To the Editor:
Re “CBS Cancels Itself, Not Just Colbert,” by Bill Carter (Opinion guest essay, May 19):
I’ve been a longtime watcher of late-night talk shows, going back to Johnny Carson. I loved Johnny, whose guests all sat on the couch and talked together. I watched David Letterman, too, and other hosts on CBS.
Stephen Colbert is my favorite. His wit and enthusiasm are outstanding. His comedic timing is impeccable. I’ve been loyal to “The Late Show” on CBS for years. When Mr. Colbert leaves on Thursday, I will be switching channels as my form of protest.
Lois Weiss Jamison, Pa.
To the Editor:
Re “What Do We Lose When ‘Late Show’ Says Good Night?,” by Jason Zinoman (On Comedy, Arts & Leisure, May 10):
I’d answer Mr. Zinoman’s question as follows: four hours a week of joy, wit, nonsense and sanity to counter, in very small measure, the dread arising from the dismantling of our democratic republic.
The loss of “The Late Show” as a humorous break from that dread seems not just personal but communal as well.
Stephen Colbert has said he’s more conservative than people think. Comedy, notwithstanding its high jinks, is often on the side of conservative virtue. The false gods of our greedy oligarchy are not known for their virtue or sense of humor, just their ability to taketh away.
James M. Cronin Westport, Mass.
To the Editor:
Jason Zinoman makes some interesting points, but I expect that the real losers of the demise of “The Late Show” will be neither the viewers nor Stephen Colbert. It will be the network. I’m hoping that Mr. Colbert will create a new podcast and that the faithful will watch him there.
Anne Carmody Yarmouth, Mass.
Trump’s Fund
To the Editor:
Re “After Trump Drops Suit, U.S. Allots $1.8 Billion as ‘Redress’ to His Allies” (front page, May 19):
To what ends will President Trump go to take money from our pockets? As a taxpayer, I am really angry that Mr. Trump decided to create an “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate individuals whom the previous Justice Department rightly targeted for a multitude of offenses (with some convicted by juries of their peers).
I am sure that many working Americans are just as angry as I am that their hard-earned money will end up in the pockets of criminals, perhaps including the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Shame on the Trump administration and even more shame on every Republican who stays silent while this lawless and unethical president and his cronies systematically plunder our nation and degrade any sense of decency.
Michael Hadjiargyrou Centerport, N.Y.
Patel’s Snorkeling Trip
To the Editor:
Re “Patel’s Pearl Harbor Snorkeling Trip Adds to Concerns About His Travel” (news article, May 17):
This article about Kash Patel’s snorkeling at Pearl Harbor highlights that such behavior is unacceptable. The more concerning issue is that Mr. Patel doesn’t have the character or judgment to know how inappropriate his behavior was.
The person leading the F.B.I. needs to have the public’s trust and confidence. Mr. Patel has destroyed that forever.
Steen I. Petersen Nanaimo, British Columbia
Meta’s Retort
To the Editor:
Re “Angry Users. Runaway Expenses. Meta Is Dying,” by Julia Angwin (Opinion guest essay, May 11):
Since Facebook’s early days, people have been eager to write the company’s obituary. In 2014, a set of Princeton researchers predicted that 80 percent of the platform’s user base would disappear by 2017. They were wrong, and Julia Angwin is, too.
For well over a decade, Ms. Angwin has levied relentless criticism against Facebook or Meta, some in this newspaper. And now she offers a reductive hot take that fails to account for facts like the 4 percent year-over-year increase in the number of people who use Meta’s services daily or Meta’s 33 percent revenue growth in the same time period. Times readers deserve better.
David Ginsberg Washington The writer is the vice president for global communications and public affairs at Meta.
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