05/02/2005
Dear Editor:
In regard to “Triumph Over Terror” (March 2005, page 60), the parallels that exist between the terror attacks in London and New York are far apart. As awful as the damage and casualties were in both cases, the long arm of al Qaeda poses a far greater threat than that of the IRA. Its organization and financial resources are beyond comparison. The scope of al Qaeda’s power is global, while that of the IRA is local. Let’s not forget that our post-9/11 world also includes the deadly attacks in Bali, Madrid and elsewhere. It will also be difficult for our economy, and society, to rebound if terrorism becomes a way of life here, as it has in some parts of the Middle East. We also have to consider the possibility of an unconventional attack using chemical or even nuclear weapons. With this in mind, we cannot afford to become complacent on terrorism; government policies based on justice and the common good, combined with the virtues of vigilance and resilience, should be what define us as a society.
Nick Gatsoulis
Astoria, N.Y.
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GUILTY PLEASURES
Dear Editor:
I was amused to read “Hard Time” (January 2005, page 34) by David Novak. I was
originally sentenced on a first-time nonviolent drug charge to the prison camp
at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida [where Novak served his sentence] but ended
up at Lewisburg, Pa. I had to surrender myself in January 1999, two years after
David.
My experience was very different. The camp was beautiful, with two dorm-style buildings, no gates, bars or locks. It was located in the Susquehanna Valley area in Pennsylvania, a place usually reserved for honeymoon resorts. Besides being picturesque, the quality of food and services were more than I expected. The guards could not have been friendlier. Mostly I read, played cards, became the camp backgammon champion and, in the spring when the brooks melted, we fished for trout. Today I still joke that if they had brought women in on weekends I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life there.
While there I met investment bankers, stockbrokers, CEOs and insurance scam people. I would get a kick out of these so-called white-collar executives crying to their wives or lawyers that they had to get them out of there before they killed themselves. It was so bad they actually thought of suicide?
I still have friends at Lewisburg and things have changed since 9/11, but the story David wrote made me wonder if he really did his time at Eglin. Listening to him, he would have you think it was Leavenworth.
Today I am eight years clean, I have
house-sat for the family of one of the federal judges that sent me to prison. I
sponsored a U.S. marshal in recovery who used to cuff me and bring me to court.
I go into treatment facilities, prisons and youth facilities to talk and share
my experience, strength and hope with others. But the difference between David
and me is that I do it for free.
John R. Peinert
Kihei, Hawaii
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FLOTATION ADVICE
Dear Editor:
“Stick-and-Rudder Realities” (February
2005, page 23) included a number of good points. This quotation from Jerry
Wharton, however, was not among them: “It does not take a rocket scientist to
run a boat on a river. You can sit there and have a few beers and relax . . . .”
As a retired executive, current investor, owner/operator of a 60-foot motoryacht
and holder of a USCG 100-ton master captain’s license, I agree that, while
multifaceted, driving a boat is not rocket science. Notwithstanding, responsible
operators and all professional captains never, ever drink while operating any
kind of watercraft.
Fred Mosser
Chatham, Mass.
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