Zach Parsi's a Fathead; Keep Your Bloomberg On, MUGGER; Reader Sizes Up Heimlich on Vice; Lay of W, for Christ's Sake, Signorile; More
Fat & Proud
Re Zach Parsi's "Adipose Nation" (10/9). I for one am sick and tired of being bombarded with the media's opinion on how I should look, dress, fuck, feel, even when drinking a simple cup of coffee. I was not born Pamela Lee, excuse the dog shit outta me! At 5-feet-7, 165 pounds, big round tits and ass to die for. Full lips (white women pay for). I am somebody! Just because you are slim does not make you pretty. I for one prefer fluffy men. Over 200 pounds. You think because I am big, huh? Wrong! My girls who are 110 pounds like them big, too. Why should I be ashamed of my body image? You don't like fat bitches?don't look. We are here to stay as long as there is Lane Bryant and Wendy's. I am truly happy with myself. It all comes down to individual choice and preference. As far as the health issue, athletes drop dead all the time out of nowhere. Be proud of yourself, people! Fat, skinny, cross-eyed, they will always find something wrong with you! Love yourself, all others will follow. From a self-proclaimed full-figured Miss America.
Channie Pubill, Brooklyn
Not a Bad Idea
While Zach Parsi's trying to shrink the nation's collective arses, you might suggest he mandate annual lung volume measurement so as to enable Big Nanny to tax us on estimated CO2 exhaled. After all, it's a "greenhouse gas" and Califoo declares it a "pollutant." Looking forward to a Twins-Cards series!
L. Lane, Humble, TX
He Could Kick Your Ass, Though
What's up with you guys? You trash Vice magazine in your Best of Manhattan issue ("Best Regular Magazine Feature," 9/25) and then the following week run a pandering front page story about them ("Vice Rising," 10/2). Isn't that a touch hypocritical? Although, you did get that midget restaurant reviewer to do the article, so maybe it was a diss after all.
Roger Russo, Brooklyn
Gideon, Eh?
Re Michelangelo Signorile's column ("The Gist," 10/9). Please be careful. Our President never said that "he'd learned more about politics from Jesus of Nazareth than from anyone else"?although he has certainly worn his faith out in the public, and even mentioned Christ as his favorite or most influential "philosopher" in a presidential debate.
Your article is a great example of postmodernism and secular humanism. It stands before human history, just as Pilate stood before Christ 2000 years before and asked, "What is truth?" Who do we trust? This is mere folly and another man-is-God-meager attempt at disparaging the tenets of Christianity with a man-is-God-visage of truth.
But then, "what is truth?" What worldview do you propose?if not Christ? Who is the world's most important leader we should trust? Do we choose a work's-based faith that causes the respondents to fall short of the standards of truth by virtue of infallibility, or a grace-based faith that transforms the soul? The former can be faked, while the latter is inescapable.
Do we then follow the Muslim secularist with a messianic complex, Saddam Hussein? Because our President is a confessing Christian? Is this what your article suggests?
Henry Gideon, Bastrop, TX
Michelangelo Signorile replies: I will only address your alleged correction, referring to that authority on these matters, The Baptist Standard, Jan. 15, 2001: "This week, a single incident from the presidential campaign stands out. Asked to name his favorite political philosopher, Bush chose Jesus Christ... Now, the truth of Bush's statement?both concerning whether he really meant it and whether the 'political philosophy' of Jesus, will work in a democracy?can be put to the test. If Bush really believes the 'political philosophy' of Jesus then he will seek to implement the Lord's teachings: 'Seek first the kingdom of God...'"
To the Slackphone!
Clearly the Maryland police are getting nowhere, fast. We desperately need Jim Knipfel to come up with a profile of the tarot card sniper, and quick, just like he nailed Luke Helder (the Smiley Face bomber) in his spot-on "Daily Billboard" piece, "He's Ain't the Unabomber, That's for Sure" last May (5/6). Please, Jim. Do it for the kids.
