Letters for May 29, 2003

Heartwarming progress

Re “Autism’s little brother” by Chrisanne Beckner (SN&R Cover, May 22):

Thank you for your excellent article chronicling Ben and his family’s struggle with Asperger’s Syndrome.

It is so heartwarming to read of the progress Ben and family have made in improving their lives. I am so happy for them.

William Chee
via e-mail

The hyperbolic SN&R

Re “Not-so-free speech” (SN&R Editorial, May 15):

Oh, come on: “No issue could be more important to the survival of American democracy”? Are you for real?

Are campaign contributions more important than freedom of the press, freedom to assemble or voting rights? You lose credibility with your hyperbole. Big money doesn’t always win elections. The political landscape is littered with millionaire losers.

If burning a flag is “free speech,” then certainly buying ad time to express a view has equal footing. Why don’t you attack the TV networks that accept the money in the first place?

If I choose to support a cause or a candidate, why shouldn’t I have the ability to voluntarily contribute to them? You should attack the unions, which embezzle $70 a month from my pay and use it to support political causes I don’t support. Stopping that is more important to the survival of American democracy, in my opinion.

Dave Cooper
Rocklin

Term limits for reporters

Re “The wrong term” by Jill Stewart (SN&R Capitol Punishment, May 15):

While reading Ms. Stewart’s latest diatribe—where she included herself among “thinking journalists”—I concluded that she must be delusional. That was confirmed in the same paragraph when she made reference to journalism as a “profession.”

There is absolutely nothing professional about Ms. Stewart’s shoddy research, churlish prose and lapses in logic. She’s an argument for term limits for reporters.

Grant Green
Fair Oaks

Humanity hasn’t been all that humane to women

Re “Just what I needed” (SN&R Letters, May 15):

As a woman who spent 10 years living and traveling abroad, mostly in the Middle East and the Third World, I find the letters written by women to your paper, in general, to be the most insipid I have ever read.

Like the writer of this letter, they love to throw around words like “human race” and “humanity” as if they mean something. The reality is anything but human or humane. If these women were tragically born into most of the cultures of the world (including that of Iraq), they would be oppressed, exploited, abused and, in many countries, sexually mutilated, not to mention denied education, medical care, economic opportunity, gender equality, political freedom and the right to choose a mate.

And who would their oppressors be—Western interventionists? No. Local customs, culture and religious practices.

A reverence for life does not in any way mean a mindless opposition to war or intervention, except by too many American women.

Carola Hafstrom
Nevada City

Exposing Hallmark idiocies

Re “Happy (Good) Mother’s Day” (SN&R Guest Comment, May 8):

Amber Harris’ essay made all (I’m 70) of the Mother’s Days I have suffered through almost worthwhile. The column had it down perfectly.

Thanks so much for exposing the Hallmark comments as meaningless for those of us who really can’t buy into such idiocies.

Leah Zeff
Sacramento

Correction

In SN&R’s annual menu guide, Chow (April 24), the wrong address and phone number were published in the advertorial listing for Konditorei, a pastry shop in Davis. The correct address and phone number for Konditorei are: 2710 E. Fifth Street, Davis, CA; (530) 758-1331.