Man Trouble To the Editor, Thank you for printing Karen Brandel's article "Dead End" (Tucson Weekly, February 29). In a country where 90 percent of all violent crime and 99 percent of mass, sexual and serial murders are committed by men, the story of Robert Ben Rhodes provides just one example of the cycles of violence occurring in the lives of many women, children and men. Those of us who live with these horrible truths daily know that Rhodes serves as a paradigm of a continuum of harmful extremities such as rape, kidnapping, torture, prostitution and pornography. I was surprised at the comments of former FBI behavioral expert Roy Hazelwood, who seemed to have all the facts on serial murderers but could not say "why, or how they got that way." Research like that found in Ann W. Burgess' book Serial Rapists and their Victims tells us that these men were themselves paternally abused children and therefore are some of the most extreme but unfortunately common perpetuators of a legacy of abuse passed down through generations. As collectors of pornography and weapons useful for the implementation of pornography, it becomes clear that these men use every means possible to reinforce their own power after experiencing powerlessness from childhood abuse. Rhodes was operating with a pimp mentality. The amount of woman-hatred in our society's general treatment of women as whores and such depiction through pornography is enough to enforce and indeed encourage such behavior. Whether the women he preyed upon were runaways needy of help or women traveling independently, he perceived all of his victims as deserving of his abuse and worthless enough to kill. It should also be noted that while the pictures presented in the context of the article were intended to show the violence of Robert Rhodes, what he was creating is considered pornography in his mind and the minds of many other men. I am saddened by that fact that an FBI agent would have to think twice before considering the pictures evidence of human rights violations based upon whether or the women in the picture appeared to be complicit in the situation. Whether it be in marriage, in prostitution, in our workplace, through pornography or advertising, the idea that man's sexual ownership over women can be ignored based upon a woman's participation or lack of overt resistance shows a lack of sensitivity or critical thought process about what is really happening in pornographic pictures and to women in our daily lives. Similarly, the fact that Rhode's wife could love him and at the same time be his victim should have no bearing in defining whether or not his behavior was abusive towards her. On the contrary, her apparent complicity is a statement about her own strength and means of survival in a situation where she was experiencing his torture on a regular basis. Undoubtedly like most of his victims, her complicity may have made that difference between life or death. --Leah R. Berger Smells Like Teen Marketing To the Editor, I was glad to see your article "Airwave Fave" (Tucson Weekly, March 7). It's a relief to see that underground alternative music is finally getting acceptance--in America, that is! In Europe they have accepted it with open ears and eyes from the very beginning over 20 years ago. But your article contained some totally inaccurate, very uninformed bits of information which just makes it almost a parody of the truth. First of all, you should have pointed out that radio in America is at least a year or two behind the times of what goes on in Europe. Just take a listen to some of the stuff coming out of Germany, Holland, England, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries--these musicians are usually 10 years ahead of us Yanks on the other side of the water. Always have been too. Why? Because record companies in Europe, especially German labels, are willing to take a chance on new innovative acts, and they are not run by some money-hungry millionaire's corporate decisions. (Money over talent--Blah!) I think your article sounds like you were told by someone higher up than you exactly what to say. Why do I say that? One word: Nirvana. Come on, anybody knows that Nirvana and the whole Seattle grunge scene was a media hype corporate decision tailor-made for MTV and radio. Nirvana most certainly did not create the alternative scene. I heard bands like them over 20 years ago, but radio blatantly ignored them. Years later the music sells only because it was completely force-fed down our ears and eyes. I guess we're like sheep--we'll consume what is fed to us. (Burp!) My friends and I call KFMA radio to request songs by people like KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, Orbital, XYMOX, Neon Judgment and Gary Numan, but we're told these bands don't have any radio-friendly songs, or they'll only play it at 3 a.m. Sounds like prejudice to me! You're being told what you can and cannot play, by some corporate boss who won't let a D.J. just play what sounds cool! My thanks to Spider Rhodes! He knows what I'm talking about, He's one of the few who will take a gamble on something creative and try to slip it in. --Charles Den-Baars Cents Of Confusion To the Editor, "Pennies For Our Thoughts" was a funny editorial (Tucson Weekly, March 14). A. Bradley Dongas III should throw one in more often. Having been born in Tucson, I find his jibes needling and useful. Keep it up. --J.G. Borden To the Editor, I was surprised that you had covered the Tucson Weekly building with shiny copper pennies rather than those shiny, slick Joe Camel inserts that The Weekly littered the streets of Tucson with a few weeks ago ("Pennies For Our Thoughts," Tucson Weekly, March 14). I guess we won't be reading much more about the tobacco industry in your publication. --M.B. Thompson Editor's note: We sure miss those pennies--they reflected the CIA's mind-control rays! 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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