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TORPEDO THIS SUB
Re: the “Paying the Rent” interview with Dave Cornblum, lead singer of Shave and substitute/summer school teacher (Feedback, July 21): As a high school teacher in the Orange County area, I now realize the extent of the problem of finding a good substitute teacher. Students consistently complain about how some educators treat the students as less than human. Cornblum is one of those people who need to stay away from the education system. Cornblum obviously has little respect for the young people he is working with and does not realize that teaching requires respect and compassion. I'll make sure he never substitute teaches for me.
C. Warner
Long BeachPULL? WE GET FREE COPIES OF THE VOICE
Thank you for publishing “Yaaay! The Death of Art!” (Books, July 28), Victor D. Infante's article on slam poetry in print. It is refreshing to see the alternative media living up to its mission and covering the arts outside the mainstream. Kudos also to Soft Skull Press and Manic D Press for publishing these books and the boys in Laguna Beach for their DIY-gritty. Any of you have any pull at The Village Voice?
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
co-author,Burning Down the House (Soft Skull Press, 2000)
New York CityWHAT'S RACE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Re: Daniel Tsang's article on the UC Irvine student arrested for “Excedrine possession” (“Drug Stink,” July 14): Tell student Burt Nicholas Vera Cruz that he wasn't arrested because of the “white man's law,” but rather because a bunch of inexperienced cops wish they were in Los Angeles, where there's enough action to go around. Take a look at the Rampart Division scandal in LA: race had little to do with it. The best collection of non-racist, progressive people I know is in the LAPD.
Just like the Excedrine busters in Orange County, the press and the public all too often misunderstand the real situation in our police departments. It's not racism; it's inexperience. It's not racism; it's seeking to enforce problems that aren't problems.
One last note: I take Excedrine for my migraines; when is my “high” supposed to start?
William Nettles
via e-mailNOT SQUARE
As huge fans of Commie Girl, we were deeply saddened to read her review of our July 19 performance at the Lab (“Hating Everything,” July 28)-especially since we did not play at the Lab on July 19. I don't know which poor, immobile saps you saw, but we canceled that gig weeks before as we were busy recording our debut CD in LA. We were nowhere near the Lab on July 19. We have alibis. Indeed, we have never played the Lab. We have words in all of our songs. We even stand up-just like ELO.
Please come see Square sometime. Here are some future dates: Aug. 5 at the Sanctuary in Las Vegas with Reel Big Fish and the Killingtons; Aug. 11 at Linda's Doll Hut with Jay Buchanan; Aug. 12 at Hogue Barmichael's with Kara's Flowers; Aug. 18 at the Gypsy Lounge with Jay Buchanan; and Aug. 19 at the OC Pride Festival.
Commie Girl made us sound like an instrumental Rush or something, which isn't exactly what we're going for.
James Valentine
Square Rebecca Schoenkopf responds: Wow. I screwed up. I'm so sorry.MOXLEY THE LIBERTARIAN
Kudos to R. Scott Moxley's response to K.E. Grubbs Jr., formerly of the Register's editorial pages; kudos also to Grubbs (Letters, July 21). Grubbs is correct in hoping that a move away from politician-controlled roads should be tried. But he should know better than to think that croney capitalist schemes like public/private partnerships would actually work. They are nothing more than payoffs by politicians for their corporate pals who happily pay for their elections.
It's a shame that libertarianism gets tainted by programs like these. If this was such a great libertarian program-meaning free from the coersion of politics -why was then-Governor Pete Wilson leading the groundbreaking ceremony?
Shame on the editors at the Register, who should have known better. This is why the members of the Libertarian Party get so frustrated by conservatives who use words like “freedom” and “liberty” and “limited government” and then ignore those loftly ideals by expanding the drug war, demonizing immigrants, and passing laws against consensual sexual behavior between adults. Moxley was also dead-on right when he pointed out that few libertarians remain at the Reg's editorials pages when he reported that they endorsed the anti-liberty Proposition 22. All your readers should know that the Libertarian Party of California officially and vocally opposed this anti-gay-marriage law.
Keep at 'em, Scott. You'll either help us convince them that liberty is all-encompassing, or you'll drive them back to the conservative camp where they may feel more comfortable.
Doug Scribner
vice chairman, Libertarian Party of Orange County, California
Orange County director, American Medical Marijuana Association
elected member, Orange County Central Committee, 2nd District
