Vanguard Of The Post-Rational Age To the Editor, Let me see if I've got this straight. When members of science's "ruling priesthood' (your neutral term, not mine) addressed the inaccuracies and the flagrant speculation of Michael Burns' "140 Degrees" (Tucson Weekly, February 15), a less-than-honest--or factual--discourse on current causes of global warming, your response was, in essence, a "better safe than sorry" attitude (Tucson Weekly, April 28). It's telling that you would base your opinions on agenda-driven science, rather than the real thing. But I'm still a little confused. Are you playing Chicken Little in drag or the New Century (PC) version of effete elitist control-freak-ism? --Larry Hildebrand Editor's Note: Let me see if I've got this straight. We've got just one atmosphere, which is already damaged, and you want to entrust it to a small bunch of people who claim to know what they're talking about? Prom Blight To the Editor, Regarding Jeff Smith's "Dollar Dance" (Tucson Weekly, April 4): I am a regular reader of Smith's column and a sophomore at Catalina Foothills High School. It's unfortunate that Smith has found fault in our school's plans of having a party celebrating our graduation. Maybe a source of his criticism is that he has forgotten how important graduation is in a person's life, which is fine, but if his article went unchallenged I would have trouble sleeping. First off, it's pretty sad if Smith believes that driving drunk is an "inevitable consequence of being born." When alcohol-related accidents are among the leading causes of death in this country and when the death toll is highest on graduation night, I find it a little upsetting that he would even joke about such a grave issue. I am proud that my school is being responsible for the safety of both the graduating seniors and the public. Smith suggests that driving drunk is some sort of rite of passage, and honestly I find that more than a little bit perverse. And I am sorry he would rather his own children make regrettable mistakes than attend a safe school-sponsored event. As to the price, I'm the first to admit that $125 is a lot to pay for anything. But hey, truth is that many of the students here won't have any problem footing the bill. When I am a senior I might not be able to shell that out. However, I will have no problem asking a counselor for a scholarship. I am confident that the counselors would not be so petty as to divulge that kind of information. If anyone did find out, who the heck cares? Certainly not the students of Catalina Foothills. May I propose that it's not the people who are involved with the production of grad night, but Smith who is acting the snob? With all the important, relevant and interesting topics Smith chooses to write about, I find it disappointing that he directed his journalistic talents to make fun of some "rich kids." Contrary to Smith's shallow analysis, we are not all "future stock brokers and Junior Leaguers." We are not all wealthy. I know that one of the FFA's primary concerns was that grad night be inclusive of everyone--which I am confident it will be and, hey, maybe if Smith knew more about it he might agree. --Jessica Lansdon Spanish Indisposition To the Editor, I can't help but comment on the Skinny item unwittingly titled "Bumpkins Only" (Tucson Weekly, March 28). The column vehemently decried the possibility of English becoming Arizona's official language, stating, "Americans should be free to speak whatever language they goddamn please--otherwise 'free speech' means nothing." Apparently your staff writer does not realize that speech is not language. Speech is what you say; language is the way you say it. As such, an English-only initiative does not prohibit what ideas come out of anyone's mouth--it only standardizes language used during governmental functions. Many arguments can be made for adopting English as the official language of Arizona, such as the wasteful duplication involved in the printing of government documents in foreign languages to accommodate those who have chosen to live in this country, yet are unwilling to learn the prevailing language used here. However, I didn't so much write to champion this amendment as to say I can't wait for the next assignment where you utilize The Skinny's unique writing talents: a retrospective on the 1964 Berkeley Free Language Movement! --D.C. Towne Editor's note: Hey, Mr. Language Expert, we'd love to see you diagram that last sentence. A Boer? To the Editor, Your persistent references to Governor Symington's pallor as though it were a character flaw lead me to wonder what terms you would use to describe him if he were of African ancestry. --Harley Denton Dutch Treat To the Editor, Regretfully, the person who writes the reviews for your Film Clips column has lost all credibility with their review of the Dutch film Antonia's Line. It was difficult to reconcile that review with the wonderful things about the film I'd heard. A group of us were almost willing to forego seeing the film when, at the last minute, we polled the people coming out of the theater. Every single one of them was radiant with praise! As we ourselves were after viewing the film. Film portrayals of strong women are always of interest, though rarely produced these days and only sometimes successful. It would be a shame if anyone decided not to see the film based on that review blurb. Even allowing for the wide difference of opinions on films, the reviewer completely botched this one. I bet they would also pan the wonderful Hungarian film My Twentieth Century. Possibly your reviewer should stick to American-made. Disney needs more critics. --Jeri Sutton 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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