I Love the 'Weekly,' Except for...
Tom Danehy is out of touch! His opinions, for the most part, are so far out of touch from reality that it makes me wonder if he and the deservedly maligned (David) Fitzsimmons of Arizona Daily Star infamy are related somehow, or at least collaborate on each other's attempts. Danehy should get a job for which he is more suited, because he sure sucks at the one he's attempting to do for the Tucson Weekly.Other than that, I love your publication.
W.W. Wright
If Political Parties Were Smart, They'd Court Independents
Not that Tom Danehy's ever been wrong before, but he should get off the kick about Independents wanting to vote in primaries (March 13). I am an Indie, and don't want to vote in the primaries. You pick your best candidate, and I'll pick who I think is better between her/him and the opposition party. If your candidate isn't better, then you lose my vote.It is the parties who would be wise to seek out the opinion of the Indies and want us in the primaries. Personally, I'm pretty happy with what the opposition is coming up with this year.
Andy Odell
Danehy's Blu-Ray Position Needs Some Rethinking
Tom Danehy's bull-headed opposition (March 20) to Blu-Ray is misplaced.The Internet capacity to deliver video on demand isn't there yet, especially for high-definition content. For fans of high-definition content, a high-quality video disc is a perfect fill-in. Once you've had full 1080p, you can't go back. The difference is as stark as that between AM radio and a CD.
As for Blu-Ray itself, it is superior to HD DVD. While the formats are essentially the same, Blu-Ray is a more durable disc, has better transfer rates and has more storage capacity.
As far as monopolistic control is concerned, the Blu-Ray Disc Association is a coalition of 18 major players in film and electronics--far from a Sony monopoly. Competition between Blu-Ray players that will be made by nearly every consumer electronics manufacturer will drive prices down in short order.
Danehy has no reason to be so grumpy. The consumer has really won, mainly by now knowing that the high-definition disc player they'll buy is the future of high-definition; they don't have to take a gamble. Sony gets a feather in its cap and reaps huge rewards, but gets far from a monopoly on the next generation of discs.
As for me, I own a Panasonic Blu-Ray player, and I'm proud of it.
Chris Rumsey
On Rice, Hunting and Blood Stains in Upholstery
Al Levinson might be shocked to learn that meat-eaters eat rice, too--and that vegetarians eat other things besides rice ("Want to Help the Environment? Go Hunting!" Mailbag, March 20). In fact, I'm a vegetarian, and I can't remember the last time I ate rice (and I'm even a half-Asian vegetarian).But let's not split any hairs here. If you want to save the environment, you obviously need to buy a gun, drive through miles of urban sprawl until you get to some wilderness, and then shoot lead bullets until you have something to bring home. And it's better if we each do this individually, instead of hiring professional hunters. Who cares about efficiency, right?
Perhaps Al could follow up by giving us some recipes for javelina meat and tips on environmentally safe ways to get blood stains out of car upholstery.
Matt Peters
Sisters Deserve Recognition for Their Spirit and Self-Sacrifice
After reading Margaret Regan's article "The Sisters Who Came to Stay" (March 13), we were filled with satisfaction that these sisters were being recognized for their long charitable service to the children of Globe-Miami and Gila County.Holy Angels School has always been small in size but staffed with sisters of great dedication and overflowing hearts. From the first days in 1956, when the four original sisters (Mother Ita, Sister Carmel, Sister Frances and Sister Patricia) arrived to teach in facilities that were temporary and below modern standards, to today, the sisters have given freely and generously of themselves to provide a quality education to the children of this area.
Thank you for recognizing their spirit and self-sacrifice.
J.P and Martha Skamel
Why Worry About Calcium, Magnesium When You Can Worry About Arsenic, Radium?
Your story about Tucson's tap-water supply ("Fluid Situation," March 6) was gravely misleading and disappointing. It suggested that the concern over a future blending of our Tucson water will be a matter of flavor (and damage) due to an increase in "total dissolved solids--including calcium and magnesium and smaller quantities of sodium, potassium and iron--found in Central Arizona Project water." These are seemingly innocuous, necessary minerals.The article conveniently leaves out the fact that Tucson tap water is tainted with 27 different contaminants, many of which were dumped into our environment by mining and aircraft corporations. Arsenic, an endocrine disruptor, was recently found by researchers at Dartmouth University to inhibit the effects of progesterone and estrogen in women and is linked to infertility. Radium 226 and 228, radioactive byproducts of uranium, are known to cause bone sarcomas and kidney damage. Throw in the pharmaceuticals recently discovered in the water, and you've got a cesspool of potentially harmful toxins.
We citizens of Tucson, female and children in particular, need to know the real truth about the present dangers of Tucson's toxic tap water. As stewards of the truth, Molly McKasson and Dave Devine have an obligation to deliver "the whole story" regarding the real impact of the polluted water supply on Tucson's public health. The issue is not a future concern regarding flavor (and equipment/pipe damage); Tucson's drinking water presently is downright unfit for human consumption.
Sherry Savage
Mines Bring Bad Consequences That Southern Arizona Does Not Need
The proposed Rosemont copper mine in the Coronado National Forest must be stopped ("Hard Rock, Hard Truth," Currents, Feb. 28, and "Claim: Mining Is Better for Economy, Wealth-Creation Than Tourism, Sprawl," Mailbag, March 13). I am a property owner in the vicinity of the proposed mine in Pima County. I am scared to death of the prospects of a potential environmental disaster in my back yard.Furthermore, I am opposed to greedy mining companies, many of which are not based in the United States, raping the land. These large and well-funded multinationals could care less about our air quality, water quality, safety and--most importantly--the destruction of environmentally sensitive land. Residing within the Coronado National Forest are rare and endangered species of wildlife, including birds and other species that cannot survive in a polluted open-pit mining project.
I am strongly opposed to the proliferation of new mining claims in Southern Arizona, especially near urban areas such as Sonoita, where pollution could cause public-health hazards. It is common knowledge that mining projects, similar to the proposed Rosemont copper mine, have resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of public-health hazards in rural communities, which are threatened by outdated mining laws. For example, a recent report (by the Environmental Working Group, covered) in the national news media, revealed that hard-rock mines have been the nation's "No. 1 toxic polluter for nine straight years, ever since reporting has been required," because of the chemicals disposed of near excavation sites.
I say no to mining in Southern Arizona, and no to the proposed Rosemont copper mine.
Douglas J. Downing
