CONFLICT OF TRUTH

Palestinian Arabs—forced out or voluntary exit?; the fans strike back; condemning torture; lesbian chic; remembering the Gucciones; judging Michael Eisner; and more

Although in general Scott Anderson did an excellent job identifying the problems on both sides of the ArabIsraeli conflict in his article "Gaza's Grand Delusion" [February], he made a statement concerning the history of the region that is factually incorrect. Anderson stated that in 1948 "some 750,000 Palestinian Arabs were forced from their homes in areas taken over by Israel."

The great majority of Palestinian Arabs either left of their own free will or were urged to leave by the attacking Arab armies. In his memoirs, Khalid al-'Azm, Syria's prime minister from 1948 to 1949, admitted the Arab role in persuading the refugees to leave, writing, "Since 1948 we have been demanding the return of the refugees to their homes. But we ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave. Only a few months separated our call to them to leave and our appeal to the United Nations to resolve on their return."

In fact, Israel encouraged the Palestinian Arabs to stay. Israel's Proclamation of Independence, issued May 14, 1948, invited the Palestinians to remain in their homes and become equal citizens in the new state: "We appeal—in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months—to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions. We extend our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land."

IVAN M. LANG Glendale, Wisconsin

SCOTT ANDERSON'S article is very disappointing, as it seems to me that he was embedded with the I.D.F. [Israel Defense Forces]. The pro-Israel propaganda is being promoted, yet again, by a journalist who does not have the courage to frame this conflict in any other way than as an apologist for Israeli crimes and occupation. Journalists like Mr. Anderson perpetuate the myth of Israel as the victim, when in fact they have become the victimizers.

JANE NICHOLS New York, New York

SCOTT ANDERSON REPLIES: As Mr. Lang surely knows, there exist two very different "histories" in the Middle East—one Israeli, one Palestinian—an arrangement that allows one to disagree on most any "fact" or issue. The manner in which the Palestinians came to leave their homes during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence is a case in point, fust as I did not cite the callous and cynicalpolicy of Arab nations to turn the Palestinians' plight to their advantage, I also did not cite the accounts of Israeli targeted assassinations and selective terror to induce Palestinians to flee, as frankly described in the memoirs of a number of Israeli veterans of that war. If there exists one "fact" about how 750,000 Palestinians came to become refugees in 1948, it is that there was more than enough blame to go around. Which is another way of saying were back to square one.

As for Ms. Nichols's letter, it appears I'm branded a pro-Israeli propagandist merely for having spent time with the Israeli Army. (I doubt that the charge stems from my lengthy discussion of that army's killing of an unarmed 13year-old Palestinian schoolgirl.) By this logic, surely the precise opposite accusation could be made for my having spent time with the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. If the objective of journalism is to get an intimate, firsthand look at an issue, I'm curious just what alternative Ms. Nichols suggests.

GREAT COYER, BUT...

THE AMBITIOUS and well-produced cover photo of the Star Wars cast ["Star Wars: The Last Battle," photographs by Annie Leibovitz, story by Jim Windolf, February] is on most counts an amazing achievement, but I am afraid that it falls short. As a diehard Star Wars fan since 1977, I feel compelled to write and express my profound disappointment with the glaring omissions from this ensemble. While Ray Park as Darth Maul and Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett are unfortunate absentees, the failure to include Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett is unforgivable. True, Boba Fett enjoys minimal screen time and speaks only a few lines in the films, but he has inarguably achieved permanent status as a pop-culture icon beyond cultism. Given your commendable devotion to the Star Wars legacy, the failure to include such an essential figure on your cover is a grievous error. In addition, giving a detested character such as Jar Jar Binks a place of prominence just adds insult to this injury.

MORGAN PHILLIPS New York, New York

VANITY FAIR was probably expecting a flood of responses from Star Wars Ubergeeks, nitpicking the article for minutiae and trivia that may be out of place. Well, I am one such geek. Alas, I could find only one minor (yet important) inaccuracy in Windolf's piece.

Windolf writes: "And for the first time in 22 years, we'll also have a new movie with a Wookiee on-screen ..."

Actually, Wookiees are present in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones, both of which were released within the last 22 years. Wookiees are in the Galactic Senate meetings in each film. Perhaps Chewbacca was even present, although I'm pretty sure he never entered galactic politics, because bullshit sticks to Wookiee fur.

Windolf should have said that for the first time in 22 years a Wookiee was played by someone other than Peter Mayhew. Anyway, the photos and story made for a great feature!

HANS FEUERSINGER Los Angeles, California

I VERY MUCH ENJOYED your story about George Lucas and the evolution of the Star Wars saga from lined paper to cinematic dynasty. I found the parallels between Lucas's own experiences and the lives of his characters to be very illuminating.

As a man who makes movies on his own schedule, with his own money and employees, and without any influence from Hollywood, Lucas can rightfully be revered as a god of independent film.

His contribution to the craft of moviemaking is equally important. Lucas's breakthroughs in visual effects are towering.

