Letters for May 10, 2007

Some Dems should do time, too …

Re “Will Doolittle do time?” by Ralph Brave and “Doolittle-opoly” by Kel Munger (SN&R Feature Story, May 3):

Thanks for your excellent articles on the devious Congressman John Doolittle. It is long past time for him to go. I am a pro-environment Republican, and I never liked Doolittle’s promotion of the ill-conceived Auburn Dam. I’m sure there are any number of decent Republicans in his district who can succeed him.

However, as you report on the “corrupt clan” of congressional Republicans, you would do well to remember that sleaze in Washington is a bipartisan phenomenon. Witness Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA), who is under a federal corruption investigation amid allegations he had $90,000 in bribe money in his freezer!

No doubt there is a lot of house cleaning to do in the next election.

Gregg M. Wardrip
Sacramento

… and SN&R needs better timing

Re “Will Doolittle do time?” by Ralph Brave and “Doolittle-opoly” by Kel Munger (SN&R Feature Story, May 3):

We can only hope the Doolittles do time.

Of course, Ralph Brave’s piece makes a great case for John Doolittle waving bye-bye to his political career. But, still, I really wish you folks at SN&R had managed to put all the info on the game board together and published it before the election. Then I’d have had something to do with my friends while I watched the election returns and I’d have been able to chortle as Doolittle lost.

Timing is everything, SN&R.

Jan Klein
Sacramento

Here’s to experience

Re “Sacramento: sun, fun, stay play” and “Drop the razor, gramps” by Jackson Griffith (SN&R Trust Your Ears, May 3 and March 22):

I am new to Sacramento and am delighted to have found Jackson Griffith’s Trust Your Ears column and SN&R. It’s a pleasure to read about music by someone who knows it.

I particularly liked Griffith’s response to the “He’s toooo old” comments. Being an elder statesman myself, I got a kick out of it. I’ve been told more than once, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.” These poor younger listeners don’t realize if it has to be that loud, it isn’t music anymore.

Paul Staryak
via e-mail

Shooting from the lip

Re “It’s the guns” by Bill Durston, M.D. (SN&R Essay, April 26):

Do the laws control society or does society control the shooting laws? And really, how embedded in our culture are guns? Look at the language:

Shoot straight from the hip

Shooting hoops

Shooting up

Shooting blanks

A shot of Jack (or tequila or Jägermeister or …)

A straight shooter

Shooting the sh*t

A shot in the arm

(I got) shot down

A shot in the arm

Shot through the heart

Hit me with your best shot

We might just have a “shot” at peace if we “aim our sights at it.”

Simona Altman
via e-mail

Regulate, regulate, regulate

Re “It’s the guns” by Bill Durston, M.D. (SN&R Essay, April 26):

Dr. Durston is absolutely right: We will not be able to end the “shameful epidemic” of gun violence until we have meaningful gun-control laws.

Unfortunately, our gutless legislators—national and state—will not pass sensible gun legislation out of an apparent fear of the bullyboys of the NRA. Dr. Durston’s recommendations are on the mild side. I personally would recommend much stricter regulations, particularly for hand guns. Hand guns have one purpose and only one purpose, and that is to inflict injury upon another human being, an attitude that hardly comports with one’s religious beliefs.

The ownership of hand guns should be tightly controlled. If a person does own a hand gun, then it should be kept at a regulated site, such as a gun club, and not at home.

James G. Updegraff III
Sacramento

No enhancement needed

Re “Dead men don’t play piano” by Edward Dunn (SN&R Music, April 26):

Just read your review of the “new and improved” 1955 recordings. Gould’s “Goldberg Variations” are, hands down, my favorite recording and piece of all time; it has been since—oh, I was 8 or so.

Although I prefer the 1981 version (that’s the album my parents had), the 1955 recording blows me away with his speed—it’s unreal.

And I was pleased to read that you were not so keen on his “re-performance.” It’s hard to say whether Gould would approve—after all, he did leave the stage to exclusively record in the studio—but I am beyond content to just have those two recordings (and a recording of a live performance—not so much).

The man needs no enhancement.

Leslie Armell
Sacramento

A new low for Bites

Re “Death, American style” (SN&R Bites, April 19):

Calling the Virginia Tech shooter “the Barry Bonds of spree killing”?

Congratulations, Bites. You’ve just helped this piece-of-trash excuse for objective journalism sink to a new low in classlessness. And considering the typical content of this rag, that’s saying something.

Mark Bryant
Sacramento