Letters

Hell Hath No Fury
Congratulations, New Times! You got to experience the wrath of scorned Hollywood politicians! Your words were twisted into a Hollywood spin accusing you of being racist and anti-Semitic (Undercurrents, June 3).

That's a common tactic used by some of Hollywood's leaders. Think about it, those comments are coming from supporters of a mayor and commission that chose to eliminate the possibility of a church or school being located in a North Beach neighborhood. I spoke at the commission meeting, suggesting that this new ordinance that eliminates churches and schools from North Beach should also include synagogues and temples. That way, all of God's people would be offended. (That too was later taken out of context.)

Larry Gierer
Oakland Park

We've Been Called Worse
Since leather bars have always been sexual in nature, the facts in your story are nothing new ("Sexual Roulette," Jay Cheshes, May 27).

Please tell me why the article was written. What do you hope to accomplish with it? I thought it was factual but unnecessary. Those who want sex will find it, and the bars have been a safe place to do that. Now they are not able to, since there have been changes since this article came out.

I have heard many angry reactions to the article, and I would like to know the answer to the above question, as I don't know whether to say "right on" or "you dirty scumbag."

Name withheld by request
via the Internet

Editor's note: The article was written to inform readers about an important subject involving people who live in this community. We did not set out to accomplish anything more than that.

Adolf Vs. the First Amendment: A Standoff
Great story on the two teens who mirrored the Littleton killers' Website ("Caught in a Web of His Own Design," Harris Meyer and Brendan Kelley, May 6). Interesting First Amendment question -- there was no similar uproar over the Heaven's Gaters, whose Website was mirrored all over the Internet. I guess suicide's an OK topic, but murder isn't. Not that these kids in the story are promoting murder, they're just computer geeks.

I always did find it fascinating that Nazis and neo-Nazis, Fascists, revolutionary Communists, the Ku Klux Klan, and other extremist groups use the First Amendment to justify their demonstrations, recruiting activities, et cetera, and rightly so -- yet if these groups ever gained power, one of the first things they'd do would be to suspend the First Amendment. Kind of scary.

Hitler had every right, under both Germany's post-WWI constitution and our own, to expound his views, form the Nazis, organize political rallies, campaign in elections, et cetera. He had no right to do just about anything he did after he gained power -- but nobody was able to stop him once he got there. How do you stop a Hitler from happening again and still preserve First Amendment freedoms of speech, the press, and assembly? Wish I knew.

Chris Serb
via the Internet

Coming Soon to a Civics Class Near You: New Times 101
I just wanted to congratulate you on your series of excellent articles on local politics. I refer to your pieces on [Alan] Koslow in Hollywood ("Hooray For Hollywood!" Harris Meyer, April 29) and the development of Plantation ("Frank's Plantation," Bob Norman, April 1).

Articles like these reveal the all-too-often "real" workings of local governments. This is the kind of information that civics classes don't cover -- but probably should. Keep up the good work.

Gary Parsons
via the Internet