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Sensational!To the Editor, Before criticizing Gabriel Roth's "Hide and Sneak" (April 15), let me declare that I appreciate the news The Weekly prints. But after such shoddy journalism I had to respond to the paper's apparent anti-genetic engineering stance.
After reading segment No. 7, "Gene transfers linked to dangerous new diseases," I thought I was reading The National Enquirer. The piece states that new diseases (AIDS) and viruses (ebola) have recently emerged. What do new diseases have to do with genetic-engineering? Absolutely nothing. The writer clearly has no science background and the oversimplified, childlike explanation of the evils of biotechnology is comical. Then we're told that "genetically altered crops have produced substandard yields." Funny, but segment No. 3 stated just the opposite! Before printing more anti-genetic engineering propaganda, why not consult someone besides the person who took biology in middle school? There's a great deal of safe, quality science going on today and genetic engineering will help, in one way or another, the billions on this crowded, dirty little planet we call home. The feature was troubling because, if it was so poorly researched, what of other Weekly features? My faith in your reporting has taken a beating. Try some substance over sensationalism. --Travis Harper
Building Good WillTo the Editor, I wanted to commend you on Margaret Regan's article on the Tucson Architectural Landmarks Contest ("Designs In The Dust," April 22). As a local architect and general citizen of the community, I think Regan did a great job of not only highlighting the winners, but picking out some of the critical issues in creating appropriate design in our community. I appreciated that she articulated the differing viewpoints of Les Wallach and Bob Vint as well as the impact of land use and planning. These are the kind of discussions that are sorely needed in a public forum. Her point of the outrage caused by the Blackwell House and the complacent acceptance of far more harmful development was right on. I hope this will not be the last article that not only points out the negative but also invites contemplation of the far more delightful alternatives. I also appreciated Mari Wadsworth's piece on Civitas Sonoran. It will be very interesting to see if this group can be a catalyst for change. I am glad to see this kind of coverage of the built environment. Keep it up! --Robin Shambach
EggheadTo the Editor, I'm writing with the hope you'll consider developing my fascinating story for publication in your weekly newspaper. First, allow me to introduce myself: My name is "Omelet." I am currently the executive producer and best-looking member of "Mojo and Betsy In The Morning" at KRQQ. (93.7 on your FM dial. Have you heard us?) I understand that articles about Tucson media types are generally not good reading, unless they're written by the media type, in which case they're hilariously funny. I think, however, my story would interest your readers. First, I am one of many white male radio personalities in town--from upstate New York. I am the only radio personality named after an egg product! I am not a meteorologist. Or a doctor, dentist or Rabbi. My background is quite diverse. My father is an electrical engineer. My mother isn't. I used to manage an ice cream stand, work in a gas station and do commercial collections back in New York. I moved to Tucson in October of '96 after practicing macramé in Boston. I was not popular in high school, and girls often ignore me. When I was younger, my knee was in a Band-Aid commercial. Mojo & Betsy have made quite an impact on Southern Arizona. Apparently, my joining the show two-and-a-half years ago really hasn't affected them at all. I am quite proud of two things: We were banned in the Flowing Wells School District, and I've never started or joined any sort of weatherperson fan club. (I do really like Paul Hutner, though!) Certainly I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you, or another member of your staff to keep telling you about myself. I would also appreciate the positive publicity that would come from publishing my story (but NOT this letter...how embarrassing) in a newspaper as widely circulated as yours. Finally, I am hoping to make a run for "Best of Tucson" for Best White Dude Called an Egg Product. Do you have that category? Thank you for your time. Don't hurt yourself running to the phone to call me. --Jeff "Omelet" Dauler Mojo and Betsy In The Morning P.S. I heard it's going to be below 30 in hell next week. What do you make of that?
Shine OnTo the Editor, Thank you so very much for The Skinny's piece on the so-called community of Civano ("A Bright And Shining Lie," April 29). I cannot begin to tell you how gratifying it was to see in print that someone else could see through the smoke and mirrors and Madison Avenue hype that characterized Civano. It was obvious to me from the get-go that these people were creating a trendy gated community with only a nodding acquaintance (if that!) with sustainable building techniques. Everything I saw from Civano was full of all the right buzzwords, but anytime I found out anything about how they were doing things, it was the same-old, same-old. Anytime I pointed it out (like at the Natural Choices Expo last year), I was told, "Well, this is important! Nobody's ever done anything like this on this scale before!" Like that is even close to the truth! Lots of developers have done things on this scale before, they just didn't have this gimmick! And that, sadly, is all Civano is, a trendy development with a new gimmick. May our children forgive us! Maybe someday someone will really create, or empower people to create, lovely ecologically sound housing for themselves, cutting out developers, contractors and such. Personally, I yearn for such a day and work toward it. --Lugh Schoonover
