Letters
Contact us via e-mail (letters@ocweekly.com), regular mail (Letters to the Editor, OC Weekly, P.O. Box 10788, Costa Mesa, CA 92627) or fax (714-708-8410). Letters will be edited for clarity and length. By submission of a letter, you agree that we can publish and/or license the publication of it in print and electronically. All correspondence must include your home city and a daytime phone number.
WHEN LEFT-WINGED PIGS FLY
R. Scott Moxley is a pig and a communist on top of it ("Patriot Games: How a Newport Beach businessman used 'granny, apple pie and the flag' to bilk patriotic investors," Oct. 26). Why doesn't he get out of Orange County? The majority of us don't want him here. He should be ashamed to refer to President Ronald Reagan in an unkind way. Our president is an old, sick man. Jo Ellen Allen is a fine person. But your left-winged pig seems to find a way to twist the truth. It is so obvious that Scott is part of "THE LEFT-WING CONSPIRACY." I will do my best to enlighten people that are naive that your website is extremely biased.
Mary Youngvia e-mail R. Scott Moxley responds: It's a comfort to know that people like Mary hate me, but I didn't write about Ronald Reagan. My article documented how Eddie Allen fabricated his military record in order to defraud his investors, most of whom describe themselves as conservative Republicans. Be sure to look for my next installment on the Allens, "Eddie Allen, Entrepreneur," in which I examine the mechanics of Eddie Allen's scheme.
SCARIER AND SCARIER
The inflammatory language in "The Arab Who Lives Down the Street" (No. 11) was a very untimely piece during this strenuous time for Arab-Americans and Muslims ("OC's 31 Scariest People," Oct. 26). Unfortunately, the reality is that there are people who take advantage of any vitriolic statements to commit hate crimes against innocent Americans. In fact, there have been more than 40 reported hate incidents in Orange County since Sept. 11. We hope that the staff at the OC Weekly will take this into consideration when deciding whether to publish hate speech, intended to be sarcastic or otherwise.
Sabiha KhanCouncil on American Islamic Relations/Southern California
SUPE'S ON!
Nowhere in your list do you mention [county Supervisors] Jim Silva, Chuck Smith or Cynthia Coad. For shame.
Paul L. HutchinsLaguna Woods Tom Finkel, curator of theWeekly's Bob Dornan Hall of Fame, responds: The same article notes that the forgettable Second District supervisor was installed last year in theWeekly's Bob Dornan Hall of Fame. I'm buffing his bust right now.
DON'T SMOTE, PROMOTE!
Regarding the campaign to promote "scary" Disneyland exec Paul Pressler (No. 23): it was originally devised in response to a newsgroup posting where someone had threatened to (if I remember correctly) "come over [Pressler's] desk with a shotgun and take matters into his own hands" if Pressler started mucking with that person's favorite attraction. Pressler to this day remains utterly incompetent, but any harm to him—even jokingly suggested—was just not the way to go. So "Promote Pressler" was created as a tongue-in-cheek way to better channel all that angry energy.
Al LutzEditor, MousePlanet.com
SHE FACED TERROR
Nick Schou's article on Rigoberta Menchú Túm ("The 'T' Word," Oct. 26) failed to say anything about the debate surrounding the validity of Menchú Túm's memoirs.
Adam Anglinvia e-mail Nick Schou responds:The controversy surrounding Menchú Túm's book I, Rigoberta Menchu—such as her claim that she spent her childhood in hard labor when it's likely she went to a cushy grammar school—has been covered extensively. But no one disputes that Menchú Túm went on to become a peasant organizer at a time when that sort of work attracted the undesirable attention of Guatemalan death squads and military. That kind of state-sponsored terrorism is what I wanted to talk to her about.
THE BEST, BUT NOT PERFECT
The Best of OC issue (Oct. 19) was joyful, perceptive and knowledgeable. A refreshing change from the usual bombastic acidity (not that there's anything wrong with that). And although I laughed out loud several times and made mental notes of places to go, I also noticed a few glaring omissions in the Fullerton and Irvine sections.
The Fullerton Arboretum (located on the northeast corner of the Cal State campus) is a 26-acre botanical garden started in the late 1960s as a protest against the space becoming yet another parking lot. It's cheap and peaceful, and where else in Orange County can you see a carnivorous plant bog (714-278-3579)?
Despite Irvine's blandness and predictability, at least two things make it noteworthy: KUCI (88.9 FM) has been around since 1969 and plays all the music you won't hear anywhere else on the radio. (It also has a 24-hour Internet connection at kuci.org). And the Irvine Fine Arts Center has classes for all ages; a prominent gallery program that exhibits the work of internationally known artists; and three fully equipped and affordable open studios for ceramics, photography and metalsmithing. There's nothing else like it in Orange County (14321 Yale Ave., 949-724-6880).
Alex TracyFullerton
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
David Holzman's name was misspelled in "Orange County's 31 Scariest People" (Oct. 26). Holzman, who also goes by "Double Zero," additionally wants it made clear that he is in no way a contributor to our "lousy fucking bullshit paper." Got it!
