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As a longtime supporter of Gov. Dean, I am flabbergasted by all that Matt Taibbi reports ("Cage Match," 1/7). I didn't realize how far the media had gone to try to derail Gov. Dean's campaign. Thank you for opening my eyes. By the by, what is New York Press, and how do I get to read it?

Nancy M. Shea, Savannah, GA

Reverend Moon Pies

Ever since being introduced to Rev. Moon ("The Gist," 1/14) by Robert Parry's website, Consortium News, I've wondered how this man has been able to be a shadow for so long. I keep waiting to hear that this man's power within the slimy Bush administration will be exposed. I believe the only way to get things back on track is for knowledgeable people to take the bull by the horns. Humbly submitted by a senior citizen.

Mary Timmons, Ormond Beach, FL

Work Brings Freedom

Smith: I am a 68-year-old retiree and I just want to thank you for being the one person in all of New York who is willing to admit the Social Security System is not necessary ("MUGGER," 1/14). It is the sacred cow of the left and the would-be socialists who occupy this city like an invading force. I never needed Social Security and still don't because I still work (I am a clerk in a chemical-supply company) and will work until the day I die. People who say they need Social Security simply don't want to work. Work is good for everybody?even old people. I also enjoyed your thoughts on Paul O'Neill, who really does have "sour grapes."

I am very sad that you no longer own the Press because it used to be the one voice of reason in this city. Now it is full of ads and articles about homosexuals. Bring back Mugger and news for ordinary people!

Genine Madsen, Manhattan

Reagan Cover Redux

In a recent letter ("The Mail," 1/7) Jack Rawlinson suggested that those who were offended by the drawing of a drooling Ronald Reagan should educate themselves about political cartooning. He went on to write that political cartoonists "have long been gratuitously vicious towards their targets, and rightly so."

First of all, political cartoonists draw pictures of current political news. Reagan has not been "current" in politics for quite some time. His sickness is not breaking news either, having been diagnosed years ago. For that matter, Nancy Reagan's talent at fellatio is not political news either. The drawing in question is not a political cartoon. It is just a stupid picture that happens to be of a former politician and his wife.

Second, it is true that political cartoonists have always been "gratuitously vicious," but by including his comment "rightly so," Rawlinson shows either his ignorance or his hatred. Were the German cartoonists that lampooned Jews as sub-human for so many years right? Or the Arab cartoonists who do the same thing today? The point is that just as in any walk of life, most political cartoonists should and do have limits to what they will do.

Howard Rosen, Manhattan

Hair Split

The United States Air Force declared war on Hitler? Maybe Elana Berkowitz ("People of the (Comic) Book," 1/7) meant the Army Air Force. When Hitler was in power he faced the U.S. Army Air Force. The Air Force came later, even in Captain America comics.

Fran Tetoro, Manhattan

Radical Centrists of the World, Unite!

I've followed Dean ("Cage Match," 1/7) seriously since April 03. That this pragmatic, warm, funny, effective, outside-the-box radical centrist should be reduced to "angry" says much more about the sorry state of corporate journalism than it does about Dean. Half of Dean's people admit their Republican, Independent, Green or apolitical backgrounds, while most articles describe only "angry, anti-war, left-wing Democrats."

The old line, "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention," applies. Our children are being maimed for life by the thousands in a war based on lies and corporate corruption, while Washington collusion deepens and our own hand-picked International Monetary Fund says that U.S. debt is a threat to the world economy. If we all pay attention and get angry and active enough, we might win our country back.

Nance Crow, Albuquerque, NM

Ayatollah Rock 'n' Roll-a

Does Russ Smith ("MUGGER," 1/7) really find it so "inexplicable" that "the ayatollahs of medicine (i.e. doctors) are held in the same high regard as rabbis, ministers, scientists, astronauts and soldiers"? It's perfectly explicable to me. Say what you will about doctors?they keep a lot of us healthy, or even alive. Next time you get sick, Mugger, try calling a rabbi or an astronaut.

