Sold!; Stir It Up, Little Johnny; White Gets It from Where He Lived; Race w/MUGGER; More...

MUGGER: I saw in yesterday's Times that you sold the paper. I hope the paper will get the boost it well deserves. I always thought that your column was best of all. And so, I hope that the paper will get better, and you will write for it as long as you can. I know the next jerk to go will be Alexander Cockburn-a liar. I liked Taki-racist, anti-Semite that he was. Well, all things come to an end. Good luck.

Bert Zakim, Manhattan

Stir It Up

John Strausbaugh: Guess you printed that article on the front page to cause a stir and I'm sure it will ("Biting the Whore that Fed Me," 12/25). I actually really was with Jim Goad from the beginning, thinking, "Right on! Finally someone who isn't afraid to bash that whore-as-goddess trash!" But then I read on to see Goad basically refer to strippers and whores as turds whose "brains [probably couldn't] burp up one...just one...original idea. Their entire job is to prey upon men's lonely vulnerability and suck money from their pockets." Yeah, those poor guys who go to strip clubs completely against their will.

Well, as you know, I am a former stripper, so after reading that stuff, I felt myself pull away and rather than get angry, observe the anger and hatred in the writer-a writer who shows no compassion for women who take money for exploiting their sexuality. And we, the readers, are supposed to show compassion to him, a man who went to prison for physically abusing a woman.

I find it interesting that on the one hand, I completely agree that "sex is instantly corrupted when money enters the equation." I agree that porn is artificial and silly. I even agree that the whole institution of a woman taking off her clothes onstage in front of a group of men who throw money at her is absurd and stupid and wouldn't exist if we had a healthy cultural attitude toward sex. But I can't wrap my mind around someone who can't see a stripper or a whore as a human being who is doing this job because she was physically abused at some point in her life, needs money fast, has to support a child or thinks she is getting love while she is literally or figuratively getting fucked. Calling herself a "goddess" is a way to ease the pain of the shame, the damage that is happening to her soul. It's like being a drug addict who thinks getting high all the time is "fun" and not an addiction. Maybe after time passes she will find her way out of it. But calling her a cunt or a whore and writing poems about looking up her asshole isn't going to help.

I just find it interesting that Jim Goad, with his intelligence and ability to discern sex positivity from sex work as a religion, can be so cold and ignorant, seeing these women as "garbage," but cannot find it in himself to even really try to understand what drives a woman to do such a thing. He may share more with them than he cares to admit. This may explain the anger.

He even equates the sex industry with prison. Both are dark places that you go to when you have slipped into some sort of desperation or delusion. He got out of prison and we are supposed to care about what he has to say. What about those of us who got out of the sex industry? Are we still tainted? Garbage? Deserving to be beaten?

I know it is only one man's opinion, but I have written several real articles on the women who do this sort of work and they never wound up on the front page. It's disappointing that a man who is proud of hating women would get that kind of exposure.

Jill Morley, Manhattan

Hometown Barb

The only problem I see in Armond White's attempt to recreate a new wave for our commodified age is that he's no Truffaut and Spielberg's even less of a Hitchcock ("Film," 12/25). Spielberg's like a one-man Disney, reducing every story ever told to one: the relationship between a boy and his parents. That's not where his virtues lie, of course, for it is the formally innovative manner with which Spielberg will tell us which mall stores to shop at (or, perhaps, airlines to take) in his latest offering that will put so many asses in theater seats over the holidays (well, that or Leo and Tom). "American myth of ceaseless ambition," indeed. Keep trying, White, and just maybe we'll all live to regret chuckling at your expense, but I'm betting not.

Charles Reece, Detroit

Whence Baby Warthogs?

The boast of Jim Goad in his article against pornography, "Why should I pay for something I can get for free?" ("Biting the Whore that Fed Me," 12/25) seems to be the philosophical foundation for his entire argument. I wonder if Goad considers the possible advantages someone like himself has in getting laid for free, consistently.

He is obviously well-educated: attractive. Based on his loathing of dysfunctional histories, he probably came from a relatively functional childhood: attractive. He's probably white: attractive. He is obviously confident: attractive. And powerful enough to be placed as head editor of a publication: attractive.

