I don't know you, but you must be plenty bored with your life to devote so much time to such a useless piece of plastic that will inevitably end up in some landfill resisting decomposition for several millennia ("Blowin' in the Wind," Jeff Stratton, March 1). Did it ever enter your mind that maybe you had a bad story idea when nobody would talk to you about it? I feel bad for your employer wasting what is a probably paltry salary. Paltry because you are a writer for New Times, after all.
I can't believe you were shocked that Calvin Johnson didn't know Bernard Sumner played a melodica on "Love Vigilantes." Who cares? I put that record away before I graduated high school. Stratton isn't still in high school, is he?
I remember once I was jamming with some friends, and I started to play the melodica. In midjam I forgot how to play it. I didn't waste a single second trying to remember. I just sat it down. You should have done the same.
Wilburtronic, a.k.a. Will Rockafellow
via the Internet
Dump Mara now:
Regarding Bob Norman's February 22 article, "A Double Whammy," now that the shocking murder of gambling mogul Gus Boulis has settled in, Hollywood citizens are starting to ask questions.
Why? Helen Ferris, the Broward civic activist says, "We all know what spawned the killing; we have these crazy gambling boats without any regulations, and [that] invites all the scum to Florida."
Who? Everyone knows that Mayor Mara Giulianti supported Boulis' illegal casino boat so the profits could be used to finance Mara's dream of the Diamond on the Beach high-rise hotel. She supported this even though beach activists complained that Boulis' long history of criminal and legal troubles were bad business for Hollywood.
Where? In secret meetings at city hall, the mayor and commissioners were negotiating with Boulis' lawyers to settle the two lawsuits that legal experts agree Hollywood could have won.
When? A few days before Boulis' tragic death, the mayor eerily predicted, "Gus Boulis has got to be out."
What can people do? Former Hollywood commissioner John T. Williams recently stated the obvious: Start a recall movement against Mayor Giulianti for conduct unbecoming an elected official.
John Lundin
Hollywood
And rehab the addicts:
We live in a society where little children watch cartoons and films of people killing each other as if it were OK, but where showing the naked body, even sexless breasts, is considered taboo and drugs are easily available everywhere. Drugs, hookers, and porno kings dehumanize sexuality and procreation ("Screwed," Bob Whitby, February 22 and "Street Life," Emma Trelles, February 15). This policy of cops and hospitals being super-lax on domestic violence all over Broward County, of closing an eye to hookers and drugs, of selecting and protecting favorites, is not healthy.
Generations to come will label us sick and stupid. When cops just keep sending hookers and drug dealers to other areas as if they were operators of giant Ferris wheels, with judges and prosecutors employing revolving-door mentalities and limited judgment, these addicts are prevented from spending enough detox time incarcerated or under tight supervision. Let us not forget our parole/probation system is a bad joke and puts too much emphasis on overburdened judges. Parolees do not just break one lil' rule, but all rules, becoming more addicted than before. Without jobs that pay enough to feed $400-a-day habits, they are pushed into violent crime.
Since forced rehab and halfway houses are virtually nonexistent, the corrections system is out of touch with reality; jails grant families a chance to contact the addicts. Visits and letters can make all the difference between turning out future Columbine kids or normal members of society. Last but not least, parenting classes are more important than too many church services.
Dave Justus
via the Internet
Why does the library carry costly garbage?
I enjoyed your article "Better Than Everyone Else" (Amy Roe, January 25). I called the Hallandale Beach branch of Broward County library to ask if they had copies of Homeless Voice, and you can guess the answer. The library, I was told, does not collect free publications and had no suggestion as to where I might look for copies. I would guess that means the library does not collect New Times Broward/Palm Beach either, as you are free.
Jim Danky, Coeditor
Alternative Library Literature
via the Internet
Editor's note: New Times checked with the Broward County Main Library, which indeed does not collect New Times, Homeless Voice, or any other free publication. Harrumph!