Richard Fried, Brooklyn

Cool Media

Matt Taibbi's excellent article on the media's irresponsible coverage of Howard Dean ("Cage Match," 1/7) is a reminder for us to revisit the thoughts of media sage Marshall McLuhan, who told us not only that "the medium is the message," but also "We become what we behold." And what could be more sickening than having what we behold prepared for us by the mental midgets at Time and Newsweek, whose focus is almost exclusively on the banal and superficial? The Bush phenomenon would never have realized its current popularity without complicity from the media. Real media "critics" are too few and far between, and are often too tied in to the mainstream?take for example the case of brain-dead Howard Kurtz at the Washington Post, Broderville division. The only response to this blight on our houses is relentless attack, to insist, time and again, that the media assist in the democratic process rather than trivialize it.

Gerald S. Rellick, Santa Ana, CA

Nine Eleven

Thank you for printing this article ("Nine Hundred and Eleven Missing Pieces," 12/31). I believe you are one of the first news agencies to report on the lawsuit against George W. Bush. Please continue to publish stories reflecting the deep concern of Americans regarding missing information and 9/11. I commend you and your writer Alan Cabal. My own burning questions include:

What happened to the video and T.V. footage that the hundreds of news agencies were running?

Weren't we shown a home video of a small plane hitting the Pentagon on every channel the day of 9/11? (They stopped showing it the next day, and I've never seen it since.)

Where are the home videos and other footage of the buildings going down? I've heard that some original footage of the buildings collapsing revealed microbursts at the buildings' joints if viewed in slow motion, and that new versions released have been touched up.

Jeannie Braun, Denver, CO

Freeing Tommy Chong

The incarceration of Tommy Chong ("Rotation," 1/14) is a travesty. But we should expect no less from an administration whose faith-based initiatives drive its social agenda. When the National Survey on Drug Use and Health disclosed survey data indicating that adolescents had an easier time procuring marijuana than tobacco, the government took action?they eliminated questions about tobacco from the following year's survey. The government's research agenda is equally biased; no research is ever funded that might place marijuana in a favorable light. The professional liar in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, John Walters, refuses to debate marijuana prohibition with anyone who does not operate a drug treatment facility or lead a law enforcement organization.

Meanwhile, many folks discount persons advocating for the end of marijuana prohibition and chide them for not having anything better to advocate for. This ignores the fact that the entire drug prohibition regime stands on a lie and that the rule of law and respect for law is undermined when a minority of religious right-wingers impose their theological values on the general public and outlaw the use of an herb that was legal for centuries and which is consumed by many, if not a majority, of Americans. It is time for newspapers to stop giggling and using snide puns for headlines whenever they publish a story about marijuana. And those who fear sending the wrong message to our youth ought to wake up. Today's youth is getting the message: the federal government is retarded.

Thomas J. Hillgardner, Esq., Queens

Lenny Bruce, American

Thank you, Richard Herschlag, for your article "Pardon You" ("Rotation," 1/7) and taking the time to address Lenny Bruce. If not for Lenny, most of us comedians would be finishing our days at 5 p.m. and heading home to the wife and kids in Long Island.

Your very poignant observation, "Only 35 months after he died, pretty flower children were running around naked..." hit me hard. How many people forget that what offends them will be the norm in a few years? Trendy people never get it, they just imitate. Lenny focused his anger on people who weren't moving fast enough with the times.

Steve Marshall, Manhattan

Concise, Compelling, Cabal

I am writing to send many thanks to New York Press and Alan Cabal ("Nine Hundred and Eleven Missing Pieces," 12/31) for a concise and compelling article outlining the searing questions the 9/11 families first raised early in 2002, as well as for applauding the ongoing efforts of Kristen Breitweiser and Ellen Mariani. We all owe a large debt of gratitude to these individuals for their work on behalf of us all. Please continue to keep this story alive through questioning why we still have no answers to these very direct questions.

On Dec. 17, 2003, the 9/11 commission chairman Thomas Kean stated that the 9/11 attacks were preventable, as reported by CBS. This should continue to headline the news reports throughout the media and be at the forefront of our national dialogue.