Trigger HappyTo the Editor, Jeff Smith's "Pistol Grip" (May 6) proves that even smart guys sound really stupid when they lose control. --R.B. Vosk To the Editor, Jeff Smith's twisted interpretation of the Second Amendment ("American Roulette," April 29) perpetuates the myth of the "right to bear arms." He wants us to believe that if we just take the guns away from the "wrong people" (criminals) and the rest of us learn gun safety, we can sleep peacefully. But whether the trigger is pulled by a child who acquired a gun illegally, a convicted felon, a paranoid schizophrenic, or a "normal adult" enraged by another person's behavior, the outcomes are identical: guns destroy human lives. Europeans are horrified by our irrational arguments for private ownership of firearms. During recent extended stays in Sweden and the Netherlands, I felt safe walking alone in Stockholm and Amsterdam at night without looking over my shoulder or crossing the street if I heard footsteps behind me. The Netherlands--hardly a police state--prohibits personal ownership of guns. Sweden also has very strict gun laws. Yet neither the Swedes nor the Dutch believe their personal freedom is curtailed or compromised by their country's gun laws; on the contrary, they believe that strict gun laws are in the best interest of all, and their very low rates of violent crime prove them correct. Why do we refuse to learn from the example of other countries? Will we ever have the courage and the will to evolve from a shoot-'em-up, frontier society into one which truly values the well-being of all its citizens and acts on these values? --Toni Ameslav To the Editor, Regarding Jeff Smith's "American Roulette" (April 29): In the best spirit of late '70s Saturday Night Live with Jane Curtain and Dan Ackroyd, "Jeff, you ignorant gun-toter." What mealy-mouthed, crybaby, scatter-shot dribble. I'm embarrassed for you! You are all over the landscape--body counts, materialism, child neglect, body piercing, legislation, Washington politics, war in the Balkans and your "common sense" guru who is definitely jonesin' for a brain! Blame the culture like good Republicans. Come on back to the bunkhouse, buddy, and let's talk straight. Bull's-eye with your one sentence paragraph: "The answer comes back: guns." Can we stay focused here, Jeff? Don't let your mind wander. It's the only statement in your article worthy of a response. Of course it's about guns, and only guns! Spare us the psycho-babble shell game. When we were in high school, it was fist fights, sometimes knives; now it's guns. No one can think that Littleton is the end of it. Eight school shootings in the last two years--it's going to happen again and again and again. And if we just sit back and whine about "rights" and "freedom," our guns will be taken from us, and rightfully so. Hello! The larger community out there is pissed off! It's just a matter of time. Already, I can't buy that AK-47 I was hoping to add to my arsenal. The perfect compliment to my 9-mm auto-loader and 12-gauge sawed-off pump. Excellent for close-in work; don't come through my door invited! Or vent your road rage on me; often the 12 is under the truck seat, concealed, without a license. Nobody tells me how to handle my hardware. So let's get in front of this (duh--a proactive approach?) and head 'em off at the pass. One more law for the animals among us. As gun owners, we must accept responsibility for our guns if we want to keep them. How 'bout this? You lose your heat, you feel the heat. Misplace your piece, get it stolen, buy it for someone else or allow others access to it--busted. Bad boys, bad boys! A man who loses his gun should be horsewhipped. And then jailed. For a long, long time. If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen and turn it in to your local law enforcement agency. As gun owners, if we don't lead with prudent, viable proposals to weed out and restrict those idiots who have no business bearing arms, then one day we will all, most assuredly, be forced to lay down our arms. --Richard Francis
Fool's ProgressTo the Editor, Am I ever getting tired of watching Tucson grapple with the trials and tribulations of desert development. From easy dollars for cookie-cutter homes that provide the local termite population with a smorgasbord of delights, to the wonderful soupy yellow air of winter, it has been a kick to watch everyone panic and/or go into denial as things teeter on the brink. But why debate and try to halt the inevitable? Let's just kick the whole thing into overdrive and see where it takes us. Since everyone seems hellbent on surrounding every leftover volcano and hunk of uplift with a sprawl of homes, it seems that the time is right to begin building a series of tunnels. Think of the convenience of a commute from Oracle to Tucson straight under the Catalinas! Now there is a project worthy of the Pharaohs. It could even be named something fun and sassy like "The Tucsonnel." And as for those last three bighorn sheep who get knocked from their lofty perches by all the blasting? Forget about them. Their days were numbered anyway. This is progress with a capitol P. No getting in its way. And while were on the subject: all you environmentalist do-gooders out there who are saving rain in barrels to preserve the aquifer are wasting your time. Let those faucets run. Suck the damn thing down until the desert is no longer habitable by millions of people. It was never meant to be like that anyway. (Not millions of people with cars and roads and stuff, in any case.) For every drop of water painstakingly saved, some developer places it on a chart and says, "Why yes, I can successfully build all these homes because there will be plenty of water, not only for the people who live in fear of the cold, but also their pets, lawns and swimming pools. All I need is your OK to move a few owls and cactus. What do you say?" As for filling the aquifer with water from the Colorado and other waste, that too is finite and will last only so long. But then again maybe we'll wind up with a permanent El Niño and tropical conditions as the planet warms up. Wouldn't it be fun if the shallow seas returned once the ice caps have melted? What great real estate this would be then. I traded in my Timex long ago for a Geologic and the damn thing has barely ticked since we humans crawled out of the slime (or were zapped into being by the Great One, depending on your view). In 100,000 years, what we have now will long be forgotten except maybe by some space-suited archeologists and talking apes murmuring in the dust, "Look! They were an advanced civilization. They knew how to build canals for irrigation!" --Glenn Weyant 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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Segment No. 3 targeted the alleged evils of genetic engineering.
Yes, Monsanto's policies toward releasing its high-tech products
to the economically disadvantaged are, at best, poor. A corporation
seeking to monopolize a (genetically engineered) product. Shocking.
Yes, the business practices of Monsanto are potentially malicious.
I've heard Monsanto addressed as "Monsatan," not because
of genetic-engineering, but for questionable business tactics.
If you dislike Monsanto's selfish/big corporation conduct, good.
But condemning genetic engineering because of Monsanto's schemes
is like prosecuting a gun for murder rather than the shooter.
