Chad Pennington Is Great
New Times' story stinks: Michael Mooney's November 27 Riptide article, "A Thanksgiving Ode to Meh-rino," is horrible. Chad Pennington might be a mediocre quarterback in terms of arm strength and mobility, but in knowledge of the game, reading defenses, and leaderships skills, he is on the same level as the Mannings and Brady. He has incredible heart, and I guarantee he never looks at any of his teammates in the huddle and says, "We can probably." He says, "We are gonna win." And as far as this season goes, he is having a Pro Bowl year. He is the top 10 in every major passing category in the NFL, except for touchdowns, and I think he is 12 or 13 there. Horrible journalism, my friend, horrible.
Justin Prince
Huntington
All Men Are Created Equal
Unless they're gay: I take exception to E. Finely's statement in the November 20 Letters section that he/she is "highly educated." Most of the comments clearly indicated he/she was not. I do, however, take great umbrage at the statement that gay people should have no other choice than to adopt children, rather than bring them into a "confusing psychodramatic relationship."
In effect, Finely is determining that "gay, loving relationships" should be relegated to second-, third-, or no-tier status and that gays/lesbians should be obligated to assume responsibility for the "throwaways" and "fucked-up children" of the world; these children are the sole result of "heterosexual" parents — the likes of which Finley clearly declares should be the only group of individuals entitled to produce children.
Here is a fact that cannot be refuted in any manner: All children who are up for adoption or abandoned or neglected are a result of an intimate union of a man and a woman. It seems fair to say that, if you are a hetero who produced these kids, it is your responsibility to raise them.
Gays/lesbians should be allowed the same rights (however technology permits them) to experience the joys and sorrows of producing their own fruit (no pun intended) of their loins. If they aren't, the U.S. government will continue to abuse and disregard the Declaration of Independence by denying the basic fundamental right that "all men are created equal."
L. Garza
Doral
Yes we can: When will people talk not only about the homosexual side of Amendment 2 but also about the domestic partner side? Not only will homosexuals be unable to marry in Florida (although that was the most minor portion of the amendment), but also all citizens — straight and gay — will lose any hope of domestic partner benefits (be it hospital visitation rights, health benefits from employers, etc.). If people spent more time educating themselves instead of expecting the world to revolve around them individually, then maybe local government wouldn't have gone the way it has for so many years.
As a black homosexual who has been living in South Florida for more than five years, and is proud to have voted early for the democratic nominee for president, I am truly saddened that South Florida (government and communities alike) does little to nothing to better its residents. Oppressed communities should believe they can make a change in their own lives. The campaign slogan was "Yes we can," not "Someone else will do it for me."
AJ
Miami
Correction
In "Drop-Dead Sexy" (November 20), convict Ariel Hernandez's connection to Bare Necessity strip club was mischaracterized. He was not employed there.
Editor's Note
Message to unreasonably literal readers of the fictional letter from former Miami City Manager Joe Arriola to Barack Obama published in New Times on November 20: It was a parody and satire intended to deceive no one but only to offer a political point of view. If anyone believed it to be authentic — or missed the Arriola family's November 27 letter to the editor pointing out the obvious — they were sadly mistaken.
