THE MAN FROM NEW JERSEY

Readers respond to the August issue

Governor Christie claims he's not a bully, yet Bridgegate, as the event has been dubbed, suggests that's not true ["Christieworld," by Bryan Burrough, August], Why would members of his inner circle dare to inconvenience thousands of New Jersey residents and place some lives in jeopardy during the fiasco that unfolded on the approach to the George Washington Bridge if they hadn't been inspired by their boss's behavior? President Harry Truman famously said, "The buck stops here," in accepting responsibility for actions taken by members of his administration. The governor should man up and accept full responsibility for the events of September 9, 2013. Anything less suggests Christie suffers

from a deep character flaw and should not be trusted in high government office.

MEL PRAISSMAN

Setauket, New York

Articles involving Machiavellian types such as we encounter in Bryan Burrough's fine piece on Chris Christie's "traffic study" scandal always leave one big question unexplored: just what kind of brilliance do unethical thugs like David Wildstein demonstrate to be described as unusually bright by their associates? Someone familiar with Wildstein calls him "brilliant but extremely disorganized" in the article, but what does that mean?

It's one thing to be academically gifted and solve chemistry or math problems faster than

others, but being wise is something else entirely. We hear terms like "brilliant" applied to shady characters such as Wildstein, Karl Rove, and others so frequently that one wonders whether these compliments are being thrown at people who are supremely accomplished at concocting devious and sometimes illegal schemes. That would not be brilliance. There are better adjectives for that kind of skill set.

SETH WITTTNERHenderson, Nevada

I've said it many times before, and I'm sure I'll say it many times again. There are really only two plausible explanations for the bridge scandal: either Christie didn't know what two close aides were doing or he did. If the latter, he's a political bully and should not be president, and if the former, he is a hopelessly incompetent administrator and should not be president.

ERICH J. NOLLKansas City, Missouri

The reminder of the details of "Bridgegate" in September 2013 makes my blood boil all over again. To think that an elected official and his staff—who get paid with taxpayer dollars—have such complete disdain and arrogance toward the citizens of their state is unbelievable to me. They joked about Christie's Democratic opponent and how her voters' schoolchildren were being inconvenienced by the traffic backup? Perhaps it wouldn't be so humorous if they considered more dire circumstances, such as someone who missed a funeral or job interview or a relative who missed an appointment with an oncologist for lifesaving treatment that was made six weeks prior. These people don't see their constituents as people—they are only votes to be tallied.

In the article, attorney Gerald Krovatin wonders "if this whole thing resonates nationally." It does—I live in South Florida, and if Christie ran for the presidency he wouldn't get my vote.

J.KRAVET

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

LEAVE THE KIDS AT HOME

Here I was, enjoying a delightful article about a strong, smart, and seemingly warm diplomat ["Out to Lunch: Samantha Power," by John Heilpern, August], You could have called her Sam and taken out the picture, and I would have had no idea she was a woman. Oh! But wait, then the interviewer had to proceed to talk to her about playdates and "mommy" things, so, duh! Obviously she is a woman. Can you guys (and, yes, I mean guys) knock this off already? Do you know I have no idea how many children the illustrious men who have graced your pages have? No idea. And, yes, I get it, you are attempting to be relatable to your female subscribers. But maybe women wouldn't have to relate to mommydom in their professional lives if you guys didn't keep bringing it up.

"Hi! I'm Samantha Power. I may be the youngest U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but I'm also a MOM."

BRADFORD SCHROEDER

Seattle, Washington

WHEN IN TIFFANY'S...

Thank you for the wonderful article on Elsa Peretti ["Elsa Peretti's Great Escape," by James Reginato, August], On a vacation to California when I was 12, my parents indulged me with a trip down Rodeo Drive. Being a young girl from Ohio who read Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue, I found an excursion to Tiffany's to be a dream. And having been allowed to bring my babysitting money and allowance, I browsed for more than an hour. The sales staff at Tiffany's was so kind to a young girl with lots of enthusiasm but very little money. At the end of the hour, I picked out a silver-heart Peretti bookmark, which I cherish to this day. Peretti's stunning yet attainable works of art have a place in design history. I have acquired other Peretti pieces since then, but none hold such a special place in my heart. Thank you for sharing its creator's story.

