Letters to the Editor

What You Say

Paul Mauls

Too bad Matthew Sullivan didn't take his own advice and take time to more accurately research Republican Presidential Candidate Dr. Ron Paul [Feedback, "Don't Fall for Paul," Nov. 15, 2007]. Those racist remarks Sullivan refers to were not written by Paul, but by a ghostwriter in a newsletter under his name. In a 2001 interview with Texas Monthly magazine, Paul did take moral responsibility for those comments, and earlier in 2007, The New York Times Magazine validated Paul's denial of authorship "since the style diverges widely from his own." Paul is the furthest thing from a racist. His belief in liberty is primarily about the power of the individual, thus he views racism as a form of collectivism. In fact, the beliefs in individual liberty and the tenants of the constitution that permeate Paul's stance on all issues are what seem to confuse Sullivan and other critics.

We agree that voters need to research and compare all candidates and their platforms. Unfortunately, the first significant mention we read of Ron Paul in City Paper was Sullivan's letter. This "alternative" weekly has carried no print coverage of Paul's campaign at all, including the rally that brought 4,000 to 5,000 supporters to Independence Mall. The readers of a paper that boasts "25 years of independent journalism" deserve much more.

Seth and Linda Soffer
Northern Liberties

Unless Sullivan's choice is Paul, Mike Gravel or Dennis Kucinich, he is supporting an establishment presidential candidate who will most assuredly not stop war. It should be clear that Gravel and Kucinich are history at this juncture and that Dr. Paul is the only peace candidate who stands a chance of being elected. ... America is on its ass financially due to ruinous warfare and welfare costs for all manner of supplicants individual and corporate. Empire leads to debt, which leads inexorably to war and loss of civil liberties if not outright tyranny. Think Rome. Sullivan needs to educate himself before throwing stones. He needs to understand that neocons come in Republican and Democratic flavors these days and that there is no longer any excuse for voting for one. I urge everyone to vote for a peace candidate rather than establishment-chosen and mainstream-media-promoted elitist scum who will slaughter our children and grandchildren in war for a buck.

Bill Faust
Via E-mail

I have read [Cover, "The Prodigy," Doron Taussig, Nov. 15, 2007] and do indeed feel for this man [but] I never received "thousands of dollars" from any immigration client. I charged a very low fee for my services, a fact never controverted by the New York disciplinary authorities. However, smugglers would routinely charge thousands to bring someone to the United States. None of this money ever reached the attorneys who represented these clients. Rather, we were labeled "hundred dollar a day" lawyers by the local immigration bar. I lost my license primarily for neglect of client cases, and not for dishonesty. As to switching a client's case to another jurisdiction, this is common practice. Would you rather have your case heard by a conservative Philadelphia or New York judge, or a liberal judge in Atlanta? I do not recall specifically why I did not appear for this hearing; however, I was frequently required to travel on short notice and, as I had a flying phobia, was unable to do so.

While I do feel remorse for what I did, and sincere sympathy for anyone who I may have harmed, I consistently gave 100 percent for all my clients and earned a lot less than most of the "snakehead" lawyers who regularly and openly haunt the immigration bar and who suffer far less in terms of sanctions.

Joseph F. Muto
Via E-mail

Taussig responds: The phrase that Mr. Muto disputes — "From Yong Zhong, Muto accepted thousands of dollars of legal fees" — was based on Mr. Dong's current lawyer, Wendy Tso, who told me she had "thousands of dollars" in receipts from payments Dong made to Muto. Tso has now sent the receipts to me. They add up to $1,700. City Paper regrets the error.