February 16, 2008 -- The best way for New Yorkers to protest the vile diatribe of Lorin Maazel is to refuse to attend the orchestra's concerts and other public appearances ("The New York Foolharmonic," Editorial, Feb. 12). Maazel is out of touch with reality. The most effective "reality check" is via the purse strings. Alan Tanenbaum Grantham, NH Maazel is just another of the many entertainers who has made a disgraceful fool of himself by comparing America to North Korea, or to any other country, for that matter. He dares to question the example that we have set for the world. In our 230-plus years of existence, we have become the world's leader. We do not starve our people, and we do not incarcerate, torture or kill political adversaries, as North Korea does. Moreover, we are at war with terrorists, not friends with them. America tolerates Maazel's moronic remarks against his own country; in North Korea, he would have been severely disciplined. It is unfortunate that Maazel and others like him do not realize that difference. If Maazel doesn't like America, perhaps he should become musical director of the Kim Jong Il Philharmonic. Elio Valenti Brooklyn Maazel, music director of the North Korean-bound New York Philharmonic, knows how to conduct music, but he is tone deaf when it comes to foreign affairs. His off-key comments, which take us to task for criticizing North Korea - a concentration camp masquerading as a country - are decidedly discordant. Could it be that Maazel is channeling one of his predecessors at the Philharmonic? Several decades ago, the esteemed Leonard Bernstein joined the radically chic crowd with his defense of the Black Panthers. I guess cacophonous politics sound swell at Lincoln Center. Paul Bloustein Cincinnati What is it about the extreme liberal mentality that compels it to equate the greatest democracy in the history of the world with the most evil and dictatorial one? Sure, the United States has some minor blemishes to answer for, but when Maazel drags his country down to the level of North Korea, you have to wonder about what makes his mind tick. Is it too much to hope that after the maestro is exposed to all the joys of Kim's paradise, he'll decide to stay there? Emil Maricondo Brooklyn
