Letters

Hiaasen? He's Outta Here. Dave Barry is History. The City Desk Can Take a Hike. The Investigative Team is Toast. New York Times Subscription 1-800-631-2500

Anyone know if the Miami Herald employs the same accountants Wayne Huizenga used for the Marlins' books when they were "losing" all that money? According to Jacob Bernstein's article ("It's Money That Matters," November 19), Herald executives say they're closing Tropic magazine because it's losing two million dollars per year. Granted I never took any accounting classes in college, but Tropic is sold as part of the Sunday Herald, not independently. So if the paper as a whole is making money, how is Tropic losing money?

If we separated out every part of the paper that wasn't making money in and of itself, we'd be left with the classifieds, sales flyers, and a bunch of ads for Burdines.

Heck, I'll bet all those reporters are costing the Herald lots of money each year, so let's dump them too.

And don't get me started on how much those money-grubbing columnists like Barry, Hiaasen, and Steinback must be costing the Herald, so let's kick their butts to the curb with a few long-overdue pink slips.

That's the way we can end up with a well-oiled money-making juggernaut. No costly news or sports or comics. Oh, and then we might change the name to the Miami Pennysaver, which would be more appropriate.

By the way, anyone know where I can pick up the Washington Post on Sundays?
Errol Portman
Coral Gables

Pliant Publisher Obeys Supercilious CEO, Trashs Tropic
Kudos to New Times staff writer Jacob Bernstein for his account of the demise of Tropic magazine. I strongly agree with former Tropic editor Gene Weingarten that the decision to ax the magazine is a betrayal of hundreds of thousands of loyal readers.

Corporate decisions by arrogant, supercilious publishing magnates such as Knight Ridder's Tony Ridder dictate that the bottom line is profit. So new Miami Herald publisher Alberto IbargYen acquiesces, and Tropic is shelved.

If I had enough time, I would collect a petition of signatures from all corners of Miami-Dade County to have Tropic reinstated as a regular feature of the Sunday edition of the Herald.

Can you imagine the uproar that would ensue in New York City if the New York Times Sunday Magazine were discontinued? The denizens of the Big Apple would put serious pressure on the Times to reverse the decision, effective immediately.

I hope this letter will influence management of the Miami Herald to change plans and let its readers enjoy a magazine that does not dwell on news but rather on entertaining stories that are literary masterpieces.

Robert Stewart Denchfield
Miami Beach

His Heart Was in The Right Place, but His Head Ended Upon a Platter
Bernardo Benes is right about the resentment described by Jacob Bernstein in his article "Twice Exiled" (November 12). I have met some of those released Cuban prisoners, and they felt they should have been consulted about their release. They did not want to become a PR ploy for Fidel Castro.

Unfortunately for Bernardo an old saying applies here: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." When Cuban exile groups protest human rights violations in Cuba, this incident from twenty years ago is invoked over and over. I have always thought Bernardo's heart was in the right place, but he played into Castro's hands. The atrocities performed by Castro can't be brushed away by well-photographed acts of kindness!

Sylvia Farina
Miami

Miame To Haitians: Time to Make Ammends and Extend on Overdue Welcome
Kathy Glasgow is to be commended for her articulately written piece about Haitian activist Marleine Bastien ("The Catalyst," November 5). This article is way overdue considering we live in a city where, for the most part, the message to Haitians has been: You're not welcome.

As one who works in a school which is predominately Haitian-American, I can tell you that Haitian children are beautiful, intelligent, and trusting. Unfortunately much of that innocence has been shattered by a society that links personal worth to economic prosperity. And yet it has taken our scientifically sophisticated society more than 200 years to realize what Haitians knew long ago: The spiritual (something that cannot be fully comprehended) plays a big role in the shaping of personality.

And if we should ever be tempted to blame Haitians for their own economic woes, we have only to compare the salary of a maker of baseballs with the salary of a hitter of baseballs.

It's just nice to know that all those who went through trauma on the ocean did not die in vain.

Manny Losada
Miami

Miami to Haitian: You Rude People Don't Deserve Any Help
I'm sure that what I'm about to write will never appear in New Times, but I feel I just have to say it. In regards to Kathy Glasgow's "The Catalyst," it is really starting to anger me how the Haitian community feels that just because their boat made it to our coast, they deserve special treatment by the United States. They do nothing to contribute to the betterment of our country. All they do is take, take, take, then demand more.