Letters to the Editor

Mail letters to Letters, Santa Fe Reporter, PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver them to 132 E. Marcy St., fax them to 505-988-5348 or email them to the editor.

Righteously rich
Whether rich, poor or in between, some people are generous and caring, others are not, and it has absolutely nothing to do with how wealthy one is. Before Bill Gates' projects became known to the public, people in Seattle (I lived there then) complained that, with all his zillions of dollars, he could at least give some of it to charitable causes. I wondered, when I'd hear people say that, why they would assume he would attach his name to everything he did; I wouldn't (not that I have to worry about it; I'm not one of the rich ones). If he had publicly announced all of his charitable actions, then he would likely have been criticized for being a pompous ass.

I assume the same is true about the monied people who live in and around Santa Fe. Some are involved in helping those less fortunate or the environment or whatever their personal interests are, and others are not. But how do the writers of the letters I read that prompted this one really know that they do nothing for the community and don't care?

Just food for thought…
Elaine Deitchman
Santa Fe

UFO Lockdown
I fully relate to Dave Maass' article that paints a picture that UFO-disclosure politics is lagging way worse than health care reform. While the rubric and political playing fields differ greatly, he is hitting the nail directly on the head by saying that the US government "keeps its mother lode of secrets on lockdown."

In an op-ed article of mine in The Santa Fe New Mexican last fall they titled "How will new politicians deal with UFOs?" I wrote, "It looks obvious to me that the whole UFO/ET enigma and its implications for life on Earth is a subject that virtually all politicos would much prefer to sidestep than give serious thought and answer to" and "the fact of the matter is that the real, inside knowledge about ETs is the domain of the military and intelligence agencies and that the vast majority of congressmen and senators in Washington are as in the dark on the matter as the rest of us."

It is a fact that our elected politicians (Obama included) are not in the loop of such exotic affairs and that UFOs are a subject that is primed to blow up in their faces. When then-presidential candidate US Rep. Dennis Kucinich [D-Ohio] openly spoke of his UFO sighting during one of last year's MSNBC-sponsored televised presidential debates, he was said thereafter to be an odd little spider monkey who reduced his status to fruit fly. Tsk, tsk.
Richard Dean Jacob
Santa Fe

Do Better
At a dinner with friends, the topic of Alex De Vore came up. Someone had met him at a party and was as offended by him as the table of eight was by his weekly "music" column (more like a collection of adolescent musings written in the tone of a 30-something). "He is simultaneously extremely narcissistic and extremely self-deprecating," my friend pointed out, and his so-called "insights" are nothing more than egotistical, vague comments reading as insecurity more than any kind of valuable criticism.

The reason I find his column so offensive—and his writing truly is offensively BAD, just terrible to read—is because in contrast to the quality writing in the rest of the Reporter, he stands out sorely. Why are folks always complaining about Zane [Fischer's] column in the letters to the editor? Perhaps he pushes buttons, but isn't that a good thing? He has the technical capability, wit and wisdom to makes people think, react. Granted this letter is a reaction to Alex's weekly drivel—not to any points made within the column, but to the sheer lack of any value at all. It leaves me with the feeling of having just spoken with a drunk 15-year-old, unsteady and full of undeveloped opinions.

In a town like Santa Fe, that is small with a strong and developing music scene, actual criticism, insight and non-annoying-bullshit observation would benefit everyone involved. We really deserve a lot better than such ridiculous trash each week. The rest of your weekly is great, which makes me believe you could do a lot better—find a better writer, PLEASE!
Maria Nezval
Santa Fe

The Reporter welcomes original, signed letters to the editor. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. They may be edited for clarity and space. Include address and phone number for veri?cation purposes; these will not be published.

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