Letters to the Editor

I suppose that the illustrious officers who make up the Denver Police Department never had poor judgment or hung out with the wrong crowd when they were 21. No, not the holier-than-thou police. They can never do any wrong. I've wondered how the police and District Attorney Ritter can sleep at night knowing that they sent an innocent young woman to prison. I suspect that they sleep just fine, though. After all, a police officer's life is worth more than a citizen's, and someone had to pay. In their minds, whether or not Lisl is responsible for the killing is beside the point.
Trish Robertson
via the Internet

Men in uniform: Recently an anonymous police officer wrote to Westword, stating that he had resigned from his position because he did not agree with the way the Columbine massacre had been handled (Letters, July 20).

Whoever this officer is, he has my utmost respect. There are few people in law enforcement -- or in the human race in general, for that matter-- who have the guts to stand up for what they believe in.

We have seen so much negative publicity regarding the police lately. Is it any surprise that the police frequently act like cowards and/or criminals themselves? Most cops have a chip on their shoulder. They are mad at the world. They get into law enforcement because they want the power, not because they care about people. The police are rough and tough when it suits their egos, but when they are put in a situation where they have to do what they were hired to do -- i.e., "serve and protect" -- then they often run off and hide with their tails between their legs. The cops at Columbine didn't even have the guts to stand off against two teenagers, which is downright disgusting.

There are exceptions to everything in life, and the officer who sacrificed his career because he wasn't a coward and didn't appreciate the lack of courage exhibited at Columbine is a rare gem. I admire and respect this gentleman greatly and would love to make his acquaintance.
Karen Johnson
via the Internet

Hung jury:This letter is in response to "Hanging Out," Michael Paglia's July 20 review of Horse: the male as sexual entity. As Paglia indicates, the show's use of the word "horse" comes from the term "hung like a horse," a derogatory expression for men; it is clear that the purpose of the exhibition had less to do with art and everything to do with testing the public's reaction to the explicit expression of male genitalia. As part of this experiment, Westword chose to publish one of the explicit photographs that showed a man with his genitals exposed.

I have a question for Westword: Would you have published a photograph of a woman with her genitals explicitly shown? What's fair is fair. If you are going to embarrass men with a photograph displaying a man's genitals, I think you should embarrass women by publishing a photograph displaying women's genitals. Treat the genders equally.

Name withheld on requestEditor's note: Had the show at Ron Judish Fine Arts included a photograph of a naked woman, we might well have published that photo; we've published both photographs and paintings of female nudes to illustrate art reviews in the past. In this case, though, we only had naked men to work with -- and if the models aren't embarrassed, why should you be?

Northern lights: As a longtime patron of the Wynkoop, where I have seen Patricia Calhoun tip a few also, I am a purist on brewpubs. Just as a restaurant that serves excellent breads and pastries that have been made at another site owned by the proprietors cannot be called a bakery/restaurant, neither can Great Northern at DTC be a brewpub. Can Old Chicago be considered a brewpub if it serves beers made by Rockies Brewing, Walnut, Rock Bottom or the ChopHouse, which are all businesses owned by Old Chicago's parent company? No. A few years ago, El Rancho tried to pass itself off as a brewpub when its beers were actually made off site, to their specs, by One Keg Brewery. That was a sham, too. One of the really marvelous things about a real brewpub is that the beers are unique to that location and are different from beers served at other locations of the same chain. So Kyle was wrong in the Best of Denver, and she was wrong in the July 13 Bite. Great Northern is a beautiful facility. The beers are good and clean. But it is a bar. Period. It serves excellent beers. But it is not a brewpub. Please reserve the title of Best Brewpub for a facility that has earned the title by brewing its wonderful beers where they are served.
Brian Kelly
via the Internet

Dazed and confused:Sometimes I wonder if Kyle Wagner is following me around town. Her reviews are so uncannily similar to my own experiences that I can often guess which place she'll cover -- and what she'll say about it -- before I open Westword. But Kyle must have missed me on the half-dozen visits I made to Denver's Heavenly Daze Brewery last year. I not only found the "cavernous space" to be comfortable, relaxed and a great place to watch a game, but the food is what kept me going back. I'm glad to welcome back the Daze (The Bite, July 13). The shortcoming of this friendly joint, in my opinion, has never been the food; the real problem is anonymity. Just because the place is big and sits on I-25 doesn't mean people will come. If you're reading, guys, make some noise, advertise in Westword, do something -- anything. Oh, and get Kyle to come back.
Jill Slager
Denver

Das ist lo mein: Regarding Bill Gallo's July 13 review of the Sunset Lounge:

What sort of idea is a German-Chinese restaurant? An hour later, you're hungry for power!
Earl Noe
via the Internet