Editor:

I read your article on the smartest people in Humboldt County with interest, but what started out so interestingly with Elizabeth Berrien turned into the usual litany of male figures here in Humboldt ("The H Factor," Dec. 25).

With all the smart women in Humboldt, it was a great disappointment that at least four or five weren't mentioned.

How slowly the world changes. This could have been written in 1950. Disappointed.

Marie Kelleher-Roy, Trinidad

Editor:

What does one mean by smart, anyway? Is that someone who knows a lot of stuff? Is it someone who can solve difficult problems? How about this: The smartest person is one who can fool a lot of people for a long time. Bernie Madoff was the smartest guy in the room. So was Charles Ponzi, back in the twenties, till a group of envious losers ganged up on him. You could say that, for a while, Hitler was the smartest guy in the world. It's all in how you read the score.

A safe bet is to just say that the smartest person in Humboldt is unknown. Or, by my humble standards, the smartest person in Humboldt is me. I just keep it well under wraps. I think that's a smart thing to do.

Lance Hardie, Eureka