In Defense of Armond White?ro;”No Kidding!; Thanks for the Memories, Sullivan; Mideast War Rages On. And On; Signorile Put His Finger on the Dyke; Aloha, Kelley; More

I'm sick of reading the weekly negative letters concerning Armond White. As I'm sure you know, White is one of the only living film critics left in the entirety of our culture who actually has a point of view, much less an interesting one. For someone who enjoys reading and discussing culture and media, the choice of film critics is rather limited. One can either wade through miles of blurb-ready family-friendly sheep or seek out obscure journals filled with semiotics-crazed thesis-writing Francophiles. Armond White is a breath of fresh, pragmatic air.

The job of a critic is not to agree with the opinions of the LCD of his/her publication's readership, but to inspire debate (or at least inspire thought) about the subject at hand. Armond White never fails in this regard. I don't have a high opinion of Steven Spielberg either (I don't enjoy paying money to be morally scolded and I despise John Williams), but that's really not the point. The point is to look at films and culture from a different point of view from your own. There is a long list of movies I would never even have watched if not for Armond White's ability to pique my curiosity. If you're a vapid twit who only wants to know if a film is a safe time-waster for the kiddies, there are currently about 5000 film critics who are right up your alley. Roger Ebert is still making his tv show, so leave Armond alone.

The endless stream of negative letters really gets on my nerves, and makes me nervous about the possibility that you'd ax him, so please chalk one up in the plus column for me.

Jack Pretzer, Las Vegas

See That You Don't

RUSS Smith: Since the destruction of the WTC I've been unable to freely obtain New York Press and consequently only see your words infrequently?a cryin' shame. I've found you online and promise not to miss any more "MUGGER"s.

As always, you're a hoot and (at least this time around with the Middle East) dead on the mark. Keep up the good work.

Daniel Dicker, Great Neck, NY

Tickled About Ivories

C.J. Sullivan's piano lounge story was a nostalgic trip down memory lane ("Players' Pianos," 4/17). Hopefully, hotel executives will take note and satisfy customers with entertainment worthy of a first-class establishment. There's a false perception that the younger generation universally abhors the sounds of the past. This is nonsense: good music will endure for all time and all generations (witness the recent success of Broadway revivals). But there's nothing like a piano bar for a fun night out. Cry in your beer in the joint down the street but save those upbeat moments of laughter and smiles for the piano bar.

The piano bars of the past combined the professionalism of the entertainers with the active participation of the patrons. "Don't give up your day job" was often the derisive thanks one received, followed by a friendly compliment in deference of the boldness of the attempt. Yet there were an equal number of accomplished singers who couldn't get the bug out of their system despite successful daytime jobs. It was a curious blend of vaudevillian amateurism coupled with genuine talent that made the piano bar a unique den of unpretentious sophistication. Sadly, almost all are gone, replaced with raucous jukeboxes or boring sports bars.

Bart Marrone, Manhattan

Or Trim His Bush

Enough Rosie already! Michelangelo Signorile makes some great points but I'm starting to think he wants her to mow his lawn ("The Gist," 4/17).

Lauren Wissot, Brooklyn

Gay America

I think Michelangelo Signorile has hit the nail on the head with his Rosie O'Donnell piece, but I wonder if there is a bigger issue behind this. It's an issue that was almost touched upon, one that grips our community like a pimp who wants his money, bitch! Should we really elevate celebrity gays and certain celebrity gay couples to the status of poster children? What's with the gay need for icons and gay Messiahs? That's a hell of a lot of pressure to put on someone. These people have the same human failings as us all. I personally don't give a rat's ass what Ms. O'Donnell says or doesn't say. She's not the bar to which I hold the gay community. This is not the face of gay America. The face of gay America is in the mirror, folks?check it out. It's not going to take a Malcolm X or a Martin Luther King Jr. It's going to take all of us. We're all the poster children for gay America.

Cullan Hudson, Oklahoma City

Kelley Gets Leied

Norman Kelley: Mahalo for your long overdue clarity on the putrid and so vile status of black and white "popular culture" criticism ("Culture," 4/17).

