Luke Turf wrote a balanced, beautiful story proving that we all need a little Charity sometimes. Lisa Norwood's story should make even the most die-hard anti-social-program cynic see that there are a lot of families that simply need some help, and without it, we may lose out on the innate goodness and intellect of kids like Charity.
Turf didn't rail against the system; he just let Charity tell it in her own words. Thank you, Westword!
Angela M. Pleasants
Denver
"Faith, Hope...and Charity" should be required reading in every school, in every government-welfare office, and for everyone of the "victim" mentality who believes that the only way to get a leg up in this country is to get a handout. What a motivating, inspiring piece of work! If a nine-year-old girl can have such a positive attitude for her people and be so driven to succeed in spite of crushing poverty and so much adversity, what excuses do the rest of us have? Wake up, everyone, and listen. Change your thinking. Change your life. The power lies in you.
Charity Norwood is wise beyond her years, and hats off to her dear mother, who instills such goodness and beauty in her children, as well as the values of ambition and responsibility. These are the true heroes of society, people all of us can look up to. Charity broke the cycle, and I have no doubt we will see her do great things.
Jeff Courson
Lakewood
"Stalk Market," Michael Roberts, April 19
Michael Roberts, you suckup.
Joanne Ostrow is a TV columnist, not a reporter for Time or Newsweek, and she was wrong in her premise -- a fact you kept missing in order to aim at a TV-show host on cable who hardly anybody watches. Media-on-media critique is hysterical, as it leaves out real people: the viewers and the listeners. Anytime somebody gets off for drunk driving that kills someone, that should be the story -- not the reporters.
Steve Conigliaro
Fort Worth, Texas
"A Kick in the Dick," Adam Cayton-Holland, April 12
Well, it was nice to read something about soccer sucking from someone who likes it. I've been playing soccer for twenty of my 24 years, and I can't stand watching Major League Soccer. It was also nice to read something about soccer without the words "boots, pitch and football" in it. It's hard to stand up for a sport that everyone makes fun of when you can't stand the product that we put on the field.
Chris Charpentier
Broomfield
"No Pain, No Gain," Joel Warner, April 12
I am very interested in what happens to the Enclave. I was just getting into the scene when the Labyrinth got closed down. Some friends and I were going to Colorado Springs one Monday a month to a club down there doing Japanese rope bondage -- very tasteful stuff. But one day a reporter came down and saw what was going on and they had to stop doing it or close down. So needless to say, we don't do it anymore.
When Onyx was around and had its fetish nights on Saturdays, we also had tasteful bondage and whippings. This pretty much just shows how our rights are being taken away little by little. When Denver has a sex convention and/or a tattoo and piercing convention, all the religious freaks come out to protest satanic beliefs and whatnot, because they do not understand us and fear us.
I, for one, am tired of being walked on by these people. We should not have to live in Vegas or L.A. or New York City. I don't care that they don't like us, but let us live our lives the way we want to live them. We don't mess with their lives. We don't challenge the fact that they have to have a church on almost every single corner. I know that a lot of us are actually very religious and enjoy both our faith and BDSM. I just wish people would stay out of our business. If you don't like it, then turn your head, as you have done for centuries.
Tiffaney Lowry
Arvada
Ask a Mexican, Gustavo Arellano
I find it ironic that someone with the surname Gallegos -- which is of Spanish origin -- would write to say that Ask a Mexican is a waste of space. In his April 5 letter, Dave Gallegos's facetious suggestion was that the column be replaced with "Ask an American," to better voice how "we" feel about "illegal Mexicans from Mexico stealing our IDs so they can work here." My guess is that Gallegos's ancestors probably didn't receive an engraved invitation to leave their homeland and pillage the indigenous peoples of Mexico -- thus permanently infusing their bloodlines with European DNA. I'm also curious as to what Mr. Gallegos does for a living. Somehow my guess is it doesn't involve washing dishes, cleaning toilets or picking produce for minimum wage.
Let's stop blaming Mexicans for trying to make a better life for themselves and start blaming norteamericanos who aren't willing to work these types of jobs, or are too busy collecting welfare to bother working, and the infrastructure that supports such exploitation.
Laurel Miller
Boulder
"All the Way," Jason Sheehan, April 12
Maybe it's time for more chefs to...not put politics and principle before cuisine, but to incorporate it into a path for change. Obviously, people are waking up to the effect we are having on this planet and in our communities. We became a society so dependent on Internet communication, cell phones and hurrying through our days that we have little, if any, connection to each other. We have fat kids and fat adults with more diabetes and depression than any other country in the world. We have kids who think food comes from the grocery store and have virtually no respect for what they put into their bodies, leaving them with very little respect for those bodies. We have chefs who think food comes off the back of a truck, and that they themselves dictate availability, menus, even seasons. Then we wonder how these egomaniacs got created.
What happened to really knowing about food, about ingredients? About what grows together and when? What happened to having a personal relationship with the people who grow our food, the very thing we need to be healthy and strong? I believe that those personal relationships make us responsible, make us honor them and their work by cooking a dish that makes them proud.
Isn't it time to learn some responsibility in the most basic way we nourish ourselves and each other, putting away the egos and creating menus within the boundaries of nature? There are many chefs jumping on this politically correct train. It's one that requires more time, more flexibility, more creativity and, above all, endless commitment. It's harder than going to the store or having food delivered off the back of a truck. It's harder than putting whatever you want on the menu whenever you want it. It takes creativity, flexibility, an awareness of nature and a tremendous amount of respect for the hard work of farmers (who are subject to the "whims" of nature). It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out in a year or two.
Are their beliefs and missions backed by the serious commitment to the time and discipline it requires? And are you willing to recognize and congratulate their efforts?
Teri Ripetto
Denver
"On the Block," Jason Sheehan, April 5
First off, whoever thought a chubby Irish kid from western New York would make a good restaurant critic had one hell of a sense of humor. As a fellow New Yorker, I feel I must speak on behalf of my home state and the people I love, for the sake of regaining our respect and some dignity. So let me voice a few concerns about Jason Sheehan -- concerns his editor should be seriously contemplating if she ever wants a job with a respectable paper!
"Pizza crust is not so important...it's just a conveyor." Young Jedi, have you completely lost touch with reality? You're lucky your readers are in Denver, Colorado, because in your home state, you'd get bitch-slapped from one block to the next for such slander. You obviously know nothing about pizza. The fact that a "food critic" would even suggest something so preposterous is hilarious!
"Linguini cut so thin it was like angel hair..." Seriously? Linguini cut that thin is cappellini, chef, not linguini. Try telling that to the federal regulators in Bologna who set the official Italian regulations on pasta size and shape. Trust me, what they did to Mussolini will look like a picnic compared to what you'll get!
I was in Whole Foods eating a slice of pizza when I read the review of Via, and I almost choked to death on a mushroom. A pork chop cooked bloody medium? Say what? Medium and juicy, yes. But if I'm eating pork and I see blood on my plate, I'm packing my bags and I ain't lookin' back!
Jason, it may be time to head back to New York and back to school; there is much to learn, and the clock is ticking! But this time stay east of Interstate 81, because anything west of that is just hick, nothing but chicken wings and snowmobiles in camouflage. Is that your story, Sheehan? Before writing fancy reviews, you lived in the woods, huh? On the bright side, I'd like to say keep it up! All your fellow New Yorkers love to read this over Genny Red Eyes and laugh, wondering how close you lived to Love Canal!
Nick DeCiccio
Denver
