Mr. Manager, councilmembers, you should be ashamed of your staff and yourselves for allowing this to happen. Of course, history suggests you will be pleased with the course of events and may even have encouraged it. You've certainly allowed a pattern of such actions over the years. Basic fairness, though, demands postponement of the meetings until adequate notice has been provided to the community. No one benefits from conducting the public's business in the dark.
David D. Wagner
Boulder
The Facts of Life
A flawed sentence:Lisl Auman was wrongfully prosecuted and convicted. Foolish young girl, bad judgment, naive? Yes. Responsible for Officer VanderJagt's murder? No. Orchestrating a burglary? No. Deserving of a life sentence without parole? NO!
The "facts" surrounding this case -- so smugly defended by the district attorney's office on a recent Reggie Rivers show -- were so twisted, falsified and stretched out of proportion at the Auman trial in July 1998 that they can be summarily dismissed as outright lies and colorfully depicted suppositions. The politics-driven trial and conviction of Lisl Auman, based on these "facts/lies" that were then presented to the jury led to one of the most atrocious miscarriages of justice I've ever heard of in my nearly 75 years. Here was a "political judge," with full discretionary powers in sentencing, who arrogantly imposed the maximum sentence under a weird, flawed law (wisely abolished by the British, who wrote it hundreds of years ago). I wonder if Judge Rice -- who was subsequently promoted to the Colorado Supreme Court -- is as "comfortable" with her sadistic decision as the DA's office is with its gleeful, ill-gotten victory?
I have watched this case intensely from its inception and am constantly haunted by this girl's wrongful prosecution and malevolent sentencing. We have a really scary justice system! Congratulations to Juliet Wittman for her well-researched Westword articles, most recently "Murder by Death," in the April 20 issue.
Lillian Norgren
Denver
Boys Will Be Boys
Elvis lives: Michael Roberts thinks he knows everything about 'N Sync ("Sync or Swim," April 27), but he doesn't know much about them. Mr. Roberts thinks that 'N Sync is evil and creepy and too sexy for young children and youth. I think that 'N Sync is inspiring and lively. If I were to listen to Elton John or any other older guys, they wouldn't have that young liveliness that 'N Sync has. I have to admit that they are cute and I have their poster, but that doesn't mean much to me. Mr. Roberts says that "waggling" your "keister" is bad, because his young daughters are six. I am young (eleven), and I dance, and my keister happens to move. Does your keister not happen to move when you dance, Mr. Roberts? I've seen an 'N Sync concert, and they don't hump the floor! I never feel like kiddie porn after I listen to their songs. Mr. Roberts, does the name Elvis Presley ring a bell?
Michelle Fielding
via the Internet
Abba dabba do! As is often the case, I really enjoyed reading Michael Roberts's critical piece on 'N Sync -- and his daughters' comments, too!
As we have a five-year-old daughter (and a two-year-old one, too), we are sort of in the same boat as Roberts: stuck listening to lots of kid-oriented music. We're still in the "kids' songs" stage and less into the "pop kids" stage. But Disney songs can get old real fast, so about a month ago, I put together a compilation tape that I can listen to with them and actually have a good time, too. One of the highlights for the kids (and me) is a selection of Shonen Knife songs off of Happy Hour -- good pop-rock songs about innocuous subjects like hot chocolate, sushi, fish eyes, banana chips and snails. Abba and Southern Culture on the Skids are other highlights for us. Roberts might give these a try with his girls. Well, maybe not the Abba.
Thanks for the music articles!
Jeff Moline
via the Internet