Now add to this the statements and book based on Paul O'Neill's inside experience released in the past few days. We then come a little closer to the "whole truth" on why we went to war in Iraq in the way and time we did...with the administration declaring we were under imminent threat and that they had evidence of WMD's that could not be fully released for national security reasons.

Where is the outrage? Why is it okay that we still do not have answers to the widow's questions? We all have the same questions. In response, we should be concerned with an impeachment trial, instead of allowing the nation to suffer as the lies continue through Bush's re-election campaign.

Nancy Parker, Boca Raton, FL

We have a Website?

I'm just getting caught up on recent issues of your great website. I find it funny/sad when a questionable talent like Russ Smith attempts to condescend to a superstar like Matt Taibbi ("MUGGER," 12/24) for going over the top. Poor Russ came off like a bitter, unimaginative high school basketball coach excoriating his best player for passing behind the back or dunking. What a load he is. Congrats for having Taibbi on your team.

Robb Hamilton, Long Beach, CA

You Wouldn't like him When He's Angry

A new definition for ludicrous? That's what I was thinking when I heard Frank Rich's latest performance on CNN's "Reliable Sources," a bland white guy describing Howard Dean ("Cage Match," 1/7) as a bland white guy.

Howard Dean, who from the second he drove audiences to a frenzy by saying "I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," has come from nowhere to be the front running candidate for the nomination.

Howard Dean, who could step on any street corner in America and generate crowds of thousands. Howard Dean with his Sleepless Summer Tour, Generation Dean video and army of DeanHeads.

The fact is that Howard Dean has been blowing the socks off people for the past two years and Frank Rich didn't foresee it, didn't participate in it and currently still doesn't understand it, and thus finds himself trying to marginalize what is going on.

He falls back on what is already tired ground...ooooogh Dean gets angry...and we just can't have that, can we? Yes, Dean is angry...and there is much to be angry about. Look at the Iraq mess the U.S. finds itself in. Dean is the only politician with the courage to question America's rationale for embarking on this expedition.

Thomas DeChastelain, Ottawa, Ontario

The Doctor Is So Out He's In

In his inane column (Mugger, 1/7), Russ Smith begins by lauding "unabashed Democrat" Marjorie Williams for providing the "most unique, and compelling" column opposing Howard Dean yet. Williams' reason: because he's a doctor. Unique? We'll give her that one. Compelling? Not so fast. While there are plenty of far more valid reasons to oppose Dean than the fact that he's a doctor, let's give this misguided pair the benefit of the doubt and hear them out.

Williams writes, and Smith quotes, "Where else but in medicine do you find men and women who never admit a mistake? Who talk more than they listen, and feel entitled to withhold crucial information? Whose lack of tact in matters of life and death might disqualify them from any other field?" A Rumsfeld briefing would be a good place to start. Some gibberish about "unknown unknowns" comes to mind.

Smith questions why doctors, most of whom he feels are "real assholes," are typically considered bastions of society, along with rabbis, ministers, scientists, astronauts and soldiers, while lawyers, politicians and journalists are, well, not. Forget for a minute that two of the last three are just as likely to be assholes (draw your own conclusions about which two), and let me explain it to you, Russ. When people are sick, they don't schedule an appointment with the mayor, the editor of the paper or their lawyer. They go see the doctor. Amazingly, most are able to endure 30-minute waits and brusque attitudes from busy doctors in order to return to health or have their lives prolonged. Few, if any, lawyers, politicians or journalists provide a service with such immediately tangible benefits. There's an amazing concept called gratitude, and that's why doctors, aka "ayatollahs of medicine," are held in high regard.

The attack, however, doesn't stop there. Smith goes on to detail an experience with an arrogant putz of a doctor from 1982 and a conversation with a doctor friend who said, "Hey, it's not like a broken arm is the worst thing in the world." Forgive me for not understanding how a 22-year-old grudge against an L.A. doctor and an off-the-cuff remark made by a friend during a private conversation are strong supporting evidence that Ms. Williams' argument against Dean is the most compelling yet.

