View From the Top > Letters

Very Impressed

To the Editor:
I was very impressed by the December issue of Chronogram with the outstanding article of Naomi Klein’s talk (“Bomb Before You Buy”), editor Lorna Tychostup’s interview with former ambassador Joseph Wilson, and her articulate reply to a letter which explained a lot of things I did not know about the trip she, Manna Jo Greene, and Michelle Riddell made to Iraq.

Naomi Klein’s article is a must-read to get a refreshingly new “big picture” viewpoint on yet another crime being committed by the neoconservative Bush gang in Iraq: under the guise of “reconstruction”, Iraq is being bought up by multinational corporations.

Interviewing such a knowledgeable, seasoned, and courageous diplomat as Joseph Wilson would have been a foreboding task for anyone. But Ms. Tychostup did her homework so well that she actually impressed former ambassador Wilson when she brought up what was in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, which he had not known, but agreed with. Go Chronogram!

—Jim Veeder, Saugerties

.Not Impressed

To the Editor:
I love Chronogram and read it cover to cover, ads, features, everything. You have some wonderful writers and good backbone.

However, I am not impressed with the sexist, male-drawn cartoon on page 36 this month [1/04 issue] of an embarrassed woman, cowering to cover up the skunk tail hanging between her legs. Her chicken-leg fingers and turned-in ugly legs in high heels are supposed to say...what? And why? Divinity NOT, Sparrow! I think it’s beyond tasteless, it’s offensive. And definitely not you, Chronogram.

Thanks for hearing me out. Looking forward to better artwork and better poetry than “Doe” and “Personal Ad.” We have so many better artists than this.

—Jane VanDeBogart, Woodstock

Still Hasn’t Found What He’s Looking For

To the Editor:
After reading Chronogram for the past five years or so, I have given up using it as a source for finding information in the Hudson Valley. I now find it easier to look online, or even to open the phone book when searching for a specific listing.

As the size of the magazine has grown, it has become progressively more difficult to find specific advertiser information. I often find myself flipping through a section over and over again looking for a phone number, only to find that it’s not there or appears in another section of the magazine. Sometimes I can find what I’m looking for in the directory listings, other months I can’t. It’s no longer a reliable, time-saving way to get this kind of information.

The time has come for the magazine to have a simple advertisers’ index. Both your customers and readers will appreciate it.

—Evan Marks, Kerhonkson

. Campaign Congratulations

To the Editor:
I just want to say thank you for publishing the fantastic article “Campaign Compulsion: How the Media Picks the Candidates.”

—Brett Garrett, Redwood City, CA

. Superficial Coverage?

To the Editor:
In the article “Campaign Compulsion” by Josh Robinson and Lorna Tychostup, it is ridiculous to characterize Howard Dean as pro-war because he may have supported the Biden-Lugar resolution. Dean earned his antiwar credentials by his vocal opposition to the war prior to the March invasion when few were brave enough to defy the flag-waving jingoists to take this stand. The pro-war characterization by the authors is a perfect—albeit unwitting—example of the superficial approach that the media uses to portray the positions of the candidates.

Likewise, one should also characterize the war stance of Kerry and the other candidates based not upon a single vote, which was arguably needed to give the administration potentially useful leverage at the un, but rather upon their speeches and public pronouncements prior to and during the invasion (Dean’s are the only ones that stand out in my memory).

Without appreciation of nuances inherent in a reality that is a continuum of shades of gray, we can never hope to rise above the mediocrity that results from trying to portray everything in terms of black and white.

—Mark Lagus, Stanfordville

Keeping Strong

To the Editor:
All the best on the milestone of your 10th anniversary! Chronogram truly is the Valley’s source for information on local events and for the discussion of important ideas.

The recent article by Naomi Klein [“Bomb Before You Buy,” 12/03], which provided a clear, vivid analysis on the invasion, occupation, and selling-off of Iraqi assets, is but one example of the type of reporting that only Chronogram has the guts to print. Keep strong!

—Glenn Gidaly, Gardiner

Department of Corrections

In our 1/04 issue, we misspelled the name of poet Nancy Rullo.

Our apologies.

A photo caption we ran in the 1/04 article “The Air Down There,” about the working conditions at Ground Zero, needs clarification. While it’s true that George Smith, the Department of Sanitation worker profiled in the article, was not warned about the possible health risks of working at Ground Zero, nor was he fitted for a respirator until two months after the attack, many firemen and other rescue workers were given respirators within the first week.