The people who sneer at Lucas's achievements reveal their own motives as sour grapes. You can laugh at the man who brought Howard the Duck out of the comics and Jar Jar Binks into the world, but when Tony Soprano needed closure after [his mother] actor Nancy Marchand died, it was the same kind of technology his company, Industrial Light & Magic, pioneered that gave them a final scene together.

ALEX LUNDBERG Detroit, Michigan

HOW IN THIS GALAXY could you publish a Star Wars cover without the inclusion of the inimitable James Earl Jones? Darth Vader would be nothing without That Voice.

KIM MCKEGGIE Nottinghamshire, England

UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS

"THE MAN IN THE HOOD" [by Donovan Webster, February] was so powerful it makes one wish that our current president would read more often. It could be enlightening even for him.

Harry S. Truman referred to his responsibilities as president when he said, "The buck stops here." If the current president kept the same code of honor, he would confess to the horrors he has sanctioned through his advisers and by his cavalier denial of culpability. As an American citizen, I support our troops' efforts to eliminate the evils of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. However, as a former member of the U.S. military, I no longer support all of our troops in Iraq.

The overwhelming majority of the men and women serving there are honest, sincere, and humane people who do their jobs valiantly. But pressure from this administration has turned a large number of America's military and civilian contractors into mercenary torturers who deserve no respect or support from Americans. Torture is the worst thing one human being can do to another. Torture is not the American way!

DONALD C. FELLER Portland, Oregon

DONOVAN WEBSTER'S comment "This [prisoner abuse] is a part of the War on Terror yet to make the nightly news" underscores the need for another article on the failure of our media. Desperate for ratings, they have sacrificed reporting hard news in favor of entertainment news. I probably know more about the breakup of Brad and Jen or the lies Scott Peterson told to Amber Frey than I do about the investigations into the abuses at Abu Ghraib. I don't even know whether the average Iraqi citizen has had basic services, such as running water or electricity, restored.

Our government purportedly includes a system of checks and balances among its three branches, but this requires the participation of a knowledgeable citizenry. The press, therefore, has an obligation to keep us informed by delivering news on serious topics and events. Its failure to do so has led me to seek information from foreign news services and alternative radio.

DONNA BADER Laguna Beach, California

SOME YEARS AGO investigators from the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance staged several accidents, including one involving a car and a bus, to help determine the scope of fraudulent personal-injury claims in large cities. After the crash, the authorities say, more than a dozen "jumpers" boarded the bus; these individuals then claimed to have been injured as a result of the "accident" and sought money damages.

Although no one can deny in the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib disclosures that some detainees have been cruelly mistreated while in custody in Iraq, one has to wonder whether every claim of maltreatment should be believed. How many of the Iraqi detainees are merely trying to "ride the bus"? We are far too quick to give credence to every claim of abuse.

LEE A. GRONIKOWSKI Mount Laurel, New Jersey

THE GAY BLUES

AS WELL WRITTEN AND DETAILED as James Wolcott's article on gays in television is, I find it almost impossible to believe that he fails to address the incredible double standard that exists with regard to lesbians and gay men ["The Gay Divide," February].

In a time when it is almost chic to be a lesbian, it still remains verboten for gay men—as themselves, rather than as stereotyped characters—to have the same level of acceptance and exposure in the mainstream media.

Until both women and men can be placed in the same category when it comes to being homosexual, without the distinction of being male or female, we will remain a polarized nation.

BRANDON GREENE Chatsworth, California

I READ WITH SOME EMBARRASSMENT "The Gay Divide." My home state, and where I currently reside, is Oklahoma, probably the reddest state in the nation. Three years ago, I relocated from Connecticut, a most decidedly blue state. Only after I returned did I realize how backward my home state has become. But please rest assured that there is a small but strong progressive movement here, and we are attempting to educate the closed-minded masses on many issues, including gay rights.

While I am ashamed of the medieval attitudes of many of my fellow Okies, I am proud that there are those of us who refuse to succumb to the mind-set of the powers that be.

STEPHANIE K. TOLLE Mustang, Oklahoma

X-RATED AND FIRST-RATE

AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE of Penthouse and General Media, I want to congratulate Patricia Bosworth for capturing the atmosphere and culture of Bob Guccione's empire ["The X-Rated Emperor," February]. I worked at his company from 1976 to 1990, first as an assistant on the set of Caligula and finally as a vice president of public relations. I am one of many women to whom Bob gave an opportunity to succeed in business. Working with him was the most exciting job I ever had.

LESLIE JAY-GOULD Somers, New York

I WILL NEVER FORGET the gasp I heard on the other end of the line when I phoned my mother to tell her that Penthouse magazine had offered me an advertising-sales-assistant position. "That magazine with naked women in provocative poses? Honey, there surely must be other magazines you could work for!" I did see my mother's point of view, but the year was 1980, and since we were in the middle of a recession and entry-level magazine jobs were hard to come by, I thought, What the heck, and accepted the job.

My mother was relieved to hear that the company also published Omni magazine, where I eventually worked as an account manager. Suffice it to say that Kathy Keeton was one of my early mentors and was truly the one in charge. She was brilliant, tenacious, and beautiful. She gave young women like me a chance to embark on a career in sales—a field that had been traditionally dominated by men.

