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.
BRAVO
A heartfelt thank you for your articulate, thoughtful and, above all, courageous endorsement of Benny Shendo Jr. for Congress [
Cover story, May 28: "Decisions, Decisions"
]. Mr. Shendo has demonstrated throughout this campaign that he is the right person to represent all of us in Congress-and his asking the hard question of Ben Ray as to whether Ben Ray could really "stand up" for New Mexico when he couldn't stand up to his own father, to me, put Benny Shendo over the top as the only viable candidate in this crucial election year.
Thank you for your courage in going against both the Lujan machine and Wiviott's money machine. I was quite frankly starting to question the genuine political independence of the Reporter, but your endorsement renews my faith. Count me among your supporters as well as Mr. Shendo's!
CLAIRE SPENCER
SANTA FE
SUPPORT SHENDO
Thank you for endorsing Benny Shendo. I know it took courage to go against the political forces. Ben Ray Jr. is a nice guy but he doesn't have the experience that Benny Shendo does.
PAUL WHITE
SANTA FE
SEXIST NOT SEXY
This week's cover photo illustration is embarrassing to your so-called "liberal" publication [
May 28: "Decisions, Decisions"
]. The concept is not even clever. You are not making a social comment on sex by advertising something unrelated to sex and being smart or ironic about it. It is not even campy. You are just using sex to advertise.
What is so boring about the primaries that you feel the need to spice it up by Photoshopping it (poorly done I might add: If "Decisions, Decisions" was truly on the model's T-shirt, the text would stretch downwards along with her porn-star shirt-tug move) onto some breasts? Why are women expected to tolerate this blatant sexism and degradation? And what's with the "innocent" deer-in-headlights look on her face as if to say, "I don't know who to vote for because I'm just a vulnerable, impressionable young woman that basically exists for male pleasure, is there a man around to help me decide who to vote for and who maybe wants to get in the hot tub later?"
Why are you, of all publications, helping to perpetuate the kind of mentality in the public that, whether they are aware of it or not, believes women are of lesser intelligence? Just because we, as a county, have been habituated to this kind of imagery and thinking does not relieve you, as a "liberal" publication, from the responsibility of using higher minded tactics to attract readers.
My demographic, the same as your cover model's, has the lowest readership for news media, and will probably stay that way if you continue to print covers that repulse us and disempower us.
Better luck next time.
ISABEL HEBLICH
WILMINGTON, NC,
AND RAJI MANDELKORN
SANTA FE
Editor's Note: "Decisions, Decisions" was not Photoshopped on the T-shirt; SFR had the T-shirt specifically designed for the shoot.
MORE CHOICES
Let me begin by thanking you for the Pop Quiz series [
] you have been running this election season. It is a refreshing alternative to the scripted rhetoric we hear at forums and through brochures and advertising.
I was glad to see you include a question about Independent voters and the role of Carol Miller in the November election, but disappointed that the main concern is whether she will serve as a spoiler. What exactly would she be spoiling? Why is there an assumption that there can only be two viable candidates in an election? Why aren't the press asking whether Jon Adams or Rudy Martin are spoiling the primary?
I say it is the election system itself that has been spoiled by two-party domination. Our voter turnout is abysmal in this country, in part because the two-party system is not able to represent the diversity of views held by our citizens, in part because of the obscene amounts of money spent on negative ads, in part because the candidates elected at the primaries will not even receive the majority of votes.
With so many candidates in this year's Demmie primaries, chances are very good that no one will get 50 percent in the congressional race, PRC race or either contested County Commission race. Further, the winners of the PRC and Commission races will probably be unopposed in November, meaning a plurality of the 20 percent or so of Dem voters yesterday decided who will represent us for four years.
The solution of course is ranked-choice voting, which ensures majority election winners by allowing voters to rank their first, second and third choices on Election Day. The City of Santa Fe just passed this as a charter amendment in March, and it is time for the parties to look at implementing it for their primaries, and the state to consider it for general elections.
Enough of minority rule already, and enough calling people names because they choose to engage in the political process by putting themselves forward as serious, credible candidates.
