Neal Pollack’s piece this week ("One Against the Taliban," 10/10) was so funny that I was accused of disrupting the workplace by laughing so hard. I wanted to e-mail it to about 400 people. Thanks, it was marvelous.

Candace Laws, Boston

While reading Mr. Pollack’s "One Against the Taliban" I began to wonder about the sanity of an editor who publishes such slipshod, self-gratifying crap as this. I mean, it was hard enough to get past the nauseating, misogynistic "I slept with a fashion editor" first paragraph.

Your author speaks of his wit and sensitivity, but I’m still waiting for signs of either. This is a rotten series of self-important comments, followed by trite crap. More effort was put into pointing out that Pollack has a Palm VII than into discussing the actual horror he is presumably attempting to write about. Moreover, it is appalling that his focus is consistently upon himself. I understand that he is probably some old head that rarely gets laid, but I don’t think that the people of this city care in the least about that drivel at a time like this. And we have to swallow yet another story of him "making out" with some assistant art director. He is so impressed with his pseudo-New York artist lifestyle I’m surprised he can lift his big fat head to type long enough to finish a story. ln short, you should seriously consider hiring a writer of real talent, not one who interjects every single paragraph with his egotistical bullshit. I know you’re a free paper and that means we shouldn’t expect much, but in this case you have brought to life the old adage "you get what you pay for."

Kimberly McDonald, Manhattan

Re Neal Pollack ("One Against the Taliban," 10/10): Where did you find this putz? Are all of you Jews mentally disturbed?

Sam Monte, Philadelphia

Andrey Slivka, darling, you wonder whether those conniving, demonic, superhuman terrorists are going to hit a Brooklyn middle school next ("Daily Billboard," 10/8). Actually, what you forget is that Muslims prefer the meat they eat much younger. In fact, Middle Easterners in general love to eat babies. They steal them, roast them and eat them (or am I mixing that up with the blood libel on the Jews so prevalent not too long ago in our venerable, civilized, wonderful, secular West?).

Just to clarify: the terrorists did in fact make demands. They made demands about Iraq, Palestine/Israel and U.S. support of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. If our media chose not to show or translate the demands, don’t blame the terrorists. And if you want "genocidal nihilism," look no further than the Holocaust, and remember that it was perpetrated by the Europeans. How about Pol Pot’s Cambodia or Suharto’s East Timor (both our clients out in the savage world of the naked primitives)? And for fuck’s sake, say something original instead of parroting an insipid combination of liberal claptrap (touted by the likes of Hitchens and Ignatieff) combined with the ignorant apocalyptic pronouncements of those perennial establishment "experts." Just in case you don’t get it, yes, that is sarcasm in my tone.

Laleh Khalili, Manhattan

Andrey Slivka replies: Eh? I remain serene in my no doubt ignorant conviction that bin Laden’s bunch is nihilist filth and is capable of anything. I wasn’t aware that Middle Easterners eat babies, but the preference of Muslims for younger meat might account for my colleague Alan Cabal’s sympathy for the Palestinians, since he shares this proclivity. And there’s no doubt about it: Pol Pot, Suharto and the Holocaust were bad.

MUGGER: Right on about the Ralph Lauren ad (10/10). I thought pretty much the same thing when I saw it. He makes fairly nice clothes, but the carefully cultivated fake image is ridiculous. Just give (if you can) and be done with it.

This reminds me that my girlfriend was once working a soup kitchen when Mark Green showed up to do little more than be photographed holding a spoon or something before taking off to the next photo-op. As a Democrat I voted for Green this week, but I’m pretty sure I’ll vote for Bloomberg in the general election. I give Giuliani a lot of credit for the improvement of the city, but why couldn’t he have groomed a successor? If Rudy is an egomaniac, how about (as a friend of mine pointed out) a guy who puts his name on his data system and radio station. Maybe it should be the Russ Smith Press. Anyway, maybe Bloomberg can make a real run and will work out okay should he get elected.

I think it’ll be close. For one, Green has all the charm of Al Gore. Second, there’ll probably be a nice turnout of folks like me, who aren’t just going to go with the party line. On another subject, Jann Wenner’s and Lou Reed’s comments are all crap. This is a realpolitik world and I’m not proud of every action of our government in my lifetime, but it’s a messed-up mind that connects such devastation to these other grievances. Where the heck were the great soldiers of Islam and bin Laden during the ethnic cleansing and other atrocities in the former Yugoslavia and other places worldwide? At least Clinton tried to do something. The Arab nations (as well as neighbors like Greece) couldn’t be bothered.

Saw Al Sharpton again this week, heading into the Plaza for lunch. Fifth sighting for me. I’ve now seen him, at a street fair on the Upper East Side (years ago); at the airport where he had just left Jesse Jackson, who was on my flight; sitting in first class as I headed back to coach on a flight from Chicago last year; at that new restaurant on Central Park S. at the Plaza; and where I mentioned above. Hey, eat well, travel well if you can. But I thought this guy was supposed to have no money, no assets, no clothes that he can call his own?

