The Reporter welcomes original, signed letters to the editor. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. They may be edited for clarity and space. Include address and phone number for verification purposes; these will not be published. Mail to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe NM 87504, deliver to 132 E. Marcy St., fax to 505-988-5348 or e-mail (editor@sfreporter.com).
LAW SUPREME?
Congratulations on a very fine article [Cover story, Aug. 3:
]. I have, however, one small criticism, that of referring to the Patriot Act as the "supreme law of the land." That category is reserved only to those laws which are made "pursuant" to the Constitution. Any law which contradicts the Constitution or infringes "inviolable" natural rights secured by the Bill of Rights is not "pursuant" to the Constitution and is void under Constitutional law. Such a law, even if made by Constitutional amendment would still be void, because natural rights were not created by the government and cannot legitimately be taken away by it.
Meanwhile such organizations as the ACLU will heroically whittle away at the monumentally abusive and unnecessary "Patriot" Act passed by idiots posing as "our representatives."
Since the concept of inviolable natural (human) rights is the main distinguishing characteristic separating us from North Korea we may soon find ourselves joining the Axis of Evil. The rights and liberties which motivate our fighting forces may motivate them no longer and we may have no reason to cherish our liberty above that of other dictatorships.
Bill Lyne
Lamy
THIRD PARTY
Thank you for your cover story. The indefinite reauthorization of the Patriot Act should have been on the front page of every paper in the nation.
I do have one bone to pick however: At the end of the article, US Rep. Ron Paul, who opposes the Patriot Act, is referred to as "a staunchly conservative Texas Republican." In fact, neither the conservative ideology nor the Republican party can truly count Paul among their ranks. Ron Paul was the Libertarian candidate for president a few years back and continues to count himself as a Libertarian. He compromised and took the (R) to get into public office.
It is unfortunate that we don't have more third party representatives in federal office. We might not be in the condition we're in if we didn't practice fear-based "lesser of two evil" herd voting.
Matt Vest
Santa Fe
CORRECTION: The Senate reauthorization of the Patriot Act was approved by a process known as "unanimous consent." The House majority vote to reauthorize The Patriot Act (257-171) was not unanimous. Last week's story stated otherwise. SFR regrets the error.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL?
It is unfortunate that Annapurna is purporting to be a source of Ayurvedic cuisine [Cover story, July 27:
].
While I don't expect that the average Santa Fean travel to India to see for themselves what Ayurvedic food might be, this is simply another example of consumers being taken advantage of in Santa Fe.
Not only is the food at Annapurna substandard, but Ayurvedic food is not a "one-recipe-suits-all"-it should be prepared to your individual constitution.
I can only hope that if anything, consumers are encouraged to study and learn for themselves that Ayurvedic food is not gummy, burned and bloating.
Also, they should trust their judgment that at the establishment in question, it just doesn't taste right. After a friend tried it, I asked if she thought something was off, to which her reply was "I thought that was what Ayurvedic food should taste like." Unfortunately, this establishment is cashing in on consumers' ignorance. Interestingly, that goes against the Vedic principles Annapurna is touting.
Allena Walsh-Satpathi
Santa Fe
BEST OF WORST
Seems like the Best Of issue has been the same for the last three years. This leads me to think that either you people need to try harder or us people need to try harder. I would like to think we could all do a little better. Less ads please! Again they should donate for honorable mention instead of tying up space that could be used for more unbiased journalism.
Case Tanner
Santa Fe
DOCUMENT THIS
Before casting Whole Foods Market in the role of the innocent victim of the Department of Homeland Security [Outtakes, Aug. 3:
], one should question Whole Foods Market's motivation in hiring undocumented workers. Most undocumented workers are very reluctant to assert their legal rights because they reasonably fear that their employer will retaliate against them by letting INS know of their immigration status. Employers often hire undocumented workers, inspecting obviously forged documents with a "wink and a nod," in order to gain the competitive advantage that hiring fearful workers affords.
I'm skeptical of Whole Foods Market's motivation because they habitually violate the National Labor Relations Act, regularly threatening and disciplining employees who try to assert their right to form or join a labor union. Selling organic lettuce does not make one a good corporate citizen.
