Letters

Making sense of Ocalan-Greek relationship Marcia Kurop's opinion piece on how the European Community and Washington are using Greece as a scapegoat, in order to conceal their indifference and ineptitude, was both courageous and perspicacious ("Ocalan's Greek tragedy," Feb. 23).

Greeks was an oppressed minority in Ottoman Turkey for almost four centuries. Greece opened its doors for decades to thousands of Kurds who have escaped Turkish misery and terror. Now, clumsily, it offered hospitality to a freedom-fighter on the run - one who learned about ruthlessness from his more experienced oppressors - while all others were slamming their doors. The Turks, we should remember, have destroyed more than 3,000 Kurdish villages in the last 15 years - more conspicuous and more extensive terrorism than Ocalan's.

Minas Savvas, San Diego , Calif.

I read Ms. Kurop's article on the Greek policy for Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) with astonishment. It was a trite, mish-mash of pro-Hellenic sentiments. The reality is that Greece, at the highest levels of the state, was caught dealing with an organization that killed thousands of people in a neighboring and (at least on paper) allied country. No amount of logic by Kurop changes this fact.

Murat H. Eskiyerli, Santa Clara, Calif.

We need new 'Superfund' law "Superfund revisited" (editorial, Feb. 9), urging revamping of the Superfund, didn't go far enough. The entire bill should be re-written. The new bill should set a ceiling on legal fees and expenses as a part of the settlement, and should use the tax revenues for real cleanup, not for lawyer's fees.

The original intent of the law was to clean up several hundred contaminated waste sites. Unfortunately, about all that has happened is the proliferation of legal expenditures to about 30 percent of the total cleanup budget. So much time is spent fighting about who is liable for the cleanup expenses that the cleanup is not getting done.

The result is a curious phenomenon. Now we are seeing not "midnight dumpers," but a rash of midnight remediators: companies quietly handling their contaminated sites by engaging in just enough superficial cleanup to cover up past sins without being caught.

We would be better served with new, practical and cost effective laws and regulations.

David L. Russell, Lilburn, Ga. President, Global Environmental Operations Inc.

Everyone's an environmentalist News coverage of environmental stories is pretty much like that on other "news" events - seeking the sensational or critical and ignoring the mundane or progressive things really going on.

I felt the Monitor's reporting had fallen into this trap. "Taking stock of our stuff" (Feb. 11) was a pleasant surprise. It confirms what my experience has shown - that everyone and every serious business is an "environmentalist" these days. I have a grandson majoring in environmental science. He tells me that most graduates are going to work for industry rather than government. To me, that's a healthy sign.

C.A. Dickey, Darby, Mont.

New angle on Clinton I thought I'd seen all the angles about President Clinton's impeachment trial, but Andrew Schmookler, in his opinion article, "The impeachment cloud's (tarnished) silver lining" (Feb. 22), stepped back and saw a larger picture. It hasn't seemed right that the polls should release Mr. Clinton from his responsibility and wrong doing. But this view of the public reaction to the positive leadership qualities he has evidenced makes sense.

Gail Saul, St. Paul, Minn.

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