Ted Neu, Manhattan

I just had my first read of the "MUGGER" column, and it is a blast. Refreshingly in-your-face, and proud of it. It was like getting a bucket of cold water in the face the way it stripped off the usual layers of media apathy. I will be checking this out often, and I’m glad to see a master carver at work, whittling all the dross off a masterpiece. Best damn article I’ve read in far too long.

John Schroeder, Wayzata, MN

Good going, Armond White. It seems to me that you gave away the climax to Training Day when you wrote "And to cap this shameless display, director Antoine Fuqua provides Washington with an egotistical Sonny Corleone death scene" ("Film," 10/10). Funny he should say "egotistical." Nothing is more egotistical than a movie critic who ruins movies, and this time one that had only been out for four days, by not warning his or her readership that a spoiler is about to be printed. I’m not reading him anymore. Can’t take the chance.

Bob Giovanelli, New Hyde Park, NY

Kofi Annan wins the Nobel Peace Prize–amazing. What great thing did he do? Preside over a genocide in Africa? Preside over a conference that promoted anti-Semitism? Who’s going to win the Nobel Peace Prize next, Charles Manson? Anyway, in this crazy world, it’s good to see New York Press still publishing. Keep Christopher Caldwell in every week, though.

Barry Popik, Manhattan

Just wanted to say you’ve been doing a nice job lately. I really enjoyed the Best of Manhattan issue this year. My youngest put together M. Wartella’s Wild West "panorama" and the free entertainment was appreciated. It’s nice to see some people still go the extra mile. That’s what this country is about.

What it’s not about, God willing, is Neal Pollack. Is this guy, as his stinker of a piece ("One Against the Taliban," 10/10) suggests, famous? Hopefully he will be the first victim of the recent "death of irony" threats. I read the first few paragraphs and then stopped. I skimmed a bit more later, and it was offensive; but worse, it wasn’t funny! While you’re at it, why are you hanging on to Andrey Slivka (if that’s a real name). Screw a glass of warm milk, my wife keeps a stack of his articles on the nightstand. Seems like lately he can’t decide if he wants Dante and a cappuccino or a shot of testosterone. You can have both, son, though I don’t suggest you try.

Loved all of Jim Knipfel’s recent contributions (he just gets better and better). The "New York City" article on television this week was good, and MUGGER was great (but too long as usual). Caldwell has also been relevant, informative and engaging. In short, it’s time to trim the fat (see my second paragraph). But the one thing most pressing on my mind is the location and condition of Claude La Badarian. I never enjoyed your memoir columns, except for Knipfel’s with his superhuman humility, but Claude was different. If you are so serious about fighting "the New Seriousness," why not put Claude on the front lines? Seems like he left himself room for a sequel.

Jack Newman, Manhattan

Hey, thanks for including New York Rent-A-Car in the Best of Manhattan (10/3). It’s a nice reward for a great effort. Please let me know which branch you visited–we will reward those hardworking employees who are the real reason for New York Press to commemorate us.

Ron Yahav, NY-RAC

The editors reply: We visited the branch on W. 31st. St.

The best part of your "Best of" issue (10/3)? Certainly the cover, a fitting and majestic tribute. Unfortunately, your journalists couldn’t seem to muster nearly the same kind of courage embodied in this portrait. Perhaps there were some other worthy portions, but after reading several holier-than-thou putdowns, I threw it aside. Most of these "Best of" entries didn’t praise anything at all, they were simply ego-flexing potshots at generally inconsequential targets. Just what we fucking need right now. I think Jim Watkins of WPIX said it best in the 10/10 "The Mail": "A more hateful, intolerant rant is hard to imagine. Thanks for the healing."

Name Withheld, Brooklyn

I read your Best of Manhattan issue. There was a snippet in there about someone in the press incorrectly defining "bling bling" ("Best Ann Powers Fuckup," 10/3). The author compared this faux pas to one during the whole grunge fad. Some woman asked a girl in some coffee shop to give her a guide to all the current lingo, and the girl made up a list and it was published. Is there any place where I can get that list? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I just nearly hurt myself with laughter relating the article to my coworker.

Eric Lopez, via Internet

Your Best of Manhattan selection of Rockaway as "Best New York City Beach" was right on the money (10/3). However, there are a few details I would have emphasized. First, it’s nearby enough that a Manhattanite can head there after work, spend a couple of hours on the beach and still make it home at a decent hour. Believe me, there’s nothing like weeknight bodysurfing to beat the heat and stress of a city summer. Also, you should have included directions to the more scenic, western part of the peninsula (2 train to last stop; catch the Q35 and get off just over the bridge). For Brooklynites, this section of Rockaway is only a 45-minute bike ride from Prospect Park, and there are beautiful and uncrowded beaches that can be found within a few minutes’ ride of the bridge. Since it is all parkland or residential around there, it is necessary to pack supplies.

