Corey Johnson
News, Sept. 18:
“Tangled” Cops and Lizards
This article pretty much gives you the in[sights in]to many law enforcement agencies around our nation. Cops have more STDs than central lizards. MangoSlurping
SFREPORTER.COM
Sex Doctor
Sex education programs are the only effective way [news, Sept. 18: “Can’t Hardly Wait”]. Teenagers and young adults deserve better information on how to manage their sexual lives, because sex ed or not, they will have a sex life. Politicians are still discussing whether this program says too little or too much, afraid that they might encourage teens to have sex earlier. Let me tell you, young people grow up literally bombarded by sex messages, advertisements, TV shows, movies [and] music. Sex is already in their head, what they need is appropriate knowledge to know how to deal with it.
Personally, I have found my solution. I have discovered this app My Sex Doctor and really love it! [There’s a] ton of info about sex in plain English. To me, this is the best way to improve things. You can check it out at MySexDoctor.org. erika23
SFREPORTER.COM
Safety First
It is very unfortunate that since Christus [Health] has taken over [Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center], Christus appears to be mostly concerned with the “bottom line” (making money, even though it is a not-for-profit hospital) than patient safety and having enough staff working on every shift to care for the patients in an exceptional manner [cover, Sept. 11: “Enough Nurses?”]. Cutting back on nurses, nursing assistants, secretaries, housekeeping, transport, case managers and even pharmacy staff seems misguided. And then, Christus has the nerve to hire another vice president! Christus could be a great community hospital again, if their focus would be patient safety and having appropriate staffing on all shifts, every day. Let’s urge the board of directors to convince Christus where their priorities should lie. Please call/email/write each and every board member to get this message to them. Patient safety and safe staffing first! CSVRMC RN
SFREPORTER.COM
Cover, Sept. 18:
“After the Bomb” Carthartic Zozos
It’s always disappointing to see articles indicting Los Alamos for not gladly accepting others’ foisted symbolism. Hey, we’re real people in a real community and it’s not us that can’t see that. Others who have no engagement with the real Los Alamos want us to be their symbol, to define our meaning, and to complacently receive judgment. It’s not us who are refusing to live in reality. Come visit, but don’t come bearing “gifts” and attitudes of saving us. Aspire to know us first, otherwise, it’s all just a pantomime where we get cast unwillingly as a faceless community of Zozobras in your personal cathartic drama. Charlie Strauss
Los Alamos
Local Peace
Thank you for your coverage of the grand move for the Children’s Peace Statue to the Balloon Museum in Albuquerque. Sadly, however, while it was in Santa Fe, the Reporter seemed loath to give it any kind of coverage. It was the centerpiece of a peace education program in the public schools from 1999–2008, during which time it was buried in peace cranes at every annual Peace Day event. Cranes folded by children, not only from the local schools, but from across the country and all over the world were sent to the statue every year—hundreds of thousands of them—to commemorate Peace Day.
The Cranes for Peace project educated an estimated 500 local public school children a year about their Peace Statue, about Sadako; inspired them to fold peace cranes and teach their whole school; and they did school assemblies—big deal. That you finally gave that precious sculpture coverage is a positive sign—Sadako’s story is alive and well. However, you were remiss to omit mention of the Cranes for Peace project and the role of Children’s Peace Statue to create a culture of peace while it was right here in Santa Fe. Shannyn Sollitt
Director of Cranes for Peace
Fairness & Integrity
The conditions of the workers chronicled in the article [cover, Sept. 4:] “Hard Harvest” are not a fully accurate representation of the circumstances of the harvest in New Mexico. This work is indeed difficult, as is all agriculture work, but it is also an honorable and honest way for people with few skills to make a living. Most of the harvesters are very prideful people who garner a great deal of joy and satisfaction from doing a job that they know many Americans cannot. Like many of us, they also enjoy the social interaction that this job provides. Many people rely on this field work.
Contrary to the article, farmers are governed by the same labor laws as other industries and all workers are guaranteed minimum wage. Those who are skilled and industrious can make far more. These workers will not get rich, but this work does allow them to support their families and many drive their own cars, have houses and choose to raise their families in those communities in which they work.
New Mexico farms are competing with farmers from other countries such as Mexico, China and Peru who pay their workers, many of which are children, for a full day’s work less than what our workers make in an hour. The result is that less produce is now grown in New Mexico because it is difficult for our farmers to compete. Our growers and processors continue to operate their businesses here even though economically it’s not always the best situation for them. New Mexico farmers pay their workers fairly and operate their businesses with integrity.
NM Chile Association
Board of directors