RICK LASS
CAMPAIGN MANAGER OF CAROL MILLER FOR CONGRESS
SANTA FE
ARMY OPPOSITION
I was caught and then disappointed by the opening line of the cover story,
published May 21: "As the Army's recruitment of students intensifies, so does its opposition."
Mark Sanders' piece was informative on the tasks of an Army recruiter, and the brief glimpse it gave of the struggles faced by students, advisers and teachers was touching. However, I found the element of "opposition" to have taken a back seat. The reader misses a powerful story by not hearing more from the veterans who once served in the military and now volunteer their time to speak to potential recruits about the experience.
Where is the story of transformation that causes an individual to step out of uniform and actively work for peace? Why do these particular members of Veterans for Peace choose to tell their war stories over and over to bring an additional perspective to students? There is a story of opposition that has been glossed over here. Give us more words from these brave men and women who continue to serve their fellow Americans with the witness of their lives.
SARAH CUTLER
SANTA FE
SO WHAT IS IT?
OK, guys, regarding your May 21 issue, I just have to ask: To illustrate your lengthy but not very favorable article on Army recruiting in the high schools, you chose to superimpose the photo of a World War II German Panther tank (a model at that, I suspect) parked in front of Capital High. Why that choice?
1. Just ignorant? Hey, a tank is a tank, right?
2. Just believe your readers are ignorant? Hey, a tank is a tank, right?
3. Political statement that without the Army, Capital High would all be speaking German or Japanese now? Why am I dubious?
4. Not so subtle comparison of our Army to the Nazis? What, here in Santa Fe?
Or some other choice too obscure to winkle out?
JR LAROWE
SANTA FE
MILITARY COSTS
Your balanced presentation of diverse perspectives on military recruitment of students was excellent. Young people and their parents need to make conscious decisions. Their futures are at stake.
One aspect lightly treated was the risks that are entailed. The possibility of death was identified-though with youthful "invincibility" that may be brushed aside by many. A more relevant factor is the likelihood of physical injury which disables a person for life. Disability impacts the entire family and friendship networks.
My concern is also with the risk of mental and emotional injury. As a counselor I am aware of not only the pain of healing and recovery for the individual but the tremendous adjustment and understanding required by family, friends and community.
The incidence of PTSD and traumatic brain injury is great. Over 40,000 of those returning from service now are identified with PTSD. Others affected slip by unidentified because of perceived stigma or cost-conscious policy decisions. Often PTSD and TBI are lifetime impairments and, in many cases, lead to suicide, now the highest in two decades.
Taking into account these risks must be part of the decision-making process for those entering military service and their families.
BARBARA CONROY
SANTA FE
ENCORE, PLEASE
I was just wondering why, if the new plan submitted by RainbowVision Santa Fe to correct the issues that arose between November and March at the facility was accepted by DOH, and a new inspection conducted just last week, the article by Dave Maass [
Outtakes, May 21: "Rainbow-tinted Glasses"
], in order to be complete, could not have been delayed until after the NEW inspection report becomes available?
Or will a NEW feature article be done by Mr. Maass which then highlights the improvements in the specific deficiencies noted in the past?? That would be so nice. Thanks.
PAULA ZERFOSS
SANTA FE
SPARE US
After many years of using John Greenspan's KSFR jazz shows and more recently his new blather show on Tuesday nights for puking purges, he shows up in the pages of the Reporter [
Letters, May 21: "Don't Believe It"
]. Spare us John, don't you have enough airtime already to bore the living shit out of us? Greenspan's dismissive remarks about the movie Loose Change were predictable. He used to work for the FCC in Washington and we all know what that place has become. It has taken massive citizen uprising across this country to halt the power grab of our airwaves by the neo-con majority at the FCC.
A person would have to be stupid or have a hidden agenda to watch Loose Change and not come away knowing that those buildings were taken down demolition style. Somebody knows and given the nature of information, we will all know eventually.
In the meantime, watch out KSFR, be wary of snake oil salesmen disguised as feel good saviors.
JUDY GONZALEZ
SANTA FE
The Reporter welcomes original, signed letters to the editor. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to speci?c articles in the Reporter. They may be edited for clarity and space. Please include address and phone number for veri?cation purposes; these will not be published.
