Letters

Digging Trenches For Log Cabin
The new political action PAC (PAC-PAC), discussed in a recent issue of New Times, is a healthy change from the usual status quo ("The Brat PAC," Michael Freedman, September 3). The competition [between these local political groups] turned into an educational tool for me and, I sincerely believe, for others, too.

I was happy to see the Log Cabin Club participating. It seems that, although they are an actual club composed of Republican activists, all too often you hear people like Al Rantel [WINZ, 940 AM] and others doing the talking and not the real trench work for them.

Louis Osorio
Pompano

It's the Community, Stupid
Michael Freedman, in his September 3 article ("The Brat PAC"), obviously lacked some historical insight when noting that "only the Dolphins can boast they've gotten specific candidates elected."

On page three of the same issue, Keith Watts, vice president of the Dolphin Democratic Club and a Democratic Executive Committee activist, suggested that his club has "been around longer than the other organizations." ("Some of the Dolphins' Best Friends Are Gay," Letters). Historically the grassroots activism of the Tuesday Night Group actually resulted in the birth of the Dolphin Democratic Club and the long-overdue Log Cabin Club, with both clubs open to and including heterosexuals advocating strong proequality agendas.

The "Tuesday Night" cluster groups even helped elect politicians, as did the Log Cabin with the Cary Keno victory. Indeed those early pioneers, who nurtured some of the finest leaders South Florida has ever seen (politically and/or otherwise) were community loyalists first and party politicians thereafter.

Since Michael Freedman never consulted the Log Cabin Club about its historical significance and its struggle in the battle for across-the-board equality, what should one really expect from eager members of the media who are innocently fed information by someone with oversight capability?

Therefore, we should not expect too much from a partisan member of the Democratic Executive Committee or a Dolphin-chartered DEC board member who puts party loyalty first, community second.

Andy Eddy
Log Cabin Club
Fort Lauderdale

Forget Spielberg and Clinton, Praise to Peacekeeper Rainer
I think it an injustice that nobody ever mentions the extraordinary writing of Peter Rainer in your editorials. The man produced a chef-d'oeuvre in his film review, "Life During Wartime" (July 23), about the film Saving Private Ryan. Peter characterizes war, as depicted in Saving Private Ryan, as a paradox; a confused state of mind; a jolt that takes man into the beyond while he wonders how the hell he got there in the first place. Indeed war is a state, its prolonged stay demanding both that one kill in order to be released from its venomous web and, as one kills, increasing one's dependency on killing all the more, so that even if one could leave, one would choose not to. In short, war sucks. War is addictive, meaning the real war takes place inside the person, and there is no such thing as a "patriotic war."

Rainer deserves credit because, in his own way, he's doing just as much to prevent war as Steven Spielberg and President Clinton. In my book Rainer's writing ranks right up there with Doctor Zhivago. Whatever amount of money the man is making, I think he deserves more. Thanks, New Times.

Manny Losada
Miami