Letters to the Editor

Involuntary commitment is an option that's rarely mentioned. This resource could and should be used for drugs, alcohol and prostitution. No one in his right mind wants to be involved in these lifestyles. As for the excuse of no jail space, I say: Look at all of the vacant buildings and partially used space in churches and warehouses. Couldn't some of it be used to house this type of offender? What does a cry for help sound like anyway? Lawmakers, are you listening? Isn't it amazing that this unique breed of lawbreaker can always find a place to "set up office," yet lawmakers can't find a place to put them when they are caught breaking the law?

Pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts are quite content to hang out in the aforementioned empty buildings to crash or get high. As David Holthouse so aptly put it, "theirs is a special breed of mental slavery."

Lynn Harris
Aurora

Gutter snipe: "Tricks of the Trade" is an appropriate title for David Holthouse's May 2 article about prostitution. His trick is to mix facts and fiction. I believe he actually interviewed police officers and other verifiable sources for this article. I also believe that most, if not all, of the quotes and behavior attributed to Kid Rock and the whores are made up by David Holthouse. This is one of the tricks of his trade, to include quotes from verifiable sources to give fictional scenes credibility.

What really set me off was the May 16 letter to Westword allegedly written by Marrianne (two r's?) Rizzuto.

I believe this letter (and perhaps others) was written by David Holthouse and submitted under a fictitious name or submitted by someone he knows. This is another trick of the trade -- overly enthusiastic letters praising the writer, but actually written by the writer or his close friend, especially if the writer is being challenged or criticized for his or her work. The same thing happens on talk radio when politicians or people with an agenda encourage their staff and friends to call in with loaded questions and exaggerated praise. This latest charade places David Holthouse at the same level as his fictional pimp: gutter sludge.

Robert Dawson
Denver

Editor's note: Marrianne Rizzuto (yes, two r's) assures us that she does exist, did indeed write the letter published in the May 16 issue -- and does not know David Holthouse. For that matter, neither do any of the other readers (all real) whose letters in response to Holthouse's article were published in recent issues.