Myron Ray Blazek, Hilo, Hawaii Nei, Hi

Old School

"The System's Failing Grades" by Anonymous ("First Person," 4/17) draws a scary picture of our New York City public schools, one that offers no hope or future for many of our young kids. What's even more disturbing is the indifference and selfishness displayed by some school officials and teachers in the article. I think privatizing public schools is the way to go; we could follow the model of our city's Catholic and private schools where accountability and standards are taken seriously. Other important factors are the parents and community at large. Everyone should live up to his responsibilities and play an active role in his children's education. It is wrong to just blame the system. These persistent problems with our schools cannot continue?everyone must cooperate because our children's futures are at stake.

Nick Gatsoulis, Astoria

Stoked About "Smoke"

William Bryk's "Old Smoke" has to be the most consistently absorbing column in New York.

Richard McWilliams, Manhattan

Yes, It's High Time

John Strausbaugh deserves an extra toke for talking up the NORML ad campaign for marijuana reform ("Daily Billboard," 4/9).

It's time for more opinion leaders to speak out against the ridiculous prohibition against this benign plant, while tobacco is hypocritically supported by every government agency.

Now that our esteemed elected officials are beating their breasts about our unequaled "freedoms" in a world of repressive terrorist regimes, isn't it time we demand this freedom?our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness?

Steve M. Kunstman, Manhattan

Lemmy Get this Straight...

Everett True: Re "Ace of Spades" lyrics ("Music Reviews," 4/17): "you know I'm going to lose/'cause gambling is for fools/but that's the way I like it baby/I don't want to live forever." If you missed the above then you surely weren't paying attention to Motörhead or the song.

Kiko Jones, Brooklyn

His Money's Tied Up in Gstaad

I read Taki's column because it is amusing, even though he is an outrageous snob. I am quite pleased to see that you understand, as well as many of your readers, that he is not a serious person. His interest is the world of society and, although he is occasionally serious about politics, he doesn't really care about the great unwashed of the rest of the world. It is quite brave of you to bash one of your own columnists ("MUGGER," 4/17) and (if one is to believe Taki) an investor in your company. A real wow.

Judith Willms, Omaha

Russ Smith replies: Taki and I just differ about the complicated Middle East issue. I not only respect his talent as a journalist but enjoy his friendship as well. He is not an investor in New York Press.

And Crunchy

Alia Akkam's Suba review was nicely written ("Food," 4/17). She has a crisp writing style.

Joseph E. Scalia, Farmingdale, NY

Taki Sees Forest, Not Trees

I sometimes wonder why basic simple, easily discoverable facts are left out of generally cogent New York Press articles. Taki shouldn't be that surprised that Phil McConkey is "nowhere in the polls" in the NY governor's race ("Top Drawer," 4/17). Few in the area probably even know he's contemplating running. But to those who are aware, McConkey's already a known, and failed, quantity. He ran for Congress in New Jersey and lost quite badly. So if there is any political perception of McConkey, it's as a guy who bombed out in another state.

McConkey's low standing is not, as Taki suggests, because "New York is a state that elects those who supposedly represent aggrieved minorities." Not too long ago, they elected Al D'Amato senator three times, and despite Taki's current grievances, Pataki was not perceived as the top champion of minorities on the ballot when he was elected governor twice.

Charles Francis, Nutley, NJ

What Palestinian State?

MUGGER: I loved your take on Taki and the pro-Palestinian media (4/17). I just wish we could see a little more history about the Mideast. People might realize that Palestinians are not dispossessed because the whole idea that Israel was created from a Palestinian state is a myth. There never was a Palestinian state, at least as a political entity. European countries took the area from the Ottomans after WWI and Israel was created from a sliver of that land. Jordan is as much a Palestinian state as you will find there, but they want nothing to do with Arafat's people. It must be in the interest of the Arabs to keep an anti-Israel grievance culture alive, much as the Sharptons and Jacksons do here with race.

Sorry to rant on. I was never strongly pro-Israel, in fact I was neutral toward the Mideast until 9/11, when I saw Israelis grieving and Palestinians celebrating. It kind of put things in perspective for me. Keep up the fine work (for a Sawx fan).

Joe Latino, Cortlandt Manor, NY

He Did Too Mention Lonesome Dove

In J.R. Taylor's schlock eulogy to Robert Urich, he failed to mention Urich's role in Lonesome Dove ("Daily Billboard," 4/16). He played Jake Spoon, a lazy, womanizing coward that ended up getting hanged by his friends. Jake Spoon: no better character-name in literature or film. Named my first son after that character (although, to this day, my wife refuses to believe me). Where Taylor remembers Urich as a real-life Troy McClure, I choose to remember him by his greatest role, that of a shiftless loser, letting down his whore girlfriend before joining a band of child-killing marauders. Rest well, Robert. Rest well.

