Becker, and the State Depart-ment for which he works, are partially responsible for the arming and funding of a Colombian military establishment that specializes in "disappearances" and extrajudicial executions. Today's U.S. drug policy is as much a death sentence for the ordinary citizens of Third World nations as it is for members of the African-American and Latino/-a communities back home. Becker may claim that advocates of drug policy reform like me don't care about poor people, but I will turn that claim back on him. Education and harm reduction work. The militarization of southern polities and economies does not. It's time to end the war on some drugs and retire the David Beckers of the world.

A MEMORY OF RALPH MACY
From Joe Bunnett '42
Biology professor Ralph Macy, who recently died [obituary in February '00 Reed], was a valued colleague during my years teaching chemistry at Reed (1946-52). In personal style, he was a kindly man, considerate, careful not to offend by word or deed. All of which makes one incident memorable.

One evening in the late 1940s he invited several science colleagues to his home for conversation with a scientist visiting from Australia. He offered drinks to his guests, a choice of beer or apple cider. I chose beer. After we all had been served, a man who asked for cider said, "This tastes like vinegar." It was! Ralph had gone to the store, maybe in haste, saw on a low shelf a jug prominently labeled "cider," bought it, and served its contents without having read the entire label: cider vinegar.

Ralph was crushed, but the cordial understanding of his colleagues soon erased the pain, and we all enjoyed the rest of the evening. I don't remember however whether the guys who asked for cider ever got it.

NO BOAR'S HEAD
From Lisa Kemmerer '88
The issue on social responsibility shows good intentions, but the picture of the severed-head festivities [February '00] reveals how far Reed friends and alumni have yet to go to achieve even a fundamental level of social respon-sibility. Social responsibility does not entail flesh-eating feasts that bring misery and death to other sentient beings. The ethical, social, and personal questions involved in any "boar's head" procession, whether real or make-believe, cannot be ignored by an educated person. Reed appears insensitive and uninformed on this issue.

OTTOMAR "LIVE"
From Jim Temple '66
I just read the item in the February issue about Ottomar Rudolf's commentary on the Berlin wall. Imagine my surprise to hear Ottomar while listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation. His comments were interesting, and hearing him linked me again to my Reed experience. He was the first coach for the Reed soccer team when it formed in the early '60s.

PHILANTHROPY NEEDED
From Douglas Fenner '71
I would like to concur with the recent letter of Helen Thouless '95 [November '99]. Reed has many wonderful facilities, and I think they are well worth the many sacrifices and donations that made them possible. When I came to Reed in 1966, the endowment was $3 million. Reed was desperate, and donations saved the school. Now Reed is secure and has excellent facilities. Perhaps it would be well for Reed to consider if there is a limit to how much money it needs. Harvard continues to launch ever-larger financial campaigns, although its budget has long been larger than that of most third-world countries. Keeping up with peer institutions is like "keeping up with the Joneses"-if they are being greedy, that's no excuse for us to try to be as selfish. How about a sister college in a developing country? How about a program to donate computers that Reed no longer needs? (Reed itself benefits from just such a program from industry.) Reed asks us to be philanthropic-couldn't Reed be? In reality, we must be careful not to give any impression that Reed does not need any further support-Reed must be supported to continue its tradition of excellence. But couldn't Reed spare just a little to support the growth of excellence in a deserving but poor institution? In the exchange, Reed might learn something and benefit too.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Once a computer is no longer of use at Reed-usually after it is seven years old-there are several ways in which we try to «nd it a happy home. We have donated equipment to public grade schools, needy families, and other social service organizations in the Portland area. The cost of shipping computers, which can easily exceed their value, makes it problematic to pursue donations outside of Portland. Computers that are too old to be of use, or are broken, are sent to a recycler who salvages the usable components.

HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICA
From Gerardo Nebbia '73
Kudos for your article on the N.Y. homeless ["The Accidental Advocate," February '00]. It is an extraordinary piece about an extraordinary person, Anna Lou Dehavenon. Life has a way accidentally of bringing out what is most noble in people. Particularly powerful was the description of the Emergency Assistance Unit that begins with "The last thing many of these families saw before entering were the children's foster care center across the street and a hulking gray jail a few blocks down." This description brought to mind another scene from an earlier century: "`Are there no prisons?' asked Scrooge. `Plenty of prisons,' said the gentleman. . . . `Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,' said Scrooge. `I am very glad to hear it.'" Sadly, in this case, life imitates art.