LETTERS

Mash Notes, Hate Mail, Urgent Communiqués, Secret Messages, Thesis Pieces



Readers respond to letters about our illegal immigrants story, Alien Nation...


Dear (letter writer) Mr. Don Hall,


I was reading your letter posted in Las Vegas Weekly January 5, 2006, and I wasn't surprised to see the same case of ignorance and racism (one of Americans' greatest qualities) I see every day and everywhere. Let me explain a few things, and educate you about the aliens, immigrants or whatever you want to call us.


First, I want to start by talking about us, the Hispanic kids and our "evil" threat to take advantage of your "wonderful" scholar system. You may not know this, but we have the highest education level of the nation, and there's a simple reason for that. While the "American" kids are skipping school to go smoke weed somewhere, totally throwing their lives away and wasting your "precious" taxpayer's money, we are inside the classrooms trying to separate ourselves and become better persons, just because our well-taught "Latino" moral principles told us to do so.


This leads us to the next point, the "malicious" job-stealing menace.


I see people every day who'd rather be standing on a sidewalk holding a cardboard announcing a casino's offer than under the same head-toasting sun picking up veggies for the "great" price of one cent per potato. Or maybe those who declare themselves unemployed, or in disability, just to live out of the government's aid programs, and all they do is sit their lazy asses and contemplate their back yards, which coincidently had just been given maintenance by a hard-working immigrant landskeeper.


Now, this has become a personal matter. Yes, some of us are bilingual persons, and we are more likely to get a good job and succeed, but we all know that it works the same way in every part of the world, where you always have to speak more than one language.


Talking about economy, guess who also pays taxes, but never gets any money back like you do? Us.


Obviously, we all came here for a reason; most of us came here looking for the opportunities we didn't have in our home countries, and we all make our best effort to adapt ourselves to this new lifestyle, which isn't an easy job.


Sadly, we are not here because we wanted to come, but because we needed to and had no other choice. If someday you have the need to leave the land you love and go to an unknown place, you're leaving everything you have and everybody you love behind.


Thank God we are now having a "better" life here, but this wild ride hasn't been free at all. Some of us had to swim through the river or sneak in through the desert, dodging the bullets of some "minutemen." And when we finally got here, we now have to deal with unfair laws, and the wrath of selfish racist people like yourself who try to lower our dignities and make our lives a living hell.


And no, I am not calling for your sympathy and compassion, f--k it! We don't need that! Just let us live our lives in peace and worry about the real problems, of which you guys have plenty.


It is now too late for you to cry and try to get us out of here. By today we are the largest minority of the country, so don't waste your energies, because we are already here, we'll keep coming, and we are not planning to leave.




Gabriel Chavez





The Other Side ...


Dear Don Hall,


I normally just bitch about these kinds of articles and do nothing, but the response from Don Hall about the Alien Nation article had me a raving looney!!! Not in the way you are thinking! I have never seen my opinions in print—with no knowledge of it! I was in amazement on how great that letter was! My company makes you sign an "all English" policy when hired. I was like "Wow, great! About time!" The employer said it was for safety reasons. Well, as I toured the floor, I realized why they had this. I would say I am in the minority there. We have lots of Spanish and Filipino. From my talking with other English-only employees, I find out that this policy is not enforced nor even given another thought after filed away! We have temps that come in that speak no English at all. Try asking them to do something or get something for you! It's like trying to get blood from a turnip or pulling money out of my ass! It just can't happen! During my training, my supervisor busted out into some tongue-twisty shit with another employee! I sat there in amazement as the boss acted like nothing was wrong—come to find out they were discussing the very thing I was being trained on!!!


While I remain silent on the whole religion and politics issue, this is one issue I can no longer be quiet on. This is the USA and last I knew we spoke ENGLISH here. My children speak English and will not be forced to learn another language by the schools. We were in another state before moving here and I thought that was bad! I spent three months trying to get a job, and I finally checked the little box and got an interview the next day—only not to get the job when they saw my blond hair and asked me, "te amo?" I think that is the only phrase I know or at least think I know!!! I knew the Strip would be bad to work for, with regards to the language issue, but the field I am in, I never expected it at all!!! I truly have no problem with people trying to make a better life for them and their families, that's why we moved here, but before you leave your country, learn the f'n language!!! Would an American move to France or Germany without first preparing themselves!!! I think not!




Name Withheld





Steamed About Balcony Lights!


Dear Editor,


I'm writing about the second part of the article on Balcony Lights, from the December 29-January 4 issue, "Breaking Up Balcony." Since I read it, I've wanted to say something, and it has built up so much that I need to vent now. It's a shame that the opportunistic assholes were glorified alongside such a sad moment for the local culture as the closing of Balcony Lights. A year ago, Balcony Lights started their super discount sales to make rent, and I was there letting people know about it. In May, I threw down $200 of my own money to keep them alive. I didn't expect anything back, but Frank, being a great guy, paid me back, even though it wasn't necessary. He even offered to sell my first movie, which is a CD/DVD, One Step Behind, for no profit to himself. I couldn't take that deal, but even in my film work, I supported them. I made them a commercial that's featured on my DVD and was passed out in a DVD demo for a year.


Months before Balcony Lights closed, I was there, helping out for free. I was sweeping and cleaning the store, helping with their yard sale, rearranging things and fixing CDs. Then Frank asked for volunteers to help around his store and no one showed up. So it was Frank, Alan, me, my business partner, Eric, and my brother Mark. But as soon as he said he was closing, everyone came out from under their rocks, with their hands out, screaming gimme, gimme, gimme while pissing out their condolences. That's crap and so are they. All of the opportunistic pieces of trash who could've come to help, but didn't even though they sure could come to get free stuff and to break everything else. Shit like that didn't need to be glorified as being important or even as caring about the store they were in, and that right there has got me too riled up to stay quiet.


Sincerely angry,




Mike V. PCP


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