leaders that Barack Obama should not receive advice from persons who have acknowledged there is a powerful Jewish lobby that influences foreign policy or have any sympathy for Palestinians demonstrates this. If Obama or anybody distances himself from individuals who intelligently and respectfully present an unsanctioned position regarding Israel, then a blacklist is in effect. Obama's message is one of inclusion and diplomacy. Not all Muslims are terrorists; not all Christians are evangelicals; not all critiques of Israel policy or American Jewish leadership are anti-Semitic, and not all Jewish leaders are polarized thinkers. It is my profound hope that the Jewish community can shake off the horrors of the past and understand that it is possible for their countrymen to love them, respect Israel's right to exist and be sympathetic toward the Muslim community.
Candace Veach
Santa Monica, Calif.

Poor Health Coverage for Asthma
I am a middle-class mother of a 3-year-old with asthma ("Every Breath They Take," PERISCOPE, March 3). She has been admitted to the hospital twice with flare-ups. My family has health insurance, but our prescription-drug coverage doesn't kick in until we reach our high deductible. Once a month I pay at least $330 for medication out of my pocket. Once a month I get a searing reminder of how broken our health-care system really is. When I walk away from that pharmacy window, I have two thoughts: How is it possible that our health-care costs are so high? And what in the world do families who can't afford it do? As David Noonan and others in his article point out, it is unconscionable that we let kids with this disease go untreated. It is time to fix a health-care system that is entirely out of whack.
Katherine S. Lacommare
Howell, Mich.

Shake Your Body, Do the Mambo
Robert Farris Thompson's Feb. 25 My Turn, "Mambo on My Mind," brought a tear to my eye. I also spent much time at New York's Palladium. As a drummer, I found it important to master the rhythms of Latin music that were then sweeping the country. There was no better way to learn them than from the master himself, Tito Puente. I memorized his every move by watching him perform. He taught me how and when to use the cowbell, rimshots, accents and cymbals, which I applied with my own little group. And by watching and studying the steps, moves and body language of some of the great dancers, I became quite good at the mambo, cha-cha, merengue and all the other Latin dances. This provided entree to the in crowd. I was no longer the shy, timid wallflower, the outsider looking in. Latin music had changed my life.
Joe Shavil
San Diego, Calif.

For the Record
"Antiterror Help Wanted" (PERISCOPE, March 3) is correct in noting the National Counterterrorism Center as a "bright spot" in intelligence reform but wrong in two other respects. Let me set the record straight. First, I believe we are strategically safer as a result of having gone into Iraq. As I have consistently stated in congressional testimony and interviews, a major reason for our not being attacked since 9/11 has been our strategy of taking the war to the terrorists. That assessment clearly includes Iraq, which Al Qaeda considers a critical battleground. This security has not come without a price. My comment in the 10-second TV sound bite (lifted out of a 40-minute interview) that we were probably not "tactically" safer referred to the loss of life of the courageous members of our military due to Al Qaeda's action on the Iraqi battlefield. Second, the backhanded implication that I was forced to resign is pure poppycock. I left because I had to have total knee-replacement surgery on both knees, period. That decision was discussed with the White House and director of National Intelligence well before the airing of the interview. I left NCTC confident that a strong team with a strong leader in Mike Leiter was in place. The day-to-day performance of NCTC—and, indeed, the entire counterterrorism community—in keeping the country safe for more than six years is the story you should focus on.
Scott Redd,Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Former Director, NCTC
Washington, D.C.