"A Chinese-American graduate student wrote: "The question you posed about hating America is the burning question . . . because USA has been the beacon of hope [this] past half a century to the disenfranchised, the wounded, the refugees (yours truly among zillions), the hopefuls of the world. . . . More important USA, until now, has been seen as the FAIR ARBITER OF THE WORLD — a fair judge, and, despite its unsurpassed muscles, a fair and unfeared policeman. . . . Nearly all imperial powers in history have been just the opposite. . . . The world is saying USA has become a self-righteous, self-centered Master of the Universe. . . . The world does not want to see you morph into just another imperial power. We know that movie too well. We all walked out, remember . . .? The America we loved was on the side of the poor and the powerless. . . . Yes, we bought the whole story. . . . And we were right in doing so. . . . I am not sure future generations around the world will feel the same as we did toward America."

"Me, I am a 280 lb guitar player and part-time social scientist," wrote one reader. "All I know is that you can be a large physical presence in a barroom, but you don't have to make fun of people, be pushy, or respond to hostility with a punch. Mom taught me that to treat people with respect is the only way to gain their trust. You watch your back, but you treat people with respect." Thomas Friedman