PicoZ

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Days The book excerpt describing King’s assassination and the events leading up to it brought thoughtful responses from readers who reflected on the civil rights leader’s contributions to racial equality in the U.S. Some felt, however, that certain details about King’s personal life could have been omitted

The excerpt from Taylor Branch’s biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Jan. 9] was superb. It helped show the personal side of the man. I disagree, however, with Jesse Jackson, who in TIME’s forum, “What If He Were Alive Today?”, said that King would be challenging the war in Iraq. I think King would be less concerned about U.S. actions in Iraq than about seeing the failure of his dream of social justice and equality in this country. The U.S. now seems even more inclined than it was in King’s day to treat people differently just because of their ethnicity, skin color, gender or sexual orientation. ROBERT D. FESTENSTEIN Wyoming, Ohio

In 1963 TIME selected King as Man of the Year. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A man of superior intelligence, King was a passionate crusader for complete justice for all people and an extraordinary leader. Americans observe a national holiday in his honor. It grieves me deeply, therefore, that you felt it necessary to print references to his extramarital affairs, which can only diminish his stature. I am not disputing the information in the excerpt. I am only lamenting the fact that so many people seem to find it necessary to expose the clay feet of our heroes. (THE REV.) LOUIS GERHARDT Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.

If ever there was clear evidence of the changes in U.S. society since the time of King, it is in the juxtaposition of the photos on your front and back covers. The back-cover ad, portraying Serena Williams as the strong, empowered woman she is, could not have been rendered in King’s day. Today we take such portrayals of black women for granted. But they would have been impossible if not for the efforts of King and his movement. There is much more to do, but look how far we’ve come. CHARLES M. CORRELL Conway, Mass.

King’s commitment to nonviolence convinces me that he would abhor all the bloodshed and strife that besiege America today. Murderous gangs, violent disrespect for women and cruelty to animals would be anathema to King. No black or white civil rights activist in the U.S. has filled King’s void. Fortunately, his pacifist ideology profoundly influenced South Africa’s social-justice icons Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. BRIEN COMERFORD Glenview, Ill.

• Read other stories about Martin Luther King Jr. in TIME’s archives at time.com/king

Latin American Leftists

As a Dominican immigrant getting a master’s degree in the U.S., I appreciated your report on the growth of left-leaning governments in Latin America [Jan. 9]. You accurately reflected the views of millions of immigrants here in the U.S.: that it is high time Latin American countries faced up to the U.S. and rejected its unfair policies. The spirit of the poor will never die. More and more of us young professionals are here in the U.S. getting an education so that we can go back to our home countries and work for change. We will return with not only our expertise but also the awareness of what fuels unfair American policies: hypocrisy, social inequality and an arrogant materialism. Thank you for shedding light on a political movement that has clawed its way out of repression and assassinations. The voice of poor people will finally be heard. MANUEL DAVID MATOS Amherst, Mass.

Abode of Souls

David Van Biema’s Essay “Life After Limbo”on the Roman Catholic Church’s changing its teaching on limbo took me back to the ’50s, when I grew up attending a Catholic school [Jan. 9]. As described by the nuns, limbo [the afterlife for infants who die before being baptized] was similar to life on earth but without sickness, death, unhappiness or failure. I was absolutely furious that I had been baptized and was therefore ineligible for limbo. Heaven, on the other hand, involved endless God worshipping and constant harp strumming. It struck me as terribly boring. The only thing heaven had going for it was that it was not so painful as purgatory or hell. JUDITH A. MERRILL Wethersfield, Conn.

