room for guilt. Every evil behavior isrn”sickness.” Stealing, gambling, gluttony,rnobscenity, or killing are all symptoms ofrnmental illnesses, according to the APArnand the AMA. The insanity defense is arnsafet) valve that permits people to closerntheir eyes to the darkest pits of the humanrnsoul.rnThe truth is that depression, phobias,rnand anxieties do not cause people tornchange or lose their moral sense. To attributernbad (or horrible) behavior to themrnis not merely false; it provides an easy wayrnout for some and stigmahzes the majorityrnof those afflicted by those emotionalrnstates.rn— ‘Nelson Borelli, M.D.rnChicago, ILrnMrs. Barlow Replies:rnI did not characterize the Houston father’srnresponse in the presence of reportersrnas “matter-of-fact” or “emotionless.”rnNor did I “interpret” his demeanorrnas a “by-product” of intense media coverage.rnFurther, I paid no attention to therncontent of his revelahons about his wife’srnemoHonal history. Neither what the fatherrnsaid nor how he .said it was of interestrnto me. What did interest me—what unnenedrnand disturbed me—was the merernfact of the father’s voluntary participation,rnat that personally catastrophic moment,rnin a front-yard press conference,rnand the further fact that neither he norrnthe asseml^led reporters appeared to considerrnliis participation in any way queshonable.rnMy only point, aside from Dr.rnBorclli’s correct notation of my loathingrnof media whores, was that we would be arnmore self-respecting society if victims ofrnhorrific human loss—e.g., the Houstonrnfather—possessed neither the desire norrnthe emotional wherewithal to share thernintimacies of their feelings with massrntelevision audiences and a pathologicallyrnsensationalistic press.rnAs for Dr. Borclli’s preoccupationrnwith, and apparent disapproval of, AMArnand APA support for the insanity defense,rnI must again confess disinterest (notwithstandingrnmy inclination to agree withrnhim). What I tried to express in my articlernwas a personal resistance to glib andrneasy understanding of a mother who methodicallyrndrowns her children. Therncriminal-justice system now demands accountabilityrnfor Andrea Yates’s acrions, sornthe debate will rage on: the clinical argumentrn(she is mentally ill and therefore tornbe treated as a patient) vs. the moral argumentrn(she is a murderer and therefore tornbe treated as a criminal) vs. the politicalrnargument (she is the victim of a patriarchalrnsociety and therefore to be treated asrnan icon). Wliile these arguments rangernfrom questionable to less questionable tornidiohc, the fact remains: I do not understandrnwhat Andrea Yates did, and I’m notrnsure I want to understand it.rnFinally, Andrea Yates had, and drowned,rnfive children, not six, as Dr. Borelli states.rnThis is not a petty point. Except for thernfact that the “issues” generated by Yatesrnhave their origins in her children’s death,rnthose children —four boys and a babyrngirl — have been nearly irrelevant to thernstory. As the media continue to “define”rnYates’s actions and “understand” her behavior,rnher five children are all but forgotten.rnNothing is written of their individualrnuniqueness, their irreplaceabilityrnin this world, or their suffering as theyrndied. The motivations of a jailed womanrnare a story. The humanity of five deadrnchildren is not.rnOn Acute ObservationsrnI should like to tell you how immensely Irnadmire your magazine. Chronicles—itsrnacute observations, its brilliant style ofrnwriting, even its selection of poetry—butrnI lack the skill to do so. However, pleasernbe aware that the arrival of Chroniclesrneach month is a joyous and excitingrnevent.rnThank you to all of the fine peoplernwho write for and help you produce suchrna marvelous magazine.rn—Tom PerkinsrnHuntersville, NCrnHAS CHRONICLES DISAPPEAREDrnFROM YOUR LOCAI NEWSSTAND?rnSince we have Just sv^tched distributors, w^e w^antrnto make sure that Chronicles is carried byrnnewsstands and bookstores all across the country.rnPlease s e n d the n a m e , a d d r e s s , and phone numberrnof any potential retailers in your town to:rnCindy Link, Circulation ManagerrnChroniclesrn928 N. Main St.rnRockford, IL 61103rnSubscriptions@ChroniclesMagazine.orgrnEvery month, we will draw the name of one readerrnwho has sent us the name of a store.rnThe lucky winner will receive a free one-yearrnextension to his subscription.rnDECEMBER 2001/5rnrnrn