Mike Dowd, Manhattan

There’s some very funny stuff in your "Best of" issue (10/3). I especially pissed my pants over Russ Smith’s introduction, when he says that Rudy Giuliani was a hero in the World Trade Center nightmare. I’ll give Smith 20 bucks if he can name an heroic act by our fascist Mayor. Did he help pull people out of the burning building? Did he carry anyone in a wheelchair to an ambulance? What exactly did he do, because I haven’t seen a news report that identified a single heroic thing our Mayor did. Maybe if he hadn’t screwed firemen and police out of fair pay raises their short lives would’ve been better, and they’d have some money for their orphans’ college funds. But he treated cops and firemen like crap when they were alive, and thought building private sports stadiums with public funds was more important than rewarding the people who risked their lives every day. I hope the next mayor of this great city arrests Giuliani.

Name Withheld, Manhattan

In regards to your Best of Manhattan issue, tearing apart a restaurant because you didn’t like its name seems meanspirited, childish and petty ("Best Inappropriately Named Restaurant"). Of course it is New York Press. I guess Barrio wasn’t interested in buying an ad. Many people in New York City speak Spanish and divisive commentary seems particularly inappropriate at this moment in history.

I have found Barrio on Stanton St. to be a friendly restaurant serving good food at reasonable prices. If you decide to actually hire a food critic, perhaps he should eat there before he writes about it.

Bobby Breiter, Manhattan

On your website a Mr. Mazmanian discussed his "inner Clemenceau"–I think he meant Clausewitz, judging by the websites listed. Clemenceau would be more appropriate for discussing Versailles ("Daily Billboard," 10/3). I liked Tanya Richardson’s "The Kids Aren’t Alright" piece ("Daily Billboard," 10/2). I’ve noticed other things of hers; she writes well. Is she good-looking? I love Bill Bryk. I learn something new every time I read him. I cannot say that for The New York Times. Anyway, does "Old Smoke" have anything to do with the great Irish-American politician/gambler/fighter John Morrissey? In the book Enter the Irish-Americans Morrissey is referred to as "Old Smoke." He seems to come from an era that Mr. Bryk is interested in.

Tom Phillips, Manhattan

The editors reply: You are on the money about Old Smoke. As for Richardson, she looks just like a smarter, more stable Angelina Jolie.

It was quite disappointing to read Tanya Richardson’s assessment of the season premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("New York City," 10/10). Yes, we’re just talking about a tv show, but the premiere, as downbeat as the episode was, did help alleviate some of the fall 2001 depression. What was disappointing were the multiple errors Richardson makes in describing the episode–her descriptions of the villain and of "the Key" were all wrong. What was annoying to a "geek-level" fan was her take on the end of the episode.

Certainly, watching the metal structure collapse was cringe-inducing. No matter: any long-term fan of the show knows of the odd coincidences that pop up even though episodes were completed months prior to current events, such as the blowing up of the school and Buffy psychically overhearing someone in school thinking, "Tomorrow I kill you all." Those last two episodes were set to be shown just as Columbine occurred. On the other hand, I would like to applaud Richardson’s comment of the season finale being the best one ever written. Not too many shows celebrate their 100th episode by having the title character kill herself. As brilliant as it was, though, I’ll still place my bets on season four’s finale, "Restless."

Adam Wlody, via Internet

I see that you’ve sneaked theater criticism back into the paper; it’s not, as you said when you dumped Jonathan Kalb, "boring," at least when it’s done by Mimi Kramer. Her informed, astute analysis of whatever catches her eye is never boring and does what criticism is supposed to do: discuss the success or failure of a piece against a larger background, without arrogance, contempt or cheap shots. Harold Clurman would be proud.

Kathleen Warnock, Manhattan

Mr. Smith: Just a short note to thank you for New York Press and for being bold enough to call it as you see it. I look forward to your columns and wish only they were more frequent. Please keep up the good work.

Chris Osuch, Greenville, SC

MUGGER: Glad to see that the paper and you are back. Living way out here in flyover land, I wondered how the 9/11 massacre had affected you and the company. You being back is a start in the process.

Roger Ross, Tomahawk, WI

In the interests of getting back to normal, allow me to point out some inaccuracies and odd things in the latest issue (10/10). MUGGER goes off on a rant about the ACLU and weirdly drags in the fact that all kinds of bodegas and delis, etc., in New York sport "God Bless America" signs. Of course the ACLU isn’t going to go after privately owned sites; it went after a school because that’s considered government property. The ACLU knows, and MUGGER should bear in mind, the distinction between public and private property. I’m also quite sure that the GBA signs are all over the country, not just in NYC.

I would imagine also that the Sikh cabbie didn’t give MUGGER his resume because of worries over spy cells or whatever. He was giving it to you because he didn’t want to be mistaken for a Muslim Arab and get the shit beaten out of him. I don’t agree that we can’t call the terrorists "madmen," but Jann Wenner is right when he says these people were willing to die because they believed they were acting righteously. So what’s your point? Finally, as to your claim that Mike Bloomberg won’t "kowtow" to special interests: Bwa ha ha ha.

