Letters

Power games

Re Nat Hentoff's 'China's Blood-Spattered Olympics' [April 9–15]: Thanks to uninformed comments like yours—as a journalist, did you check any facts?—throughout the media, the Communist leaders will stay in power for 25 more years.

Jay Li

East Brunswick, New Jersey

The idea that anyone in the United States has the nerve to castigate another nation's behavior is actually quite funny. Nat Hentoff hasn't encouraged a boycott of U.S. games or trade, as far as I know, although this country's record of bloodletting, invasion, torture, and murder is at the top of the list. How pathetic the politics of our times is. How insufferably stupid.

Mari Jo Marchnight

Savannah, Georgia

City officials in San Francisco have opted to turn their public torch-run event into a closely guarded scrimmage of keep-away. When public events in "Village West" begin to resemble those orchestrated in Beijing, it's time to rekindle the "excess of freedom" espoused as an ideal by founders of the modern Olympics.

William Cooper

Midlothian, Virginia

The un-schooled

Re Chloé A. Hilliard's 'A New Home Room' [April 9–15]: Actually, most homeschooled children in NYC are un-schoolers: Their parents feel that the system is failing their kids, so they opt out. They are often white but rarely religious. The problems facing black boys face every student in NYC. My white daughter was tormented in our local Sunset Park middle school. The school did nothing.

Our school system is radically broken for all kids. Your article would have been more meaningful if it had covered the story for all kids, regardless of race.

Karen Rolnick

Brooklyn

Spoiled rotten

Re Wayne Barrett's 'Bruise Brother' [April 2–8]: Joe Scarborough's just another pampered asshole fratboy who's never grown up.

MSNBC is full of them.

Linda

via e-mail

Reba Shimansky's letter to the editor [April 9–15] claims that MSNBC has "declared war on Hillary" and indicts Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann for their anti-Hillary "venom." She doesn't bother to mention MSNBC's wonderful Mika Brzezinski (best known for refusing to read a lead story about Paris Hilton's release from jail last year), who has frequently seemed to overtly lean towards Obama in her commentary. The implication is that sexist male news anchors are attacking Hillary Clinton because of gender-based bias, rather than merely taking her to task for the numerous unethical and otherwise poor campaign decisions that she has made. If emphasizing the relevance of Hillary's sniper story within the context of a campaign built entirely around her claims to experience is journalistic "war," then, by God, we need to bring back the draft.

Joe Z.

Manhattan

Well, yippie for you

We have not faded away; we are still everywhere, waiting for the right time. I am 58, and I have not retired. I am out for insurrection, having fun while going after the New World Odor. I do hear from youth who are out to smash the state via MySpace. I do encourage them to raise hell in their scenes. For many of them, the choice is to fight or succumb to hard drugs. Then they will need ibogaine to help them heal.

Anyway, the long and winding road of insurrection is here to make waves at the Democratic convention in Denver and the Repukelikkkan convention in Minnesota.

Aron Pieman Kay

via e-mail

Track record

Re Keith Greenberg's 'The Ultimate Longshots' [April 9–15]: As a volunteer at Anna House, I can say firsthand that it's a terrific organization that is a wonderful resource to an underserved community. As a race fan, I enjoyed your article and its emphasis on the racing community. As a friend and supporter of Donna Chenkin and her work, I will say that "do-gooder" doesn't even come close to describing the talents, energy, savvy, and acumen that she brings to her job.

Brooklynbackstretch

via e-mail

News prince

Re Tom Robbins's 'Living the Political Life Fantastic' [April 9–15]: Tom Robbins is the consummate investigative reporter. Keep up the good work, Mr. Robbins.

Roger Garay

Bethlehem, Connecticut

Right turns

Re David Mamet's 'Why I Am No Longer a "Brain-Dead Liberal" ' [March 12–18]: As a student of the '60s, I had a similar worldview paradigm shift a decade ago and have come to admire Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Charles Krauthammer, and other conservative writers for the same reasons cited by Mamet.

Bill Terry

The Woodlands, Texas

Thomas Sowell is "our greatest contemporary philosopher"? I'm so glad I didn't have a mouthful of coffee when I read that.

If you consider him a philosopher of any sort, it's no wonder you're a complete and utter hack, Mamet.

Arch Stanton

via e-mail

Too, too sad

I am truly upset and dismayed at the Voice's recent decision to eliminate its dance-critic staff position, held by Deborah Jowitt for 41 years. It's a shame that you have taken a position that insinuates that dance does not hold enough value to maintain the regular weekly coverage in your paper. Dance is alive and well in New York, and the artists and supporters of this art form deserve better than occasional freelance writing. We deserve a strong voice at the Voice.