Matthew Holm, New Paltz, NY
From the Horse's Mouth
Well, Phil Helfman is partially right in the letter you've published ("The Mail," 10/9). I do know Bill Ryan, I met him several years after I started craigslist. Bill is on the board of our nonprofit foundation. However, I've never asked him to provide any help with p.r. regarding craigslist itself. We heavily support local and other nonprofits, including some in NYC in small but hopefully significant ways.
Craig Newmark, San Francisco
The Ace of Spades Most Certainly Is Not the Four Of Clubs
MUGGER: Stuck in the people's republic of Southern California, close to Big A land, thanks for ringing my bell. I'm your POP in law vintage. Escaped Fremont (Omaha, NE) at 14. Never had a team. Well, Bernie Berman/Minn Gophers Sam Francis NE. Huskers. Got to L.A. in 1940 so I get the Hollywood Stars and L.A. Angels. Biggest memory is sneaking in to all the games. War took the real men (ball players), my L.A. high school teammate, our catcher?16-years-old and All-City in 11th grade?got the job catching the Hollywood Stars. Big stink about money...still had high school games to catch. It was fun. God, I hate to say I do not recall his name. Ron Reagan knew him. I know it's not funny, but he really did. That's when the stands always had Marx Bros., Jolson, Raft, Crosby, Jessel, displaced NY, NY guys at the ballpark (even more at the fights (Hollywood Legion)). Even Bugsy, and New Jersey throwaway Mick Cohen (where I learned about "action" on every pitch and "I'll take the white corner you got the black, not the fighter, the stool he was sittin' on...had some good nights some not so good).
Thanks for sharing your pop-in-law. My son-in-law and daughter Lynn enjoyed last Saturday's demise of dynasty #? and we all whooped it up on Sunday. So neat to see Gene's sweetie take the big smile. That was another bunch at the fights and around?Gene Autry-Buck Jones-Tom Mix-Ken Maynard (old guys) Lash LaRue-Roy Rogers (the kids), the Gower Gulch Gang. Okay, I'm starting to sound like MUG does Baltimore, but so what, right? The ace of spades ain't the four of clubs. I keep reading that message in your reasoned rants.
Again, thank you. Citizenship. Boy Scout (I was Sea). Moral compass. Making sure your kids do not grow up dumb...value judgment...common sense...I think a platform is required from which to make your point. You built one. It is only a matter of time. Keep shouting/whispering and sending that freedom message. That p.c. dumb correctness pedestal is already swinging back in your direction. Amplify it every week. Thanks. At least those fucking Angels did not stop after taking out your beloved; they took 'em all out, and I still don't believe it.
Name Withheld, via e-mail
Philipp Leibfried, Munich, Germany
There Is a God
MUGGER: Be still my heart (10/9). What unadulterated and pure joy it was to see the Yanks (Bronx Bombers indeed) get their faces rubbed in warmed-over dog feces (sentence cleaned up because kids are in the house), by the California Angels, no less. I enjoy your columns immensely and wish you the very best in life always. Oh, and by the way, give Junior a pat on the head from a father who so enjoyed taking his young ones to the ballpark when they were young also.
Orvil D. McKinnis Jr., Fresno, CA
A Few Nits to Pick
None of New York Press' recent glaring errors has been as poignant as Armond White's gaff in his pan of the most recent P.T. Anderson turd ("Film," 10/9). "Dolby levels"? An honest mistake, perhaps, but White is usually as prescient in music matters as he is in filmic ones: dB stands for decibels, a measurement of sound intensity, not Dolby levels. (The Dolby systems are proprietary technologies for reducing extraneous noise in sound recording and reproduction.)
Whoops! Just noticed another music-related goof a paragraph down: It's "Jesse's Girl," not "Jessie's Girl," unless the tune referenced in Boogie Nights is not the Rick Springfield "classic" (haven't yet subjected myself to Anderson's b.s., thanks largely to White's warnings). I will forgive White for his prosaic misdemeanors, however, as long as he continues illuminating the poetry of cinema, whenever and wherever he (seldom) finds it.