Now, as to Taki, what planet is he on? It can’t be Earth–I’ve never seen or even heard of an "atheist society." Most totalitarians weren’t atheists either; they replaced "God" with themselves. Contrary to popular belief, the Communists weren’t atheists. They merely replaced "God" with "the state," but they still worshipped an all-powerful entity. Also, they didn’t die from drunken debauchery, but rather from starvation. I’ve been trying to think of any society that ruined itself through debauchery such as Taki describes. The only one I can think of is Rome, and they had lots of gods. What does he mean that all of a sudden "God" has come into the country? Here in America throughout the past few decades about 90 percent of the people have believed in "God." I am very tired of people who complain endlessly that we’re too secular, in the face of these statistics.

Frankly (as if you couldn’t tell), I am an atheist, and the WTC bombing only reinforced that belief for me. Could a benevolent god let more than 5000 people die needlessly? If it’s a cruel god, well, you never know what’s going to set it off, so why bother, and if it’s a god who doesn’t interfere with human affairs, again why bother? I know very few people agree with me, and that’s all right, but demonizing atheists does ignore the fact that these terrorists aren’t atheists: they hold a very rigid, intolerant and scholarly inaccurate view of Muslim teachings, but let’s all remember they do believe in "God" too, though it might not be the same one Taki’s envisioning. It strikes me, as long as we’re on this somewhat contrarian theme, that what we need is to resurrect a long-demonized (there’s that word again!) worldview: imperialism. Updated for the 01’s, and all that sort of thing. Many of these terrorists-in-training live and go to school in horrible conditions (I’m setting aside the middle-class ones for the moment), so of course they want to go to heaven where they get virgins and things. If we could barge on in there and raise the standards of living, there wouldn’t be quite as much impetus for getting to heaven. This is, of course, assuming that U.S. foreign policy is adjusted–a necessary piece of the puzzle. Simplistic? Yes, but it stands to reason.

Dagny Roark, Manhattan

Thoughts on "Taki’s Top Drawer": And y’all thought black Americans were a problem. What is so ironic is that while y’all were profiling poor young hiphoppers, middle-class-looking immigrants with wads of cash (readily accepted by white Floridians who taught the terrorists how to fly) were planning on blowing people to hell. I say send all immigrants back retroactive to 1492.

Taki should check out Irrational Man by William Barrett, which shows that Western society has become what it is through its dialectical struggle between God and secular considerations. Do you think Bill Gates goes to church? Did the creators of the Manhattan Project follow the dictates of Christ, who said turn the other cheek? America likes to pride itself on being a Christian nation, but it is fundamentally a capitalist one. It is the secular and scientific achievements of the West that have enabled it to dominate the world. All those people showing up in church are demonstrating their fear and impotence in the face of an enemy that is truly motivated by a belief in divine forces. If we had spent more time critiquing and evaluating the policies of our government and had been paying more attention to global occurrences (as opposed to our portfolios), we would have seen Sept. 11 coming.

Thomas Murray, via Internet

After pushing globalist market totalitarianism on people who never wanted it, the ruling class is screaming war because, whoever the culprits, the attacks hit them where they live and work. Horribly, innocent workers and rescuers died. Now that their policies of open borders, unfettered movement of capital, tolerance of religious lunacy, etc., have had an effect and created an event that they don’t like, that killed thousands, do they propose any change? Of course not. They wave flags and show film of funerals on television. What idiocy.

Where were these "patriots" when the finance scum destroyed millions of American jobs, when the unions were busted? Where were they when real estate speculators displaced thousands in our cities? The same bastards who pushed this market fundamentalism and made New York unlivable for anyone not finance-obsessed are now asking for taxpayer money to "rebuild" their unwanted monstro-city. I say fuck them.

Stand on your own two feet, boys. Where’s your initiative? You were dealt a blow. Recover on your own! That’s what you told the people whom you extorted and exploited for years, right? Now we have to bail you out? Fuck off. Beyond helping survivors and families of the dead, not a cent of our money should be used to rebuild finance entities. If they move to New Jersey, good fucking riddance. For now, when you see a flag, scream "Sieg heil" and give it a Nazi salute. That’s an appropriate gesture. We should all resist this Orwellian war hysteria and mourn the workers who died and all those about to die in this war.

Michael O’Donnell, Manhattan

MUGGER: I’m an 86-year-old lady and I faithfully read your articles. In the 10/10 one you were destroying and diminishing the puffed-up intellectuals in a grand fashion. But the place where I paused to laugh was when you said "Sez who?" to Robert Kuttner’s beliefs. You are so smart. Thank you–I am grateful.

Hester Nichols, Oklahoma City

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed is the sixth-richest man in the world (worth $20 billion, according to Forbes). During the Gulf War, he came to the rescue of Citicorp, which was suffering from loan defaults by war-skittish debtors. He owns a substantial chunk of TWA, a small portion of Priceline.com and 24 percent of Euro Disney, so he is certainly no friend of air-terrorism. After the 9/11 attacks, he stood alongside Warren Buffett, promising not to sell his U.S. stocks despite market panic. The Prince also pledged to invest an additional $1 billion in U.S. & European companies. On Thursday, he offered a $10 million donation to the victims of the WTC attacks, which he called "a tremendous crime."

