Letters for October 30, 2008

Letter of the week
We’ve been warned

You foolish, delusional, brutish, doomed Americans think you can forget Sodom and break off the bands that the Lord God Almighty put on mankind when he destroyed Sodom. You can’t. This epic event is in your DNA, written on your hearts and forever charged to your knowledge. The lesson of the destruction of Sodom is for all humans from then to now to know and understand. It is your duty. You are bound to know this story, why God did what he did and to teach your children.

Most of the citizens of Sodom were not homosexuals. But they were all destroyed, because if they weren’t homosexuals, they loved to enable them in every way possible, and gave them the run of the land. That is why God destroyed them. Fire and brimstone fell from heaven, as an eternal reminder of your duty to fear and obey God. The nations that forget God and don’t speak often of Sodom are nations that are in trouble and that will be turned into hell.

You’re just foolish for raising a generation of brats on the lie, “It’s OK to be gay,” and then turning them lose on the editorial pages of this nation. You hate the story of Sodom because you love your proud sins. But you cannot forget about Sodom, and you have confessed by your words that you know precisely what the lesson is. If you live out your days pursuing your lust, living in flagrant sin violating God’s word in his face every day, you are going to awake in Hell when you leave this Earth. No words, no whining, no passing laws to keep people from saying these plain, simple facts will change this outcome.

Margie Phelps
Westboro Baptist Church
Topeka, Kan.

Skippin’ through the scriptures

Re “Things to do in Sacramento with a megaphone” by Kel Munger (SN&R Feature, October 23):

I wasn’t surprised that Viktor Choban, one of the “Dividers” Kel Munger wrote about in her story “wasn’t ready for a lesbian reporter to come at him with doctrinal questions.” I suspect it’s because Choban, like many other Christians who insist on giving a literal interpretation to the Bible, either hadn’t read it or had read it and was aware he was engaging in agenda: supporting selective use of biblical verses.

The Book of Leviticus, chapter 18, verse 22, does indeed state that man “shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination.” But Leviticus also states, several times, that marriage should be between a “man, and one or more women,” and that a woman found not to be a virgin when she becomes a bride “be brought to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die.” Note that there is no requirement that men be virgins on their wedding night, which seems a bit unfair. And Leviticus does not specifically state that it is an abomination for a woman to lie with womankind, so Kel and her spouse need not worry about being cast down into hell, which also seems a bit unfair to mankind.

Those passages are in the King James version, which is, of course, a translation of a translation of a translation of what was, originally, probably an oral story, so they may or may not accurately reflect what the original narrators were trying to convey. Oh, by the way, vote no on Proposition 8.

Bob Schmidt
Sacramento

Missing a smelly city

Re “Inhaling the city” by Josh Fernandez (SN&R Arts&Culture, October 23):

As someone who has lost most of my sense of smell, I really enjoyed this article. Years of living in the Valley and dealing with sinus problems have left me olfactory-challenged. I live with it, but reading this made me miss my sense of smell for the first time in a while.

Tenaya Freitas
West Sacramento

K.J. plays to Sac’s insecurities

Re “The hunger” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, October 16):

“People are so hungry for change, they’ll eat anything.” Sad, but true.

People are salivating over K.J.’s pile of steaming bullshit. He’s so manipulative; I can’t believe how many people fall for it.

Your safety is at stake! The rich and famous people don’t know where Sacramento is! He and his staff play into this area’s insecurities. We’re San Francisco’s ugly stepsister and we want to be better than that! We must elect someone who’s famous; that’ll put us on the map. Ooooh, neato!

What will really put us on the map is if we elect someone who is a slumlord, child molester, big-money misplacer, arrogant divider and self-promoter at taxpayers’ expense as our mayor. What that will do is just make us San Francisco’s ugly stepsister who is also mentally challenged. No thanks!

Susie Shields
Sacramento

The Bee doesn’t get it

Re “The hunger” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, October 16):

Many thanks for [the] summary of the [Dan] Lungren vs. [Bill] Durston 3rd Congressional District race.

But how about the October 17 Bee editorial endorsing Lungren, despite their admission he seldom votes like the Bee would? That in itself is worth an item. All Durston stands for is health-care reform, reduced military spending, speedy withdrawal from Iraq and no bailouts for the Big Boys on Wall Street.

Times are a-changin,’ but the Bee doesn’t get it!