I gave Spielberg another look, thanks to White, despite an excruciating adolescent experience of E.T., and was deeply moved by A.I. (almost as much as by a subtitle-less first viewing at Anthology of Dreyer's Ordet). I was dismayed that White's unusually excellent dissection of the Wilco and Robert Evans documentaries too many issues back didn't inspire comment ("Film," 7/31). Such vitriol would have been anathema (and unpublishable) in the Voice or the Onion?their critics know when to fawn on the hand that feeds. I do hope the piece caught the attention of Eric Weisbard, ex-Voice alt-rock apologist and current Experience Music Project expert, but I'd only be sure Weisbard saw it if EMP founder and ex-Gates crony Paul Allen had the White review tattooed on his ass.
This week I hope White will share some words on the upcoming and limited BAM screenings of Ulrich Seidl films; they sound mightily intriguing. I'd welcome the special treat of an entire issue of the Press written by White, but if you can direct his poison pen to an occasional music, art, politics or food review, that may have to do!
Chris Beneke, Brooklyn
The editors reply: Dolby is chiefly known these days for its digital "surround sound," so White used his phrase correctly. And it's "Jessie's Girl." You could look it up, like we did.
His Premise Was Thin
Your cover story ("Adipose Nation," 10/9)? Really? With all that's happening in the world, and with all the daily nuances and strangeness and grandness and weirdness in New York City, the best you could come up with was an overwritten, utterly mundane travel account of some skinny little prick inconvenienced by the size of the guy sitting next to him?
Please tell little Zach Parsi to keep it simple, use plain English, if the story sucks, it sucks. He can't hide his lack of creativity in overly descriptive, catchy little phrases and big words. It's not funny, and it's not interesting. You guys should try a little harder. Zach, what we are talking about is substance. A big messy mass of substance, you're right. But it's exactly what your writing seems to lack.
Chris Trunell, Manhattan
Leaner Government
In "Adipose Nation," Zach Parsi makes the same fallacious leap of logic all those attorneys general so busy suing make every day. He identifies a distasteful behavior, and wants to rid the world of it. To make certain he succeeds, he'd like government coercion on his side. Perhaps realizing how nakedly fascist such an idea is, he needs to justify it somehow, and so latches onto a not-so-very-original idea: "[I]t is a safe bet that most of those gluttony-related health care costs will be passed on to...government." And to protect itself, that government may tax and sue and regulate. What never seems to occur to people like Parsi, Spitzer and their ilk?perhaps precisely because they cannot help but envision government being the solution to everything, which is why this crazy idea popped into their heads in the first place?is the possibility that, as a practical solution to this problem, the government could simply stop assuming health care costs onto itself. Or is the problem, to Parsi, really the government spending too much, as he'd like us to believe, or certain private behavior of people offending him?
One more point: You may want to take a look at a picture of Rush Limbaugh before calling him a "glutton." He lost more than 100 pounds some time ago, is in pretty good shape and I'm quite certain no government action was needed.
Nathan Lamm, Flushing, NY
? and the Name Withhelds
Upon reading in the Arts & Entertainment section in your recent Best of Manhattan issue, I saw that you had voted Jon Weiss "Best Local Rock Promoter" (9/25). I felt I just had to speak up.
I guess you can count me as a member of one of those bands that might have had an "unhappy encounter" with Jon. Well, I can assure you that it's a lot more than just a "band or two." It's every band I know that's dealt with him! I felt after working with him that I (and the other bands on the bill as well) had been taken advantage of, and that it was done in a manner based on this principle: If you guys won't work your asses off tonight for $25, I have a long list of people who will.
He was very nice. I will give you that. He was nice when he made his promises, and he was just as nice as he left, having not made good on 80 percent of them. Imagine that! I don't know who exactly wrote this piece, but I am wondering about the "several gigs and other...related dealings" that you booked with him. I would guess he'd be on his best behavior with a New York Press writer (as opposed to the rest of us), facing a possible public spanking.
Look, I am writing anonymously, and I'm not going to give any details of my experience as I still have to get bookings in this town, just like the next guy. Believe me, if you've heard one "bad promoter story," you've heard them all. So if you don't print this because of that, that's okay. That's not the point of this letter. I'm writing to voice my opinion. I just couldn't sit still when I read what you had written about him. I had to say something?someone did! And I'm definitely not the only one who feels this way. Dig around a little and you'll find I'm right. "Best Local Promoter"? I disagree!