Mayor Giuliani refused the donation because the Prince also stated: "At times like this one, we must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack. I believe the government of the United States of America should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause." Giuliani is treating a friend like an enemy. In America, we have a right to unpopular opinions and are free to give to good causes. Do one’s opinions have to match those of the Mayor’s for our money to be acceptable? Would the Mayor have rejected $10 million from Warren Buffett if he had made the same remark?

T. Lovato, Manhattan

MUGGER: Where the fuck have you been? Thought you died on 9/11. Your latest was the MUGGER of old, I’d say it was worth the wait but the wait has been too goddamned long.

Larry R. Duncan, McAllen, TX

MUGGER: Glad you’re back at it. Terrific column today–well worth the wait (10/10). Very sorry about your Uncle Joe, but this kind of nostalgia piece is one of the things you do best. We’re a little depressed in Seattle today after the 5-0 ass whuppin’ by the Indians yesterday. After a 116-win season, this came as something of a shock. Garcia was off, no hitting, flat spirit, no real push to make a comeback. My daughters, wife and I were planning to come to New York at Thanksgiving so my oldest daughter could check out colleges (Princeton, Columbia) and I could eat my way through some of the finer ethnic fare of the city and see my old high school buddy who lives in Scarsdale. With the economic and world situation, I’m not sure we’ll make it, but if we do I’d be interested in your suggestions for restaurants in Tribeca. My best to you and the mini-MUGGERs, and keep writing. I don’t know where you were educated or what training you have received, but somehow you’ve got the gift. Besides that, your political views coincide with mine–a sure sign of genius.

Craig Macdonald, Bellevue, WA

Hey MUGGER, it’s me, Sunny from LaLa Land, dropping a fax. Man, this whole last month has been pretty damn ugly. I am so sorry for all those in New York who have lost family, friends and loved ones. Also I am sorry for all those who made it through only to be traumatized by guilt and the memories of those days. I only wish we would have handled this properly as far as bringing those responsible to justice instead of furthering the cycle of violence with bombing. I can’t call it a war because I somehow have the impression that there are "rules of war" and bombing a nation that’s as primitive as Afghanistan does not seem to be adhering to any "rules" of any kind.

According to what I read in your column, as per congressional leaders we in L.A. are basically sitting ducks–no doubt to be regarded as a necessary loss to W’s bloodlust to get Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. My question is, why does the United States fund and install these governments in foreign countries in order to attempt to control their oil, only to have these individuals/governments turn on us later? Haven’t we learned anything about allowing other countries the right to choose their own governments and to market their natural resources at fair market prices so that they may support themselves? Who am I fooling–after all, our own election was horribly tainted. I wonder if Mexico or Amnesty International will send us representatives in 2004 to make sure our election will be fair–it would serve us right.

But I’m digressing. The fact is that we don’t know if we are safe in our homes or at work or if our children will make it home safely from school. This feeling is disturbing since as Americans we’re not at all familiar with life on these terms. What happens now? Where do we go from here? These are the things in my head. Anyway, God bless you all and keep you strong–let’s all pray for peace sooner rather than later.

Sunny Martinez, Santa Monica

MUGGER: If these touchy-feely assholes who whine about us "understanding" were under the rule of the Taliban they would be first up against the wall, their throats cut like cattle. The only good thing about them is "comic relief."

Laura Skamser, Elgin, IL

Scott McConnell is a confused man. He mistakes cause and effect. Israel is hated because it is of the West ("Taki’s Top Drawer," 9/19). The West, exemplified by the most potent entity therein (viz., the U.S.), is hated not because of Israel but because it represents the antithesis of everything fundamentalist Islam stands for. To misunderstand this at this time is a serious shortcoming. McConnell is doing his readers a serious disservice by promoting a simplistic view of this complex clash of civilizations that will go on for some time whether Israel continues to exist or not. We are indeed at the beginning of a major historic struggle whose outcome will shape the world for centuries to come.

B. Posner, Montreal

All American policy should be based on "what is good for Americans," as Scott McConnell says about immigration policy ("Taki’s Top Drawer," 10/10). I pray our leaders will put that principle to work. Thanks also to Taki for giving it to Sharon (and his craven defenders here). As a war veteran and 68-year-old patriot, I’m deeply resentful of Israel’s control over our foreign policy. Netanyahu’s opportunism was almost as offensive as Sharon’s recent insult. He pointed out that Israel had lost far more of its people to terrorism than we had–on a percentage basis, of course. This only days after America’s great tragedy.

Ron Carpenter, Panama City, FL

I agree with Russ Smith that Ari Fleischer is a putz ("MUGGER," 10/10). Also, it is not "anti-American" to express disfavor with Federal Express for pulling its advertising from Maher’s show. I, for one, will try to avoid its service as much as possible and let them know that their foolishness will cost them customers. As a government official Fleischer participated in a debate in which he is not needed or welcome.

Jon Vogel, Manhattan

MUGGER: Your piece concerning the emergence of "hucksters" hustling artifacts, dirt, concrete and any other thing they can think of to exploit the suffering of the victims of 9/11 struck a nerve with me (10/10). You also mentioned how the celebrity culture is gravy-training this tragedy with a gross representation of "me tooism." Both of these topics make me want to toss my lunch. Maybe these folks can work for Oliver Stone on his next movie, Real Terrorism starring Alec Baldwin as Yousamayomama.

