Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe NM 87504, deliver them to 132 E. Marcy St., fax them to 988-5348, e-mail them to editor@sfreporter.com or use our online form.
NO LOVE LOST
While a regular reader of SFR I don't read the Personals so I read [Dan Savage's] column for the first time today because of the request in your paper [Letters, May 10:
]. I also pulled the May 3 issue out of recycle to read the article the letters referred to. I think the column is over the top. I would hate to think how a young person newly grappling with sexuality would react to some of what has been written.
Virginia Lee
Santa Fe
GORY
It's too bad that a column ["Savage Love"] that's so insightful and witty on relationship issues is also so loaded with gory details that most of us probably don't want or need. If I had children this content would certainly be enough to keep me from having the Santa Fe Reporter around the house.
Jim Terr
Santa Fe
FEEDING BACK
I am glad you asked for feedback regarding the "Savage Love" column. It is the worst, most offensive thing I have ever read. I cannot believe this is available in a widely distributed newspaper. What are you thinking??? The first time I read that column I was in a state of disbelief; I read it again the following week to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Subsequently, I just skip it entirely. You will improve your newspaper dramatically by dropping it.
I have often wondered why Robert Odom allows himself to be published in the same paper that would include such an unredeeming column. Alas, that is about to change. Too bad it is Robert who is leaving.
Kathleen Sullivan
Santa Fe
ON BOARD
I'm definitely on board with your anti-Savage readers. I don't think that there is a place for this crude, tactless way of conveying sexual issues in a community, all-ages paper. My 14-year-old son has received very thorough sex education at home and at Monte del Sol Charter School, where questions about sexuality are welcome. But "Savage Love" is TOO MUCH INFORMATION. Rather than attempt to censor what he reads, I'll just quit bringing the Reporter home. What were you thinking? Do any of you have children?
Carla Cross
Santa Fe
SUPER SAVAGE
I LOVE Dan Savage's column, and am glad to have an outlet in which to read it again. Frank talk about sex is soooo refreshing, and I think the Reporter is a great place to do it. It's buried near the back and easy for people to skip if they're so inclined. It's one of the first things I look for. Keep up the good work!
Jill Garner
Albuquerque
MORE ADVICE
Geez, last week's crusading anti-anal sex letter writers Lois Manno and Honey Ward really got themselves worked up into quite a santorum! For sphincters that tight, may I suggest pillow support, deep breathing and way more lube?
DN Palacios
Santa Fe
GET THE MESSAGE
As the producer of all the audiovisual materials for the Message Company, I know the visionary intentions of this company. Your recent article [Cover story, May 17:
], however, failed to convey the depth of the subject matter: i.e., the human condition between belief and knowledge.
The compelling reason people fly from places as far away as Romania to attend this conference is the sustained focus on the question we ask as children, conflicted middle-aged adults and on our death bed: Who are we and why are we here? The phenomenon of the popularity of
What the Bleep
exemplified the thirst to explore those avenues. Renowned researchers have shared cutting-edge explorations, in laymen's terms, of quantum physics, biology, psychology, human potential, wisdom traditions and spirituality. Many people are looking for a kind of humanistic fulfillment found in the crosshairs of spirituality, science and studies in human consciousness.
There is nothing "new age" about being interested in the human condition. We spend endless hours a day consumed by consumerism, and no time on the person. On a personal level it's amazing to see people come together to explore their true potential. So much of our lives are damaged by our negative cultural influence, fundamentalist religion, the exploitative media and bad parenting.
As the world of quantum mechanics proves, the observer is a crucial element of the outcome, meaning we literally create the world with our intent; create a world of mass destruction or a world supportive of its environments and inhabitants, it's up to us. In Buddhism, it is of the uppermost importance to become a conscious human being first, above the role of scientist, as Albert Einstein was well aware in terms of scientific decision-making.
To explore the very person, the very "I" of "I Am," a consciousness within this bundle of nerve fibers and bio-chemicals we have discovered is the very basis of the experience we call the self. We invite everyone to take a deep look at some of the Message Companies DVDs or attend a conference and jump down the rabbit hole, it's deeper than you "think."
Lyn Startzman
Richard Startzman, Director
CineVision Productions
WAKE UP
I find it terribly amusing to read that a presumably progressive person such as Nathan Dinsdale is defending the Bush administration's absurd conspiracy theory of how 9.11 happened. To him and other trusting souls I say: Do the research. Read David Ray Griffin's book. Wake up and smell the lies and manipulation.
Diana Thatcher
Santa Fe
SECONDHAND
This is in response to the ads that you have been running sponsored by New Mexico Department of Health about protecting restaurant workers from secondhand smoke. As a waitress at a local restaurant I agree we should protect people from secondhand smoke, but the insinuation that they protect us from so many other things is preposterous! We make on average $2.13 an hour, pay large sums of money to the IRS, and are rarely provided with any health benefits. Perhaps if we really want to address the issue of protecting workers' health we should consider providing health and dental insurance. We choose to work in places that allow smoking; we don't choose how we will be compensated for the work that we do.
Bianca Borg
Santa Fe
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. Please include address and phone number for verification purposes; these will not be published.
