Letters

Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to letters@ocweekly.com, or send to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.

THE LAW IS THE LAW, MA'AM

[The following letters pertain to R. Scott Moxley's February 9 story "Illegally Park-ed," in which Moxley reports that a former officer avoided criminal liability for his undisputed sexual encounter with a motorist.]

My jaw just dropped in horror as I read this article. I'm from Toronto and I was wondering who to contact to express my outrage regarding this matter. I'm sure there are many, many others like me. Will there be a follow up article? I feel sick to my stomach.

Unbelievable. I thought this kind of thing only happened around here (East Texas). I appreciate Scott Moxley's work a great deal—keep giving us the facts.

I am glad you published this article, however, I have a slight problem with the following extract: "Kamiabipour believed she'd caught the 6-foot-3 cop in a lie. Records show he ran the bosomy, 5-foot, 110-pound dancer's license plate before the stop . . . " There may be slight justification for including her weight (in which case, the same ought to have been done for both parties) but "bosomy"? Not only is that irrelevant, it sails dangerously close to the ingrained misogyny of tabloid coverage—something I would have thought your paper would want to avoid, especially considering the article's subject matter.

This law enforcement officer's behavior was OUTRAGEOUS! He is dangerous and should have been thrown in jail. He also should be registered as a sex offender. This is unbelievable! You seem to take this whole story (as do the authorities) as some kind of harmless prank.

GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE. ILLEGALS DO

KFI-AM talk show hosts John & Ken giddily celebrated Gallegos' death, referring to him as a "scumbag." Yeah, I'd say he qualifies [Nick Schou's "Santa Ana Showdown," Jan. 19]. The slightly more sober Fox News and CNN's Lou Dobbs also gave Gallegos' death prominent play in their evening news segments the day after his death; highlighting the fact that he was an illegal immigrant from Mexico who had been deported three times and questioned why he had been able to stay in the country. I'd say those are legitimate questions and concerns. How many times do we have to deport these idiots before we consider a harsher penalty other than just deportation? Maybe the Pew Hispanic Center or, better yet, Gustavo Arellano should investigate the number of murders and crimes that have been committed by illegal aliens who have been repeatedly deported. When it comes to the issue of illegal immigration, I'm finding myself more and more in agreement with the feelings of KFI's John and Ken and the Minutemen. Sorry. I can't help myself. The situation is reaching absurd proportions.

TO JAM OR NOT TO JAM

Ratdog is not a "jam band" [Kate Carraway's "This Week in Hybrids Run Amok: Bob Weir and Ratdog," Feb. 9]. Yes, I am a fan of Ratdog, as well as lots of other forms of music. Everything from Glenn Miller to Tony Bennett, Sinatra, the blues, jazz, classical, "classic" rock, CSNY, rock & roll, etc., etc., etc. To use this term in regard to a band such as Ratdog tells me that the author of this piece really is not too aware of the music that they play. The drive behind this band, besides Weir and the guitar player, of course, is a trio of heavily based jazz/hip-hop/bop musicians. This is 2007, Kate. Your "hippie noise" comment is another telling factor of your musical ear. One never knows what a show will bring. There is a wonderful night of music to be had if you open your mind and ears, Kate.

WE'RE NUMBER ONE!

Regarding the Mater Dei High School coach, Gary McKnight and the rest of the scoundrels, I say what else is new [Gustavo Arellano's "McKnight Fall," Jan. 26]? Whether it's Catholic or not, it's win at any cost. Catholic hierarchy do not care a whit about what anyone does, good or bad—piests included—as long as they can have their own way with everybody. No one questions the clergy. Get a life, forget church and sue the bastards.

[Re: Gustavo Arellano's "McKnight Errant," Feb. 2] Although we could not find a complaint or an investigation submitted to or issued by a CIF official over the last 26 years, we have a letter submitted to a CIF official in December of 2000 from someone who complained that McKnight allegedly once told an opposing coach not to accept a former player . . . but the CIF official refused to look into it. Instead, he asked that the letter writer forward him a description of the incident so he could pass it on to Mater Dei's principal, but we don't know if he ever did. What a blockbuster revelation! Sounds more like an unchallenged rumor to me. It is really hard to believe that you are fairly reporting the events surrounding McKnight, especially when you claim, "Lawsuit reveals tampering charges against famed basketball coach." I count one charge, one very flimsy charge, in 26 years.