Name Withheld, Manhattan
And We'll Keep Printing Them
Where should I eat tonight? Ohhh, I see you have answered that. I was highly impressed with the number of restaurants, bars and cafes that you have mentioned and written about. I understand that this is your Best of Manhattan edition that I am reading (9/25), but I will be holding onto it as a reference for picking places to go to with friends from this point on. Just wanted to say thank you and keep it up. I will send you letters in the future telling you what I think of the places I go. Thanks again.
Kevin Alexander, Manhattan
Burning Bush
Re Michelangelo Signorile's column, "In W We Trust?" ("The Gist," 10/9). It seems to me the author accurately nails the problem that Bush & Co. have attempted to convince America that this war must take place today, instantly, imminently, before it's too late and Saddam kills us all. Bush is hoping that quantity will overcome exigency, like the kid who's got 18 reasons for why he didn't do his homework, none of them convincing.
Bush also has another problem. Even if Saddam were to have nuclear weapons, Americans, while not all that proficient in geography, are fully aware that Iraq is a long way away. Moreover, they remember the Gulf War, and they remember that we had to go to Iraq to engage the enemy. Saddam didn't come here. Hence, they wonder: Since Saddam can't reach us, why are we going to his house? I mean, what's the point of looking for trouble? This has ordinary Americans, Americans who vote, mind you, a little puzzled. In short, Bush has failed to make a case that the Iraqi threat is immediate, despite insisting that is imminent.
The more time that goes by between now and the final congressional vote, the more Americans are coming to realize that this war is just plain dumb. Bush knows this, hence his insistence on voting now. The Democrats know this, hence their desire to delay a vote as long as possible.
George Josiban, Hamilton, NJ
Who's the Boss?
MUGGER: It appears you are well-positioned as editor-in-chief and CEO of New York Press if this diatribe passes as proper writing and story content (10/9). Somehow the fact you took your son to a ball game, and your seemingly endless thoughts on professional baseball, seems less than interesting. You may wish to go with your strength and leave writing to writers.
Jim Conrey, Jackson, MI
Write About What You Know
DWI causes an accident every 12-15 minutes. The Brooklyn Brewery used your paper as a way to promote DWI ("Best Way to Start a Saturday with a Free Buzz," Best of Manhattan, 9/25).
When you are running a "Best of" issue, people are relying on you to steer them right. The way I see your reviews is totally negative. You guys promote drinking, and drinking to excess. "If you catch the last tour at 4, you can easily exit with a lovely buzz and get an early start on happy-hour drinking." There is not one hint of public transportation or taxi service. I get the impression with the opening line, "Gentlemen, start your engines," I should drive down there with a couple of friends and enjoy the afternoon, throw back the eight free samples and then go out for the evening. The result can be a deadly one for me and others. DWI is one of the leading causes of auto wrecks each year. This review just feeds right into the mind of some idiot to do so.
Gerald O'Rallaghan, Queens
Not Big with Nonsmoking Prudes
I have seen your paper many times and finally decided to check it out. I was intrigued because of what I had heard about it from family and friends. Luckily, I was able to obtain your Best of Manhattan issue (9/25). I thought it would be something special. I was wrong!
The cover of the issue was innocent and alluring. The third page, on the other hand, was a full-page ad for "Kool" cigarettes. Even a trendy, hip New York City paper should know that page two should be an interesting story about the neighborhood or a new band. As I continued to peruse through this rag of a newspaper, all I could find were many useless advertisements and ridiculous titles to describe "Best of" things about our great city. I was also disappointed that the back of the paper is filled with ads for homosexuals, he-shes and very sexual in content. This is a free paper easily obtainable by minors who should not be subjected to this kind of material. I was glad to finally be able to read this paper I had heard so much about. I need not say I was very disappointed with what I saw in that issue. Everyone has a bad day or effort every now and then, but if this is what you consider for your Best of Manhattan issue, your best is not enough!
