Letters to the Editor

"Rise of the Flobots," Adam Cayton-Holland, August 21

Adam Cayton-Holland, what a bunch of shit. First off, great job at being an impartial journalist and letting your understandable bias toward your friends' band not interfere with your column. Picking up the sarcasm? Secondly, OutKast and Rage? Bwahaha. Give me a break. A bunch of white, suburbanite twenty- and thirty-somethings philosophic and political? I'm sure they all have been extremely persecuted and witnessed first-hand all the political problems they would like all their teenage fans to think they have seen. Tying flag bandannas around their mugs in the middle of a show? What a stupid and potentially dangerous example of lame-ass theatrics. All about the music. right? They'll be gone just as quick as they got where they're at, thank God.

Can you say "posers"?

Ryan John Smith
Denver

Great article on the rise of the Flobots. Getting to see a stripper in Baton Rouge do a ferocious pole dance to "Handlebars" really drove home how far their message has spread. Ahem. They are definitely a power-up for Denver.

Russ Smith
Denver

Adam Cayton-Holland's article on the Flobots was an interesting read. He's a funny comic and good writer, but unfortunately, the article continues the mainstream media's conventional, consistent and direct omission of veterans. Iraq Veterans Against the War are co-sponsors of this event and the reason the Flobots are on the bill. Did the author check the facts about his piece? These vets are the main reason for the band playing in a show at the Democratic National Convention (albeit not the mayor's party). The article was largely positive; however, the content left veterans off the stage and not acknowledged.

Most media sources "support the troops," but they ignore veterans. Is it that we're harder to see and take care of? I can understand that, in that the veterans' community does not fit into a neat set of criteria. Their groups are varied and different, but to not acknowledge our voice or relevance is short-sighted and is allowing the continuation of marginalizing veterans as a group.

Further, we were left out of Jared Jacang Maher's "Protestation Nation" piece in the same issue, too. Are we so marginalized that we can't be made fun of? Where's the love? Surely many comics throw homeless vets in front of the bus.

Name withheld on request

"Welcoming Delegates to Denver," Kenny Be, August 21

Although the Democratic National Convention isn't over yet, I already know the best thing it brought to this city: Kenny Be's Delegating Denver series. I went online and looked at every cartoon, and they are brilliant!

Michele Rodgers
Denver

"Little Things," Jason Sheehan, August 14

As a California foodie, I've found Il Posto to be an inedible disappointment. Its only culinary virtue is the wine list. I'd heard the food was good, but I found it to be consistently "basic," which Jason surmised in his introduction — but then he quickly eschewed that evaluation with accolades. The risotto I sampled was mush and akin to cheesy Rice-a-Roni, and I would have been more comforted with the $1 box version. I can't understand how Denverites have a fascination with this place and have summed it up as being exotic in a city with cowtown roots.

The mnemonic episode in Jason's opening paragraph gives me a hint at his experience with fine dining. I recommend he take a trip to New York, California or Italy — even Las Vegas — to get an idea of what a good trattoria should be. Places like Il Posto should not last, even in Denver! It's "fucking" awful and "fucked up" — as Jason might pen — with all that pseudo, old-world chalkboard crap.

Brian Nace
Denver