FRENCH CONNECTIONS
“Faithless France,” by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., is the best summary we have seen of the vicious anti-Semitic acts taking place in France today. Bob Tyrrell, who has taken H. L. Mencken’s place as America’s finest political satirist, minces no words.

We are personally familiar with French anti-Semitism. Not out of mere indolence does the French government refuse to do anything about these latest acts of terror. It is gratifying that Bob understands this and writes about it in his own inimitable style. We hope that the higher-ups in our own Government are also paying attention.
— Oscar Mann, M.D.
— Amy Mann

Great column by RET. We should take a page from the end of WWII and make sure that we rescue all the great chefs and vintners before we do the needful on the rest of those scum.

As a francophone American who travels widely, I can assure you that what goes on in the French language on TV and in the cafes is far worse that what we see in our news. It is fully the equivalent of the two-faced and two-mouthed approach of Arafat.

Great food and wine, lousy people.
— Donald I. Hertzmark
Washington, D.C.

Obviously their capital never left Vichy.
— James M. Nevler

Violence is violence, whether it is the French against the Jews or Israel against Palestine. So you propose that we stand by and watch Israel blast Palestine with tanks, and do nothing and yet do something when the Jews get blasted in France. Both situations are wrong, wrong, wrong!!! I have a conservative friend whom I love dearly but he insists on sending me these articles with no journalistic merit. So do yourself a favor and assume once, just once, that not everyone is stupid.
— Frank McCandless

Viagra for France? Won’t help. It’s the spine that needs stiffening.
— Richard Skeean

PAGE PERFECT
As a nearly sixty-year old, I have no quarrel with the points made in Jeff Dufour’s “You Are What You Read.” However, shame on him for one thing. Any red-blooded male should know that the pin-ups in English papers are found on page 3, not page 2!
— Kenyon C. Kies
Madison, WI

Jeff G. Dufour is looking down his nose at readers of “Maxim.” He thinks we are the kind of guys that get a kick out of repeating the word penis, over and over. Personally I think Maxim is the funniest mag to come around since the old National Lampoon in its P. J. O’Rourke days.
— Chas Thomas

P.S. [The correspondent proceeds to repeat the word “penis” 330 times. –Ed.]

BY THE YARD
Re: Dave Shiflett’s Dictators and Dandelions:
In Miami, we call them the “Good Taste Gestapo.” Both have their alliterative charms, and Yard Nazi rolls off the tongue with greater ease; nevertheless, to call them mere Nazis is to understate their radicalism. They are the hard-core Convinced, and I think Gestapo does them greater justice.
— Mike Fitts
Miami, FL

NOT SO FAST
G. Neumayr writes in “California’s Al Gore“: “Pandering to the Hispanic community, [Gray Davis] recently announced his support for legislation that would give 2 million illegal aliens the opportunity to receive driver’s licenses.” Could it be that the motor voter law would then provide Mr. Davis with 2 million new votes in the upcoming election?
— Bill Llewellin
Littleton, CO

BEAMER
Jerry Carter’s recent piece on Congressman Jim Traficant (“Heavy Traficant“) was not only entertaining, but right on the mark. Whether he’s guilty or not, the Ohio legislature has sadly already put the congressman out of his job. We will all miss Traficant’s antics, wacky hairdo, and beam me ups. Oh yeah, and the GOP House leadership will sure miss the Democrat’s surprisingly conservative voting record.
— Chris Lilik
Senior, Villanova University

KIDS TODAY
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s White Sheet Summitry:
Dear Bob: (I presume informality based on the proud ownership of a “Nuke the whales” T-shirt. Remember them?) Agreed the parents have some responsibility, but it occurred to me some children may be caught up in a “cult of shahid,” to the dismay of their parents. Dare they dissent? One thinks not. Another good reason for home schooling.
— Burt Egel

STRAY DOGGIES
Re: Reader Mail’s Name That Clinton Dog and More Dogs and Jocks:
I’ll make one last defense of “Hillary” as the name that should be given. Just imagine the joy Bill will have when he finally gets to say, “Hillary! Bring me my slippers!” or “Hillary! Heel!” or “Hillary! Sit up and beg!” and of course “Hillary! Roll over and play dead!” But then, he’s said that last to Webb Hubbell any number of times.
— Jim Stevenson

How about Roger after his brother? When pronounced with a hard “G” and a long “O” it becomes a charming British expression for….
—Nick Chadwick

REUNITED
I just stumbled on to your site from lucianne.com. Thank God you’ve started another site. The new Spectator is OK, for what it is, but I am soooooooo glad to see you all again. Will you be starting a magazine? How can I get involved? Please tell me — I have missed you all so much…
— Randy Spencer
Fort Wayne, IN

I read with surprise and pleasure in the Wall Street Journal today that you have been re-born! I have truly missed you all…. I will add you to my favorites list and look forward to reading you!
— Pam Lange

A longtime Spectator subscriber* just discovered your site and is ECSTATIC…. I’m going to run right to the other room now and hoist a distilled beverage to your new endeavor. Wishing you all success… Cheers!
— Carl Clawson

*I was first put on to the Spectator by the Whole Earth catalog ca. 1980. I still get a chuckle when I remember that.