Anthony Maccarone, Manhattan
Kids in the White House
Michelangelo Signorile: I was pleased to finally see another columnist (Eric Alterman is the only other one I've read) refer to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's critique of a document titled "Rebuilding America's Defenses" ("The Gist," 10/9). Maybe the discussion of said document has been out there for a while and off my computer screen. Regardless, it appears to be the basis for the more discussed document entitled "The National Security Strategy of the United States of America." Hendrik Hertzberg's piece in The New Yorker is the most recent thought review I've seen. For the real blueprint, find and read the lengthy "Rebuilding America's Defenses," written by a cadre of collaborators, several of whom now serve in the Bush administration. These guys remind me of a bunch of videogame addicts who see the world as a videogame screen on which mastering the controls properly (unilaterally, of course) always assures total victory. These guys need adult supervision.
Keith Frohreich, Anaheim, CA
Um...
My first impression of your newspaper starts with the front cover. Pretty cool! A wise man once said, "A picture is worth a thousand words." I have one: Awesome!
The focus point: the cutie redhead really draws my attention (Best of Manhattan, 9/25). Her stylish red skirt and blouse unquestionably brings out those red slippers. Love the knee-highs. Reminds me of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. It really grabs my visual sensations. Love the purple mountains in the horizon.
The lilies combined with the kittens catch the eye and get my brain churning. I love the diagonal composition starting from the smaller cats leading to the large black cat; he looks perplexed. Maybe even stoned. A black cat usually means bad luck, but there is nothing bad in this paper. It's hilarious! Total comedy.
By the way, reading the articles while getting higher than the birds on your front cover could ever get. The articles are brilliant and the porn is unique. I give you a B+. Better than the Voice.
Jon Bones, Brooklyn
So Sell It
MUGGER: Don't forget that Chris Matthews was a draft dodger during the Vietnam War (10/2). Like Bill Clinton, he left the country, going to Africa. He and Marlo Thomas' husband will soon be gone. To think, I own a great deal of GE stock?thereby owning NBC stock.
Stacey Barber, Macclenny, FL
Saddamsack
Well, I guess you can count me among those who've had one too many pulls from "a bad bottle of rye" when it comes to sacking Saddam ("MUGGER," 10/2). I'm not convinced. Way too many "He mights," "Well, if he coulds" and "Oh yeah, just wait and see if we don'ts." C'mon, show me a picture of Saddam French-kissing bin Laden. Release a "Well done, boys!" e-mail. Unearth a satellite photo of an Al Qaeda base in Iraq. Something to hang my hat on! Weapons of mass destruction, my aunt's fanny! If I hear that mantra one more time from the flacks, I'll hurl! Tell me one country that doesn't have weapons of mass destruction? I'll bet he has assault rifles too! So do the Swiss! Yes, he's a beast. He kills his own people. He hates the Jews. He may very well be deranged. But he did not attack us! If he does, he's toast and he knows it. If we went round knocking off bad guys because they are bad, there would be mushroom clouds rising from every continent.
What really bothers me is that none of the flacks for Bush are even saying things like, "Well, if you were privy to the secret information I've seen, you'd join in the first wave." Nothing! Zip! Therefore, there must be one or more real or realer reasons.
1) Oil. It's the Middle East for goodness' sake. Yeah, the Saudis are unreliable and unstable. A puppet in Iraq would protect our supplies and the economy. Okay, realpolitik and all. Sure makes George look like a tool of the oil boys.
2) Revenge. He did try to kill Dad. Also, Dad blew it 10 years ago. Of course we would be spending billions and killing lots of Iraqis, plus our own boys. Heck, I loved my dad too. Maybe. Would make Bill Clinton's little missile attacks during the height of his erections look like small potatoes.
3) Smokescreen. We bopped Afghanistan, smashed a lot of technology and killed a bunch of Al Qaeda soldiers. However, Osama, who may or may not be kicking, and most of his lieutenants, escaped. Many may be doing the two-step on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Hey! Why aren't we bombing there? Oh, they're our friends. Right. The war did not accomplish its mission. We can't find the enemy. Let's topple a guy in a more conventional war. It looks good on the resume.
