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.
LACKING BASIC CARE
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Thank you very much for your article [Cover story, Dec. 13: "
"]. As a member of Laguna Pueblo who does not live on the reservation, it is truly disheartening to be unable to secure basic health services as outlined in your article. Truer words by dear Mrs. Bowman were never spoken; in exchange for the continent, we were promised basic health services. I've already told my son, when I'm old and sick, just wheel me to the door of the Indian hospital and leave me there. I am going to hold them to their promise of health care or die on their doorstep.
Cynthia A Torrez
Albuquerque
NATIVE SON
In the review of
Apocalypto
[Movies, Dec. 13: "
"], the reviewer did mention a comment made at the IAIA screening, but didn't mention that one of the film's male stars was present at the IAIA screening and stayed afterward to dialogue about the film with students and sign autographs. Nor was his name listed in the credits on the left side of the column. Certainly, it is the reviewer's prerogative to choose what she writes about.
Raoul Trujillo, native New Mexican of many generations, played the villain Zero Wolfe, and while he has an active 30-year career in international film, television, dance and theater, he still makes his home in northern New Mexico. He has also worked with local groups such as Moving People Dance Theatre, Wise Fool New Mexico and One Soul and has been guest artist and mentor to my own company, Dancing Earth-Indigenous Contemporary Dance Creations.
It is a rare instance for a local to be featured in such a large role in a film that is receiving this much publicity, and it is interesting that is has gone largely unnoticed by the local press. Mr. Trujillo was warm and gracious to the IAIA students; his background story might be intriguing and inspiring to young people of this community who have aspirations toward success in the performing arts.
Rulan Tangen
Santa Fe
KEEP IT STRAIGHT
In response to Mr. Kaufman's letter [Dec. 13: "
"]:
No doubt the incident that Mr. Kaufman describes in his letter to the editor on Dec. 13 actually happened to someone, but it didn't happen to me and my husband at Al Di La. Clearly there are other disgruntled customers coming to Al Di La restaurant and Mr. Kaufman can't keep their various stories straight. He may not be a restaurateur but it looks like he has a new career as a fiction writer. As wild as this may sound, Mr. Kaufman, we don't own a cell phone. Just to keep the facts straight, we didn't order a calzone, either.
We did not have a reservation and I never gave you my name. We waited in line 25 minutes or so and then they asked us if we wouldn't mind sitting with the two people standing behind us, who were strangers. It seemed like it could be fun, so we agreed. What we didn't realize at the time was that over the next 60 minutes we would watch these strangers consume their entire meal and receive nothing of our order and no sign of our waiter. At that point, after getting up and asking what the problem was and reminding them that we were still alive-we were still being ignored, so, yes, we left! Up to that point we were the model of patience.
Please try to keep your stories straight, Mr. Kaufman, before you use people's names, or you could end up with even bigger problems than a poorly run restaurant. You more than insinuate that I am a liar and that I have hidden motives when I am merely giving an honest account of an occurrence.
Jane Brodie
Santa Fe
PIZZA AND CRAYONS
I respectfully disagree with Jane Brodie's experience while dining at Al Di La [Letters, Nov. 29: "
"]. We have eaten there numerous times, usually during lunchtime as we have a small child. The food is always delicious and, unlike many establishments in town, they go out of their way to accommodate a small child's need, providing our 2-year-old daughter with a child-size portion of pasta and even crayons. The same could not be said of another new pizza restaurant in town that happens to be located in a strip mall.
Shawn Bluejacket
Santa Fe
A SMALL TREASURE
I want to bring to the attention of your restaurant people that Himalayan Cuisine (2440 Cerrillos Road, in College Plaza South, next to Souper Salad), in my opinion, is an underappreciated small treasure. Interesting menu drawing on Indian, Tibetan and Nepalese cooking, very well done. Pleasant surroundings, friendly service. I don't see it talked about, but it should be.
Bruce Sherwood
Santa Fe
ONE-WAY TICKET
Bonnie Cline, a few positive thoughts about your letter to the Santa Fe Reporter [Nov. 29, "
"]: First, let me say that I am very thankful that you realize that my grandparents are indeed legal as they did come over in a boat that landed them in Nova Scotia. We cannot be too careful about the legality of their passage. I quite agree with you that we send our current illegals back to from whence they came. We do recognize the validity of people who arrived after 1492, as the land here was underpopulated, which it now NO LONGER IS.
I grew up in Salem, Mass. Look at what nasty people those pilgrims and puritans were. We are lucky to be who we are. I pledge a one-way ticket to Siberia to any refugee from there who'd like to settle here in beautiful downtown Albus Querqus.
Thomas Sebastian Cummings
Albuquerque
SAVE THE TREES
It is not too late to stop the Forest Service from clear-cutting 1,825 acres of tall, stately ponderosas and graceful aspens from the area adjacent to Hyde Park Estates and the Santa Fe Watershed. Their plan calls for cutting down 95 percent of the forest-from 1,200 trees per acre to 40 to 60 trees! To sign a petition calling for an environmental impact statement on what this will mean to the wildlife, soil and water, go to
.
Rodger McCall
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.
