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Big SplashTo the Editor, Well, once again the Tucson Weekly has proven to be reggae illiterate. It was bad enough that The Weekly has never given reggae its own category in the Tammie Awards but sees fit to have an award for which band will be most likely to see Jesus in a tortilla.
Next, the overly dramatic and outright lie that the biggest obstacle to furthering reggae music is that musicians are being murdered every week in Jamaica was absurd. The equivalent is John Lennon, Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. or Selina. Unfortunately, famous people are senselessly murdered, as we have seen throughout history. This particular part of Mari Wadsworth's article has our Jamaican/West Indian community outraged. Next time The Weekly wants to write an article on reggae or Jamaica, valuable resources are readily available, including KXCI'S Reggae Rhythm/Mohammed Elomrabi reggae connection featuring Papa Ranger (who also owns Twelve Tribes Reggae Shop), Ira Osbourne from One Blood or Danny Clarke of the Meditations, who resides in Tucson and recorded with Bob Marley. To close, I think the only thing that could have Bob Marley turning in his grave is Mari Wadsworth saying that he, a reggae pioneer, a prophet of our time, made it by an accident of history. --Denice L. G. Osbourne To the Editor: Regarding Mari Wadsworth's "Spliff Splash" (Tucson Weekly, April 24): It must be said that most of us educated people know and accept the fact that we're all entitled to our opinions--in fact, we could say that is what the Tucson Weekly is all about. However, I must say enough is enough. First of all, the article was full of non-truths. For instance, I believe Wadsworth was referring the reggae band Big Mountain, not White Mountain. Secondly, the description of reggae music was incomplete. The mention of lover's rock was nowhere in the article, nor the mention of DJs. Bob Marley was not shot at the One Love Peace Concert. He was, in fact, shot at his home on Hope Road, Kingston, Jamaica, while in his kitchen. If you read any book on Bob Marley, you would know this. You can understand when those of us who know reggae music read an article that disregards the truth, we might be just a little upset! One must get their facts straight, especially when you are "informing" the public! Your description about the murdered reggae musicians is unjust, in that you did not list all of the facts surrounding the deaths of those you listed. Moreover, how can you sit there and tell people to not listen to reggae music at all? Have you listened to any of the words? Most reggae music is uplifting and serves as a vehicle to bring oneness--to bring people together. Your statement of why reggae is promoting one love and peace was totally misguided. You have no clue about what the one love, peace and unity mean, nor where they originate. Not all of us unite for legalization of marijuana. Those of us who really know reggae know the history of reggae, the meaning of reggae, and the future of reggae. Wadsworth's article was not complete, it was full of untruths and non-facts, and it was so very slanted--and unjustly so. --Wendy L. Sternitzke Editor's note: Wendy also sent out an Internet alert about Mari Wadsworth's story, which led to letters from Chris B. Fleming, Colin Cunningham, Roger Steffens and Mark Griffis, who called for Wadsworth's head on a platter, and the following missive: To the Editor, Regarding Mari Wadsworth's "Spliff Splash" (Tucson Weekly, April 24): It did contain quite a few errors in terms of reggae history, but to say it was reggae-bashing seems a little harsh. A picture of the band I play with (Neon Prophet) was used with the article, so I feel compelled to add my two cents. The crap arriving at our shores that she refers to is no doubt bands like Ace of Base. The majority of the reggae hits on the radio are usually scored by the British, message-free band UB40. The fact that no one has come close to equaling Marley's level of success in the business since his passing is probably why she felt it an "accident of history" that he made it so far (although having Chris Blackwell and Island Records behind you doesn't hurt). Bob's talent was immeasurable, true; but so many super-talented artists from Jamaica can't make a dent in the American market. Basically, she's trying to say that a lot of people miss the message all together in today's commercialized Coca Cola/Budwiser-backed world of Music Festivals, and to tell you the truth, I agree. I hope this doesn't get me excommunicated. --Jamie Cirrito
Return FireTo the Editor, Regarding the letters from the two readers condemning the Tucson Rod and Gun Club and applauding the Forest Service's decision in the closure of the club ("Firing Squad," Tucson Weekly, May 22): First of all, they should get their facts straight. Since when is Sabino Canyon a "sensitive wildlife area" and a "rare riparian area?" Maybe the beer cans floating in the creek are endangered. I submit that all of the hikers impact the wildlife and vegetation of the area far more than the gun range. A good example would be to look at the disappearance of the bighorn sheep. The club is not exclusionary. It's open to anyone who cares to use the facilities. It provides a safe, well-regulated place for the public to use guns in a responsible manner. The contention of Neal Savage that an NRA official stated it "would take years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix the range" is a total fabrication. No one from the NRA ever made this statement. In my view both of these nuts graduated from the same school of higher learning as our great forest expert Glen Shumsky. --Cliff Cox 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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Mari Wadsworth's "Spliff Splash" (