4) It's election time. Yuck! But, hell, why not? We need more Republicans.
I'm not asking that you buy any of these scenarios. I know a good deal less than you do about the whole situation. The only thing I do know is the sound of a used-car sales pitch. That's all I can hear from an administration that I have supported up till this time. My only possible response is skepticism.
James Terminiello, Saddle Brook, NJ
Blowing Smoke
I would like to comment as to how interesting I find it that New York Press (a free paper) is loaded with ads from cigarette companies trying to entice New Yorkers to buy cigarettes. In any place other than New York, it would be understandable to see these ads everywhere; however, thanks to the ingenious work of Mayor Bloomberg, many New Yorkers can no longer afford the luxury of cigarettes in their daily budgets. I think that a hike in cigarette prices is a great idea...if the intention was for New Yorkers to give other states our money, because we simply can't afford cigarettes in New York. How exactly are New Yorkers reaping the benefits? Tax revenues are dropping, so what is this plan doing other than irritating New Yorkers and making other states richer? The many ads in New York Press just made me realize how much I wanted a cigarette at the moment, but I think I would rather keep my seven dollars. And so, as a New York Smoker, I would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg on behalf of all New York Smokers, for making it so hard to buy cigarettes in New York. If you own a company outside New York, why not ask our Mayor to help your business make money, by overtaxing us?
B. Reilly, Brooklyn
Muscle Queen
MUGGER: Thank you for stating what I have been saying for two years, i.e., Barry Bonds is on steroids. In this p.c. world, no sports people have the courage to broach the subject. You are right on and my favorite columnist.
Ricky Livingston, Gretna, LA
Thank You, e.e. cummings
The best rock club/bar that ever existed was spelled max's kansas city, not Max's Kansas City. No wonder you are always advertising for factcheckers.
Joseph Mazza, Manhattan
Huh Back at You
MUGGER: Thanks for that wonderful London Times op-ed on Bubba?super (10/9). You couldn't have said it better yourself! But you lost us on the chickenhawk RC pedophile connection. Huh?
Anna Rolen, Alexandria, VA
De Gustibus
MUGGER: I've got unsufferable Yankee fans here at work (10/9), and one Braves fan, so I'm thankful for who made it out of the first round! Glad your articles include the baseball talk. It's amazing to me that you go to the Stadium when the Sox aren't in town. I've lost the desire to go to Shea, settling instead for Minor League baseball in Trenton or the unaffiliated brand 10 minutes down the road from me. Sure, the play can get sloppy, but I see some ex-Major Leaguers and it's fun to sit with plenty of room around me on a midweek night. I go to Hagerstown, MD, once during the summer for class-A baseball. Beautiful countryside and an old-time ballpark make for a great day, even if the drive is a bit much. Your recent article mentioned the "Mr. Wiggles" comic strip in New York Press. I cannot find either that or "Maakies" a bit funny. Enjoy the rest of the paper, however.
Frank Higbie, Bound Brook, NJ
He's Talking About How the Yankees Lost in the First Round
Can't say I was looking forward to today's rub-it-in "MUGGER" (10/9), but hey, you can't win 'em all. Just most of them. The Yankees got old in a hurry, or maybe old and unlucky?to the Yankee fan, every Angel hit seemed to drop fortuitously (as Michael Kay would say), while the Yankee knocks seemed to drop comfortably in Garret Anderson's mitt (or two feet below that heinous left-center wall). And if they weren't hungry enough this year, they'll be angry the next. God knows White and Mondesi underachieved (bet one or both are gone next year?Hideki Matsui!). Nick Johnson is wildly overrated (and, I'm hoping, traded along with El Duque for a young pitcher). And Tino Martinez is seemingly blessed (but you're wrong about Giambi, the answer to "How many errors were charged to Yankee infielders because Giambi couldn't rescue a rushed throw" is...very few). The real story, I think, is just how special the former dynasty was. Their dominance was always overstated?mostly because Selig wanted to pimp the parity argument, an argument that looks more specious than ever?the miracle was their ability to safely navigate the playoff shoals year after year. The Yankee haters?hey MUGGER!?missed a chance to enjoy one of the best teams in the history of the franchise, and therefore the game. A team that won when it was most difficult to do so, and one that changed the way the game was played (cf. Oakland, Anaheim, Minnesota, etc.). Anyway, let the hot stove league begin. Go Angels. And how do you like those Clemens-to-Boston rumors?
