Letters for July 21, 2005

Keep drama coming
Re: “Enough drama” (Letters, July 14)

Josie Warvelle, in a letter, decries the creation of a new theatre company in Reno.

I’ve been here since 1978 and, yes, I’ve seen a lot of companies come and go. However, to suggest that Nevada Shakespeare Company covers the breadth of contemporary and classic theatre works is to be short- sighted in the extreme. To suggest that Bruka is the only theatre that should provide classes and workshops is absurd.

Stephanie Richardson has her own vision, her own creative impulses and every right in the world to do her own thing. More power to her, and, god-willing and the world still spins, I’ll be in line on TheatreWorks’ opening night.

Jeanmarie Simpson
Reno

Condoms deter HIV
Re: “Don’t sit on the fence” (Right hook, July 7):

In your column, you gave “incontrovertible” truth that liberalism is a failed ideology by stating that in the 1980s, HIV/AIDS was a new disease confined to mostly homosexual men and intravenous drug users and that the liberal advocacy of use of condoms only created a national pandemic.

Two things are wrong. First, you’re implying that HIV/AIDS is simply a gay or drug users’ disease. HIV/AIDS wasn’t a “new” disease in the 1980s. It has been around since the late 1950s or earlier. And in the 1980s, it wasn’t just gays and needle users being affected … what about the population of Africa?

Secondly, regarding advocating the use of condoms, if a person won’t abstain from risky behavior, condom use is wise advice. You say, “Imagine the difference had the agenda been a conservative one.” I say, “Imagine the difference had we NOT encouraged condom use.”

It’s only through compassion (yes, a bleeding heart liberal trait) and education that we’ll win the war against HIV/AIDS.

T. L. Ackerman
Reno

Pandemic this
Re: “Don’t sit on the fence” (Right hook, July 7):

When I began reading, I thought to myself, hey, this guy’s making a lot of sense. But then the column went from a general message of open-mindedness to, “Pick a side: you’re either with the homosexuals or the 10 Commandments.” Whoa, way to be open-minded there, Mike. I imagine you didn’t even consider the possibility that someone could accept homosexuals as people (or … dare I say it? be a homosexual themselves!) and believe in the morality of the 10 Commandments.

Now, you could have remained a mouth-piece for neo-conservatism and left it there, but that wasn’t enough. Instead you accused liberals of making HIV/AIDS into a national pandemic. And when did they do this? During the 1980s, when, if my crazy liberal brain isn’t mistaken, an arch-conservative called Ronald Reagan was president.

If the so-called “liberal” approach of safe sex was responsible for making AIDS a national problem, then what do you think the conservative agenda, that presumably would have saved the day, would have been? Should the government have rounded up homosexuals for the safety of the nation? Or maybe it simply would have been better to outlaw homosexual acts. (Remember kids, it’s not illegal to be gay, just to act gay!) As I hope you know, both of these mock suggestions have been tried by conservatives and have been overturned as unconstitutionalYou should be ashamed of yourself and I only hope that you will issue some sort of retraction that admits that “liberals” didn’t promote the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Daniel Sharpe
Reno

Pandemic this
Re: “Don’t sit on the fence” (Right hook, July 7):

I have to say you absolutely rock. I can’t imagine what you go through in terms of e-mail but your last column on fence-sitters has to be proof that you have no fear of the libs or what they write to you.

Bill Jamesson
Via e-mail

Ass-bustin’ better
Re: “View from the East” (Letters, July 14)

Correction
Re: “The kids are alright” (Cover, July 14):