Letters to the Editor

For Shame
The Reporter’s recent characterization [Winners & Losers, Oct 1] of Leland Lehrman as a “loser” who has been “replaced” as the editor of the New Mexico Sun News is inaccurate, insensitive and undeserved. Leland has been and continues to be a valuable, ongoing contribution to the city of Santa Fe and the New Mexico Sun News. He remains a contributing editor for the New Mexico Sun News, as noted on our masthead. Given the current political and economic climate, which is less than kind to a great many people, The Reporter knows better than to disparage and “pile on” a man who is and has been a voice for many who would otherwise have had none. C’mon, I thought you were among the good guys. What did you do? Recently attend the McCain/Palin School of Journalism and Public Relations?  Shame on you. You owe Leland an apology.

By the way, although it is correct to say that I am an attorney in Colorado (and New York), it is equally true to say that I have been a resident of Santa Fe for several years and am currently awaiting admission to the New Mexico State Bar. I look forward to participating in the journalistic, political and legal affairs of New Mexico in the coming years.
Jerold A Greenker
Managing Editor
The New Mexico Sun NEws
Santa Fe

Not Quite New
Often, what passes as “invention” is nothing more than redesign and marketing—true inventiveness succumbing to the “me tooism” of the rest of pop culture [Cover story, Oct.1: “Eureka”]. I spoke to Steve Stringer, a LANL scientist, whose considered reply really is something to think about:

Sequel inventions—aka sustaining and commercial innovations—are the bread and butter innovations that act like random mutations of DNA. They evolve the original innovation for its niche and continued survival in the marketplace. We think of them as “new and improved” repackaging (i.e. the internal combustion engine went from house-sized to the suitcase-sized engines of today that power 400+ horsepower Porsches).

Vision inventions—aka disruptive innovations—are a far rarer type and create new markets. Automobiles, electricity, airplanes, and disposable diapers were all disruptive in their day.

Sequel inventions can realize a relatively quick return on investment, whereas disruptive inventions can take decades—if ever to do so.
Disruptive inventions are the product of a rarer mind-set. People tend not to fix problems they don’t know exist.

So the prevalence of sequel inventions is entirely in accord with normal behaviors. Visionary inventions might double (with) visionary leadership—national or otherwise—that articulates needs and rewards initiative in terms of big problems to solve, instead of in terms of quarterly results or election returns.

I have wondered if you could reward a form of wealth creation —call it innovation capital—that could be traded like stocks that would be based on the aggregate value of “big ideas” contained within its “mutual funds.” This is a pretty good characterization of the change that happened between the Dark Ages and the Renaissance, and that still differentiates Western civilization from all others—“capitalism’s invisible hand” encourages innovation within “free markets.”
Paul Ross
Santa Fe

Tabs on the man
Thanks for the report of our corporate censorship [Cover story, Oct. 8: “Censored!”]. In a San Francisco Chronicle story in August, [according to] a study of corporate taxes, no major corporation paid any, yes that’s any, taxes (the study reported from 2000 to 2005) but we know Der Furer Bush didn’t start having the IRS [begin] auditing [the reason] why all of the corporations in America don’t make any profit. So, for the past eight years, corporations haven’t paid any taxes whatsoever! Mass corporate welfare. Wake up America and smell the fascism.
Robert-Francis “Mudman” Johnson
Santa Fe

Nipple notice
Just a quick note regarding the last question to Alaric about men’s nipples [SFR Talk, Oct. 8: “Bosom Buddy”]. It is not a strike against evolution. Quite the contrary. Consider the embryology of mammals. All products of conception start out on a female template, and it is the function of the Y chromosome to initiate the cascade of events that leads to the presence of testosterone that modifies the female template to express male characteristics. Nipples on males are the remnant of the initial female template. In fact, gynecomastia may develop in males when estrogen levels stimulate the remnant breast tissue dormant in most males. Now it’s the time for guys to say, “Biology is a bitch!”
Karen Hofman, MD
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Why not?
You know, it just seems odd to me that, in this day and age, two (I am assuming) straight men would still be asking the question, “Why do men have nipples?”

If you’ll just find yourselves some friendly gay guys to ask, I’m sure they’d be happy to tell you. Or perhaps you could easily contact SFR’s columnist Dan Savage (Savage Love) about this.

What’s more, it’s my thought that if straight men allowed their lovers to explore all the wonders of male nipples, there just might be a lot fewer problems in the world with, you know, machismo and all that.

“It’s a strike against evolution?” You both might consider that evolution left the male nipples for no other reason than their erotic qualities.

By the way, I whole heartedly agree: There should be no reason why anybody of any gender shouldn’t be able to go around topless. Or, when you think about it, bottomless, too, for that matter.
Peter Grahame
Albuquerque

READY TO VOTE?
Here’s what you need to know:

Absentee in-person voting has begun and takes place through Nov. 1 in the County Clerk’s Office at 102 Grant Ave.

This poll is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 am to 5 pm, including lunch time. This poll will be open on only one Saturday: Nov. 1, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Early Voting begins Saturday, Oct. 18, and ends Saturday Nov. 1.

Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Friday from noon to 8 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm. The early voting polls are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

The Early Voting sites in Santa Fe County are:

 • The County Fairground, 3229 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe
 • Eldorado Adam Senior Center, 16 Avenida Torreon, Eldorado
 • Edgewood Fire Station No. 2, 23 East Frontage Road, Edgewood
 • Pojoaque Fire Station, 17919 US Hwy. 84/285, Pojoaque
 • Abedon Lopez Center (Santa Cruz), 155-B Camino de Quintana, Española