THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JONI

Joni Mitchell for the ages; McCain has two faces; a sickening story; memories; we shall overcome-again

LETTERS

Thank you, Elvis Costello, for giving us a great interview with Joni Mitchell ["Joni's Last Waltz?," November]. Any glimpse into this artistic treasure is a treat.

The first time I heard Joni was at a friend's house in the early 70s, and my friend played the song "River," off the album Blue. I was hooked. Everything about her music stirred me—the lyrics, the musical arrangements, and Joni's singing. She was a poet telling stories.

I collected all of the "girl" music over the years—Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and, more recently, Tori Amos. Only Joni's music has remained as fresh, relevant, and sexy as the first time I heard it. I hope kids today who worship "artists" who lipsynch insipid lyrics and put more emphasis on sexy outfits and stupid choreographed dances soon realize how they're being duped. I seriously doubt they'll be enjoying such music 30 years from now. Come to think of it, two years from now.

CONNIE WEIS Virginia Beach, Virginia

WHILE READING the interview with Joni Mitchell, I thought of her music and felt a spiritual and psychological nostalgia. This mountaintop experience evaporated with Ms. Mitchell's coda: "All ' Whitey' knows is funeral and war marches. And the polka." This statement revealed the kind of shallow prejudices of so many of today's American liberal artists and undermined all that preceded it. If she actually danced the polka, which she disparages with so much pleasure, she might experience a joyful transcendence that would give her pause.

WILLIAM DOBKOWSKI Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

THE BENDING OF IRON JOHN

IN A PERVERSE SORT of way, Richard Gooding's piece in the November issue ["The Trashing of John McCain"] highlighted McCain's self-serving politics. He continues to relish his woe-is-me role for losing to Bush in 2000.

McCain is famous for claiming that he has put the 2000 defeat behind him, often saying that "Americans do not like a sore loser." Make no mistake: McCain is still bitter about his loss, and he blames it on Bush's alleged dirty tricks in the South Carolina primary.

During the most recent campaign, McCain pretended to enjoy his status as Bush's cheerleader in chief, but it was clear from his facial expressions that he was holding his nose all the while. Whenever given the chance, McCain found an excuse to say something good about John Kerry.

TED COHEN South Portland, Maine

I APPRECIATED Richard Gooding's article, and it made me think there is another story here that is pertinent. Who in the Republican Party was so resolved to have George W. Bush be the party's nominee instead of McCain? McCain had personality, wit, and intelligence that appealed across party lines. Had he won the nomination, he would probably have beaten the Democratic nominee decisively, whereas Bush in actuality lost the election and had to rely on questionable means to walk off with the prize.

PHYLLIS THOMAS Amherst, New Hampshire

EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK

THANK YOU for Eric Schlosser's story "Order the Fish" [November] about the meatpacking industry and our government. I've heard for years of the corruption and blindfolded runnings by the U.S.D.A., but Schlosser's article reopened my eyes to the disturbing situations. It was particularly good to see this article appear at a time when the topics of E. coli and mad-cow disease are once again out of the headlines. It brings attention to a subject that is continually downplayed by the government and media when it should be at the forefront. It is articles such as Schlosser's that will help change the passive views of the public and get changes made in the U.S.D.A. and meat industry.

SHANNON HOCKENSMITH New York, New York

I HAVE BEEN a loyal subscriber for many years, and while articles have often affected me, none ever moved me to action until I read "Order the Fish." The vivid description of the pain, suffering, and subsequent death of two-and-a-half-year-old Kevin Kowalcyk brought tears to my eyes.

The story of Kevin's death should be posted in a conspicuous place in the office of every C.E.O. in the meatpacking and restaurant industries. Furthermore, all U.S.D.A. personnel should have it laminated and placed in their wallets to remind them daily of the heavy responsibility entrusted to them by the American public.

My next letter will be to my representatives in Washington encouraging them to support "Kevin's Law." For our representatives to do otherwise would be shameful and a clear dereliction of their duty and responsibility.

LESLIE HAYWOOD Orlando, Florida

CONTRARY TO THE UNFAIR and unscientific accusations you make about "widespread contamination in the meatpacking industry," federal data show that the U.S. meat supply continues to be among the safest and most wholesome on the planet—and getting safer every day.

The facts are indisputable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [C.D.C.], the incidence of infections from E. coli 0157:H7 has declined 42 percent during 1996-2003. The national health objective for E. coli 0157:H7, the optimal food-safety target set by the government, which is to be met by 2010, is one infection per 100,000 persons. According to the C.D.C.'s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, the current number is 1.1 per 100,000 persons. That's serious progress, well ahead of schedule.

