Letters to the Editor
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
‘For Harry Fans, Time To Enjoy Unknown’
Lenore Skenazy’s article about the anticipation of the upcoming and final Harry Potter book — and how fortunate we are to be part of this last group who will be reading it truly not knowing how the series ends — brings to mind other such “popular culture phenomena” that brought a thrill or frisson to those encountering the phenomena in their first days, an experience that could never be quite captured by later parties who would have inevitably known what was coming up [New York, “For Harry Potter Fans, Time To Enjoy Unknown,” June 27, 2007].
Who will we see portraying Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind” when those pesky redhead Carlton twins finally step aside, the “what-on-earth-was-that” feeling gasped by everyone as the Falcon in “Star Wars” launched into hyperspace for the very first time, and, of course, the shower scene in “Psycho,” coming out of nowhere in a movie Alfred Hitchcock so brilliantly set up as just another romance, intrigue, or robbery story.
Oh, we few, we happy few.
CATHERINE JESTICE
New York, N.Y.
‘Big Pharma Readies Effort to Counter Moore’s “Sicko”‘
Contrary to your June 20 story “Big Pharma Readies Effort to Counter Moore’s ‘Sicko,'” the Heritage Foundation is not “staging responses” to the film [New York, “Big Pharma Readies Effort to Counter Moore’s ‘Sicko,'”June20,2007].
Indeed, not having seen the film, we have refused to comment on it at all. More pernicious is the insinuation that Heritage is in the hip pocket of the drug companies.
Heritage last year received only 10 contributions — totaling $382,500 — from companies and organizations in the health care sector. That’s less than 1% of Heritage revenues from a sector that accounts for 17% of our nation’s gross domestic product .
We’d certainly like to get more money from “Big Pharma.” Why don’t we?
Perhaps because we so strongly opposed the Big Pharma-backed Medicare drug entitlement. Perhaps because we again find ourselves on opposite sides of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program debate taking place right now .
The Heritage Foundation is “in the tank” for nobody — least of all “Big Pharma.” We value our independence and credibility far more than donations from any interest group. And that’s what makes the innuendo of the Sun’s story so galling.
JIM WEIDMAN
Director Editorial Services
The Heritage Foundation
Washington, D.C.
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