Greg Chaudoin, Chicago

Can't Force Genius

Where the hell is J.R. Taylor's haiku for Robert Urich? I still quote the last line of the brilliant Dave Thomas poem ("Put him on the bag") to friends ("Billboard," 1/16).

Mark Duffy, Manhattan

Better Than Nothing

Alan Cabal: Good job! We are essentially in agreement on Zodiac Unmasked ("Books," 4/17), however I'm a little less enthusiastic since most of Graysmith's info on Allen was lifted from my site. (Well, maybe only 99 percent or so...) Oh well; at least he spelled my name right!

Tom Voigt, Portland, OR

Gut Job Mit the Porn!

Jonathan Ames: I love your article about the visit to a porn set with your dad ("The Pop," 4/10). Keep up the good work. Take care.

Alex Herrmann, Frankfurt, Germany

They're Still Quite Dead, Though

So Alan Cabal is convinced that the Israeli response to Palestinian homicide-bombers is genocide as evil as the Nazi Holocaust ("Sharon's Willing Executioners," "Daily Billboard," 4/15). Would Cabal be kind enough to point out the Israeli-run gas chambers, concentration camps and crematoriums characteristic of a holocaust? Or how about some West Bank mass graves, or stacks of lampshades made out of human skin? "Addle-headed notions," indeed.

Paul DeSisto, Cedar Grove, NJ

Head Stuck in Mideast Sand

MUGGER: I was very disappointed to see you abandon your main man, George W. Bush (4/10). Do you have tendencies in that direction? How could you do that to your President? You were with him through the primary and general elections and that ugly voting debacle in Florida. Even though I voted for Nader, I admired you for standing up for Bush. Then, when he went soft, cowardly soft, in the Mideast because of his fear of the Jews, their lobby, controlled media and thugs, you abandoned him! It was at that critical time that your President needed you the most. What did you do? You took a walk on him! Sounds like abandonment to me. And all of it to what end? In the matter of Bush, you ended up coming down on the side of the repulsive Ariel "The Butcher" Sharon. Instead of putting America's interest first, and the values and principles of our republic, you lent your MUGGER imprimatur to that fat, sleazy, disgusting, sociopathic Sharon?an unindicted Zionist war criminal.

America is at risk for future terrorist attacks as a result of our unconditional support of Zionist Israel's Death & Occupation Machine. Besides the massacre at Jenin, Sharon is continuing the highly sacrilegious attacks on Christianity's holiest site, Bethlehem. The beastly windbag from Tel Aviv is beyond contempt. I know it's hard for you to speak the truth, since you live in Bloombergville. But what the hell, Taki, a splendid Greek, has the courage to take the Zionist blowhards on. And he lives in Manhattan.

When in doubt, MUGGER, follow Taki. Also, for God's sake, try reading the biographies of the immortals: Washington, Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson and Marshall. You just might get some inspiring and patriotic ideas there to restore your spirit. Picking Sharon over Bush is the ultimate pits! And, for Christ's sake, MUGGER, before it is too late, see somebody about your "abandonment" thing!

Bill Hughes, Baltimore

Russ Smith replies: I'm sorry to see that my longtime friend Bill Hughes, who wrote a political column in the 80s for Baltimore's City Paper, has apparently become so engrossed in the writings of Pat Buchanan and Alex Cockburn that he's lost the ability to comprehend my column.

I've hardly "abandoned" Bush, unless Bill thinks that criticizing him on his Middle East flipflops constitutes "abandonment." I have been a Bush-booster since '96 and believe he's been a terrific president. However, unlike many of Bill Clinton's supporters, I don't rubber-stamp all of the President's decisions.

What's most disturbing to me about Bill's letter is that, in his dotage, he's become a raving anti-Semite.

Signo's a Topnotch Fag

Mike Signorile: I just wanted to thank you for the great piece you did on Rosie's coming out ("The Gist," 4/17). I feel exactly the same way and it was great to see you take a stand (as usual) when it appears that every other fag on the planet is content to just let her be. Be fierce.