The Church’s decision to abandon limbo raises a crucial question: Did God change his mind, or was the Catholic Church wrong again? CHARLES H. HOWARTH Eagle, Idaho Secret Snooping

TIME reported on the controversy over President George W. Bush’s secret directive to allow the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on phone conversations in the U.S. without a court-ordered warrant [Jan. 9]. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Those who are up in arms about the secret spying on people with known links to al-Qaeda would be the first to blame the President for not preventing another attack. I am not an apologist for Bush, but he did get this one right. Terrorists need to know they can’t use our eavesdropping laws against us. The President took an oath to protect the American people, and I am glad he is doing it. GABE GROTE Fort Worth, Texas

Bush has bypassed and ignored the laws set forth by Congress requiring warrants for wiretaps. You could even say he has decided to make his own laws. Although Bush’s intentions may be good, it is the precedent being set that we should be worried about. Twenty years from now we may have a President whose intentions are not so creditable. It is obvious that Americans need to fight terrorism, but in doing so, we are eroding the basic tenets our democracy is built on. History is filled with tyrants and dictators. Let’s not leave room for one to come to power in the U.S. RYAN FORTMAN Denver

The President should be more respectful of individual rights and the separation of powers. Any important wire tap needs to be approved by the appropriate court, a simple but vital check on the authority of government officials. We citizens are sacrificing too much because of the Bush Administration’s lust for unchecked power. JERRY BORROWMAN Sandy, Utah

I have no issue with anyone listening to my phone calls or reading my mail if it means I will be safe when I take the subway or get on an airplane. The only people who don’t support Bush’s move to monitor communications are people with things to hide. DEBORAH COZEOLINO New York City

TIME quoted Dick Cheney, who said, “If you’re calling Aunt Sadie in Paris, we’re probably not really interested.” How about listening in on what a political rival is up to or TIME’S next big story about the Administration? If there is no judicial oversight of eavesdropping, how can the President be prevented from using it for personal gain? Do the American people really have that much trust in the Bush Administration after the lies about the reasons for the war in Iraq? It is not news that the U.S. has no respect for civil liberties outside the U.S., but what comes as a surprise is that there is no respect for them inside the U.S. either. Wiretaps without warrants and a President who breaks the law are something that would never be accepted in Europe. I hope the American people know what they have got themselves into. Men do not easily give up power once they have got it. HENRIK SEGERSVEN Espoo, Finland

I have no problem with the authorities’ rooting out terrorists by legal means, but Americans should remember the kind of information collected by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and how he used it to threaten his personal enemies. One of Hoover’s targets was Martin Luther King Jr. I would like to think that Canadian jurists would make quick work of any official who wiretapped without the approval of the court. MAURICE A. RHODES Nelson, B.C.

Sure, the domestic-surveillance program makes sense for protecting Americans. But what if it results in throwing even more people into the prison at Guantánamo or perhaps the invasion of yet another Middle Eastern country? Then we might discover that such U.S. actions were also based on faulty intelligence. ALY MAREI London

Persons of the Year

I was very pleased with TIME’s choice of the “Good Samaritans,” Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono, as your Persons of the Year [Dec. 26, 2005–Jan. 2, 2006]. Those three have been successful in breaking through people’s apathy about worldwide poverty that kills millions every year. The trio is waking us up to the world’s problems. Here is a son who lost a mother because of AIDS. There is a father who lost a daughter to malaria. How can we be indifferent to those sorrows? The Gateses and Bono are pioneers, leading us to end that injustice. ALISA RACHUBO Tokyo

Seldom does a written work come along that truly deserves to be in every home. Your Persons of the Year issue is one such example and should be recommended as essential reading for all. IAN HARRIS Sturminster Newton, England

Highlighting the actions of Bono and the Gateses brings hope to solving the global health crisis. Having practiced medicine for almost 50 years, mostly in France, I recently returned from a teaching mission in sub-Saharan Africa. There I was appalled to see patients with acute pneumonia sent home to die, unless the family could pay $180 in cash for hospitalization. I am reassured to read that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation demands strict accountability from its grantees. ALBERT FOURNIER Amiens, France

ncG1vNJzZmismaKyb6%2FOpmaaqpOdtrexjm9tcG5gbYJwuMStq56qo2K3orqMbGdmamBlg3A%3D