‘New York the Nation’s Eyes’

I take pride in the fact that I live in a city very much out of touch with mainstream America. We New Yorkers are non-conformist thinkers, and I don’t think this suggests that we are naive, but rather that we are able to think for ourselves [“New York in the Eyes of the Nation,” Alicia Colon, New York, April 25, 2006].

New York suffered the majority of the damage delivered to this country on September 11, 2001, yet it seems that only New Yorkers have been able to recover from this tragic day. All over the country, a culture of fear has developed: a fear of terrorist attacks, a fear of fundamentalist Muslims, and a fear of anyone who does not whole-heartedly support the acts of the United States government.

It just so happens that millions of those United States citizens who are at odds with the federal government live in New York City. Is this something that New Yorkers should be ashamed of? Of course not. We live in a democracy, and a democracy depends on a variety of expressed opinions. So why should New Yorkers feel guilty for not loving Nascar and the War on Terror? They shouldn’t. A democracy is about dialogue, not monologue, and it seems that today only New Yorkers are keeping this dialogue alive.

New Yorkers are well aware of the fact that terrorism has become a serious threat to nations all over the world. We are well aware of the fact that much of what terrorists hate about the United States is its democratic values, and the ability of one of its citizens to express himself through various forms of media, and not feel like he is in danger for doing so. But it seems that all over this country there are people who are afraid of expressing themselves in any way that may contradict mainstream opinion.

There are people who are afraid that if we, as the people of a nation, are not all in full agreement with each other, then we will be too weak to fight terror ism. This is not true, and New Yorkers know this. We know that it is our democracy that makes us strong.

NED MYERBERG
Manhattan

‘Innovation Enabled Growth’

I enjoyed reading Dan Ackman’s article on the 50th anniversary of containerization [“Innovation in Shipping Enabled Global Growth,” Business, April 26, 2006].

It truly is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. However, I must mention the part that Malcom McLean’s brother and sister had on the project.

Malcom McLean had a wonderful idea, but without the help of Clara Lee McLean, my great aunt, and James K. McLean, my grandfather, and many others, this idea would not have taken flight.

Malcom was the thinker, Clara ran the administrative business like a tight ship and, with his movie-star looks, Jim was the salesman. Together, they made one hell of a team. Our family is very proud of the achievements of all three.

MENA MORGAN
Point Clear, Ala.