Otay Ranch mom muses on silly North County dads

Irregular haiku, inappropriate bio

Dear San Diego Reader, I often read your Events section, the Outdoors column, and I also occasionally read the Rhyme & Verse poetry of the week. This week in the (“Seventeen Haiku”, Poetry, February 15) I noticed that the featured poem was entitled “Seventeen haiku” by Andrew Hamlin. However, the three lines on each “haiku” varied from the traditional format. The author’s biographical summary also utilized vulgar language that was not appropriate for the general public, especially young readers under 18 years old. Please continue to seek interesting examples of poetry to share, but be aware that educators of honors children, and honors adults may find the limited vocabulary in the author’s biography a red flag for rougher language in his other works.

Sincerely/Sinceramente,

Daphne H. Galang

Mayor Mussolini?

“The goose that laid the golden egg” versus the “Little train that could.” Regarding “Big money city hall. (“Big Money City Hall”, Under the Radar, February 15) Not during my lifetime has there been a more corrupt, incompetent and unsavory character as Todd Gloria, representing San Diego as Mayor. It is written in antiquity that a man’s intelligence is of the mother and character of the father. Todd Gloria has neither. This little man reminds me of Benito Mussolini, another shyster of epic proportions of which my grandfather fled Italy to France 100 years ago. 

As far as OUR campaign for San Diego Mayor goes, we believe those who vote for this carnival barker are no better than the jester themselves. The countless shenanigans perpetrated by this monster Mayor are beyond unconscionable. How on earth can any human being with sanity support a man who has put the wrecking ball to our beloved city? Well, “The Million Mile Man” will defeat all the mayor’s men with peanuts because not even a billion dollars will save the little dictator. The voters will not be fooled again!

Dan Smiechowski

Bay Ho

Mom muses on dads

What a soppy piece, so disappointing. Total yuppie (or zuppie?) perspective that failed to resonate (“Dudes to Dads”, Cover Story, February 15). First, the absurd, make-believe “we’re pregnant” or “they’re pregnant” nonsense that some fool came up with, if I’m correct, back in the early 2000s. Daddy isn’t pregnant, Mommy is! Silliness that was conceptualized a full generation ago persists despite its absurdity. The tone for what was to be an uninspiring piece of fluff. 

Second, using the word “progeny” to sound sophisticated or prolific fell flat, at least with me, as I learned that term in 7th grade. A male role model, ideally a good father during formative years, is all a young man really needs to become one himself. I suspect that this waste of an edition was little more than a sales pitch to lure male clients with too much time on their hands (and broad insurance coverage) into therapy that has become fashionable among the elites. (North County client pool.) Less affluent, hard working daddies seem to have little trouble “figuring it out” on their own. For those not blessed with a dutiful, loving father for whatever reason, traditional sources of role models still exist: grandfathers, teachers, pastors, etc.

I’m just a mom myself, but my father, a man of faith, service (Korean War), and devotion to his family paved a path for my five brothers. Selecting the right wife to be the mother of your children is step one. Both my mother and my father found their purpose in establishing a Christian household and leading by example, demanding responsibility, and raising us to think of others before ourselves. Suffice it to say we were loved but not coddled or worshipped. 

I love my children and attending to their many needs while working full-time never drove me to self pity, much less psychotherapy that would have taken valuable time out of my schedule and away from my focus, my kids, family, community, profession. Only the privileged can so indulge.

Laurie K

East Chula Vista Otay Ranch

Madriaga: the man in the mirror

If Mike Madriaga is getting honked at and flipped off at least once a week (as he claims) it’s not because of the kind of car that he’s driving. It’s because of the way he’s driving it (“Prius Pique”, Neighborhood News, February 22). People in general don’t hate Priuses (prii?) but they do get irritated by people driving in an inconsiderate manner. Perhaps he should look in his mirror instead of making a ridiculous claim about people hating hybrids.

Giles Blair

Carlsbad