Letters

Pauline Jensen
Seattle, Washington

Pedal on

Re Karen Tucker's article on tall-bike culture ["Mutant Bike Gangs of New York," March 22–28] and the defacing of the shop using them for commercial display: I say, "Get off it!" This is a free country—you're free to build your bikes, you're free to ride your bikes, you're free to think anything you want about the culture, but you're living in a society that was built on freedom of speech, and that includes advertising. If you don't like the commercialization of tall bikes then don't patronize any of the shops. It's what you're doing that's important—and you can organize a boycott if it's of such great concern. That is your right. You do not have the right to limit their expression. That's called censorship.

Beverly Keitz
Manhattan

Fear factor

In J. Hoberman's review of V for Vendetta ["Anarchy in the U.K.," March 15–21] the line of dialogue "people shouldn't be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of its people" that Hoberman describes as "a Cracker Jack box restatement of Negri and Hardt's notion of democracy for all" is, in fact, a paraphrasing of Thomas Jefferson's famous remark that, "When a government is afraid of its people, you have a democracy. When a people are afraid of their government, you have tyranny." Perhaps Negri and Hardt aren't so radical after all.

Patrick Problem
Pittsboro, North Carolina

Err travel

Regarding James Ridgeway's article "Moussaoui's Guilt: Less Profound Than Airline's Own Incompetence?" [Mondo Washington, villagevoice.com, March 3] : Boy, are the airlines a piece of work. Hijackings have been occurring since the '60s, yet the airlines have done virtually nothing to make their product safer for the public. The airline industry is one of the most ardent and vocal opponents of government oversight and regulation, yet it was the first to line up for a taxpayer bailout when business went bust following 9-11.

Randy Steele
Washington, Iowa

Fuck marching

Re Jessie Pascoe's "Three Years Later" [villagevoice.com, March 17]: Protesting the war (occupation) is a futile waste of time and energy. The '60s are over, the last time I checked. Until Americans wake up and smell the oil and systematically vote out a government owned and operated by the military industrial complex, the "wars" will continue. To quote an old Voice hero, Phil Ochs, "I ain't marchin' anymore."

Tom Semioli
Manhattan

Way to Go, Syd

Former Press Clips columnist Sydney H. Schanberg has won the 2005 Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism, given by the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University for "distinguished contributions to the improvement of print and broadcast journalism through responsible analysis or critical evaluation." The award carries a $1,000 prize.

Corrections

The photo in last week's dance review "Dual Glories" shows Craig Biesecker with Amber Darragh, not with Bradon McDonald as the caption stated.

In last week's issue, the photo of a Black Label bicycle rider on the contents page should have been credited to Ray Lewis.