Letters to the Editor

July 8

Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver them to 132 E. Marcy St., fax them to 988-5348 or email them t editor.

It’s Magick!
I agree that it’s doubtful that any incriminating bones of Geronimo reside in the dark and mysterious Tomb of the Order of Skull and Bones. What isn’t so doubtful is what two Santa Feans, both Yale graduates, have told me: that’s it’s well-known that the Tomb that sits alongside the campus of Yale has consistently had the highest water bill in all of New Haven, Conn. and has had, for decades, enough water use to fill several swimming pools monthly.

Why might this be? The answer is obvious to those privy to the ways of the magickal arts. One web article titled “Circles, Why Use Them?” says, “In short, because circles protect you while you are performing magick.” Another web article by Robert Bruce titled “Running Water Countermeasures: The Scientific Explanation” explains that troublesome spirits and ghosts and earthbound spirits cannot cross running water and that staying within a complete circle of running water proves to be completely protective.

It’s a fact that Skull and Bones members are forbidden to reveal what happens inside the Tomb. Could this be part of a bevy of nefarious secrets that only initiates know about?
Richard Dean Jacob
Santa Fe


Dry Grill
As the proprietors of a new restaurant and as longtime readers of the Reporter, we felt the need to question a few things. We have recently been working on acquiring our beer and wine license and, aside from the obvious expenses and hassles, we find ourselves torn concerning the serving of alcohol to the public. On one hand, it would certainly contribute to our bottom line and most people seem to be able to drink responsibly. On the other hand, our restaurant is 10 miles out of town and nobody walks there. How could we consider it responsible to serve alcohol on a two-lane highway when we see so much alcohol-induced tragedy?

Then again, the winner of “Best Restaurant When You’re Eating With Kids” in the Best of Santa Fe poll last time was a bar. I’ve been there on many occasions and even had a good time, but would I bring my daughter there? I try to be a responsible parent and you can’t protect them forever, but unsavory behavior seems to gravitate to large-scale liquor sales. In the interest of maintaining a truly family friendly atmosphere, we are no longer pursuing our beer and wine license.
Peter and Ana Chang
Thunderbird Grill


Something Nice
Alex De Vore (or Alex De Bore as I’ll refer to him) is typical of his age group: terminally cynical and bitchy. Unfortunately, this generation mistakenly believes these opinions are worthy of publication, validated by the internet, which tells them anyone anywhere can now “publish” anything they like.

My grandmother, God rest her soul, always told me, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” For Alex, who’ll merely be getting what he gives, I will now make an exception, in the only language he seems to understand:
Alex De Bore is a pompous, snarky, pretentious douche bag with bad taste who can’t write his way out of a paper bag.

Hurts, doesn’t it?

In a town as small as Santa Fe, Alex, it’s unwise to flagrantly slam people, unless you want to accumulate enemies, of course. Would you say the things you write to these people’s faces (because, in my experience, that would be asking for a few missing teeth) or do you believe the anonymity of hiding behind your keyboard will protect you?

I’ve often had these thoughts when reading an Alex De Bore “review,” but now feel compelled to offer some constructive suggestions:

If Alex De Bore dislikes “jam bands” so much, maybe he should do himself a favor and stop listening to them.

Maybe he should do these bands’ fans a favor and keep his invalid opinions to himself.

Maybe the Santa Fe Reporter should aim higher when hiring “young” voices to “write” for their publication.
Chris Diestler
Santa Fe


35 more Years
I would like to add to your interview with Richard McCord in your special anniversary issue.

My husband, Mort Liebman, became an equal partner in the Santa Fe News with Rudy Rodriguez in 1973. He brought along his experience and professionalism from the East, where he was a newspaper publisher. After being at the News for a short times, Dick spoke with Mort about buying the News. The quality of the News had improved along with its readership and advertising revenue. As I recall, Dick thought the News would be a hindrance to him and Laurie [Knowles} in starting up a new publication.

Mort seemed agreeable from the start. He was willing to give up the demands of publishing. And so Rudy and Mort sold the paper to Dick and Laurie.

I had been writing the feature stories and all the copy for the News and I stayed on with the Santa Fe Reporter for a short time. Mort stayed on for years in many capacities.

I wish the Reporter continued success.
Martha Liebman
Santa Fe


Pot, Kettle
It’s interesting to see what never changes: bigotry. I refer to the sour comments by Sarah Gomez in the “What’s the most important thing to happen in Santa Fe in the last 35 years?” section, mentioning, among others, being “rushed and shoved” in Whole Foods and “obese tourists.” I’ve never been shoved and hurried in Whole Foods—but then I never walked in carrying before me my resentment of everyone who isn’t exactly like me. The only time I’ve ever been shoved and hurried here is on the road, by the city’s legendry bad local drivers, who think tailgating is cute and are either too drunk or too lazy to use turn signals. And if Ms. Gomez REALLY wants to see obese, she should try Walmart, where what I’m sure she considers a more acceptably “authentic” population waddles through the aisles, often pushing wagons full of children clearly on their way to becoming part of the child-obesity epidemic in New Mexico. Ms. Gomez should be careful what she wishes for: If those tourists decide to take their dollars, euros, krone, yen, etc. elsewhere, New Mexico’s already abysmal public school system—one of the worst in the country and graduating the barely literate regularly—will only get worse.

All of which is to say, people who live in glass stereotypes shouldn’t throw stones.
Kaaren S Boullosa
Santa Fe


Correction:
An article, in last week’s paper, on Santa Fe Opera General Director Charles MacKay [Performing arts, July 1: “New Blood”] stated incorrectly that Opera Baltimore had closed. It should have stated that the Baltimore Opera Company had closed. SFR regrets the error.

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