March 25-31, 2004

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Ween for America!

Nice music issue last week ["Pick Your Brains!" March 18, 2004]. In regards to Jesse Delaney's question to Ween on being inducted onto the Walk of Fame, the Philadelphia Music Alliance would be thrilled to have Ween join the prestigious ranks of the many Philadelphia music greats found on its Walk of Fame. Dean and Gene have certainly earned a place among the Philly musical elite, and they would be joining an incredibly diverse group on the Walk that includes Peter Nero, John Coltrane, Frankie Avalon, Marian Anderson, Joan Jett and 100 others. So consider yourselves nominated, Ween, and we'll keep you posted.

Holly Drauglis,

Executive Director
Philadelphia Music Alliance

Stupid Embargo!

My sympathies to medical ethicist Glenn Ellis on becoming the latest victim of the absurd, pointless doctrine known as the Cuban embargo ["No (Cuban) Cigar," Deborah Bolling, March 18, 2004]. Ellis joins countless other Americans who have been denied the right to share their wisdom, their art and their business acumen with colleagues on the island because of this asinine Cold War relic.

The Cuban embargo was enacted more than 40 years ago with one goal in mind: Squeeze Castro economically and wait for the chips to fall. It has failed spectacularly. No counterrevolution. No dramatic return of vengence-driven exiles from Miami. No brakes on foreign investment or tourism. No nothing. Its "accomplishments" include denying American farmers a profitable market, forbidding American academics their freedom of speech 90 miles from U.S. shores, and making it a criminal act for the rest of us to even travel to a neighbor country full of literate, interesting people and achingly beautiful places.

George Kelley
Via e-mail

Stupid City!

Those puppets at the Historical Commission are weak and all have agendas ["A Jury of Peers," CitySpace, Amy L. Webb, March 18, 2004]. It is a real shame that this charming block of South 18th Street will lose its unique personality to a wrecking ball of greed and big city politics that doesn't give a damn about the beauty of a retail thoroughfare that leads to one of our cities most beloved parks. I am a total advocate of economic growth -- it is great for my business -- but this condo tower absolutely does not belong here. Just three weeks ago I received a call from the MTV producers to shoot footage at my gallery for their global broadcast of The Real World. I could give them a great story. Stupid decisions, stupid city!

Perry Milou
Philadelphia

Stupid FCC!

As owner of WJSE, Digital 102.7, New Jersey's only Howard Stern station, I am obliged to respond to ["The F'ing GOP," Slant, Brian Hickey, March 11, 2004]. I've learned a tectonic lesson from the nonsense spewing from the Federal Communications Commission over the past month or so. I, too, am a big Bush fan, and I am proud of his gutsy move to go into Iraq. The lesson:

The extreme religious right is just as dangerous and just as out of touch with the common man as the radical leftists who damage our country every single day. Howard Stern represents a point of view that resonates with many millions of Americans on every social and economic level. Indecency is not measurable. Decency is not measurable. They are concepts that will be debated for all time and will never be harnessed. The FCC was originally charted to do the business of the people by allocating frequencies, not opinion. Period.

Al Parinello

Owner,
WJSE