Jackass Journalism

Outrageous and Wonderful

I’m a teacher/artist and I’ve lived in Mexico for 20 years. I’ve just come up recently for health reasons. When I come up, the Reader is the first magazine I get, and I was just taken in a very positive way to your cover on April 24 (“Welcome to City Hall, Now Go Home”).

I thought it was just right on the mark for what people go through in general as to how we reach authority. Perhaps one of the stumbling blocks is in terms of what the residual side effects are in our society.

This really came to a screeching halt right in front of me because I’m visually oriented and I thought it was very humorous. I even went as far as going from City Hall out to the start line and realized that it’s just so typical! Whatever that means in analogy is what it is.

I’ve never done this before, but I felt I should take the time because it struck me so accurately in terms of my frustration with bureaucracy and what I have going on.

Thank you for putting that before my eyes. That is just an outrageous, wonderful image.

• Jim Maher
• via voicemail

The Real Fat Lady

This is a correction to your City Lights article, “Hundreds of Millions for Football, Zilch for Opera” (April 24) and the origins of the phrase, “It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”

In the 1950s a woman by the name of Kate Smith had a television program in which she sang. This was when TV was only black and white. The program wasn’t over until she sang her last song, which was “God Bless America.” That’s the fat lady they’re referring to.

Also, in the Letters section of April 24, someone is complaining that they don’t have enough information about the Salton Sea (“A Slight Connection”). There is a visitors information center in a public park at the Salton Sea where you can get all kinds of information about the origins of the Salton Sea and its future problems.

• Nancy McQueen
• via voicemail

Simply a Nonbelief

In regards to the letter from David Child of Encinitas (“Equal Time,” April 24) objecting to the religion section not having the competition of an atheism section, etcetera, I have the following comments, as an atheist.

Theism is a belief shared by the majority of the human race. Atheism is a nonbelief shared by a multitude, but is not something on which to comment. It is simply a nonbelief.

Theists need their belief, and its conditions to lifestyle, and are necessarily self-righteous about it. Atheists don’t need it, and ignore it as much as we can. But to feel the need to compete with theism as if it were a winnable contest is foolish and self-righteous, in as much distaste as self-righteous theists.

There is no reason for a general circulation media to have a section on nonbelief. It is not a saleable commodity. Atheism is a belief system that has no business being pushed. A section or even a column on it would become disgustingly insulting (at least to me). Atheists can no more adopt theism than a theist can reject belief. Reverse the sentence.

• Saul Harmon Gritz
• Hillcrest

Jackass Journalism

I would like to complain about your movie reviewer, Scott Marks. He reviewed the movie Walking with the Enemy in this issue (April 24). That was some piece of jackass journalism, and that individual is a jackass journalist. He is very disrespectful how he treats that period of European history.

Some of your readers have had family members killed during that ugly period of history and he treats it in a very disrespectful manner. He should not be working for your paper. It’s bad. He should not have made those references.

You better review his work, because he’s a real jackass of a journalist. You should have someone else rewrite the review and reprint it.

• Paul Student
• San Carlos

Just a Guess?

My friends were vehement after they passed around this article that promised to explain “Why More People Leave Than Enter San Diego” (City Lights, April 10). I’m sure after reading it that thousands went, “Huh?” We suffered though agonizingly boring, unrelated stats to find that the title question was never answered!

Worst journalism ever. I hope that Mr. Bauder did not have a stroke before he could finish the article because there are thousands of people waiting for him to explain the facts and source of the headline. How many more are leaving? What percentage? According to whom — that drunk at the opera?

People had to suffer through a lot of useless stats. None of those stats showed that more people are leaving San Diego than entering. If it was true, it would be the most exciting news ever!

Don, renters want to know if all those vacancies will drop the rent, because it is climbing at the highest rate ever. Homeowners want to know if there will be a housing surplus driving their values down.

C’mon, Don. Don’t tell us you were just guessing!

Bill O’connor

Rancho Bernardo

Bad Call

Re: “Golden Hill Canyon to Fill with 27 New Homes,” Neighborhood News, posted online April 8.

Having lived in the Golden Hill area since 1963, I have seen traffic on 28th and 30th Streets. Both streets lead to and from Highway 94. They could (and should) build another street going north-south on 29th Street. This new housing development will only increase traffic and cause more congestion. Bad call, City of SD.

• Hector Baca
• Golden Hill