Letters to the Editor

The Return of Loco Joe
Miami's mayoral meltdown has a long and nasty history
By Tristram Korten and Jose Luis Jiménez

Downtown High-Rises Emptied as Thousands Pounce on Free Weekly
People in downtown Miami must be reading a lot more these days. Copies of the May 18 edition of New Times, with Tristram Korten and Jose Luis Jiménez's cover story ("The Return of Loco Joe") featuring a picture of Loco Joe, were all gone by Friday, May 19. I found one mangled copy on the sidewalk in front of Miami Subs.

Gee, where do you think they went? I searched every vending box on Second Avenue from the Miami River to NE Fifth Street. Thank goodness for www.miaminewtimes.com.

Wally Bray
Miami

Giving Donkeys a Bad Name
In light of the vulgar rantings (indistinguishable from frothing epileptic convulsions) of Mayor Joe Carollo concerning his numerous and ever-increasing political enemies, I couldn't help but recall how disappointed I was several months ago when Jim DeFede held a contest to give Carollo a new nickname. He chose as the winner "Boxer Joe Carollo."

The first thing that came to my mind was: This nickname isn't nearly degrading and disparaging enough for such a flaming jackass as -- hey, that's it! "Jackass Joe Carollo." Now, that's a fitting name for the mayor of Miami.

Wait a minute, I think I hear Jackass Joe coming now. "Eeeee-awwww! Eeeee-awwww!"

Al Viener
Miami

Giving Dim-Witted Vice Presidents a Bad Name
I must pose the question: Is poor Joe Carollo really that ignorant or does he just believe his constituency is that easily duped? I think we may have found Miami's answer to Dan Quayle. One can only wonder how long he will be a detriment to the Magic City.

John Barimo
Coconut Grove

And Making Joe Carollo Look Good in the Process
Now that New Times has added mental-health counseling to its arsenal of expertise, can Tristram Korten and Jose Luis Jiménez think of anything more loco than the distilled blood, spirits, and dissonant but just voices of great civil-rights leaders passed on, reincarnated, or manifested (and I believe, in this case, misrepresented) in the voices of those living and protesting along the streets of U.S. 1, mixing with the hate-filled, ominous, retributive, and unyielding presence of the Confederate flag? With respect to the duplicity Korten and Jiménez allude to in their article, Joe Corollo's antics, I believe, pale in comparison.

I just want to remind my black brothers and sisters that we Cubans were called "niggers" at one time, too. And I don't blame my brethren for being resentful of the preferential treatment given Cubans. But we all need to see through the façade. When Big Daddy wants something, he'll turn people against each other, as he did the Native Americans, the field slave and house slave, and now the Anglo and black communities versus the Cuban community. And all for the love of money. After all, making a deal with Castro is going to be just as sweet. It's going to ensure -- as in Haiti, Mexico, China, and now Cuba -- a legalized type of capitalist-driven slavery, where the native makes 25 cents a day while companies like Nike and McDonald's fill their coffers. All this cloaked in the self-righteous garb of fatherhood, Elian, Juan Miguel, and living happily forever after.

Manny Losada
Miami

A Bird? A Plane? Maybe a Blimp?
The University of Miami's new logo is a mystery to the very kids it was intended to please
By Robert Andrew Powell

When Is an Ibis Like an Edsel?
Robert Andrew Powell's analysis of the University of Miami's new logo ("A Bird? A Plane? Maybe a Blimp?" May 18) reminded me of something: a can of New Coke

Ray C. Barnes
South Miami

The Kids Just Wanted to Have Fun, and They Blew It
Kicking the under-21 crowd out of Miami Beach's nightclubs is one the smartest decisions that city's commissioners have made in a while ("Kulchur," May 18). While I believe in equal opportunity for kids to visit these venues, they abused their privilege and are now losing it.

From what I have seen, the majority of violence, vandalism, and crime was perpetrated by this crowd, and even though club owners say the kids aren't using alcohol and drugs in these venues, they are. Maybe now SoBe will be a safer place.

Name Withheld by Request
Miami

He's Got Rhythm
As much as we were honored and surprised by the nomination of our friend and excellent musician Claudio Silva as "Best Percussionist" ("Best of Miami," May 11), we were also outraged with the letter from someone named Louis Ferreira contesting the quality of Claudio's work and the credibility of your newspaper's criteria.

We would like to make public that there's no known musician by the name of Louis Ferreira, that the entire community of Brazilian musicians was delighted with the recognition of Claudio's work (he is undoubtedly one of the greatest percussionists to perform abroad or at the best samba schools in Rio de Janeiro), and that we all apologize to Claudio and New Times for the behavior of someone who acted out of envy and cowardice, who clearly has no knowledge of Brazilian music or the benefits of the nomination.