Clear Picture

While I appreciate The Weekly publishing my article August 29 on how the economy has changed local television, it may be a good idea to ask headline writers to read the article first. The cover headline, "Lousy Reception: Why Local TV News Gets Worse and Worse," was not even close to what my article described. I was pointing out how economic impacts have brought about an evolution and changes in how local stations operate. Outside of the fact that sometimes stations can't pay what they would like for personnel, I never commented on the quality of local television news "getting worse."

--Bob Richardson

Little People for Grijalva, Elias

We have some important elections to decide September 10 for Congress and for the county Board of Supervisors. You are sometimes inconsistent about the ranking on your county SOB list but I gather you don't like any of them. If you want to elect sinless people to public office, I have bad news for you. Jesus of Nazareth and other role models have been dead a long time.

For Congress, cross off Raul Grijalva because you don't like him. (Maybe there are even worse things about him that we don't know about--like does he eat Limburger cheese in bed to torture his wife?)

Cross off Elaine Richardson because she gets big bucks from the growth businesses and big industry--the same ones that already have too strong a voice in Congress.

Cross off Jaime Gutierrez because he gives a high priority to a strong military defense. Defending U.S. citizens from terrorism is a motherhood cause all the candidates agree on. But most of the billions of dollars being spent for "defense" are in reality to arm space with weapons for military offensive war. All other countries, Russia, China, Arabic countries, our European allies, are pushing for a treaty to ban all military uses of space. The only three countries that oppose such a treaty are some oppressive Asian country, Israel and the United States.

The cost these space war weapons will drain all the money we desperately need for education, health care, environment, housing, jobs for the unemployed, etc.--the money needed to pay for these vital services that all of the candidates support.

So that leaves the guy with the best Libertarian philosophy, the one who promises to defend our right to bear arms. If he is elected I can breath easier knowing the Feds won't come take away the 22 rifles in the back of my closet. When will The Weekly be endorsing him?

For supervisor, cross off Elias because he is tainted by Grijalva. Cross off Felix because he is getting the growth industry money. These are the same folk who worked so hard to get us natives to vote for a regressive sales tax on inner-city people to help the outer-city people and growth boosters drive to the sprawl areas.

Yes, I am biased for the inner city where I live. Everyone who prints news or opinions in the newspapers is. I am voting for Grijalva for Congress because he will represent my interests much better than any other candidate. He will fight hard for the money we in the inner city desperately need. He is indebted only to "a whole lot of people" for Grijalva (little people like me). Unfortunately these people for Grijalva do not have "a whole lot of money" like the supporters of the other candidates.

I will vote for Elias for county supervisor because he is pledged to defend us inner city folk from the abuses of the growth boosters who seek to rip us off to support urban sprawl.

--Ruth Stokes

Green with Envy

While I'm confident that paradise would visit terra firma if only you political dieties at The Skinny deigned to seek elected office, we of flesh and blood are forced to endure the absence of your participation. Surveyed from Olympian heights, the choice of Peter Hormel to forsake a gallop in your Elysian fields as a hypothetical Green legislative candidate for his mundane bid as a Democrat must seem hopelessly plebian (Skinny, August 22). But please understand that those of us who slither about in mortal coils find our progress impeded everywhere by pesky obstacles such as election laws and are sometimes forced to make uncomfortable choices.

And yes, shame on Katie Bolger for not lying supinely and awaiting the swan-like mount of your gilded phallus. Surely she betrays all Greens when she (albeit temporarily) changes her voter registration so that she may vote for her candidate in the primary. Her Promethean affections for democracy are profoundly ungodly.

Fearing all your power and sway--the same sway that elected Molly McKasson and Gayle Hartmann--I pray that you forgive our transgressions and let us be.

--Matt Scholz
Former Chair, Green Party of Pima County
(still registered Green)

Smoking Danehy Out

To the Editor,

Tom Danehy is far off base when he states ("Chewing the Fat," August 1) that any person who took up smoking after the warnings by the Surgeon General deserved the ill effects, including cancer, he got. Actually, cigarette manufacturers hook these people in their early teens by ad campaigns, product placement in the movies and other methods which make children feel cool and sophisticated if they smoke.

Our society recognizes that people in their early teens need to be protected from their lack of judgment. If an adult seduces one of them sexually he is, rightly, charged with rape. The same should apply to cigarette smoking. The insidious campaigns waged by the tobacco industry seduce children so that by 13 or 14 they are addicted. We all know how difficult it is to break this habit.

Like Tom Danehy, I feel that mature adults bear responsibility for choices which are deleterious to their health. However, the tobacco industry and its henchmen should be held criminally liable for their successful efforts to make our teen-agers into smokers. As a retired thoracic surgeon I will never forget the damage done by them.

--Donald Pearlman, MD