Walter Cessna, Bushkill, PA

Re: Arthur Treacher's Sidekick

C.J. Sullivan's article on the "Shrinking World of the NYC Lounge Singer" ("Players' Pianos," 4/17) is great. Irving Fields, who I have met several times, wrote the song that is mentioned in the article, "Take Her to Jamaica." It was originally sung by Merv Griffin with Freddy Martin and his Orchestra. It was once used (and hopefully will be used again) as an advertising jingle for Air Jamaica.

The cowriter of the song was my late dad, Jack Edwards, who passed away in 1983. My father's uncle was Gus Edwards (1879-1945), my great-uncle, that is, who wrote such songs as "School Days," "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," "In My Merry Oldsmobile" and "Tammany." Now for many years, "Tammany" was the campaign or theme song of the New York City/State Democratic Party. The irony here, C.J., is that I am hardly a Democrat. In fact, I am a 15-year district leader of the Republican Party on the west side. Mr. Fields is a Republican too, I believe.

So nice article, New York Press, and if I am at a function where you, or MUGGER, are, I will introduce myself. I am a state committeeman of the GOP and will be at the State Convention, in May, at the Sheraton.

And if either of you would like to hear Merv Griffin's great rendition of "Take Her to Jamaica," I can dub a copy for you from my original 78. Hey, how about a New York Press story telling how hard it is to find a turntable or phonograph with a 78 speed these days?

Evan Edwards, Manhattan

Holocaust Overkill

Let me see if I get this straight: Carol Iannone compares the current Middle East conflict (which, by the way, cannot be resolved until there is a Palestinian state?period) to the Holocaust and then is shocked at how people fail to learn its lessons ("Taki's Top Drawer," 4/17)? First of all, aside from people like herself trivializing this horrible event, there's the self-serving lip-service that's paid to it that leads to overkill. There's also the feeling among many non-Jews that the wholesale slaughter of the indigenous people of what is now Latin America at the hands of the Spanish?just to give one example?seems to pale in comparison to the Holocaust, in the eyes of the media and Hollywood. Think about it.

Henry Mena, Brooklyn

Can You Say Petty?

MUGGER: I may be wrong, but I don't think so. In your ranting and raving (not that there's anything wrong with that) about The New York Sun ("Daily Billboard," 4/17), did you neglect to let your readers know that you are a paid contributor? (Your Sun book review was excellent BTW). Just asking. Can you say hypocrite?

Alyce Kaplan, Manhattan

Russ Smith replies: I've written about The New York Sun many times since the project was first announced. In each of those pieces I disclosed that the Sun's editors had invited me to contribute to their paper. Surely there's a statute of limitations on full-disclosure citations.

Porntastic

I just wanted to say how excellent I thought Jonathan Ames' account of his stay in the porn industry was.

Phil Barber, Takoma Park, MD

Late-Blooming Rosie

Michelangelo Signorile: Hear hear! I, too, am glad Rosie finally came out of the closet, but why not just admit you're gay and be done with it, like Ellen did ("The Gist," 4/17)? Some people, gay or straight, just don't get it. To be truly happy with life you must be honest with yourself. I agree with you?don't tell me how to live my gay life.

Angela Drew, Seattle

Taki Doesn't Have Bad Days

Thank you, MUGGER, for having the guts to take Taki to task (4/17). While I enjoy his columns, I was stunned by this anti-Israeli policy column ("Top Drawer," 4/10). The way he wrote it, the tone of it, came across as someone who is tired of hearing pro-Israel messages, and prefers the European (balanced?) approach to stories.

I find this curious, considering that the European media is repeating Palestinian propaganda, which has been proven false time and again. The Europeans are simply parroting (and in some cases, rebroadcasting) hyperbolic claims of the Palestinian mouthpieces.

This is the balanced approach that Taki prefers? I suppose that this is Taki's European perspective speaking, but myself, I cannot see what he finds so "refreshing" about repeating Palestinian lies with airhead journalists' bylines.

Massacres? Genocide? Resistance fighters? Martyrs? This is what Taki takes to be a "refreshing" change? Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe he is tired of the "reflexive" support for Israel. Maybe he was trolling for a response (people do that to get more hits on their Web logs, perhaps Taki was inviting some retaliatory e-mails). Whatever it was, I am thankful for your concise rebuttal.