KRISTIN FREEMANDayton, Ohio

BELLHOPS AND BOYCOTTS

As a gay man and longtime visitor to the Beverly Hills Hotel, I think the boycott of the hotel has been misguided from the start ["The Pink-and-Green Blues," by Mark Seal, August], The hotel is run independently and has been a good friend of the gay community. Plus, lots of us gay folks work there! The Beverly Hills Hotel recognized same-sex partnerships before gay marriage was legalized by offering insurance to the same-sex partners of workers. It has donated facilities and money to our cause. It advertises openly that it welcomes same-sex wedding celebrations. It's as gay-welcoming a business as you could find.

It isn't fair to make the wonderful employees of this hotel suffer, and it's hypocritical to target this hotel when many Muslim countries with Sharia law are heavily invested all over the West, in hotels and movies, in Apple and Twitter, in Citigroup, in Four Seasons and Fairmont hotels, in Time Warner (which distributes Ellen DeGeneres's show), and in Valentino, to name a very few.

#VFLETTERS

The burly cast of Fhe Expendables— from Stallone to Sc/nrarzenegger— posed for the August issue, much to the delight of our fans on Twitter. IT ho kneu' that what the world really needed teas a Rocky andDrago reunion?

@ORMSTONDAVID

I'll be back ... again and again and again.

@ATS U GI

This is the kind of private club I want to attend.

@DEAC0N 63 7 5

god it looks like a prostate awareness or lipitor commercial.

©URBAN DADDY

Frasier Crane has always been our favorite 80s action hero.

@DIGITALCLARITY

The testosterone is incredible

@HARDLYHEDDA

Now there's an eclectic group of tea drinkers!

@B AD U M BA

Like [those] pictures —And got to say,

Mel Gibson's beard is mean.

©GRDZADARIUS

The amount of exploded helicopters between these guys ...

@T_SHEL94

*blares No Easy Way Out* RT @VanityFair: Rocky and Drago meet again

Reader Christine Sciascia, from Saint-Cloud, France, likes things that start with c. Cats, croissants, Cambridges. We can 't blame her!

ANDREW CHEVELT

Iowa City, Iowa

The boycott is hurting the hotel employees, not the hotel owner" is an impressive P.R. tactic. It apparently is an effective one as well, given that so many people are using that line of reasoning to justify their patronage of various Dorchester Collection hotels. However, the argument rings hollow. While hotel employees may have seen a decline in their tips, this fact does not make financially supporting a homophobic owner right. For that reason, I canceled a reservation at the Beverly Hills Hotel this past spring.

ANNE BENTON HUCKERKansas City, Missouri

I just finished Mark Seal's article on the Beverly Hills Hotel in Vanity Fair. My father was the room-service captain there in the 60s and 70s. He was always requested by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor when they stayed in the bungalows. (I never remember hearing about vodka for breakfast!) I even received a birthday card from them after my father told them that Burton and I shared a birthday. In addition to that job, my father was also a captain at Chasen's for many years. Seal mentions in the article that the employees were surprised that their longtime patrons weren't concerned about them during the boycott. In all the years my father worked around the rich and famous there, he never deluded himself that these people actually cared about him. They liked him and the service he provided, but he was there to make money to support his family, and they were there to be taken care of. I am surprised that the employees at the Beverly Hills Hotel were really that surprised at the indifference they received. I wish my father were still alive, so I could get his input. You can see that there is still a great divide between the haves and the have-nots.

ELIZABETH BERGSpanish Springs, Nevada

THE GLAMOUR OF GOOD

How refreshing to find Vanity Fair, in the midst of chronicling the vacuous and solipsistic foibles of the celebrity class, taking the time and space to inform its readers about the truly exceptional Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance ["Continental Lift," August], At a time when it seems the world is going to hell in a handbasket, compliments to Ron Beinner (and Vanity Fair) for, dare I say it, an uplifting story about businessmen (and -women) not just doing well but also doing good. Altruism trumps glamour anytime.

PETER STAMELMAN

New York, New York

CRAIG BROWN'S MANY VOICES

I have an embarrassing confession to make. I read a full paragraph of "Hillary Clinton: Crossing the Bridge" [by Craig Brown, August] before I realized the piece was a bit of a giggle. It took more mentions of "bridges and tunnels" than it should have for me to come to this conclusion. In my defense, I had just finished the wonderful article on the Nixon tapes, so I was feeling a bit jaded, politically. To paraphrase the Kinks, you really got me going, Vanity Fair.

SUSAN FOSTER

Citrus Heights, California

MAUREEN O'HARA HAS THE LAST WORD

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading the Proust Questionnaire. The insight it gives on people you know, but really don't know, is both entertaining and enlightening. I've always been curious if the people questioned are given time to dwell on the questions before answering or if it's spurof-the-moment. Either way, some of Maureen O'Hara's answers [August] were quite amusing: "How would you like to die? On time. Lowest depth of misery? Dieting"! I can only hope I have the same level of humor, awareness, and insight as she has when I turn 94.