The incidence of Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products has been in a sharp decline since 1996. Cases of the human illness listeriosis also have declined sharply, according to the C.D.C., and the U.S. is very close to meeting the 2010 public-health target, again well ahead of schedule.

The picture you paint of widespread collusion and influence peddling between meat-industry executives and government officials is inaccurate. Consumer safety is the primary concern of all successful businesses, including the meat industry. Quite simply, safe food is good business. Recalls and food-safety issues are precisely what we work every day to avoid.

The American Meat Institute and our nation's meat companies have fully cooperated with the government's food-safety initiatives and have actively sought to identify and implement preventive strategies to ensure the safety of the American meat supply. That's why, more than 15 years before the first and only case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (B.S.E., also known as mad-cow disease) occurred in the U.S., the meat industry worked hand in hand with the U.S.D.A. to build redundant and effective fire walls against B.S.E. That proactive strategy is the reason the U.S. has had only one case of B.S.E., while the U.K. has had hundreds of thousands.

Finally, you betray your own bias against the meat industry when you state in the concluding paragraph that "on any given day almost a thousand Americans are hospitalized because of something they ate"— with "something" being the operative word. Because your article focuses on meat, you clearly imply that people are getting sick from meat. The fact is that food-borne illnesses are caused by a wide variety of foods and handling and preparation practices.

J. PATRICK BOYLE President and C.E.O. American Meat Institute Washington, D.C.

ERIC SCHLOSSER RESPONDS• The C.D.C. does not conduct annual studies of meat contamination. That's the U.S.D.A.'s job. My article showed how the U.S.D.A. has been routinely shewing the data to portray the meat industry in a favorable light—a contention that J. Patrick Boyle does not address. The C.D.C. 's Foodbome Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) tries to count the serious cases of foodpoisoning in nine regions encompassing about one-seventh of the American population, but the agency acknowledges that its FoodNet data may "not be generalizable to the entire U.S. population." Between 1996 and 2002, the C.D.C. says, "the incidence did not decline for Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, Cryptosporidium, [or] E. coli 0157." The latest FoodNet numbers suggest that E. coli cases may have declined between 2002 and 2003, but "no substantial changes were observed in the incidence of infection caused by Listeria." Asfor my assertion that the meat industry and the Bush administration have a close relationship, it seems that J. Patrick Boyle agrees. "If I wake up to a Kerry administration," Boyle told an industry gathering in September 2004, according to Feedstuffs, a weekly trade journal, "I wouldn't know whether to update my resume or slit my wrists." He warned that Kerry would consult with consumer groups and would no longer brief the meat industry on regulatory issues. And he described what the industry would need if John Kerry should become president: "trenchesfor the guerrilla warfare."

SOMETHING ABOUT U2

THANK YOU for the wonderful nuggets of wisdom in "U2's Unforgettable Fire" [November]. Oh, to have been in writer Lisa Robinson's shoes! I remember the day that U2 earned a permanent place in my heart. I was ironing one morning, just days after graduating from high school, when I heard the opening notes of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" on the radio: Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! Rata-tat! Rat-a-tat! That moment changed the way I listened to music. As far as I was concerned, their contemporaries couldn't compare.

BRENDA TREVINO TORNEY San Antonio, Texas

PATRIOT WITH A PLAYLIST

JOHN MELLENCAMP'S ARTICLE ["American Anthems," November] spoke so clearly of the broader issue of our "broken" nation that I wanted to share some of my own words and also thank Vanity Fair for giving John space for his. While back in Indiana recently for my 30th high-school reunion, I got to reminiscing with my classmates about how, as kids, we talked about "everything" with such earnestness, honesty, and heart, and about how there now seems to be a fear of speaking out that didn't seem to exist back then. When did it become so scary to question authority, question the administration, speak your mind, or hear the thoughts and voices of others? I hope John is right, that we can "overcome" this page in our history. I will leave it to my wishful heart, my strong voice, and my vote.

BOBBI WHITE GLOVER Phoenix, Arizona

CORRECTIONS: In the letter about Colorama from Bill Pedersen, on page 136 of the November issue ["Letters"], we erroneously printed that the custom-made cameras used by Kodak for some of the original exposures were 10 feet by 16 feet. In fact, the largest cameras took 8-inch-by-20-inch negatives. On page 166 of the November issue ["Design Darling], we erroneously stated that Tara Subkoff had been named the creative director of Lalique.

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