04.02.08

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Low profile, high approval

It would be great to read more of John Sakowicz's thoughts about the economy ("Modest Proposal," Open Mic, March 26). He is bold enough to tell what needs to be told. Because I am a prosecutor, I would prefer to keep a low profile. However, being a prosecutor, I know how hard it is for people to expose the kind of wrongdoing that is apparently ruining our country and allowing a few individuals to profit. Most people are only vaguely aware of what's going on. Bravo to your newspaper for publishing this, and please keep up the good work!

Name withheld by request

Centennial, COlo.

Chilled to the bone

John Sakowicz has chilled me to the bone. He made me go find out about CMOs and CDOs. He made me wonder how many of America's "enemies" are already working on his proposal. If Mr. Sakowicz is "scared shitless," I guess we better invest in Depends, because we are in for a wild ride. Canada has never looked better.

Lori Leigh

Santa Rosa

Sacrificial Lambs speak

Today I read the article by John Sakowicz on the very possible—and perhaps impending—collapse of the U.S. economy. What Sakowicz writes about is shocking yet believable in view of news regarding other countries and the incredible wealth and power that they have and are currently using to become richer and more influential. The Bush administration and the current election strategies are all steering American eyes and ears away from the impending doom that may be at hand. And the rich are getting richer. Meanwhile, average citizens like myself are the sacrificial lambs being brought to the slaughter so that others can feast.

Suzanne Lacy

Fremont

Hate-free Guerneville

Clark Wolf wrote a nice piece on Guerneville, except for his remarks that "everybody seems to hate somebody" (Our Town, March 19). His perception is way out of line with our experience. For the last 20 years, Joe and I have lived here on the river. We found a community where a wide variety of folks appreciate our local diversity, who have weathered a number of crises over the years with warmth and good humor. We tolerate, put up with and are occasionally annoyed by each other, yes, certainly. But I can honestly say that I don't know many people who hate anybody, even if "just a little." (By the way, Box Canyon is over in Boyes Hot Springs. It's Pocket Canyon that Highway 116 runs through.)

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (not "Drag Queen Bingo") sponsor a great bingo event once a month at Odd Fellows Hall, not the Senior Center. If you really want to see diversity in action in a hate-free community, you should come to our town and see for yourself during one of our local parades, by attending bingo or even by going to one of our local churches.

Patrick Mahoney

Forestville

Clark Wolf responds: I can't help but noticing the Forestville address which is indeed a sweet place just through the appropriate canyon. I'm delighted with his experience of Guerneville and glad that our more serious snips are apparently still relatively private.

Drag Queen Bingo at the Senior Center is a poetic amalgam of the reality. Love, hate, life, death—we embrace it all!

A million moans & cheers

There are one (million) ways to make mistakes when a lean staff produces one (million) paper 52 times a year, often with just one (million) set of eyes. And so it was with the March 26 news story ("Freedom of Hate Speech"), in which the number one (million) just didn't seem right when appended to the sum that former Novato High School student Andrew Smith was recently awarded. So we helpfully added one (million) more word, thus inflating Smith's $1 award a MILLION times over. We offer 2 million apologies.

Also, those reading all the way to the bottom of the page may be interested to know that Peck the Town Crier ("Hist-Hop," March 26) appears on Wednesday, April 16, as part of the Comcast Battle of the Bands at the Sweetwater Station, 500 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 7pm. Free. 415.388.7769. Most of the preceding sentence somehow fell limp to the cutting room floor.

Pausing from the litany of correction, we take a moment to shout out about what we've done more than right. We are proud as all heck to announce that former contributing columnist Peter Byrne's excellent four-part series on Dianne Feinstein placed as a finalist in the Investigative Reporters and Editor's Inc. awards, announced last week. These national awards don't weigh publications for size and circulation when they pit stories against each other, and so Peter finds himself in excellent company, listed ahead of the venerable Village Voice as one of four finalists out of hundreds of entries.

In more brilliant Boho news, this issue marks the start of Gabe Meline's new role as full-time associate editor. Lucky, lucky us. Makes us feel like a million.

The Ed.

Shaking Hands, Thumbing Noses

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