Letters may be edited for clarity and length Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to le*****@oc******.com, fax to (714) 708-8410 or send to Letters to the Editor, c/oOC Weekly, P.O. Box 10788, Costa Mesa, CA 92627-0247.
JOCK SHOCK
Way to go, Nan Kappeler [“Kid Jocks,” Sept. 12]. If a dad is that brazen and unashamed about winning at all costs, then we need more Nans in the world (and in OC) to shame them! This year is the first that I can see my son's love for sports begin to dwindle. It started with the All-Star soccer experience last season with the coach wanting to practice on Christmas Eve!
Anonymous via e-mail
I'm sure all the letters you'll get about Kappeler's story are going to say what a horrible man Bruce Cook is. I, for one, applaud his efforts. What I see is a parent trying to do the best for his son and doing it ENTIRELY WITHIN THE RULES. Now Cook's son has a full ride to USC and is able to experience the thrill of playing intercollegiate sports. [Cook] did it all for the good of his kid. I can't see anything wrong in that.
A.J. Irvine
Your article concerning “kid jocks” makes a number of excellent points. Unfortunately, it left out the most important issue, which happens to affect every working Californian. Many of these “kid jocks” do not repeat a grade at a private school. Rather, they simply switch schools and/or school districts and repeat junior high at a public school. This means they receive an extra year of free education at the taxpayers' expense. The annual cost to educate a student is approximately $8,000.
It seems to me that with the state's financial crisis, we would cut out all needless spending. A child repeating middle school just so he or she can eventually stand out on a high school sports team against younger children is a waste of our tax dollars. If a child is such a stud, he or she should have no problem competing against kids his or her own age. It seems as though we have lost sight of what school is for. School is not a “game to be played,” as Mr. Cook seems to suggest. Shame on our school administrators for allowing this to happen!
Scott Zornig Coto de Caza
COMMIE COMMENT
Good lord, man. I just finished reading one of your senior editors' predictions that McClintock will win [Rebecca Schoenkopf's “Commie Girl,” Sept. 19]. Is it safe to assume she got this amazing insight—hitherto available only to troubled loners who run bait shops in Riverside County and who spend their nights worrying about the Jewish/Masonic/ Negro/Mexican conspiracy to pollute the precious bodily fluids of True Americans—from the same source she got the amazing insight that Simon was going to win? And what happens if the reports are true, that Simon wants to get back in the race, if the election is delayed until March (owing to the current rules of the run-off—even if you announce you quit, your name remains on the ballot)? Do both McClintock and Simon win and spend the next few years rotating the governorship between them? (Tom on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Bill on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; and on the seventh day, they rest?). Flynt in '03!
Art Keenan via e-mail Editor's note: Actually, Art, Rebecca said shewanted Bill Simon to win, but only for her boyfriend's job's sake [Commie Girl, Nov. 14].
What in the world is up with these Clay Aiken fans who took to berating Commie Girl [“Letters,” Sept. 12 and 19]? The only thing worse than people who like someone who sucks is someone who must defend that same wussy singer in order to make themselves feel better. Where were the complaints about her dissing Ann Coulter? Coulter sucks more than Clay. I think if we are going to complain about anything to Miss Commie, it's why would she attend that concert in the first place. Yikes!
Mason Malugeon Huntington Beach
JOHNNY CASH
Thank you for your reverent and informative eulogy of Johnny Cash [Buddy Seigal's “I Hear the Train A-Comin',” Sept. 19]. Of course, like everyone, I knew of Johnny, but basically it was for the big hits such as “Boy Named Sue” and the fact that he always wore black. Seigal reminded me why Johnny mattered so much, not only to music but also to this country. Thanks again. Now let me wrap this up so I can buy a bunch of Johnny's CDs.
Dan Herily via e-mail
THE SHEEPLE
This is in response to Gustavo Arellano's article “Tearing Down Everything for Nothing” [Sept. 12]. The bars on Anaheim Boulevard were not torn down for nothing. Government never does anything for nothing. You Sheeple have got to stop believing that government cares about you, wants to make life better for you, has your best interests at heart. Government is not for the people. Government is for the government. Those bars were torn down to eliminate communication among people. The government does not want people congregating to discuss government, survival and freedom because it's going to come down to that in the near future. We are headed for a police state in America under a New World Order. All you patriots out there know what I am talking about. It's the Sheeple who haven't got a clue.
Anonymous Costa Mesa
DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS
It's a really long story—involving the introduction into the newsroom of Heracleum mantegazzianum and the subsequent outbreak of temporary blindness among editors and much, like, freaking out—but the short of it is that we misspelled Hank Reulr's name in Claudia Figueroa's interview with Reulr and his Skatanic Rednecks band mate, Jesus Diablo [“Huntington Beach Hillbillies,” Sept. 19]. If we were The New York Times, we'd apologize to “Mr. Reulr.”
