To the editor:

Two stories in your Dec. 16 issue — “Retailers hope Saddam capture improves holiday spending” and “Glamour girls” — got me thinking. Then, they got me worrying.

I’m not surprised that some retailers would view the capture of a mass murderer as a potential boost to their profits. What surprises me is that such sentiments would be expressed publicly, and that few people are bothered by them. For example, Ellen Tolley, spokeswoman for something called the National Retail Federation, is quoted as saying “we are definitely excited that this has come during the holiday season.” The Associated Press reporter who wrote the story did readers a disservice by not presenting a critical counterpoint to this unbelievably crass statement.

That people like Tolley are treated with seriousness and respect shows that we Americans are not simply too materialistic; we are becoming commodities. The “Glamour girls” story, which depicts 8-year-old girls being taken to a beauty parlor in a limousine to be made over to meet societal appearance standards confirms this. Moreover, the story was little more than a free advertisement for a local salon.

Both stories prove something most of us know, but have a hard time accepting — it is time for the United States to devote less time to solving the world’s problems, and more time rethinking our own priorities.

Ray Pence,

Lawrence