Hooray for Hechtman

To the letter writers criticizing Ken Hechtman: now boys, suck in that lower lip of yours and quit stomping your feet. You are not upset that someone you consider to be a schmuck took off to Afghanistan risking his life. You’re upset he got press. One of you talks of being bitten by poisonous snakes and all the scars of 27 years of journalistic experience (“Much ado about Hechtman,” Dec. 13). Alright Bob, sit down before you hurt yourself (again).
We have an abundance of “experienced” journalists basking in their noble quest of keeping us all informed of how brave and noble their quest is. I don’t mean to put your work down, I’m just guessing that you do it for your own reasons too and not solely for the greater good. As far as whether Hechtman’s reasons for being there were founded or foolish, let’s leave it up to his mother to give him a pat on the back or a slap across the head. Did you really lose that much sleep over his well being?
If you must criticize, criticize his work. Personally, I’d rather get my information from an unaffected, albeit unqualified, enthusiast who admits to his mistakes and to not taking himself too seriously than from another self-proclaimed selfless crusader for the ultimate truth on a CNN payroll with a CNN mind frame. I’ve been saturated with enough self-indulgent verbiage to last me three lifetimes. The mainstream offers no true insight, only whining and wanking.
So if some random guy with a death wish wants to go check out the scene for himself and offer an unadorned testimony, why should this be so upsetting? You guys need a hobby.

-Mia Sorensen

I was very disappointed to see such an unusual amount of abuse and criticism heaped by your letter writers on Ken Hechtman, your war correspondent in Afghanistan. Rather than salute his courage, determination and unconventional journalistic approach (the stuff that alternative newspapers are supposed to be made of), the letter writers decided to mock him mercilessly.
I have read articles from many magazines and newspapers on the Afghan war and I feel qualified to judge him positively. Ken Hechtman may not have been the greatest war reporter, for sure, but neither has he been the worst. There are some journalists and war reporters who, despite years of experience, are very opinionated and whose masquerade of objectivity is easy to see through.
Why not celebrate Mr. Hechtman’s release and thank him for giving readers an unusual and entertaining take on the war? Just how many of those letter writers would have gone to Afghanistan, knowing that their war reports may never be published and used? Those people need to realize that Mr. Hechtman paid his own ticket. It is a big shame that some people love to swim in so much malice. To quote Sibelius: “Pay no attention to the critics; there never was a statue built in honor of one.’’

-Manish Patwari

Kudos for publishing Ken Hechtman’s reports from Afghanistan, the best reporting so far in any local newspaper. As I watched the CBC’s Dennis Trudeau and another reporter discuss the Hechtman affair last week, I couldn’t help but feel complete and utter disgust at their description of Mr. Hechtman as a dilettante.
At least Mr. Hechtman had the cojones to try to get the story at the source instead of being a stenographer for whatever comes out of the U.S. State and Defense departments’ mouth pieces. I would also ask them just what kind of “responsible” journalism their fellow journalists were practicing over at the Journal de Montréal, when they identified, Mr. Hechtman as being Jewish. Didn’t those moronic scribes think for a minute that they might be putting Mr. Hechtman’s life in danger?
My suggestions to all those so-called “journalists” is that they get their rear ends out of the studio or office once in a while and go out into the real world and talk to the players in the stories that they report on. The question that we should all be asking ourselves is: who are the real dilettantes?

-Fidel Fuentes

UK holiday greetings

Thanks very much for the very nice review of Afro Art Greatest Hits Volume 1 [Compact Discs, Dec. 13]. Always heartening to know strange people in far away lands about which we know (next to) nothing actually like what you’re doing. Merry Xmas and hope to see you next year.

-Paul Murphy, Afro Art Records, London, U.K.