R. Ford Mashburn, Everett, WA

Israeli BBQ

Alexander Cockburn can't pull pork from a pig, never mind write about barbecue ("Wild Justice," 4/10). Oh, I guess he can, but his last column was pretty dull stuff. So is his whining about Israeli agents posing as art students (3/27). As is Scott McConnell's whining: not only what's the proof but what's the story ("Taki's Top Drawer," 4/10)? All they have is fuel to add to a wimpy fire. You could say lame minds think alike, only neither of them is lame so far as intelligence. They're just lame-spirited. First the art-student drivel and then the media's conspiracy to get the Catholics in order to hide Israeli terror. Gosh, I thought it was the Pope who started the Israeli aggression to get heat off the clergy. Funny. You know there's plenty of stuff to be outraged about when it comes to Israeli (and Palestinian) violence. Pundits get paid to articulate outrage or insight. Hope you guys find some, or at least the humor to better earn your pile of ribs in the future.

Jonathan Field, Manhattan

Slap Him Down, Pump Him Up

MUGGER: Avoiding Middle East discussion is probably a good idea until you find a way to approach the nightmare with something other than anger (4/17). The MUGGER plan thus far seems to be 1) Kill Arafat, 2) Let Sharon be Sharon?kill Arafat!, 3) Sending Powell or anyone else into the region is a grievous mistake?is Arafat dead yet? The last may be emotionally satisfying?this is not meant as a compliment?but it in no way answers the question that should drift across your mind at one time or another. What is the most effective way to find a peaceful resolution to the mentioned nightmare? And how do we achieve that resolution without risking the diplomatic involvement that most of the world?pantywaist conservatives like George Will excepted?sees as the only positive step available to us? (Oh, and congratulations on this year's Keep-Hope-Alive Bosox weekend.)

Harley Peyton, Hollywood, CA

Mike's Sunny Disposition

Russ Smith: Wow, what a disappointment first issue of The New York Sun is ("Daily Billboard," 4/17). It's essentially a slight reworking of Lipsky's Forward (a few harried reporters desperate for scoops, the editorials with the same old references to Lucy Dawidowicz?next up will be namedropping Abe Cahan and I.B. Singer; a solid arts page that no one will read; and the rest of the space being filler). I expected an extension of what was done at the Forward but this issue is almost exactly the Forward without the anticipated growth. Considering that the Forward received little notoriety during his tenure, that is an ominous sign.

Still, at least the Forward didn't have to revert to including filler on the opening page ("Ant Colony Largest Ever"). The Calendar page looks like a potential total waste of space, too?check out the listing for the Russian-language lecture on Internet surfing at the Donnell Library, a scoop no doubt leaked by Arkady Kagan at the Russian-language Forward.

Furthermore, these stiffs have the balls to publish a column called "The Highlander" about the Yankees, while the paper ignores the rest of NY sports totally. How wannabe elitist. I'm sure a future column will be about squash. Also, Lipsky is going to have weekly columns on bridge and chess. What century is this guy living in? Could he make this paper any less appealing to New Yorkers?

I honestly don't know why the city needs a humorless rag that has all the professionalism of a college paper, but kudos to Lipsky for getting it off the ground. Too bad this stinker should be gone by Labor Day.

Mike Opeth, Manhattan

Russ Smith replies: I don't think judging a new publication by its debut issue is an accurate assessment of how it'll look in a few months. Wait till June before you make a bet on the Labor Day prediction.

BHOP

MUGGER: Palestine. Pakistan. Trashcanistan. Want to know what Bush did? He's not quite hunkered down yet in the Nixon posture, but all those CIA folks around him should remember it well. Bush has turned our diplomacy into a joke. But the wonderful outcome is that life has been breathed into the nostrils of the Democratic Party.

Americans are waiting to cast their votes. And no amount of chicanery can help Bush this time. Nor can Scalia jump off the bench and give him advice on how to "referee" Sharon. He couldn't even "referee" Chavez in Venezuela.

The Bush waffle house. Ah, if only we could be flies on the wall. Too bad the taping system's been shut off.

Carol Herman, San Marino, CA

Or "Murderer Killer"

Carol Iannone: I'm a non-Jew who supports Israel because it is our ally and an outpost of civilization ("Taki's Top Drawer," 4/17). I think your article hits the nail on the head. However, if we are to oppose this evil we must use language as a weapon. It's better to use the term "homicide bomber," or better yet, "homicide killer" instead of "suicide bomber."