On another matter, I applaud President Bush for woodshedding Congress for leaking classified information. I know Sen. Orrin Hatch was one of the morons he was directing his comments at, and I’m sure there is a plethora of others that need to have their butts kicked as well. If this sounds like I’m pissed off, I am, and on top of it all the Astros lost today to the Braves.

Finally, I hate to bother you again with my chronic complaints about our "celebrity class," but this was too much for me to bear without sharing it. I read that Alec Baldwin (he who said he would leave the country if GWB were elected president, but unfortunately didn’t) said he wants to live in New York City now more than ever. Mr. Baldwin believes that New York will be the most exciting of places to live because of the exchange of ideas that will follow the WTC tragedy. He furthermore states that he would "rather die getting bombed in a New York bombing than live some kind of shallow life somewhere else."

That does it for me. I’m selling the cattle and moving to New York. I can’t stand the thought of living a shallow existence. I am certain that I am not the only other citizen of more backwater places to take this stance. I only hope Rudy Giuliani has thought to make room for my doublewide. I have already called home and told Ruthann, Elly May, Granny and Jethro to get packed. You can reach me via General Delivery, New York, New York.

Tracy Meadows, Brenham, TX

Every time that I think Taki has written his best column, he writes another one.

Robert Kress, Staten Island

In regard to the righteous indignation with which your editorial staff and writers presume to speak on behalf of the 7000 killed on Sept. 11: For a moment, let’s set aside the subjective analysis of causality, and focus on human decency. Jon Flanagan of Manhattan writes a letter at odds with the prevailing sentiments at New York Press ("The Mail," 10/10). For the record, he did not state that the attacks were the fault of the victims, but that the U.S. government shared in the blame. While that is obviously a very provocative position, at no point did he express sociopathic disregard for the value of the lives of either the victims or yourselves. And how do you respond? "...we hope he’ll remember in his dying agony that he brought this upon himself, Western infidel pig-dog that he is."

It is not beyond the realm of probabilities that at least one of the thousands who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks shared Mr. Flanagan’s views. Are you as contented in the afterglow of the death of such a person as you appear to be in anticipation of Mr. Flanagan’s demise? If Flanagan does indeed contract anthrax or smallpox, will you chuckle to yourselves in self-satisfaction? Are the only lives worth cherishing and mourning those who live, march and die in lockstep with you? The American spirit supposedly embraces the right to disagree, as well as the right to wish vile things upon those with whom we disagree. You must take great pride in exercising your rights to the fullest. I read your paper because it consistently contains well-written opinions at odds with much of the mainstream media, and most uniquely, because I can usually find both sides of an issue defended within the same edition. But I have never had much stomach for the frequent glee with which you inject personal bile into otherwise valid debates. The example I just cited above is stunning. Is such self-indulgent venom any less of an insult to the legacy of the victims, who surely must have encompassed a wide range of beliefs, than the recriminations offered by Flanagan?

Chris Lynch, Brooklyn

I was a little disappointed in your recent cover of Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden and Arafat swirling around the world in evil forms (9/26). Hard to argue with the first two, but Arafat? If you want to be even slightly evenhanded you should have included Ariel Sharon along with Arafat. Sharon has more innocent blood on his hands than does Arafat and has done less for peace. The fact that he uses uniformed soldiers directly under his control rather than suicide bombers (who are probably very often out of Arafat’s control) makes no difference. Sharon still sets out to kill innocent people. He’s even worse than Arafat, because unlike the desperate and powerless Palestinians he is in a vastly more powerful position, and instead of seeking peace he still incites and spreads terror. You should be a little more evenhanded in the future if you want to have any credibility.

Shane Rowley, Manhattan

In "Enemies Within" ("Taki’s Top Drawer," 10/10) Scott McConnell asks some legitimate questions, but perhaps he shows his hand when he writes: "The Mexicans [brought here as virtual slaves] were harmless, the Arab terrorists not." Suddenly victims of exploitation are in the same category as murderers–since they’re all immigrants–and "Americans" are on the other side.

Mark Dow, Brooklyn

Re "Sharon & God" ("Taki’s Top Drawer," 10/10): How does this writer still have a job after speaking the truth? I thought it was illegal to hint that the Palestinians might actually be human and that Israel (gasp) might actually be wrong. Your courage is showing. Keep it up. But don’t you think the terrorist organization Kahane Chai should also be shut down? Shouldn’t the murderer and war criminal Sharon be required to dismantle this group? Shouldn’t American money stop flowing into this hate group? It’s illegal, according to the State Dept. Or is Jewish terrorism permissible? That’s what I thought.

