Letters From OC Weekly Readers

'It Must Be Great to Be You'

Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to letters@ocweekly.com, or mail 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.

WEED AND BUSH
I saw the Vagina Monologues/Marijuanalogues production on March 7. The little skit on observing with a mirror in a class was unreal and should be cut. Regarding violence against women and female genital mutilation, the Los Angeles Times' two recent stories on the topics remind us the offenses still occur. You're very righteous to call for an update ["Last Dance With Mary Jane's Bush" by Stacy Davies, Feb. 29], but to never see it again? Sure, you're a critic, but a little too soapbox-ish for your own skin on this one.

Allen D. Wilson, via e-mail

AN OPEN LETTER TO NICK SCHOU ABOUT HIS OPEN LETTER
It was great seeing you last Friday at our press conference about the unsealing of the indictment. Nine defendants are now charged with murdering John Chamberlain, the inmate who was killed while in custody [on charges of] possession of child pornography. You normally feel free to pontificate ["Tony, Just Admit It," March 14] without actually making a personal appearance.

It must be great to be you. You appear to be clairvoyant, with detailed knowledge all of the evidence that the district attorney presented to the Special Criminal Grand Jury during the nine-month investigation. Without knowing what 79 witnesses testified to under oath, and without examining the numerous documents the grand jury examined, you say that the reason no charges were filed against sheriff's officials was because the district attorney does not have "the balls . . . ahem, the political will to bust a deputy."

Apart from such intimate knowledge about the testicular fortitude of the district attorney, you may have been snoozing during the press conference. The district attorney stated, "If we could have proven a case that any member of the sheriff's department, from the lowest ranking to the top of the department, was criminally responsible for the death of Mr. Chamberlain, there is no question that indictments would have been issued."

Normally, you are banging on us, claiming we should not have charged a defendant because we did not have sufficient evidence. It seems when you don't like a person, you insist we charge without sufficient evidence. In order to charge anyone with a crime, the district attorney and the grand jury need more than testicular fortitude. We actually need admissible, credible evidence that proves every element beyond a reasonable doubt to charge anyone with a crime. The standard applies no matter who they are or what job they hold. George Jaramillo (then-assistant sheriff convicted of corruption charges), David Park (then-Irvine police officer charged but acquitted of sexual battery of a stripper while on duty) and Brad Wagner (then-Anaheim police officer awaiting trial on charges that he sexually assaulted an undocumented woman while on duty) surely disagree with your assessment.

I hate to date myself, but you seem to be the new "Amazing Carnac," able to predict that the district attorney will not be pushing for penal reform in Orange County. After you fish out the district attorney's statement from your round file, you might want to reread this section: "This does not mean the public airing of these facts is closed. As soon as I am legally able to reveal the facts presented to the Special Criminal Grand Jury, I look forward to submitting a detailed report to the Board of Supervisors and the public. This report will outline all of the facts we covered in this investigation. I want this report to facilitate a public dialogue about how in-custody deaths should be investigated in Orange County. We are going to discuss what penal reforms should take place in Orange County and clean up our act."

So please, Nick, why don't you try waiting until the district attorney's report is available to the public the next time you talk about this case?

Susan Schroeder, Public Affairs Counsel, Orange County district attorney's office, via e-mail

MOXLEY STRIKES AGAIN
Another outstanding Weekly story ["CSI Games" by R. Scott Moxley, March 14] that gets to the heart of corruption in Orange County.

Anne Rogers, via e-mail

This crime-lab technician is a hero. I just hope her job is safe. We need more honest people in government. As for that prosecutor who tried to tamper with the DNA results, she should be fired and prosecuted. How can DA Tony Rackauckas keep her in his office after this outrage?

Chris Young, via e-mail

IN A MINUTE, MEN
First, I would like to commend you on an incredible job on your article "Mexican-Free School Zone" [by Daffodil J. Altan, March 7]. I've experienced the same vehemence from this group of paranoid knuckleheads that I'm certain you are being bombarded with. These people are undoubtedly conducting clandestine cut-and-paste sessions against you, as they did when [Jim] Gilchrist visited Cal State Long Beach in November. As a result of my editorials about their practices, I've recently been assailed that if I don't resign my position as the Daily Forty-Niner Opinion Editor, our campus Minuteman will sue me and our paper back to the "Stone Age" because he claims I made racist comments about him in e-mails. I cut it short by telling him I didn't know "fascist, Nazi, or conservative dipshit" were considered races. I'm still awaiting my summons as I did not—and will not—resign. Your article was astute and on-point. Great job!

Duke Rescola, Opinion Editor,Daily Forty-Niner, Long Beach

CORRECTION
On last week's Contents page, the Culture Clash show was listed as showing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The show is taking place at South Coast Repertory Theater. The Weekly regrets the error.