Letters from the Issue of January 1, 2004

It was no coincidence that Chief John Timoney was brought to Miami; his reputation preceded him. His Gestapo policies, however, will not be tolerated by citizens of the United States. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are in place to ensure our freedom and protect us against tyranny. Chief Timoney, of course, did not act on his own. Gov. Jeb Bush, Mayor Manny Diaz, Mayor Alex Penelas, and other government officials were in on the plan to violate citizens' and reporters' rights. Congress should investigate.

Leo Casino

Miami

It's reassuring to know that all of Florida will disappear: I think Miami sucks. In fact the whole State of Florida sucks. You seem to be so antidemocratic. First you put that moron George W. Bush in the White House, then you re-elect his moronic brother as governor, and now you suppress free speech at the FTAA meetings.

I think it's great the ocean is rising. Maybe it will eliminate Florida from the U.S. I will never visit your Third World state and will boycott everything I can that comes from Florida.

Michael Sabo

Tacoma, Washington

Two thumbs up for Mangravite: I have never written a critic in reaction to a review, but I had to tell Ronald Mangravite how lucky Miami is to have him here to provide such insightful theater criticism.

As an example, I'd already seen Edward Albee's The Goat or Who is Sylvia? at GableStage before reading his review ("Top Goat," October 23), which added a sense of completion to the experience. He touched on elements that really made sense but which I'd not thought of on my own. Reading his review gave me the satisfaction of not only enjoying the production but of rounding off the experience by providing a lucid and thoughtful understanding of what I had seen. That is not only superb criticism, it is also providing his readership with an education.

David Kwiat

Kendall