It's not NPR, and it's a long way from Miami, but at least there's no potty talk: There are three forms of talk radio that require no talent to execute: gardening shows, partisan political bickering (by elephants and jackasses alike), and potty talk. Banter about orgasms and manhood sizes alone does not make for good radio. Even the lovable old Neil Rogers, with his belch drops and risqué double entendres, reads a news story or two every hour.
If the so-called Smut Doctors described in Trevor Aaronson's story ("The New Shock Jocks," May 19) and their imitators -- indeed the doctors themselves are imitating a tired, unimaginative genre -- are the future of radio, a career switch to sheepshearing in Vermont is looking pretty good to me right now.
Joe Cassara, operations manager
WDNA-FM (91.3)
Miami
Tired of elbowing your way through tables and chairs? See below: As a Miami Beach resident who truly enjoys walking to and shopping on Lincoln Road, I congratulate Lee Klein for his article "Not Turning the Tables" (May 19), his follow-up report on the excesses committed by local restaurants obstructing the Road, many of them potential New Times advertising customers.
Our city is very fortunate to have New Times to balance the local news available to the community. Keep up the good work.
Renato Guimaraes
Miami Beach
Editor's note: As Lee Klein's reporting has revealed, the City of Miami Beach remains indifferent to the unlawful obstructions that have turned Lincoln Road into an unpleasant obstacle course. If you'd like to participate in some vigilante code enforcement, contact the editor: [email protected].
Who's the most offensive one of all? If Jimmy Morales wants to know why he lost last November's mayoral election, he need only look to himself, his views, his issues, and his tactics. Brett Sokol's column "Acute Democratitis" (May 19) illustrates just how prejudiced Jimmy really is. His racial slurs were reprehensible, and the candor with which he expressed them is indicative of just how fortunate is Miami-Dade County that Jimmy was defeated.
His statements were not only misleading and inaccurate, they were offensive to all right-minded people.
Linda Gonzalez
North Miami
Jimmy Morales couldn't escape his past: Jimmy Morales ran a bad campaign. If Kerry's people, including Kendrick Meek, denied him political coattails, Jimmy should have been in their faces. Although he did a good job trying to raise his visibility in other county commission districts, in the Cuban-American community being a county commissioner is not a calling card. Carlos Alvarez understood, and surprised a lot of people by winning. People are disgusted with the county commission, which serves mainly to rubber-stamp zoning changes for big campaign contributors -- who are mostly Cuban American!
Regrettably I must ask my name be withheld from this letter. I cannot afford to offend vengeful and vindictive members of the county commission; my professional endeavors would otherwise be jeopardized.
Name Withheld by Request
Coral Gables
Body bags and soldiers' coffins: In his May 5 letter to the editor ("Only Patriots Can Wrap Themselves in the Flag -- Not a Couple of Naked Gay Guys"), Jerry Mouse Martinez stated he was offended by an advertisement he saw in New Times. His homophobic ire was stirred by the image of two gay men wrapped in the Stars and Stripes.
You know what I object to, Mr. Martinez? The bodies of young American soldiers being wrapped in the same flag on their final return home, as if it is really a mark of honor to die for a cause that is economic and political bullshit. That's what I find obscene.
J.B. Hayes
Miami Beach
Heteros don't have a monopoly on service to America: In response to the pathetic statements of Jerry Mouse Martinez, who said he was "really pissed off," I have a question: Just who the hell died and named him God?
Whether it was two women, two men, or a straight couple wrapped in the flag, his whining speech really pissed me off! I'm a proud gay American who says all Americans can wrap themselves in the flag, not just people who've served in the armed forces. As far as disrespecting those who have and are fighting for our country -- that is not true at all. That's just his lame excuse. Obviously he discriminates against gay people.
It is so unfortunate to hear such a shallow-minded bigot speak as if only heterosexuals have given the best things to America. Does he have any idea how many outstanding gay men and women have served this country?
S. Larson
Hialeah
In the land of the free, all are free to be patriots: I would like to educate Jerry Mouse Martinez. Among "the men and women who fought and died for this country," many were gays and lesbians, as Gen. Colin Powell noted at a U.S. Senate hearing in 1993: "Homosexuals have privately served well in the past and are continuing to serve well today."
Sgt. Robert Stout is a great example. He is the first known gay soldier to win the Purple Heart. Robert, who is 23 years old, was recently wounded in Iraq while operating a machine gun, "spilling his blood for this great flag," to quote Mr. Martinez. Robert earned the right to wrap himself and his boyfriend in the flag. As he put it: "I know a ton of gay men who would be more than willing to stay in the army if they could just be open. We can't keep hiding the fact that there are gay people in the military and they aren't causing any harm." Meanwhile Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK allow gays and lesbians to serve freely.
Mr. Martinez, your position is utterly un-American. In this land of the free, everyone can drape themselves in the flag -- honored and brave gay and lesbian soldiers or even heterosexual bigots. In fact, Mr. Martinez, your letter is an insult to the flag.
Since some heterosexuals are known for their double standards, here's a bit of info about lesbians you may enjoy, Mr. Martinez. It's from The Wolf Ticket by author Caro Clarke: "The Women's Army Corps and other women's military auxiliaries attracted a large number of lesbians during World War II, with an estimated 50 percent lesbians in some units. Others worked for the war effort in different ways: as photographers, reporters, nurses, and fundraisers. If a lesbian's sexual preference became known, she was often tolerated because her work was necessary. In fact being a homosexual was not, by itself, grounds for military discharge during the war (this was introduced in the U.S. military in 1953)."
Now, Mr. Martinez, wouldn't you love to see such patriotic lesbians wrapped in the flag?
Elias Nunes
South Beach