Andy Lewinter
Santa Fe
BLU FOR YU
I started listening to blu 102.9 when it first came on air [Outtakes, July 27:
]. No DJs. No commercials. I had just finished a very intense medical school program and ended a seven-year relationship. My life as I had known it no longer existed. I couldn't talk because I might have burst into tears. I couldn't read because I had done about three life's worth of reading dry medical texts. So I listened; and what I heard was finding its way into the shell of what was left of my soul, my heart. Somehow, the music of blu was tempting me with creative healing energy that I thought I was incapable of experiencing.
I was feeding off the music, and in spite of Santa's "dry music scene," I was able to find more of what I was listening for. Blu brought DJs from around the country and sponsored the city's own. Then, I experienced Beats on the Basin: DJ Harry surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo mountains covered in glistening snow! Today I'm still listening to blu, of course, but my life has been shaped by its ingenuity. I don't know what I would have done without KLBU 102.9 and all the wonderful people that made it happen. Sure they still play some of the same songs too often, and some of the commercials are obnoxious and not very "chill," but at least there aren't very many of them.
Thank you, blu. You helped me find my blu spirit.
Lynette Jordan
Santa Fe
MTC POV
I am disappointed in your article [Outtakes, July 27:
] in which Carlos Archuleta is portrayed as an inmate that did not receive any medical treatment as a result of a fall. After researching Mr. Archuleta's situation he was seen by medical personnel at this facility numerous times to treat his medical issues. The medical treatments Mr. Archuleta received were a result of his own requests for medical follow-up and not from outside sources. Mr. Archuleta's statements concerning the water faucet are also incorrect and exaggerated.
Sheriff Solano's statement that complaints are decreasing is a result of Management & Training Corporations continued effort to improve the security and medical treatment of individuals incarcerated at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center. The men and women who work at this facility continue to work hard on a daily basis. This effort will continue up to and through Oct. 11, 2005.
Obviously you are unaware of current events or your news reporter would have knowledge that MTC exercised the right to terminate the contract and gave the County of Santa Fe a written 180-day notice. I am not aware of any orchestrated effort by Santa Fe County prior to the notice of any management takeover.
Had your reporter asked more than a couple of questions, an opportunity may have existed to look into Mr. Archuleta's issues rather than reading about it in a poorly researched article. Your reporter is always welcome to come to the facility. He might even write about some of the positive efforts at the Adult Detention Center.
Deputy Warden David Osuna
Management & Training Corporation
Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center
KING OF CRAP
Wal-Mart [Cover story, July 13:
]: the king of keeping people down with the exception to the Bush cronies. Walk in Wal-Mart and look into the people's eyes. Go in there late at night-it looks like a chain gang and they have the nerve to say it is the best place to work. I hardly ever go in there because of this. I'm tired of getting this holy crap that they are the store for Christians and do no wrong. Well when you support a war that never should have happened and that is killing people for oil, that tells me you're not loving the people. Why people shop in there is beyond me. If we stopped shopping in there maybe the other stores would lower their prices. When you treat people that work for you like something you would pick up after your dog what does that tell you about the company??? If you stop shopping there that might make them stop and think, "we better treat our workers with respect because our jobs will be next." That is the only way to do this is by hitting them where it hurts-in the pocket. It doesn't take a degree to figure this out. JUST DON'T SHOP THERE.
Brenda Brown
Santa Fe
REMEMBERED
In response to your recent cover story on Jenine Clifford [Cover story, July 20:
], I would like to say that I am disgusted and heartbroken. I am a close friend of Jenine's older sister, and have known the Clifford family for five years, and can honestly say that your article has reaped incalculable damage to the memory of Jenine.
For the past four months I have seen her family and friends struggling to reconcile themselves to the miracle of Jenine's life in the face of her horrific death; I have seen them battle with the community to represent Jenine's life as that of a human being, not as that of another ignored teen taking pills.
If Mr. Dinsdale had been at St. Mike's in the hours, days, after Jenine's death he would have seen immediately one thing that his article failed to capture-that Jenine Clifford was, and is, loved incredibly.
I did not know Jenine very well on a personal level, but I have seen what her life, as well as her death, meant to her sister and her family. If Mr. Dinsdale was any kind of human being he would have seen this too, and maybe would have written something more sensitive to emotions of the Clifford family and friends.
Ryan Maye Handy
Santa Fe