Something disturbs me. Anti-Jewish sentiment in this country has found a home in left-wing politics, which generally supports the Democratic Party. It would be nice to see an article about why Jews support left-wing and liberal politicians. Their true allies are conservatives like me. Hillary Clinton will continue to pander to the left because that's where her heart is. Why Jews support her is beyond me.

A resurgent Democratic Party in America would be devastating to Israel. Their thinking is more in line with the anti-Jewish elite European opinion.

Kurt Parfitt, Anaheim Hills, CA

At the End of the Day...

I'm an American who's been living in Ireland for the past two years. The Sept. 11 outpouring of support has turned almost completely anti-U.S. and -Israeli and pro-Palestinian throughout Europe and also in Irish media. I hear constantly on Radio 1, RTE, BBC and Euronews how the poor Palestinians are being massacred by the Israelis, and when there are spokesmen on from both sides the pro-Arab is allowed to carry on like an aggrieved grandmother while the pro-Israel is grilled like a mobster in Giuliani's office. It's really getting depressing?and I thought it was bad when Clinton was president and they thought he hung the moon over here.

The worst, most meaningless words have come from the English?"It's gone pear-shaped"?as in Powell's ceasefire negotiations have gone pear-shaped. Imagine hearing that a few times a day with a condescending nasal English accent. Thanks for help keeping me sane over here with your weekly dose of reality?God, I miss baseball!

Gene Budd, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Gateway to Hell's More Like It

MUGGER: I have used EarthLink for my personal Internet needs for about four years (4/10). It works fine, and unlike AOL, is the real Internet, not a proprietary application with a gateway to the Net.

David J. Mann, Concord, CA

Still Doing Research

TAKI: When are you going to publish another collection of your essays? My copy of Princes, Playboys and High Class Tarts has to be held together with tape?it's so worn, from taking along on trips or beach reading.

Timothy Moore, Lawrenceville, GA

Graham Clapper

Great article by Jonathan Ames about the porn shoot ("The Pop," 4/10). Congratulate him. Immensely interesting and very human.

Alex Graham, Los Angeles

No, We Intentionally Hire Idiots

Russ Smith: The Sun has been on my horizon for several months ("Daily Billboard," 4/17)?since I first heard a radio mention that it would be forthcoming in the spring. Seth Lipsky mentioned that he would be working on a new newspaper, also, in one of his OpinionJournal essays?and I did assume that there was a connection?at a time when the printed news media is suffering.

New York definitely needs another voice?and a right-sided bent is most welcome from this writer's point of view. I do intend to do my best to be a part, however small, of that enterprise.

There is something else I wish to mention?be it redundant: It is so refreshing that people and periodicals I admire (such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Press and Jewish World Review) say a good word about fellow journalists, and the media they engender. From a reader's standpoint, this speaks to the honor and integrity of those who "applaud."

I can't quite comprehend your respect for Taki and Mike Signorile (4/17). Perhaps you mean that you respect their credentials?but not their intellect. It would appear that your colleagues' ability to discern fact from fiction is decidedly nil. How can that translate into competent journalism?

Nancy Joyce Jancourtz, Brooklyn

Planting Mikes, Not Rosies

MIKE Signorile: This was the best article yet ("The Gist," 4/17)! I am so glad there is someone like you in this world. Now I have a chance to read things that are based on reason and logic?in truthful and blunt statements. We need more of this!

I saw Rosie on O'Reilly. What was said there, regarding coming out and how her world revolves around children, etc., really got me steamed up. When she was on O'Reilly's show, I figured it was due to one reason: whenever there is some issue made widely public, it always seems to be centered around "recognized authority persons."

Unfortunately, most of these "recognized authority" figures, Hollywood big boys (or girls), or whoever, nearly always are in some way doing most of us an injustice by spreading their brand of "truth." Because most of the time, information from a recognized authority figure is usually based on opinion, not fact or truth. But it seems these people are the ones heard the most often by the majority of people.

That's why I say it is good the world has a person like you in it! Too bad you can't clone yourself and spread about 1000 of you around the Earth to shout the truth!

Dave Cantrall, Reno

Fighting Words

Geez, I'm trying to think of what words were missing from Russ Smith's latest pro-Israel rant ("MUGGER," 4/17).