If, say, you are short, squat, powerless at work, non-English-speaking, pimply, facially scarred, considered by all women to "look creepy" or any combination of these, I guarantee your indictment of the sex industry would not rest in its "artificial" nature. You'd be more inclined to state that, despite the "artificial" nature of the relationship, at least you got laid. Better to get laid artificially than to choose the more "natural" course, which works for attractive people, like Jim Goad, and leaves the ugly people to Darwinian celibacy. I don't go for chicks in makeup either, but that artificiality helps people get by in life.

As for the "whores" who make it happen: at least there exist some women-albeit unattractive by uncompromising standards like yours and, I admit, mine-who are willing to trade in physical or emotional attraction for cash and a lifestyle.

No one in this equation likes where they stand except you: on your high ground condemning the carnage.

Tobin Russell Brogunier, Brooklyn

The Army-Navy Game Must Have You in Fits

I just finished reading your recent issue, and I am impressed. I think that the overall quality of the writing has gone up very considerably, and even Mike Signorile had a very readable and informative column. Christopher Caldwell had some of the smartest, most perceptive comments on the Trent Lott fiasco that I have read anywhere ("Hill of Beans," 12/25) and Jim Goad's article reveals a real talent for take-no-prisoners description of the seamy stuff (yes, I have been to Portland, many times, and I agree with Goad absolutely in his assessment). The only disappointment was Spike Vrusho's article on the Rangers ("New York City," 12/25). I was expecting a memoir by someone in the Army Rangers, not the hockey team (always hated hockey, especially since the goalies started wearing those masks). If you can keep up this level of quality, you can start charging for the online edition-I'll pay for it!

Jack Gold, Prudhoe Bay, AL

The Race Is On

MUGGER: This is one of the most intellectually dishonest pieces I've ever read (12/25). Last time I thought about it, I recalled that "so's your old man" is not a logically sound argument (see Aristotle or some primer under ad hominems or nonsequiturs). Your piece in no way disputes the truth uttered by President Clinton and that is that Lott gave public voice to what Southern Republicans have been saying for decades. If you knew even a smidgen of American political history (or, if you do, were honest enough to face it in spite of your partisan hatred for Democrats) you would know and acknowledge beyond dispute that the Republican Party's rise in the South was due to its embrace, yes embrace, not squeamish toleration, of ugly retrograde racism.

Those former Democrats who could not abide even the tepid acceptance of civil rights by the Democrats fled to the Republican Party in droves, encouraged by an organized campaign by the party first initiated by Sen. Chuck Percy when he was the Republican National Committee chairman. Since the attitudes evidenced by racial Neanderthals like Helms, Lott, Ashcroft and, yes, Strom Thurmond persist to this day, calling the Republican Party of the South racist is a sadly tragic truth. That truth is neither changed nor ameliorated because Byrd and Hollings have less than exemplary past records, or because Bill Clinton failed to get a change in Arkansas law. Byrd, like Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, seems to have overcome his past associations. Lott and the Republicans are serial and contemporary offenders. Try writing opinion based on fact and the reasonable inferences to be drawn from them. Castigation is a rather insignificant activity.

David M. Lipton, Boston

Russ Smith replies: Naturally, a letter from a lawyer in Boston, that bastion of racial harmony. Remnants of racism exist in the South, of course, especially among the members of "The Greatest Generation." But how does Lipton square the bigotry of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? And what about the members of NOW who railed against Clarence Thomas for watching a porno film but were silent on Bill Clinton's rampant hypocrisy? And what about members of PETA, who inevitably vote Democratic and are more concerned with the welfare of a mosquito than a human being?

Fear Factor

Mike Signorile: You mention that conservative online media also took up the Trent Lott story after onliners like Josh Marshall kept hammering ("The Gist," 12/18). Do you think that the White House and their ilk on radio, print, etc., really care about racism or homophobia? Was the pick-up by the conservatives you mention really based on care about what (Salem's) Lott said? Actually, the question might really be: Have you ever met a conservative that wasn't racist? I mean, deep down? These people are conservative because others may take what they have (or so they think), and it's easy to vilify others if they look different or act differently.

To me, conservatives are fear-based. And their fear can be molded by those with some skill at those techniques. Conservative leaders are adept at fanning the flames of fear, in whatever form they may need to do so, e.g., homophobia, racism, anti-environmentalist, anti-women, anti-multiculturalism, etc. Fear-based individuals are susceptible to this manipulation and then identify with the conservative message over time.

I think that the conservatives are jumping on this because they fear the bad publicity of (vacant) Lott still in the leadership position of the Senate. My gut tells me that the outcry of conservatives is due to their fear of losing their power, nothing more. Thanks for putting in the hours on your column.

