‘The Children of Bin Laden’

Amid fears of terrorism, it is important to recall that most Muslims reject terrorism and condemn violence. The West must isolate the radicals from the moderates.
Prof. Gad Barzilai, University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

Washington's successive bombings, invasions, and occupations of Islamic countries are beginning to resemble Brer Rabbit's entanglement with the Tar Baby. The more the West seeks to control, the greater the blowback, even in our homelands. The choice is ours: -either wage endless wars or stop sending troops abroad in search of dragons to slay. There's a mighty backlog of things material and spiritual that -urgently need doing in our own backyards.
Yugo Kovach
Winterborne Houghton, England

I'm irritated to see another terrorist's photo on your cover. It's irresponsible to sell magazines by giving terrorists the recognition and fame they want. I'd like to see magazines and television do what baseball has done for years and not turn the camera to show a wild person who has run onto the field.
Lee Richey
Las Vegas, Nevada

Whenever an act of terrorism occurs, we respond just the way the terrorist wants: worried discussions about whether America is safe. When we respond with fear, we finish the job the terrorist started. A better way to cover the story would be with commentary like: "A fool would-be terrorist set his own keister on fire on a plane approaching Detroit Metro Airport. He was easily subdued by passengers and his rear end extinguished by a flight attendant. He is now being treated at taxpayer expense. America is laughing at Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab."
Eileen McHenry,
Brighton, Michigan

'Who Needs Peace, Love, and Understanding, Anyway?'
Dan Ephron's excellent analysis had one glaring defect: he asserts that the West Bank is "Palestinian land." This claim reflects neither Israeli public opinion nor the historical record. The West Bank is a territory with deep historical and strategic significance for the Jewish people and Israel, and was never a sovereign Palestinian state. Still, only when both sides adopt the language of compromise over the West Bank will peace be possible.
Yitzhak Sokoloff
Efrat, Israel

'The Big Apple's Big Problem'
Joel Kotkin neglects to mention the dramatic gains made in two key areas for -middle-class families in New York: safe streets and quality schools. In 2009 the city saw the fewest murders since 1963, and the school system—long a disaster—is now seeing great improvements in graduation rates and test scores. In addition, Michael Bloomberg is the first mayor in four decades to redraw the zoning map to protect the character of neighborhoods while also converting unused industrial waterfront land to residential and park uses.
Prof. Mitchell Moss, New York University
New York, New York