To the Editor:
Re “Birds Open Our Eyes and Ears,” by Ed Yong (Opinion guest essay, March 31):
Mr. Yong has written a marvelous article that will resonate with many birders, especially in these troubled times. Many are the mornings when I’ve put aside reading the news in favor of watching the birds at my home in southeast Arizona.
To Mr. Yong’s article I would add that seeking and identifying new birds are wonderful ways to experience the world. Spending time getting to know the birds you’ve already seen can be equally fulfilling, if not even more so.
People who don’t have the luxury of traveling to find exotic species need not feel deprived; they can find fulfillment creating a songbird habitat in their backyard.
Craig Coray
Patagonia, Ariz.
To the Editor:
Thank you for the wonderful birding article. I too have become obsessive, and I am learning the names of different birds.
The positive healthy aspects of birding are obvious, but people should not just get to know birds, but also think about their safety and their food. Sanctuary and breeding grounds are being depleted around the world. Shorelines are being paved and water conditions are subpar.
Birds are not just for us to enjoy, enhancing our photo albums or improving our species lists. Stay a distance from their habitats, and don’t let your dog or cat tread on them. Get protected glass for buildings. Think of birds as precious, not as a game for humans.
Susan McHale
Greenwich, Conn.
To the Editor:
I enjoyed Ed Yong’s piece about becoming a birder. He didn’t mention some of the special joys in birding: introducing others to the pleasures of really experiencing birds; sharing a handful of seed with a child so chickadees will alight on small, outstretched fingers; taking the blue-haired receptionist out to see the red crown of a pileated woodpecker; installing a feeder for hummingbirds in a seniors’ residence.
The wonders of nature are naturally wonderful.
Susan Lindenberger
White Rock, British Columbia
To the Editor:
Ed Yong’s piece is beautiful, and I hope it inspires people to respect not just birds in the wild, but all avian species as well.
Over eight billion chickens, turkeys and ducks are brutalized and killed in America’s industrialized food system per year, and they are no less worthy of consideration than the rarest of birds spotted in the wild.
In the words of Jane Goodall: “Farm animals feel pleasure and sadness, excitement and resentment, depression, fear and pain. They are far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined.”
Stewart David
Venice, Fla.
Civility on the Court, but These Are Not Civil Times
To the Editor:
Re “Unlikely Personal Alliances on the Supreme Court,” by Stephen Breyer (Opinion guest essay, April 4):
I am glad that Justice Breyer had a cordial relationship with the justices with whom he served on the Supreme Court. I, too, have friends with whom I disagree. However, there are times when friendship and reaching a consensus are quite beside the point.
We are living through a period of discord in the nation perhaps not seen since the Civil War. Hard-won rights are being disassembled before our eyes.
Our Capitol was attacked by a mob that threatened the peaceful transfer of power in the last presidential election. A president twice impeached escaped conviction because of the radicalization of his political party. Antisemitism is rampant in a way not seen since the 1930s and ’40s.
The Supreme Court has lost the trust of the American people. This is not only a crisis for the court but, more important, for the rule of law in general.
Civility is a two-way street. Moreover, there are times when it is more important to stand firm on principles whatever the cost to civility. We are living through such a time.
Bruce Neuman
Water Mill, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Please send Justice Stephen Breyer’s wisdom to all members of our Congress. For some it is not needed. For some, a gentle reminder. For a few, a whole new concept.
P.S. The same for candidates for president.
Stalky Lehman
Orange, Calif.
A History of Deception About Politicians’ Health
To the Editor:
Re “’24 Candidates Guard Details About Health” (front page, April 5):
The history of the health of U.S. presidents and presidential candidates, which I study, offers a master class in secrecy and deception.
The American people learned only long after the fact of Grover Cleveland’s oral cancer, Franklin Roosevelt’s paralysis and Lyndon Johnson’s secret surgery to remove a skin tumor, while Jimmy Carter’s hemorrhoids remained a private matter until they were revealed to the public by President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt.
Doctors treating former Senator Paul Tsongas, a lymphoma survivor and a serious contender for the presidency in 1992, overtly lied in claiming the candidate had been cancer-free since 1986; he was dead of the disease just before what would have been the end of his term.
The notion that Joe Biden and Donald Trump are somehow less forthcoming on medical matters than the majority of their predecessors is misleading. Rather than lament that these men have not released cognitive testing results, one might ask what use such neurological testing would serve.
I have spoken to many voters on this subject over the course of the past year and, although the public may express an interest in such testing, the outcome appears unlikely to change their votes.
Jacob M. Appel
New York
The writer is a professor of psychiatry and medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
To the Editor:
We need to learn which candidates are well qualified for government. Do they understand economics, health care, technology, government and history?
Let’s make standardized tests available for voluntary testing. Then we could see who is brave enough to be tested and who understands the important issues. This could help avoid electing politicians who are charming, but inept.
Thomas James Dolan
Ionia, Iowa
Banning Plastic Foam
To the Editor:
Re “Unwrapping Plastic’s Grip on Produce” (Food, April 3):
While the substitutions cited in Kim Severson’s article offer a positive step to reduce plastic waste, we should also consider reusable and refillable alternatives.
Plastic pollution harms our health, oceans, climate and communities. The solution is to invest in reusable alternatives and phase out unnecessary single-use plastics — starting with plastic foam.
States are noticing the harmful environmental and health effects of foam foodware. Styrene, the building block of plastic foam, is probably carcinogenic, according to the World Health Organization, and is one of the most common plastics found polluting our beaches and coasts.
Last year Delaware became the 11th state to pass a law to reduce plastic foam, and more states should follow this lead. In December, the Farewell to Foam Act, a bill to phase out plastic foam across the country, was introduced in Congress. Americans should call on their elected officials to pass this bill.
Christy Leavitt
Washington
The writer is campaign director of Oceana.