Mark Johnson, Kealakekua, HI

So Taki has weighed in with his considered opinion that it’s all Israel’s fault ("Top Drawer," 10/10). Who cares what the hell this aging playboy thinks? I know that I don’t, and I’m not even Jewish–I am just tired of the anti-Semitic ravings that have surfaced since 9/11. Perhaps this is because the very nice, grandmotherly lady who lived in the apartment below us in Washington Heights when I was a kid (the one who brought my mother chicken soup and matzoh-ball soup when she was sick) in fact had no grandchildren. She lost her entire family in the Holocaust. But she did have a great conversation-piece of a tattoo on her arm: it was her prisoner number. Sharon and Netanyahu perhaps have not forgotten this earlier massacre, as Taki appears to have done, and they know that if the terrorists and their fellow-travelers have their way, there will be another Holocaust, worse than what the Nazis managed. Taki is less and less relevant (if anything, his senile screeds in The Spectator of London are even worse than the crap he writes for New York Press). I have read my last Taki column–he has nothing interesting to say anymore.

Jack Gold, Prudhoe Bay, AK

Taki: On a daily basis Israeli Jews are being killed by fanatic murderous Arabs. Islam is a very sick puppy. It still has not adjusted to the West’s awakening in the Renaissance, the Reformation or the Age of Reason, let alone the 20th century. It was during that 20th century that the necessity of a Jewish homeland became apparent to all Jews interested in breathing. United States support has been vital to Israel’s survival. It is natural at this time of need for the United States to wish for silent obedience from Israel. But suffering blows on a daily basis is not suffered silently by most humans and the Israelis are no exception.

The day before Sharon’s analogy comparing appeasing the Arabs with appeasing the Nazis, a jet with 78 Israelis aboard was accidentally blown out of the air by a Ukrainian missile, and on that same day three Israelis were shot intentionally by a fanatical, murderous Arab for the sin of being Jews asserting Jewish sovereignty. There was much pain in Sharon’s heart.

As a Jew and a supporter of Israel I must deal with the accusation that Taki tosses at Jews and Israel. This is the same accusation Oliver Hardy used to toss toward Stan Laurel, i.e., "This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into."

My first reaction is, "These people are nuts. If it wasn’t Israel, it would be something else." Indeed bin Laden is not a Palestinian, but a Saudi. His cohorts are Egyptians. Palestine only recently gained a place in his pantheon of Arab victimization. His primary concern is with U.S. troops that are in Saudi Arabia as an after-effect of the Gulf War, which was not a war fought for or against Israel. My second reaction is, "When the founders of Israel attempted to birth her they had other things on their mind than the reaction of nutty Arabs 50 years hence blowing up buildings in New York because of Zionist aggression." Islam is one very sick puppy. Go find a time machine, go back, thwart the birth of Israel and then we can compare where the sickness of the puppy would have led without Israel’s birth. The past is history. Deal with the now. These Islamic fundamentalists are nuts and angry. There is nothing Israel can do at this point in time to unstir the hornet’s nest. But Islam is the sick one. Don’t blame Israel, although it’s a tough habit to break, I know.

Yonah Fredman, Brooklyn

In reference to Taki’s comments on the events of Sept. 11, "Israel may be America’s loyal ally, but it has to be made to understand that neither Israeli security nor Western interests are served by needlessly provoking the Palestinians." By merely existing, the Jews are provoking.

Andrew B. Hurvitz, Toluca Lake, CA

Mr. Smith: I thoroughly enjoyed your article, having read New York Press for the first time. Much of what I’ve heard from "the media" since 9/11 has been dissatisfying reflection at best. Your notes (10/10) were heartening even as they were critical. Keep on mugging.

Rich Leonard, Brooklyn

Late-night NY1, all anthrax, all the time. A genuinely touching piece about an Hispanic cook who died in the Trade Center. A memorial service without a body, a crying life partner. Followed immediately by a commercial for Puppetry of the Penis. Would it be too much to ask Angus Young to kick the shit out of these guys?

We’re in extraordinary times and it’s important to field the right team. Bryk’s going to Cooperstown.

Jason Goodrow, Manhattan

Hey MUGGER, don’t fret the Wenner crowd too much (10/10). What aging boomers like him are now learning is that they’re irrelevant. They were enabled by a benevolent American society to say anything on their mind and do any drug they discovered, with impunity. They mostly speak in generalities, huddle together like lemmings on the march and face the inevitable oblivion of a wastrel life. Take heart–it’s fun watching them dive.

Skip Press, Burbank, CA

So MUGGER, you are a Todd Rundgren fan (10/10)?! I feel a little softer place in my heart for you now, bud. Now every time I slog my way through every one of your columns (which I do faithfully) I won’t be so damned judgmental.

Steve Haynes, via Internet

Since, Barry, Since

I used to work at 7 World Trade Center and thankfully I am here to tell the tale. I missed New York Press and was happy and relieved to pick it up after a couple of weeks. As usual, MUGGER’s column was absolutely topnotch. And then I got to that cretin Taki’s column. Once more, he finds fault with our only true Middle Eastern ally, Israel ("Top Drawer," 10/10). He says, "Let’s face it. Without America Israel would not exist." Well, scumbag, the U.S. only became Israel’s patron during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Before that, the closest Israel had to a friend (materially speaking) was Germany with its reparations, and France, which sought to offset Arab nationalism. The U.S. government was mostly indifferent to that point.

