Short, Sweet

Deanna Fridley is disgusting (“The Long and Dangerous Day,” Feature Story, January 26). That is all I have to say.

Laurie
via email

Pagans Popular

I felt that I must write in response to the haughty and presumptuous arrogance of Ted Rodosovich, whose unsubstantiated tirade presumes an aura of moral and intellectual superiority, in his attack upon the College Republicans (”Progressive Sit-Down,” Letters, January 26).

First, he offers no proof concerning his first allegation, that the students are intruding into the private residences of anyone. Secondly, on what evidence is he basing his assertion that they are “forcing religion into schools,” “putting up crosses and Ten Commandments on public property,” and taking upon themselves the powers of the United States Congress in “replacing ‘E Pluribus Unum’ on our currency with “In God We Trust”?

If you honestly believe the erroneous claim that church and state are separate in this nation, I suggest that you take a long, hard look at the Greco-Roman gods and goddesses evident throughout the culture of government, Liberty, Justice etc. The true emphasis is not, as commonly believed, antireligious as it is anti–Judeo/Christian/Islamic. That is, any advocating the revealed deity of the Bible are suppressed while those promoting the virtues and culture of paganism are widely accepted!

Many will rage against such a viewpoint, claiming that there is no evidence of an obviously satanic force at work in America. Consider these simple facts; the Messiah, Himself, teaches us (Matt 7:16) that “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” This clearly means the product of their efforts. The fruits of the “Spirit” are defined for us in Galatians 5:22,23, “The fruit of the (Holy) spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.” It is glaringly apparent that these are not the fruits of our political/ economic/religious system! Now, let us examine the fruits of the “flesh”(ungodliness) which are found in Galatians 5:19-21. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest (made evident), and they are fornication, uncleanness, immoral behavior, idolatry, occultism, hatreds, strife, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunkenness, orgies, and such things of this nature.”

I would venture a wild guess that the product of Ted’s way is certainly not one which could be cast in any positive light. Is it any wonder the people are stressed and confused when the system is designed to lead them away from that which is beneficial and leave us hopeless and helpless?

You may vainly imagine yourself as a “progressive” intellectual light shining high above mere mortals, Ted, but I see you as just one more dimwitted fool!

John Wise
via email

Maybe Matt’s Psycho

While there are certainly dangerously unhinged bosses out there — and it helps to be able to recognize when you’ve got one — Matthew Alice does readers a disservice by calling such bosses “psychotic” (“Straight From the Hip,” January 19). There are some big differences between a genuine psychopath and a person who is psychotic — that is, experiencing a break with reality due to drug use or an illness like schizophrenia, mania, or depression.

I think the confusion comes from our colloquial use of “psycho” as “crazy person of any kind” — maybe you’ll do better to think of manipulative bosses as “sociopaths” and people with tinfoil hats as “psychotic.”

While sociopaths are believed to be largely incapable of developing empathy and becoming loving members of the community, people can and do recover from psychotic episodes all the time.

A person who is in the grips of psychosis rarely has the wherewithal to be genuinely manipulative — that’s pretty high-order stuff. And psychotic people may be quite full of empathy. The range of psychotic experience is quite fascinating, actually, but doesn’t have much to do with the boss behavior described in the original letter.

Deirdre Lonergan
via email

Down The Isle

Ever work at North Island (“Straight From the Hip,” January 19)? Place is a breeding ground for them! I’ve been a victim too many times. Caused me to retire, work the VA system, and they gave me my 100 percent mental-disabled! I grieve for my old slave-mates who still suffer on the “Island of Sand and Sodomy.”

David Rushton
via email

Keep Digging

Susan Luzzaro needs to keep digging into Ed Brand. Her recent article on the 12th was very factual but not completely (“Funds for Education,” “City Lights,” January 12).

He did not retire from Sweetwater in 2005. Instead, he took the superintendent’s position in San Marcos. The leopard didn’t change his spots, and he began the same questionable ethics. The San Marcos board was very wise in getting rid of him as quickly as possible, although it cost them to do so. He lived on San Marcos’ dime for several years, all the while continuing to search for a new position in education. When San Marcos’ money ran out, he retired through the State Teachers’ Retirement System and began an unsuccessful attempt to start his own bank, probably with some of the same investors that are or have been involved with Sweetwater. When he took the interim superintendent’s job with Sweetwater, he was not only drawing $20,000 a month from them but also his retirement money.

When he took that interim job, he fully intended to get the superintendent’s job back. Think about it. This man shows back up in Sweetwater, and all of the same ethical and questionable monetary issues surface. During his six-year absence from Sweetwater, that staff continued to operate in the manner that he taught them to. Mr. Gandara simply followed the lead of his predecessor, Ed Brand. Keep digging, guys. It’s all there.

Name Withheld
via voice mail

Truth Or Consequences

I don’t like the “Sheep and Goats” article on the subject of the Hindu gods and the Atharva Veda (December 22). It has nothing to offer but emptiness, and yet the article speaks of a few gods. The truth is that there are no gods but the Lord God who made us, and we must only worship Him, and by following these so-called other gods of Asiatic religions and the religions of India, it can have very bad consequences for all. Know Jesus Know Peace, No Jesus No Peace!

Name Withheld By Request
via email