LETTERS

Terry Keating
Denver

Kenny Be, you've done it again! Many kudos for the comical and well-deserved stick-beating you've administered to Bill McCartney and his pathetic horde of testosteronal mutants. Of course, you'll probably receive a flood of missives loaded with the usual tired bromides and rhetorical drivel that we've come to expect from these Bible-hugging, reactionary religious wackos who can dish it out but can't take it. (Yeah, the verbal sword cuts both ways, Rush!) It seems to me that these ecclesiastical puds have no problem with ramming their two-faced morality down our throats, yet they fly into righ-teous bitch spasms when someone exposes their defects. Can you say hypocrites?

Don't get me wrong--there are a lot of decent and sincere Christians who are not theologically dysfunctional. It's unfortunate that they're stigmatized because of a small and obnoxious faction of fanatics. All these ultra-right-wing demagogues have done is replace the swastika with a cross, twisting it into a phallic standard of male domination. We would do well to keep an eye on them.

Kenny, your strip was funny! Unfortunately, these assholes are not.
Mychael Tolver
Denver

The fact that both our local newspapers would grant that much space and attention to Bill McCartney and his band of fanatics not only makes me question their particular editorial biases but also their provincial view of the world, where there are certainly more interesting and pertinent issues to deal with. Wake up, people--we are standing at the edge of a dark canyon, filled with the dark rhetoric of the likes of Limbaugh, Buchanan and now, on our doorstep, Bill McCartney. We also have promises to keep, and "miles to go before we sleep." We cannot afford to do otherwise.

Erika P. Hawkins
Littleton

Better Read Than Ted Regarding Michael Roberts's "Ted's World," in the July 27 issue:

As a conservative, I generally pick up your publication to laugh at the idiotic scribbling of Kenny Be and the feminist propaganda of the esteemed Ms. Calhoun. It is nice to finally see a shred of balance in your paper.

As with the commentary of Rush Limbaugh and Ken Hamblin, Nugent's comments are a wake-up call for America. As the meteoric drop in the Clinton polls prove, the coffee's on and eyes are opening. People are sick of business as usual. In regard to the "alleged" left-wing slant in the mainstream media, it has never been so obvious as during the current whitewash of the Whitewatergate scandal. Even so-called "alternative" papers (such as Westword) merely parrot the rubbish foisted on us by the Associated Press, ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.

A common misconception about people like me is that we want to force our reality on others. Rather, we merely wish to stem this tide of garbage that is sending our country down the tubes.

God bless America and God bless you, Westword.
Pat Desrosiers
Denver

I work the night shift. I'm sitting here reading "Ted's World." I cannot believe the crap that you people print. Where in the world did this fricking animal come from? And for you people to print stuff about Bill and Hillary Clinton--you know, if the American people hated Bill Clinton, why did we elect him? I mean, come on. The tripe that you have printed in your paper is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe the crap I'm reading. Where in the world did this Ted Nugent guy come from, anyway? The Third World? Another planet? Someplace like that? I am completely grossed out.

Floyd Frazier
Denver

Deli Dally
I am writing in regard to Kyle Wagner's review of the delis of Cherry Creek ("Meat of the Order," July 20). First, let me say that I visit both Hummel's Delicatessen and Stan's Metro Deli several times a week, and their food is fantastic. The review of Hummel's was very accurate. I do agree they tend to "skimp" on their sandwiches a little, but their side dishes are to die for.

It was the Stan's review that upset me. Not only was it unjust, but how does Ms. Wagner know what borscht soup is "supposed to" taste like? What did she expect? A cup of sour cream with a beet on top? Borscht soup is cold beets and juice--that's it. Being from New York and going to delis all my life, I can say that borscht is borscht. But this is small potatoes in comparison to how upset I am about Ms. Wagner's critique of Stan's Reuben. Stan's has one of the finest Reubens in town. God forbid someone should give you a healthy portion of meat in a sandwich you're paying $6.50 for. I'm happy when a waiter jokes about serving me too much. Their meats are flown in from New York. How can you possibly complain about their meat? Their pastrami is stellar.

Give me Reubens, give me slaw--it's a deli! Burgers are burgers, chicken is chicken. I'll take pastrami on rye. Why don't you go try one, Kyle? See you at Stan's.

Raymond Goldstein
Denver

A Rivas Runs Through It
In regard to Anthony Rivas's July 13 letter: If he is so unhappy and thinks this place sucks, he should pack up his shit and head back to Texas, where he belongs. We don't need any negative jerk-off Texans in our great city. I enjoy the Best of Denver and look forward to it every year. I might not agree on everything, but at least I get a kick out of it. So, Anthony, get a life--hopefully in Texas.

Rex Bourne
Aurora

Anthony, "y'all" is a four-letter word that most of us long-timers would prefer not to hear or see used in Denver--or anywhere else in Colorado, for that matter. I'm sorry you think Denver sucks, and I'm even more sorry you're here.

Typical of a Texan, you've completely misunderstood the intent of Westword's Best of Denver issue. Westword has certainly never pretended that (in your words) Denver is the best. Rather, I believe, Best of Denver is a celebration of what gems our struggling-to-be-fair city does have to offer, despite its flaws.

As a third-generation native of Denver (who has lived in the Midwest and on the East Coast, too), I've seen some swell things in Denver and Colorado ruined by the torrential influx of Californians and cretins from Texas like you. I'll contribute for your one-way bus ticket back to Austin. Please go, Anthony.

C.S.T. Janssen
Denver

I agree that the nightlife is better in Austin than it is in Denver. I've lived in Austin, and the musical and culinary opportunities there far outweigh anything Denver has to offer. But there's a reason for that, and there's a reason that I now live in Denver--the access to the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains. I believe very strongly that the cultural life of Denver suffers because of the mountains; skiing in the winter and hiking, camping, cycling, etc., in the summer occupy the lives of a majority of Denver residents. Those people don't get out and support the Denver music scene as well as the local population of Austin supports its musicians.

That lack of support may also be fostered by the local press, including Westword. A prime example is Michael Roberts's story several weeks ago about the Eagles and Pink Floyd shows. He made the point that up to 100,000 people in the Denver area saw those two bands that weekend, and he complained about the quality of the entertainment. The question becomes: How many people listened to local bands that weekend, and why didn't they get any press? Perhaps it's because the people of Denver like the same thing over and over again (hence, the only bands that seem to get any press are the Stones, Who, Eagles, Floyd, etc.)--or because that's what Denver's music media chooses to write about. Either way, the local music scene loses.

The real problem comes about when people in Denver get defensive when someone criticizes the music scene here or parades out some big "Best of" issue about what's happening in town (yeah, the other papers do it too, and they're all lame). I've accepted the fact that the music scene here in Denver isn't the best, and I deal with it by spending time up in the hills. The point is, Denver doesn't need to have a great nightlife to be a great place to live, so stop trying to convince anyone that it does.

Jeff Thomas
Lakewood