Harley Peyton, Los Angeles
Triumph of George Will
MUGGER: Thanks for the column about the Will-Matthews matchup (10/2). I'd love to have seen it, but I don't get MSNBC. It's actually considered a premium channel here. Anyway, I've often thought that Matthews would get creamed if he debated Bush administration intellectual heavyweights like Cheney and Rumsfeld. They're much like George Will in that they're unflappable, thoughtful and intelligent. Matthews is lacking all but three of those qualities.
Gary Gross, St. Cloud, MN
Or The American Conservative
Just when I thought that my favorite journalist was safely ensconced in New York Press...it's happened again, he's gone! How could you let this happen? Don't tell me that I have to start subscribing to The Spectator again?
Dawn Reeve, Javea, Spain
Clinton Naked? Eeewww
MUGGER: Yes, and we should call CNN the Clinton News Network. Every opportunity they have, they show us something about Bill Clinton on CNN Europe. Thanks for reporting the shameless, naked narcissism passing for statesmanship.
Rachel Tourre, Toulouse, France
Fearmongering
Mike Signorile: I think I'm becoming a fan of yours. I enjoy reading your articles in the Press and especially this week on the trusting of W ("The Gist," 10/9).
I'm kind of lucky living here in California (and I imagine you in NY) but, wow, it sure seems like a good chunk of this country is either extremely dumb or so desperate to believe in something that they are willing to grab anything and make it their savior (such is the case of W); and you really have to give the GW marketing machine credit. They have taken the most effective product, "fear," and used it to make their case. Granted, guys like you and I will never buy this product, but hey, we live in a society that purchases tons of fear each day. Like fat-reducing pills or machines or even tapes to make us thin, because we fear that people won't think we're attractive, or special creams to help us rid zits because we fear that people will think we are ugly. Guns because we fear the criminals (that those damn liberals always let out of prison early). It goes on and on and now the fear of another Sept. 11. I may be completely out of line for saying this, but Sept. 11 was probably the best thing that ever happened to GWB?now we can continue to focus on the real product of fear instead of him actually doing something.
Sorry for being so long-winded, but this joker really burns me up, and the right wing that thinks that he is the second coming truly makes my point about the dumbing down of America (if you knew me, you would understand). Anyway, thanks for your insightful words. I always appreciate it. Take care.
Louie Tamantini, Long Beach, CA
Hate to Disappoint You...
MUGGER: Being 63, I continually ask myself if I will live long enough to see the Bosox win the World Series. Why is it that they cannot develop pitching in their farm system, or even sign decent free agents? Darren Oliver was a joke, and Frank Castillo wasn't much better. Oh well, there's always next year. Hope does spring eternal. Your columns are great. Keep up the Slick Willie bashing. You might include Billary, too!
Leonard D. Schiller, Reno, NV
Endless Hatred
MUGGER: My intense dislike for Bill Clinton is the same as it has always been, but the evidence of the validity of that dislike is repeatedly being reinforced by the behavior of the former chief prevaricator, adulterer and opportunist.
Donald W. Bales, Kingsport, TN
How Far Is the Old Log Inn?
Re Michelangelo Signorile's article mentioning the Log Cabin Republicans and the nomination of Michael McConnell to the DC circuit court of appeals ("The Gist," 10/2). Rich Tafel and others of the Log Cabin Republicans should realize that they are being used in the same manner that Lenin used his supporters among Russian and Western European intelligentsia. Lenin referred to them as "useful idiots." In like manner, it is obvious to me, our Chief Marionette and his string-pullers deploy those of the Log Cabin claque.
And, just as Lenin exiled to prison camps or "liquidated" thos