DENNIS KLINE

Irvine, California

THE 90s FILES

I read the August issue of your magazine on a recent trip and have been thinking about the premise of the column "No, No, Nine-ettes" [by James Wolcott] ever since. I think the essay has stuck with me in part because shortly after reading it I started re-watching one of my all-time favorite shows: The X-Files. At any point in the last 12 years I could have re-watched The X-Files, but I didn't. I was living my life, concerned more with the events of the current day than with the objects and events that informed and entertained my past. The access we have to objects that are used to indulge nostalgic moments may have changed, but the joy of re-discovery has not.

MARTHA MAKOWSKI

Champaign, Illinois

THREE CHEERS FOR POPEYE

I remember seeing Popeye with my parents when I was eight years old, and I knew how surreal it was even then ["Popeye Is the Best Movie Robin Williams Ever Made," by Eric Spitznagel, August 12, YanityFair.com]. I have always loved Robin Williams and the obvious way in which his soul is bared in everything he did. Perhaps that takes a toll many cannot understand. There is a hole in the human psyche without Robin Williams to help us to laugh and cry.

CARRIANNE ELLISON

New Springfield, Ohio

Popeye is my favorite movie, hands down. In fact, I re-discovered it last month and had been watching the movie nightly. There is so much brilliance in it. Robin Williams not only gave a wonderful performance but persuaded director Robert Altman to ignore the naysayers concerning hiring Harry Nilsson (who is my all-time favorite musician) to write the soundtrack. It is weird, stark, funny, and still endearing. Despite Altman's refusal to soften these characters and his decision to instead leave them in their caricature forms, there is an underlying humanity. Here it is achieved naturally, in contrast to its contemporary Annie (forced saccharine), which makes me want to throw up... and I teach Sunday school.

BARBARA RIX

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

CORRECTION: On page 294 of the September issue ("Cut to the Future"), we misidentified the nationality of several of the young designers depicted. Not all of them are American,

Letters to the editor should be sent electronically with the writer's name, address, and daytime phone number to letters@vf.com. All requests for back issues should be sent to subscriptions@vf.com.

All other queries should be sent to vfmail@vf.com. The magazine reserves the right to edit submissions, which may be published or otherwise used in any medium. All submissions become the property o/Vanity Fair.A number of the letters included here originally appeared as comments submitted to VF.com.

More from the V.F.

MAILBAG

"What ever happened to letters to the editor? Nobody's writing? Nobody's reading? Is there even any point in writing this?" So wonders Karlo Vajdic, of Zagreb, Croatia, regarding a couple of missing letters sections. Elizabeth Lancaster, of Southbridge, Massachusetts, wonders as well: "Is the V.F. mailbag empty? Are the letter editors on vacay?" We thank both readers for getting us on track again: letters are back!

"Great portrait of the aging stars of The Expendables ["The 80s Called—They Want Their Heroes Back," by Bruce Handy, August], The funny part was to see that most of these old coots had to endure plastic surgery, hair dyes and replacements, a lot of Botox, and strict dieting and exercise to earn their millions ... the same tortures the female actresses who want to continue their career past age 35 have to suffer," writes Helen K. Garber, from Venice Beach, California. "Oh, but wait, these boys are twice that age, and the only actress pictured looks to be in no more than her late 20s. Why is it still fashionable to have a young woman by an old man's side? Haven't you all figured out that they don't allow you to appear more virile, just even older, with a naturally fresh face too close to a [REDACTED] cosmetically altered one? You can edit out the word 'grotesque' if you feel it is too harsh."

"'Kate had forgotten to bring dribble bibs and instead she wiped George's chin with her hand.' Seriously? A mother wipes her son's chin and this bears repeating in print?" Drew Hindes, of Colchester, Vermont, wonders about the news value of Katie Nicholl's "The Prince of Wails Turns One" [August],

And from Sherry L. Humphrey, of Quincy, Illinois: "I enjoyed the Proust Questionnaire, BUT it did not ask [Maureen] O'Hara that question everyone still wants to know. What did [she] whisper in John Wayne's ear at the end of that wonderful movie, The Quiet Man?" That, of course, is one of the great Hollywood mysteries. But take a close look at the clip. We just did, and we're pretty sure she's asking Duke if he knew where the V.F. letters section had gone to.