To the Editor, Dan Huff has a lot to learn about true investigative reporting as well as about how to effectively deceive and manipulate the perceptions of the public. His flailing hatchetry of Councilmember Michael Crawford and his uncritical rah-rah cheerleading for Tom Hilderbrand ("Disquiet on the Set," Tucson Weekly, February 27) lacked even a shred of pretense of objectivity and truth seeking. C'mon, Dan, fooling Weekly readers requires a little more subtlety and sophistication than you brought to bear. You can tell Huff is stretching when he has to resort to Crawford's support for the Civano project as a criticism. Civano is an innovative, imaginative, and forward-looking initiative that should make Tucsonans proud and shows what's so admirable about our Office of Economic Development. Anyone who knows anything about the film industry in Tucson will immediately see the unintended humor in Huff's attempted portrayal of Hilderbrand as a reformer who cleaned up our "insider dealing, cronyism, and bad politics." Hilderbrand is no slayer of the Tucson Old Boy Network; he's a founding member emeritus. This business-school professor can only drop his jaw in incredulity to hear a film office director--whose job is to promote business activity--say that marketing isn't worthwhile. That would flunk Hilderbrand out of any MBA program I know of faster than he can say "duh." The subtitle to this story could be rewritten: "A case study in crude yellow journalism and special interests in small-market tabloid journalism." --Jim Ratliff Assistant Professor College of Business and Public Administration University of Arizona Dan Huff Replies: There's little wonder an assistant business professor would drop his shorts, or whatever, in the defense of marketing as a worthwhile activity. It's currently the hot subject in the curriculum of our nation's business schools--which are, after all, in the business of marketing their academic bullshit to an increasingly greedy corporate America. I note Assistant Professor Ratliff is supposedly an expert in economic Game Theory. Perhaps he's also an expert at cheating in Game Theory, since he's attributed a statement to Mr. Hilderbrand which was, in fact, made by Joel Valdez, formerly a highly regarded Tucson city manager and currently the senior vice president in charge of business affairs at Assistant Professor Ratliff's own university. Mr. Valdez's statement, namely that marketing is unnecessary for Tucson's film industry, is backed by his research at the time he created the Film Office. It should also be noted the International Association of Film Commissioners, through the National Research Group, surveyed 193 motion picture, television and commercial decision-makers in 1994 and discovered that--guess what--most executives say the creative aspect of a particular script is what drives location choice, not advertising. Assistant Professor Ratliff doubtless has his own extensive research pertaining to Tucson's film industry, but failed to include it in the multitude of ad hominem farting noises emanating from his general direction. His bottom line seems to be that he would have city taxpayers buy something they don't need, and which the experts say they don't need, simply because it comports with his generalized, assistant business professor view of the world. C'mon, Jimbo, even over-educated, taxpayer-supported geeks have to get real occasionally. To the Editor, Regarding Dan Huff's "Disquiet On The Set" (Tucson Weekly, February 27): I was truly disappointed to read such a negatively charged, biased feature. As casting director who works in the Arizona market, most recently with Tom Cruise's Jerry McGuire and Whoopie Goldberg's Boys on the Side, it saddens me to read about such internal splintering within the film community. Vice-Mayor Michael Crawford is very pro-film in southern Arizona. I recently had an opportunity to discuss the film industry with Crawford, and found his genuine concern and desire to increase filming quite enthusiastic. Had Huff interviewed Crawford for his poorly researched article, he may have reached a similar conclusion. Had Huff interviewed other members of the film community, he may have discovered Crawford has never made a negative utterance against Hilderbrand, and has only worked to champion the cause for increased filming in southern Arizona. As one who interfaces with L.A. on a regular basis, I can certainly understand why securing a professional liaison to "bring in" the business is important. My understanding is Hilderbrand was petitioning the City Council to obtain a new secretary, so as to promote his current secretary to administrative assistant. I ask you, where in this scenario does Tucson benefit from increased filming? I contend that the job description of any new hire to the Film Commission should include "beating the Hollywood bushes for new business," not typing 40 words a minute. My hat is off to Crawford for having the tenacity to speak on behalf of the Tucson film community. A community which at times seems to fall on deaf ears with Hilderbrand and his office. --Bill Kapfer, Jr. Oh, Oh. Now Huff's Really Pissed: If you had bothered to read the story, you'd know I did interview Crawford. You'd also know that he made negative and misleading statements about Hilderbrand. Furthermore, Hilderbrand is not petitioning the Council for a secretary--if you had read the story, you'd know that was a recommendation of the city audit team. Don't bother writing here again until you've learned to read. Shutout To the Editor, Regarding Dave Devine's "Ballpark Figures" (Tucson Weekly, February 20): There were some statements made that deserve a response. Greg Hansen of The Arizona Daily Star and I are not the only Tucsonans who are upset the new baseball stadium is being built at Ajo and Country Club instead of the downtown location. Many people have approached me expressing their concern over the lack of vision coming from our elected officials. Stadiums have played a major part in downtown renovations not only in cities with major league teams, as Devine says, but also in cities with minor league teams, such as Buffalo, Indianapolis and Norfolk, Virginia. Tucson has an added advantage besides having a minor league team, the Tucson Toros--we also have major league spring training games. The Toros have been averaging more than 300,000 per season at Hi Corbett; with a larger facility, the total would be closer to 350,000. Take the Toros' numbers, plus the 100,000 attendance for spring training, and that would be a tremendous amount of people going downtown from March through August. As has happened in other cities with downtown stadiums, restaurants, clubs and other retail establishments open and the area begins to change. If our local elected officials are going to be spending more than $30 million of our tax money on a stadium, they'd better get the greatest economic impact out of our money. Unfortunately, in this case, we all lose. Our local officials, along with certain journalists like Devine, need to venture out of Tucson once in a while to see what the rest of the modern world is doing. --Pat Darcy Love And Kisses To The Editor: You slimy toilet-licking bastards! Have you no shame? What is the meaning of this? Do you ever stop to think before you write your pompous sentences with the big words from hell? If you people had one iota of human decency, you would never, ever publish such things again, and you would apologize to all the starving orphans and harmless creatures of the forest. And furthermore, there is no need for gratuitous vituperation, you pointless fart heads. --Jake "The Rake" Cardosio We Want Letters! Thrilled by our brilliant insights? Sick of our mean-spirited attacks? Need to make something perfectly clear? Write: tucsonweekly@tucsonweekly.com

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