OMBUDSMAN'S CORNER |
with Horton Veal Looks like the Weekly editor, too busy schmoozing the bosses and watering the office plants, hired me a week too late. Look at the editor's note prefacing my first column last week. It refers to the New York Times' "Jason Blair scandal." It makes you wonder if the editor spent last year with his head in a gopher hole, as everyone knows it's "Jayson" with a Y. By such dribbles is public trust in the media eroded. Nice page numbers on that issue, though. |
I enjoyed your article on the holy-roller get-together at the Fiesta (As We See It, January 8). I was raised in a fundamentalist church, but have long since moved on to a less ... uhh... "flamboyant" denomination. The service you described sounded pretty cheesy. For one thing, Tina Peoples' line about reaching the end of your rope, tying a knot and hanging on was taken from a Leo Buscaglia book. (I've never read his books, but it's a well-known line of his.) You didn't mention the sinner's prayer or the altar call, two staples of fundamentalist services (which are, by the way, nowhere in the Bible).
I must defend the event's organizer, however. I grew up attending the same church as Ben Litvinoff, so I can assure you that he is sincere in his beliefs. Also, he has an incredible voice. He and his wife were once on a talk-show on odd couples. He is a hairdresser, while his wife is a karate instructor—an interesting combination.
I always enjoy your articles, and look forward to them in each issue.
via e-mail
You Were Thinking of Las Vegas, New Mexico, Ma'am
I'm planning a trip to Las Vegas with my family.
Just seeing the highlights of this website [lasvegasweekly.com] makes me wonder why I'm going.
I just want a little time away from home, see the lights, attractions, etc.
Not the sex, drugs, filthy ads, blasphemy articles that is in this website magazine.
What happened to the family atmosphere?
Debra Smith
Heck Hath No Fury Like an Angry Incher Scorned
How could Steve Bornfeld not include Hedwig and the Angry Inch in your list of Best Plays of 2003 (Las Vegas Weekly, January 1)? Blue Man Group cast member/Second City understudy Marcus Weiss as Hedwig was, in my opinion, brilliant in his role. The Nevada Theatre Company's Hedwig provided one of the most unique nights of theater that I have experienced in my 27 plus years in Las Vegas.
Esther Lynn
Steve Bornfeld replies:
I partially agree, Esther. Marcus Weiss' performance was brilliant. If we had done a category for best performances, Marcus would definitely had been on it, perhaps even topped it. But because I took into account the overall enjoyment level in a best-plays category, the show's shortcomings forced it off the list. Still: Viva Las Weiss!
Parental Guidance
The following arrived in response to last week's Homeowner's Diary (As We See It, January 8), Steve Bornfeld's occasional series on buying a new home. This installment was an affectionate memoir of Bornfeld's parents, who never did manage to buy a home of their own.
Touching story, Steve. Well-written. My folks worked hard to assure that their four children did better than they did. Your story has again reminded me that I probably haven't done enough to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the four of us.
Keep up the good work, Steve, and thanks! I believe that your story this week will make many people, in many places that you can't even imagine, stop and think about others to which they owe a debt of gratitude.
Alan Adams
Kansas City, Missouri
So You're Saying That This Patriot Act II Is a Bad Thing, Right?
The recent Review-Journal article "Travelers Endure Airport Gridlock," reporting on the pitilessly enforced search delays of travelers leaving Las Vegas, brings to mind the stealth implementation of Patriot Act II.
Lost amid the tumult surrounding Saddam Hussein's December 14 capture was enactment of a measure radically extending federal counter-terrorism powers. Most of the details of H.R. 2417, the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2004, "are secret, including the total cost of the programs, which are estimated to be about $40 billion," noted an AP story. That amount is "slightly more than Bush had requested." The measure's publicized portions include new FBI powers "to demand financial records from casinos, car dealerships and other businesses," as well as several pilot programs permitting data exchanges between agencies.
Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) opposed the measure, insisting that it "should outrage every single American citizen." "It appears we are witnessing a stealth enactment of the enormously unpopular 'Patriot II' legislation that was first leaked several months ago," stated Rep. Paul in a November 20 speech on the House floor. "These expanded police powers will enable the FBI to demand transaction records from businesses … without the approval or knowledge of a judge or grand jury. This was written into the bill at the 11th hour over the objections of members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would normally have jurisdiction over the FBI."
"I also have concerns about the rest of the bill," continued Rep. Paul. "One of the few things we do know about this final version is that we are authorizing even more than the president has requested for the intelligence community. ... Despite the tens of billions we spend on these myriad intelligence agencies, it is impossible to ignore the failure of our federal intelligence community to detect and prevent the September 11 attacks."
Frank M. Pelteson