Ombudsman's Corner with Horton Veal |
Hey, Boss: I see where another free paper recently characterized the Weekly staff as a bunch of fat, balding suburban fathers. I won't speak for Kate Silver or Stacy J. Willis, but I, for one, resent being tarred with your brush. Get back on Atkins, man; you're representing all of us! Lose the kids, too—how can a man who has children presume to edit a hip newspaper? I will note, however, that you are not balding, the distinction between a crewcut and a receding hairline apparently too fine for the other paper's fact-checkers to bother with. Speaking of fact-checking. Anne Kellogg's Consumer column of July 29 refers to the Dux bed as Swiss when it is, in fact, Swedish. No, I don't know the difference, either, but right is right, as the president would say. Then, in the otherwise fine cover story of the July 15 issue—a profile of Sheriff Bill Young—the Weekly included a quote by "Officer Randy Oaks." I suppose that's correct in the broad sense that "officer" includes "captain," Mr. Oaks' actual title. But, instead, let's say that it's incorrect. Also, even an editor of your caliber should have noticed that Young's eighth-floor office had migrated, by the second reference, to "the top floor" of the 10-story City Hall. Aren't these the kind of things you get the mediocre bucks to fix? Pay attention, man! Your kids aren't going anywhere. Lunch soon? On the company, of course. |
In response to our July 29 cover story, analyzing the 9/11 Commission Report, this reader wrote:
I can't remember the name of the journalist, but his report on the 9/11 commission read as fact-based and very fair. I am neither left or right but choose to take each issue as it comes. Thanks for a good article.
Editor's note: The journalist in question was Richard Abowitz.
Damon Hodge's story last week about the problems encountered by recently released felons prompted this response:
I'm one of those people you speak of in the article. I served a 135-month federal drug sentence and have been out since July 23, 2003. I learned to cook in federal prison and have attempted to gain employment in the culinary field. I first worked at the Icehouse Lounge for six months and was recently working at the Gold Rush casino here in Henderson. That is, until Station Casinos purchased the Gold Rush.
All employees were asked to reapply, and once again I was asked that dreaded question. "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"
I answered truthfully and a week later recieved a call from a human-resources person at Station Casinos, notifying me that I couldn't work for them because of my criminal background. My criminal history is a 1991 conviction for sales of cocaine in Los Angeles and a 1995 conviction for conspiracy to possess PCP with the intent to distribute. I served almost nine years on the latter. I have no sex crimes, violence, theft or robbery arrests or convictions.
I worked for the Gold Rush for six months and never had a problem. I pretty much got along with all the management and staff. I even got a raise. But Station didn't see any of that. All they saw was that I answered yes to that dreaded question.
I'm a prep cook. I'm good at what I do. I own my own knives and uniforms and I'm never late for work, even if it means catching the bus three hours early to get there on time. I don't have the desire to go back to my old way of life, but this situation has me and the other four people they fired for criminal-background reasons very discouraged. One of the guys' conviction was 13 years old.
I make no excuses for myself. I did the crime, and I did the time. Do I have to spend the rest of my life paying my debt to society? Because if that's the case, then I might as well go back to hustlin'.
In reference to Mr. Joe Chernicoff's comments on Las Vegas security concerns (Letters, last week): Indeed, Las Vegas is a good place to "disappear" from your job and humble abode. Especially living Downtown. Recently having been released from a 30-day sentence for walking down a side alley to 7-Eleven, I can tell you, of the 100 people in my block, 70 percent were there for "jaywalking" and "trespassing." I can also tell you the police had already made up their minds to arrest me when I was stopped. All this to make a numerical increase in crime? Maybe. Rookie cops getting practice with booking? Possibly. All I know is that many of the people in the jail were good enough people and not hardened criminals. They also were struggling from paycheck to paycheck and would lose everything by the time they were released. As I did. We usually point to other places in the world and call it human rights violations. Certainly it only makes the "homeless" problem worse.
What's up, Tony? I live in LA, and I just wanted to write you and tell you that your column keeps me going! I'm in Vegas almost once a month, and reading your column motivates me every time to make my next trip sooner rather than later.
I'm a DJ (living room) and a die-hard house-music fan, so coming to Vegas on a regular basis is a must. Drai's is hands-down the best club in Vegas, even though the music has taken a bit of a dip in the past year and a half. Aurelius is the shit, one of my favorite DJ's period. Hoffman tears it up too, I just wish they would skip the hip-hop and stick with what put it on the map in the first place. The sound system, the energy ... everything comes together there to make it the greatest place on Earth.
Rehab is the sickest thing to happen to Vegas in a long time. It's the biggest scene I've ever witnessed in my five years of consistent Vegas visits.
Anyway, just thought I'd give praise to the best weekly column in Vegas. Keep the party going.