Oh, I remember: Yitzhak Shamir, and Menachem Begin and the King David Hotel; the SS Liberty and Deir Yassin?and Qana and Qibya, too; Irgun and Stern; Sabra and Shatila; Gaza and Warsaw?I mean Hebron; the Jewish National Fund and the Right of Return; 69 UN resolutions; assassinations, torture, cluster bombs and transfer; Jonathan Pollard and Baruch Goldstein and Sam Sheinbein; settlements, settlements, settlements, and promises, promises, promises.

But don't take my word for it. Michael Ben-Yair, Israel's attorney general in the mid-1990s, recently described the Palestinian intifada as a "war of national liberation," adding: "We enthusiastically chose to become a colonialist society, ignoring international treaties, expropriating lands, transferring settlers from Israel to the occupied territories, engaging in theft and finding justification for all these activities...we established an apartheid regime."

And unfortunately for Americans, the "we" Mr. Ben-Yair refers to, as has been made indisputable this past week, is "us"?as in the U.S. and Israel. At least if I had an Apache helicopter shooting at me, that's how I'd feel.

C.J. Mellor, Savannah

Not Solved Yet

Alan Cabal's appreciation of Bob Graysmith's new book Zodiac Unmasked ("Books," 4/17) omits what may be an important fact, namely, the timing of its publication, which appears to have been meant to coincide with anticipated publicity surrounding the release of results from a comparison of Arthur Leigh Allen's DNA (obtained from a sample of spinal fluid) with that of the Zodiac (taken from the adhesive strips of the flaps of envelopes used by the murderer to send letters to the newspapers). According to a story by Zoe Mezin published in the San Francisco Examiner going on a year ago, those results should have been available by last February. One explanation for the continuing silence concerning the outcome is that Allen has been ruled out as a suspect. The official exponents of the Allen theory naturally would not want to draw attention to its collapse, and the news media has no incentive to follow up on the story, since exonerations do not sell newspapers in the same volume that accusations do. As to the review itself, I think it remarkable that Cabal spends so much time excoriating me when his ostensible subject is Graysmith's book. The details from my book that he mentions are meaningless to all but the handful of New Yorkers who have read it. It is telling that his animus against the author of a 15-year-old book that sold a few hundred copies is just as intense now as it ever has been; it is also worth noting that his vendetta against me was prompted by my failure to meet him in a hotel lobby more than 19 years ago.

Cabal says that he is responsible for the one-ring/hangup telephone calls I reported receiving in my book. I wrote in an article published in California magazine in November 1981 that I had been receiving such calls since the previous spring; as he had no idea who I was until after he had read that article in 1982, and the event that gave rise to his campaign of harassment took place in the spring of 1983, he appears to be claiming to have invented time travel. He deserves either a Nobel prize in physics or a Munchausen prize for fabricating whoppers.

What is clear, as I hinted in my book, is that he did post a message to a bulletin board in New York inciting others to harass me by telephone. A number of weak-minded individuals responded to his incitement, heaping verbal abuse, mostly obscene, on me or anyone else who answered the telephone (including, on a couple of occasions, my minor children). Later, he posted a message to the same bulletin board, styling himself "the Zodiologist," threatening me and another individual with assassination. He now calls this a prank; Congress defines the use of the wire to threaten murder as a felony. That he is so proud of these accomplishments as to take public credit for them says more about his character than I could ever hope to. I kept track of the one-ring/hangup calls I received over a three-year period, 1988 to 1990, recording about 1300. If Cabal is indeed responsible for them, then he appears to be a world-class obsessive.

Far be it from me to psychiatrize, however, and I don't want to take up more space in a disputation with Alan Cabal. Unlike him, I am not able to harbor a grudge over a triviality for several decades. The worst thing I can think of to do to him is to express the hope that he will continue to speak his mind.

Gareth Penn, Greenbrae, CA

One More Take

RE: Carol Iannone's "Not Again," ("Taki's Top Drawer," 4/17). The balanced coverage of events and particularly the Mideast crisis makes New York Press by far the best. Hitler's Holocaust was true evil and one should be sure when comparing others to it that they have more of a case than Ms. Iannone does while indicting Palestinian and Muslim leadership of Hitler-like actions. Jews and Muslims have lived together for centuries in the Middle East, so it is not an ethnic-cleansing kind of hatred that Muslims have for Jews today, and obviously has to do with fair territorial possession.