Dave Zaber, Monona, WI

He Meant Segregation In a Good Way

MUGGER: And just remember that Strom Thurmond and Trent Lott were all Democrats when that election in '48 was polled. It is the Democrats that tried their best to keep the segregated schools and military, except for Harry Truman. The Republicans have nearly always tried to advance the black population, even the freeing of the slaves was accomplished by a Republican.

Harold Dodson, Anderson, CA

Maybe It's the Peace and Prosperity They Hate

I am tired of right-wingers like Russ Smith giving Democrats advice. According to Smith, Democrats would do well repudiating Bill Clinton ("MUGGER," 12/25)-well there is a snowball's chance in hell of that happening since Clinton remains a beloved figure in the Democratic Party-because his presidency brought us eight years of peace and prosperity.

When Bill Clinton called the GOP a racist party, he was just stating the obvious. The congressional Democrats are such wimps; it is refreshing when one of our leaders tells it like it is. And who said that former presidents should keep silent? Harry Truman certainly did not follow that rule, and he was admired for his feistiness. I am a teetotaler and call them as I see them. A bum is a bum and a racist is a racist and that sums up George W. Bush.

Reba Shimansky, Brooklyn

Tale of the Darklady

My name is Theresa Reed and I was the first official editor of Exotic Magazine, years before Jim Goad brought his special little felonious PTSD anti-everybody magic to the magazine's pages ("Biting the Whore that Fed Me," 12/25). I left the magazine after three years spent making it more than just a glossy cover for escort ads with some throwaway words littering the spaces between the advertisements. I saw that it was heading Goadward and wasn't enjoying the experience and decided to take that opportunity to move my writing beyond the Portland area. I went freelance, working for clients including Adult Video News, Fetish Magazine, Good Vibrations, Venus Book Club, PlayTime, Yes Portal, and Adult NetSurprise.

I shopped my popular column, "Tales of the Darklady," back to Exotic a couple of years ago because I wanted to reestablish a local presence in the adult press. Once Goad took the helm as editor, it was deemed that my writing was not "punk" enough and the column was discontinued. It would appear that Mr. Goad never really bothered to read anything I wrote, but decided that my work no longer fit the magazine's format since it didn't spew hatred and resentment everywhere. It was, in fact, his anathema: "sex positive" writing. Mr. Goad generously provided me with free promotion for a few subsequent issues by engaging in a parade of typically snotty and adolescent comments about something he knows nothing about-me.

While I respect the man's writing ability and intelligence, I believe that his message and how he communicates it is pretty fucked up. Why a man so ensnared in the Madonna/whore syndrome and with such low regard for sex, women and sex workers has chosen to write about the sex industry is beyond me, unless it is because he enjoys promoting himself as a victim/martyr under the guise of claiming some kind of twisted and oppressed Everyman status.

Theresa Reed, Portland, OR

Think a Good-Looking Clooney

MUGGER: When I installed my AOL 8.0 today (I surfed more than usual) I ran across your article, and was delighted to find you. A few years ago (during the worst of the Clinton orgy) a friend referred me to your page and I read all of your columns with relish. You were right on the money. Amen to all you said. I thought for sure that you would become a superstar of journalism. But I did not know your name. Until today. Do you do any tv appearances? I would like to put a face on my favorite writer.

Ruthie Steele, Nashville

Mummy Dearest

MUGGER: Congratulations on the sale-season Yankee tickets for you and the kiddo, huh? I expect your "Who's on Frist" column to follow shortly to explain to us all how Al Sharpton plans to inform us about Bill Frist's rampant racism during his free operations in Africa-that oughtta get Big Al into the soon-to-be-black house. (Hey, just kidding, I think Strom Thurmond looks like a corpse and they're late in wrapping that mummy.)

Skip Press, Burbank, CA

You Sound Nice

MUGGER: Please accept my thanks for your fine writings, starting with "Ditch Bill Clinton" (12/25). I am an old guy but must tell you I am proud of you and hope you take pride in yourself and continue your great columns and bring joy and pleasure through your pen to many people. I appreciate you and thank you.

Michael Brande, Wayne, NJ

Goldsplat

MUGGER: It takes a lot for me to write a fan letter to another commentator, but your 12/25 column got me smiling from start to finish (thought you were a little hard on Johnny Pod though). The image of Jesse getting a thumbs-down from St. Peter had me spitting my Diet Coke across the page. Will be picking up New York Press more often now.