Taki also says that "more people were killed on Sept. 11 than in all of Israel’s wars since independence in 1948." How dare you play numbers with people’s lives? It’s not even correct, since 6000 Jews died in Israel’s War of Independence (more than all my colleagues at WTC). When he talks of "Sabra and Shatilla type of behavior," I am sure he remembers that the murderers at those sites were Arab Christians, not Jews. Israel is a tiny sliver of land in a sea of Arabdom. Evil Arab dictatorships use it as an excuse for their corruption and neglect. The U.S. is friends with Israel for the same reason it helped Britain in both world wars–to support freedom and counter tyranny. People like Taki enjoy taking on Israel because it legitimizes their irrational Jew hatred.

Barry Schechter, East Brunswick, NJ

I just read William Bryk’s column "Our Dear Queen" ("Old Smoke," 10/10). I was thinking, why don’t reporters do the same kind of "in-depth" reporting on current or former government and political figures? One thing that has always amazed me is how as soon as you lose an election or a city job you become a professor at Columbia University.

I’m not thinking of this to "bash" Mayor Dinkins; my first thought was former Deputy Commissioner William Eimicke of Housing, Preservation and Development. He was the guy in charge of producing "affordable housing" in the Koch administration. His "achievement" was to leave us with the highest-priced, smallest living units on the planet outside of Tokyo. Now he is being quoted as "Columbia University Professor William Eimicke." What does he teach? How much taxpayer money, or indirect taxpayer support, pays his salary, his assistants and his benefits including expansive vacation time no one in the business world could ever get?

The other thing I can never understand about universities and colleges is how they fund the "institutes" affiliated with them. These are always populated by perennial candidates for office or political supporters. I also can’t see how lawsuits, lobbying or demonstrations against noneducational political issues can be funded by taxpayer or tax-deductible money earmarked for colleges and universities.

The third thing I’d really like to see researched is how several "insider groups" within Democratic political clubs, particularly on the west side of Manhattan, all have or had outrageously low-priced subsidized housing in percentages that the average voter, Democratic or not, could never achieve. Boy, would I like Mr. William Bryk to research these issues.

Lew Franciszek hrabia Chudzikiewicz h Chodkiewicz, Manhattan

So the ever-reliable media again do what they do best: play the man in the white jacket, telling us to ignore the screams of the person sitting behind the window, to turn up the knob. For 34 years, the men in the white jackets have been telling us to ignore the pictures from the Middle East. Yes, those are Israeli soldiers you see, taunting and then shooting those stone-throwing Palestinians, but trust us: it is Israel that is under siege. A democracy needs our help.

Now, those same men are telling us to ignore the more than 500,000 Iraqi children who have died as a result of U.S.-imposed sanctions and ignore the millions of uncles and brothers who watched their sisters and nieces die. Their hatred comes not from that, but because we are an open society and our women wear bikinis. A ludicrous argument, of course–so why does America buy it? It’s time Americans did the unthinkable: thought for themselves. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon were the most spectacular messages ever delivered, and the message couldn’t be clearer. Either Americans start holding themselves responsible for the actions of their government, or somebody else will.

C.J. Mellor, Savannah

I think it’s admirable that William Bryk relied on the AIA guide and online sources, as well as the opinions of various architecture critics, to provide a point of view on the esthetic merits of the World Trade Center ("New York City," 9/19). However, it seems curious that he chose to accuse Cora Sowa of using empty rhetoric in her description of the towers as "transcendent sculpture incarnating our aspirations" ("The Mail", 10/3). Bryk seems to be ignoring the fact that only two weeks earlier, in one of the few instances when he chose to use his own words, he had demonized the towers as "monuments to money and power, brutish and ugly," with an "oddly rootless, alienating quality." Is that not rhetoric too? Or am I also guilty of being selective in choosing which points to dispute?

The fact is that the World Trade Center was a monumental sculpture, providing us with a constant interplay of shape and form as we moved throughout the city. There was a tension that emanated from the simplistic nature of their appearance clashing with the extreme nature of their scope. They were brash in the sheer conceit of their dual existence, yet modest in their lack of ornamentation. The seemingly mundane nature of their surface delighted us by constantly changing through variations of distance and light. They were thoroughly unique and never boring; soaring above the skyline like a giant mast, providing both direction and the implication of movement. They anchored the city like no other structure, and we took comfort under the security of their familiar and constant watch.

They were loaded with context, not only money and power, but bureaucracy and politics and engineering and the romantic nature of New York as bestowed upon us through so many movies and books. They gave us unique and unforgettable memories from above, where we could watch the beautifully disordered sprawl of our city as it spilled past the curved horizon. Yes, Mr. Bryk, they enthralled us; they embodied the hopes and aspirations that brought so many of us to New York. The Lower Manhattan skyline has not been "restored" through their absence, it has been left painfully exposed. Their transcendence is a function of our inability to imagine them back into existence. They possessed a soul and personality that cannot be replaced and because of that they will be sorely, sorely missed.

W. Robert Tymchyshyn, Manhattan