Is it really plausible for Dean's Democratic challengers to shift their rhetoric from "Where are the WMDs?" to "Down with MDs"? They'd be wise instead?and I'm amazed none of them has yet?to trot out the same argument Gore used against Bush in the 2000 election: that serving as governor of a state doesn't prepare you to be president of the United States. Many would argue that this time around they have the evidence to back it up.

Will Sherlin, Manhattan

New Form

Matt Taibbi's fascism article ("Fascism: A Bold Vision for a New Democratic Majority," 1/14) was the funniest and best piece he has written in his tenure at New York Press. Perhaps this type of writing is Matt's strong suit. His anti-Bush hate pieces obviously aren't his best work.

Tracy Meadows, Brenham, TX

JRT@NYPRESS.com

Could you please be more specific as to which actual '86 report Tom Patterson should read to find President Reagan's declaration that the battle against AIDS was a "high priority" ("The Mail," 12/31)? What resources did Reagan employ on this "priority"? I assume that you are conceding the fact that the actual 1986 State of the Union speech as read to the public made no references to AIDS. Reagan was never an activist in this arena and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous. J.R. Taylor prefers to rewrite Reagan's legacy than face the fact that a more proactive federal government could have saved a lot of lives back in the 80s had it faced the AIDS epidemic with the vigor and commitment that the challenge requires.

I concede that my memory may be hazy on this, but the first time I remember AIDS on Reagan's radar was when Rock Hudson "came out" and announced his illness and imminent death back in '85. This could be wishful thinking, but I seem to recall Ron and Nancy offering condolences, support and sympathy. Rock Hudson gave AIDS its first sympathetic celebrity face. Ronald Reagan could have been a champion in the fight against AIDS too, but I don't think that he believed that he had a dog in that fight. At least Rock got his attention.

Robert Prichard, Manhattan

J.R. Taylor responds: Every February, the President of the United States presents a fiscal blueprint for the coming year. It's a matter of public record. So's the speech that President Reagan gave shortly after the 1986 State of the Union address, where he discussed how AIDS research was a high priority. You can also look up the money that the Reagan administration allocated for AIDS research beginning in 1983. It's a generous amount by any sane estimate. Of course, some AIDS activists could have never had enough funding for giant puppet theater, sexually provocative posters, and fights against blood donors being screened for the virus. Don't worry about that last part, though. Ryan White turned out to be a real good sport.

Nate Weinerdog and Charlie Hustle

First, Pete Rose belongs in the Hall (MUGGER, 1/14). Period. Perhaps only Ty Cobb himself played the game harder than Rose. What Rose did as a manager has absolutely nothing to do with his spectacular accomplishments on the field. Second, regarding Rose barreling into Ray Fosse in the 1970 All Star Game like a mega-ton locomotive on a viagra/steroid/amphetamine/epresso cocktail: an ex- co-worker with whom I had homicidal-sounding arguments on Rose and the Hall, the staunchest anti-Rose I ever met, called the play clean. In the 1971 Street and Smith yearbook, Fosse himself had no problem with it (other than his separated shoulder).

Third, I find it hilarious to read George Will commenting on "integrity." George Will appeared in?and was no doubt compensated for?the often exceedingly revisional miniseries Baseball, by Ken Burns. The film discussed Walter Johnson pitching in the 1924 Senators/Giants World Series while simultaneously showing film clips of the 1925 Senators/Bucs series.

The film discusses Honus Wagner in the 1909 Tigers/Bucs series supposedly splitting Cobb's lip with the baseball after Cobb tried to spike him at second base; the New York Times archives have no mention of this. Burns quotes Cobb from his book, supposedly talking about his psychological condition at the beginning of his career, saying that he was like a watch spring wound too tight with a growing and dangerous flaw; Cobb was actually referring to his physical condition at the end of his career. While Will did not make the film, he appeared in it, and commented on Cobb. A man is judged by the company he keeps?

Nathan F. Weiner, Bronx