Mark Goldblatt, Manhattan

Too Many Ifs

No one's mentioned it, but if Max Cleland had ditched Clinton back during impeachment, if he had once broken ranks to vote with Republicans on important issues, if he hadn't defiled the Senate seat of Sam Nunn, Max Cleland would still be a senator.

Linda Anderson, Kennesaw, GA

Along with Half-Truths and Fabrications

MUGGER: I'm seeing anecdotal evidence that even black voters are getting tired of Bill Clinton. Please don't warn the Democrats about him-they might listen to you. It is really not a good idea in any contest to repeat the same tactic constantly, and race-baiting is a dangerous one. Apparently the Democrats have lost their feel for demographics and attitudes of the South especially. A large percentage of the population in the South were not born here and many of those are second-generation Yankees. They don't take kindly to being labeled racist. Also, they complain about talk radio and a couple of newspapers, but don't seem to realize what's going on over the Internet. The talk radio guys are constantly cruising the Net. Blogs, netzines and forums are all starting to influence people who vote. You can't get away with a simple soundbite attack in the mainstream media anymore without having it analyzed to the nth degree on the Net. Lies, contradictions and fallacies get pointed out fast!

Douglas Chandler, Dallas

If You Keep Talking About Them...

MUGGER: Your column of 12/25, in which you commented on Bill and Hillary Clinton and the race-baiting tactics the Democratic Party will employ in the next election cycle, served to remind me of the reality our nation must contend with until the Clintons fade from view. They are the ultimate self-appointed political narcissists who just can't quit looking in the mirror the media provides them. Likewise, Tina Brown and Maureen Dowd can't seem to pry themselves away from whatever mirrors are at their disposals. Unfortunately, this is not a condition with these people, but a way of life. Perhaps if we ignore them, they will go away...but probably not.

Tracy Meadows, Brenham, TX

Mighty Long Finger in Our Pie

MUGGER: Bill Clinton continues to give me more reasons for my intense dislike for him. So does his wife. I have a son, a daughter-in-law and two granddaughters who live in Brooklyn, so I have four important reasons for being interested in New York politics. Someone asked me who was willing to pay Bill Clinton so handsomely for his speeches and I replied, "There is an old saying that covers that: 'A fool and his money are soon parted.'" But Bill Clinton has probably told the truth a time or two just by mistake or by the law of averages.

Donald W. Bales, Kingsport, TN

Happy & Merry

A panel to investigate the 9/11 terrorist attacks will get under way soon. It'll examine some of the evidence, conclude Osama bin Laden was the perpetrator and quickly turn off the lights. Sadly, they'll review only some of the facts because a full examination would lead to and through some rather important political doors.

If the committee honestly examined all the evidence, it would come to the same conclusion as have many of us who bothered to connect the dots: 3000 innocent lives and the Constitution were sacrificed to save George W. Bush's sinking presidency and the future of the World War Industry. If all the facts were assembled and reviewed, no other reasonable conclusion could be reached. The key to the tragedy is the Saudi/CIA/Bush axis-of-evil connection. If our newly minted panel refuses to investigate this Triangle of Treachery, the entire exercise will become a whitewash. We must remain vigilant in our relentless search for the truth.

The truth about the Sept. 11 attacks will be revealed, despite the coverup and whitewash. Since Sept. 11, George Bush has morphed into a hermit president. He's assumed the morbid mantle of the Wizard of Oz, running the world by remote control. Both he and the Vice President have dropped out of sight behind the barricades of their moneyed and military interests. Where are they? What are they doing? Who's running the country? Does anyone have a clue?

A few short weeks from now George W. Bush intends to make refugees out of millions of Iraqis. He will send our children to kill their families and destroy their homes. He will permit the use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions that will poison Iraqi air, food, water, land and animals. Many of the refugees will be sold into slavery, prostitution or worse. All these heinous acts will be done to the helpless people of Iraq in our name. Why? For what purpose? To achieve what end? Before the first Iraq war, Iraq was the most modern nation in the entire Middle East. What will we gain by driving millions of desperate human beings into destitution?

Today is Christmas. The Bushes and Cheneys are gleefully enjoying the company of family and friends. The rest of us are celebrating an uneasy holiday season with little merriment. No one can be jubilant or rest easily while George W. Bush and our homegrown masters of global terrorism are afoot.

Franklin L. Johnson, Manhattan