John Jervis
via e-mail

Remembering Ruby respectfully

Re “Remembering Ruby” by Kel Munger (SN&R Sacreligious!, October 23):

As a transgendered person, I wanted to express my gratitude to Kel Munger for respecting Ruby Molina’s memory by correctly using the female pronoun. This is a small but critically important detail, and one that illustrates the inclusion of trans-identity within the SN&R staff. Now, if we can just get the other local print media to follow suit …

Markee Slagel
Fair Oaks

‘Natural’ doesn’t mean ‘safe’

Re “Blood, phlegm and tears” by Seth Sandronsky (SN&R Frontlines, October 16):

I sympathize with and admire Sandi [Trend] and her son, David [Bell], for the effort and determination displayed by them in their fight for justice against the large agricultural corporations. If more people would stand up to the ongoing corruption linked to these corporations, we may be able to put a stop to it all.

Has anyone out there thought about when we began to read of “recalls” on our food? It was after, yes, after the “organic” or so-called “natural” pesticides became popular. The “natural” is sometimes deadly, but it brings in the money, and [some] people care more for their personal gain of wealth than for the life and death risks involved to the individuals consuming their products.

I’m sorry for the illness suffered by David Bell. Hats off to Ms. Trend in her ongoing fight to save others from the devastation her son is suffering.

Jamie Lamborn
Sacramento

Crime wins when pot’s illegal

Re “Pot harvest time” (SN&R Editorial, October 16):

Your editorial was right on target. Marijuana prohibition has done little other than finance organized crime and violence. Punitive marijuana laws have little, if any, deterrent value. Lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the United States than any European country, yet America is one of the few Western countries that punish citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the long-term effects of criminal records.

Unfortunately, marijuana represents the counterculture to many Americans. In subsidizing the prejudices of culture warriors, government is subsidizing organized crime. The drug war’s distortion of immutable laws of supply and demand causes big money to grow on little trees. The only clear winners in the war on marijuana are drug cartels and shameless tough-on-drugs politicians who deliberately confuse drug prohibition’s collateral damage with a relatively harmless plant. The big losers in this battle are the taxpayers deluded into believing big government is the appropriate response to nontraditional consensual vices.

Robert Sharpe
policy analyst
Common Sense for Drug Policy

Beautiful day for peace

Re “Peaceful colors” by Keleigh Friedrich (SN&R Sacreligious!, October 16):

I enjoyed this article. It was a beautiful day to celebrate our diversity together as a community.

Patrick Mahan
Sacramento

Where’s the criticism?

Re “This is what is up” by Shoka (SN&R Music, October 16):

I never thought I’d be writing—especially for this reason—but I can’t sit still any longer. It seems cronyism or a deep and visceral lack of musical knowledge or (more likely) both reign supreme at SN&R. I’ve encountered it before in articles but held my tongue/fingers.

However, the article about What’s Up? is full of lavish praise and unsubstantiated quips and for what? Does moving to Portland make you special or talented? Rhetorically crappy question-answer: No. Please! “’ … because of the caliber of difficulty of the songs … ’” ?

I implore your “journalist” to take a music theory course or at least be able to play chopsticks before you quote verbatim a musician elaborating on his own specialness. Belay the pollution of our collective intellect with further drivel. Please.

John Halicki
Newcastle

Hate whales? Go to hell

Re “Yep, Sena’s mama was a hippie” (SN&R Letters, October 23):

I felt compelled to respond to Joe Vona’s letter in regards to Sena Christian’s essay [“Sarah Palin: Be warned”] from October 9.

Frankly, yes: a polar bear, wolf and beluga whale are more important to the ecosystem than a human baby. One human baby uses up more resources on this planet than the polar bear, wolf, beluga and all their offspring combined!

One more human baby, no matter who its father is, is just adding to the destruction of our ecosystem. If we really want to save the planet, humans have to stop reproducing! And if Mr. Vona truly thinks that we humans are the only creatures that matter, the only creatures beloved of God—well, he may be in for a surprise at the pearly gates when he can’t get in due to his pride!

Frances Zitano
Sacramento

Dude, Sena’s smokin’ hot

Re “Sarah Palin: Be warned” by Sena Christian (SN&R Essay, October 9):

Is Sena Christian a typical Stalinist leftist who wants to silence anyone who doesn’t agree with her? With her warning to the Republican vice-presidential candidate, is the hate-mongering Sena Christian escalating her hatred of Gov. [Sarah] Palin with threats of physical violence? Perhaps the Secret Service needs to be contacted so they can keep an eye on the frustrated wannabe journalist and would-be leftist terrorist?

Conservatives and the good governor of Alaska have been forewarned: The mean-faced, clipped-haired, feminazi named Sena Christian hates you, and she may try to stomp you out with one of her Birkenstocks (which are attached to her gnarly feet and her unshaven legs).

Jeremy Carruthers
via e-mail