Some of the best and brightest talents to be found in publishing today began at either Penthouse or Playboy. I will always be grateful to Bob and Kathy for giving me a shot.

MARY BETH PANZECA-WRIGHT New rk, New \fork

DISNEY'S TWO-MAN SHOW

THIS IS WHAT I do not understand: Michael Eisner chose [to be his number two] his closest friend for many years, Michael Ovitz, who, in Eisner's own words, is "a psychopath ... cannot tell the truth ... has a character problem ... [is] devious ... untrustworthy" and "only out for himself." Together, Eisner and Ovitz shared holidays, vacations, and family celebrations.

What does this say about Eisner's judgment?

TANIA GROSSINGER New York, New \brk

HOLLYWOOD'S FRIGHT NIGHTS

MICHAEL SHNAYERSON'S article regarding Hollywood burglaries and robberies ["Nightmare on Sunset," February] was incorrect to report that the husband of John Ondrasik's maid was the victim of an armed burglar in Ondrasik's home. In fact, Los Angeles police say the "buiglar" was the maid's boyfriend and it was an attack planned by the maid and the lover to look like a random burglary.

MARGO BAXTER Los Angeles, California

"WHAT IF. .." IT'S NOT FUNNY

I READ HENRY ALFORD'S poor attempt at humor ("What if your mother were appointed to the Supreme Court?" ... "Mom forgets to take her lithium ... ") [February] while visiting my 10-year-old grandson at the National Institute of Mental Health, in Bethesda, Maryland. He suffers from pediatric bipolar disorder and is a courageous child-research volunteer for the study of lithium use in children. We have had custody of him for seven years, due in great part to his mother's also being bipolar.

Would Mr. Alford have chosen to write "your mother forgets to take her epilepsy medication and has a seizure"? I think not. Yet mental illness is fair game for ridicule. This only proliferates ignorance about and intolerance of those who suffer from this devastating brain disorder or other mental illnesses.

As a subscriber for 20 years, I am appalled that this made it past your editors, and I await Mr. Alford's apology.

BARBARA E. TROOST South Bend, Indiana

MODESTY BECOMES US

IN FEBRUARY'S "Proust Questionnaire," John Kenneth Galbraith considers modesty an overrated and contrived virtue. However, most of us would disagree. The writer of "The Man in the Hood" [Donovan Webster, February] notes, "N.'s modesty as a Muslim, as an Iraqi, and as an adolescent" makes him reluctant to reveal details about being sexually assaulted by a soldier.

Modesty is nothing to scoff at.

S. B. WALTON Kansas City, Missouri

POLICING MORAL VALUES

I READ WITH AMAZEMENT Michael S. Herman Sr.'s letter analyzing why people residing in red states vote the way that they do [Letters, February], He frames his points by commenting on the article about the Italian Lolita ["Indiscreet Sixteen," by Holly Brubach, December].

While I—an unapologetic liberal residing in a red state—agree that this young woman is in need of some perspective, and probably some counseling as well, I can't help but take issue with Herman's reasoning on red-state voter preference toward political candidates.

We do not—or, rather, should not—elect our public officials on the basis of moral values. Moral values are the province of the church, temple, synagogue, or mosque. They are not the province of the state, nor should they be. The president is not the elected or hereditary head of any state church, however much he behaves as if he were. Why the heads of various organized religions have not stepped forward to remind the public and their elected officials that issues of morality and values belong in the domain of spirituality, and not in politics, is a complete mystery to me.

Every time I hear or read of people voting for a political candidate on the basis of moral values, I can only shake my head ruefully, since it seems utterly futile to point out that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of more pressing matters facing this country, and the world at large, than policing who is sleeping with whom and who else might have "issues" and be in need of therapy.

DIANA CAMPBELL Las Vegas, Nevada

FOR THE RECORD

JUDITH NEWMAN PAINTED an understandably grim portrait of Judith Regan in her recent article, "The Devil and Miss Regan" [January], although, for those of us who know her, hardly grim enough. In her efforts to find something redeeming in her subject, Ms. Newman should have been a little more careful with her facts. Hurling sexually charged accusations is a staple of Ms. Regan's personality, as the article correctly notes. The story mentions an "affair with a 15-year-old babysitter," as Ms. Regan claims to have discovered prior to our 1987 marriage; both the girl in question and I testified under oath at the divorce trial that this was not true. The young woman, in her late 20s by the time of the trial (and actually 17 at the time of the alleged affair), took time off from work and traveled out of state to refute the charges. Ms. Regan prefers to present herself as a victim rather than face the fact that our short marriage ended, just as so many of Ms. Regan's relationships have ended, for the reasons of character amply demonstrated in your article.

ROBERT KLEINSCHMIDT New York, New York

CORRECTIONS: On page 168 of the February issue ("Sorcerer's Apprentice," by Dominick Dunne), we incorrectly stated Michael Ovitz's relationship with the Museum of Modem Art. He is on the board of trustees. On page 169, we incorrectly identified Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber.

On page 295 of the December issue (".Hostage to Fortune," by Suzanna Andrews), the name of the English secondary school Eton was misspelled.

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