History lessons

Re “From Jamestown to us,” Opinion, May 12

Kirkpatrick Sale’s comments regarding Jamestown strike me as atypical and biased. The near extinction of beaver, marten, otter or heath cock would have occurred with or without the Bible’s help. The Bible calls on man to be stewards of the land. We are not called to rape the environment or to destroy God’s creation. Environmentalism was not a major concern in the 1600s. If Sale is ever to arrive at a rational explanation for the diminution of species, he is going to have to abandon his preconceived ideas and ingrained prejudices.

NATHAN POST

Santa Barbara

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Re “Bush hails Jamestown roots,” May 14

As a descendant of Jamestown settlers, I reject President Bush’s use of the Jamestown 400th anniversary to promote his war against human rights, trumpeted as “freedom’s power to transform societies.” The only comparison is that the early settlers were no more looking to spread freedom than Bush is. Both the settlers and Bush planned to exploit the riches of someone else’s land, only the settlers admitted it.

CAROLE MYERS

Los Angeles