I don't think peace has been given a chance by Israel in the Mideast, since they have occupied Palestinian land. As a person of Irish descent, I understand the frustration that a people can feel when they believe their land has been unjustifiably taken over by another and when they have no real way of responding. This does not justify terrorism in any form, but it should make clear to all involved that this crisis will never end until the Palestinians do get back their land. Until so, Israel has not given peace a chance. I think these are sad days in America: we just witnessed the indiscriminate killings of hundreds of Palestinians, and through our unequivocal support and billions in financial aid to Israel we may appear as contributors to such inhumanity. To improve our role, I suggest we take half of our Israeli aid and use it to repair the devastated Palestinian towns.

Patrick Shaw, Bronx

It's the Media, Stupid

CAROL IANNONE gets it exactly right in her sorrowfully written piece "Not Again" when she cites the alarmingly evident parallels between what happened in the 1930s and 40s and now. Like then, we, America, and the "civilized" European nations are appeasing fascism and totalitarianism, this time in the form of the PLO and the similar autocratic, despotic Arab regimes (America's "coalition partners") that support it. The American nation that swore it would never deal with terrorists is sitting down with terrorist Arafat like he was a respected, "elected" statesman?just like Chamberlain sat down with respected, "elected" statesman Hitler. And like the blood sacrifice of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis (Sharon's comparison of Israel to Czechoslovakia a few months ago was extremely apt, and of course Washington wouldn't legitimately answer the charge), they are sharpening the knives to carve up Israel and throw some of it to these rabid dogs who will only want more?all of Israel, until Israel itself is no more.

It's as if Jews have used up all the media credits they earned with the Holocaust and the last time they were perceived as the underdog?the 1967 war. Now the media senses a whole new world of stories they can report on: the Palestinian "human interest" stories. That is why the media is now calling the Palestinian terrorists "militants." The only reason Palestinian terrorism is succeeding is because the media of the civilized world is not condemning it unequivocally as no way for any group to achieve its aims, no matter how seemingly legitimate. Murdering its opponents' civilians; those are war crimes, plain and simple. As long as the world media gives a green light to Palestinian terrorism by saying their ends justify their means?and conversely, that any action Israel takes in a self-defense response is somehow equally violent?then Palestinian terrorism will continue until it achieves its true goal: the destruction of the state of Israel. And that is how evil ends up triumphing over good. Because the good allows evil to flourish.

We are forgetting the past?only one generation away!?and are condemned to repeat it.

Arlen Schumer, Westport, CT

Don't You Be Dissin' Our Paper

MIKE Signorile: Clinton was passionate about himself and only himself?Bush gives a damn ("The Gist," 4/10). He and those who share his faith truly know how hard it is live the "simple life." Simple is ass-uming everything he does is tied to oil. Simple is watching someone having the balls to do what is needed at precisely the time it is needed, which I can guarantee you don't know shtick about.

Go home and drink your whine, Michelangelo, and question your own manhood! I, as a member of the rank and file Christian right, will go home to my family and pray to God and Jesus that people like you continue to never hold any job of significant importance.

Jacob Gonzales, Odessa, TX

No Settlement

TAKI: Keep it up. Be willing to question accepted wisdom, especially America's failure to limit the expansion of Israeli settlements ("Top Drawer," 4/10). The Mitchell Report mentions the settlements issue 48 times. Successive U.S. governments have tried to call attention to how the expansion of these make Palestinians despair that they will never have contiguous, economically viable territory.

David Common, Manhattan

Frank Debate

"The bitter debate over the Middle East," observes MUGGER (4/17), "has spilled into this newspaper as well." You don't say! As if sharp divergence on the topic between the editor and several contributors (as well as among readers in the letters section) hasn't long been obvious.

But your 4/17 issue was truly a feast in this regard. Following some dead-on letters from readers such as Don Brodzik and Adrian Ashfield, MUGGER devotes part of his column to informing us that Taki's failure to fall in lockstep with the majority of the conservative punditocracy is evidence of nuttiness. Then it gets even better: we're next treated to Carol Iannone's enlisting of Anne Frank in Sharon's war ("Taki's Top Drawer"). She plainly finds it impossible for someone to be moved by reading Frank's diary and at the same time be opposed to Sharon's policies. This accord