Mailbag

Graffiti Vandals Are Terrorists, Not Artists

In the last sentence of his letter concerning graffiti ("Address Problems Leading to Graffiti, Not Just the Symptoms," Mailbag, July 20), David Ray makes a lame reference to our war against terrorists in Iraq. I consider graffiti vandals to be little terrorists. They are lazy punks who have nothing and are jealous of people who have something. They try to make themselves feel better about their lives by defacing other peoples' property.

My wife and I have personally cleaned our neighborhood of all the graffiti that existed. The repeated tagging has ceased, because the punks know their graffiti will be immediately removed. If everyone followed this simple plan, we could eventually clean up the whole city.

Michael Erickson

'Weekly' Restaurant Reviews: They Delight People

I read your review of Asian Sandwich Deli with great delight ("Hoagies From the Far East," Chow, July 20). Since moving to Tucson from Houston three years ago, the one thing missing for me (from the few things that I actually enjoyed about Houston) were Vietnamese sandwiches. A little more than a month ago, a friend told me about this place, and I high-tailed over the next day for lunch. What a treat!

The sandwiches are not only larger than the ones I remember, but also much, much tastier. The best time to go is on one of the days when they bake their bread, as it's especially soft and sweet. It's also important to note that they do deliver.

I am disappointed that the reviewer did not sample one of the dessert options, which I think are the establishment's best and most unique offerings. I especially like the sesame balls, which are a common dessert in China and Vietnam. Your article also helped me to convince two UA co-workers, who had been interested but skeptical of the "Asian sandwich" concept. Both have pledged to try it at some point.

I'm also eager to see this place stay open, but for more selfish reasons, as it is the only place in Tucson to get Vietnamese sandwiches, and is relatively close to my work. I hope that this article brings in business for them, especially since school starts again relatively soon.

Colin Gremillion

A Brief Note on the Word 'Ejaculate'

In her article, Catherine O'Sullivan used the word "ejaculate" in a manner that has fallen from fashion (Guest Commentary, July 20). As she explained, it used to mean to utter something suddenly.

I've only encountered one writer who used the term in that sense, the Western novelist Zane Grey. His characters were always ejaculating: cowboys, schoolmarms, virtually everyone. In saloons or out on the prairie, on or off their horses, no time was deemed inappropriate. Being hot-blooded Westerners, they frequently spoke before they thought. Yes, premature ejaculations were often the rule of the day.

I knew what Zane Grey meant, but I could never rid my mind of images, as vivid as they were distracting.

Garth Gould

Rall's Strip Exposed His Anti-Semitism

I was appalled by Ted Rall's "comic" strip in the July 27 issue of the Weekly. He has no sense of history, no humanity and is full of anti-Semitic vitriol. While I am as stunned and shocked as anyone by the new outbreak of violence, why is it just the Jews who are singled out by Rall and others of his unthinking ilk? Keep in mind that Hezbollah committed a kidnapping, which they described as an action expected to be used to secure the release of other terrorists from Israel! I did not know that kidnapping and terrorist attacks were just a Sunday picnic, as people like Rall seemingly think.

I would also like to know where all of this righteous indignation is when Hamas, Hezbollah, etc., send their bombs into Israel to maim or kill innocent Israeli citizens. Neither Rall nor others of his ilk ever raise their voices against those heinous attacks.

As to history, Rall, you need to spend a lot of time going to the Holocaust Museum, listening to survivors of the Nazi death camps talk about their experiences, and visiting places like Auschwitz. Maybe then your humanity can be restored. Any person who mocks the single most atrocious act of genocide in the history of the human race has certainly lost his humanity.

I do not support war, terror or killing, but I abhor ALL forms of bigotry. Further, Rall, you cannot use the bogus argument that you are not anti-Semitic, because your strip irrefutably identifies you as an anti-Semite.

Alan Pedolsky

And Now, a Series of Letters From Al Gore Fans

I was disappointed to read the negative commentary about Al Gore and his new film, An Inconvenient Truth (Guest Commentary, July 27). I would suggest that we would be in a much better place had Al Gore been given the presidency that he actually won by popular vote. When progressives finally decide to back a single candidate instead of five, then things will change.

As we approach the upcoming elections, I hope the idealists will finally realize that the conservatives have already united. There are already enough progressive people to elect progressive candidates. We just need to UNITE!

By the way, the film is great. Go see it.

Bill Leyva

Randy Serraglio: Infantile, Smug

I was truly dismayed to read the commentary by Randy Serraglio. I suppose there is nothing new about immature people who believe they can achieve "sophistication" by learning a few French words, and then ridiculing any and all individuals that achieve recognition. Perhaps I'm more disturbed that the Tucson Weekly published such an infantile article.

A "faux progressive"? "Uncle Al"? Al Gore has devoted his life to advocating for the environment. His book Earth in the Balance was thoughtful and passionate, arising from his desire to wake up Americans to imminent environmental disaster. His movie is even more urgent, well-documented and heartfelt. He has had the integrity to speak for the environment for 30 years, often enduring ridicule from colleagues and the media, because he spoke to issues that were unpopular and unsupported by interests with money. Al Gore has spoken, for many years, about an "inconvenient truth" that can no longer be dismissed.

Mr. Serraglio smugly comments that "Uncle Al" is "insufferably boring." Well, environmental catastrophe is not entertaining, and the human suffering and environmental loss that the movie so well documents is far from "fun." The comment about "drinking from puddles" is the only witticism from Serraglio worth remembering, if only because it reminds me of the same extraordinary ignorance that inspired Marie Antoinette's famous "let them eat cake" line. Tell that to people in the Sudan or Niger, suffering from relentless drought.

I don't know what I find most frightening--the movie or infantile "sophisticates" like Mr. Serraglio.

Lauren Raine

Here's a Letter That Compares Writing to Barfing!

Randy Serraglio: How old are you? 10? You obviously know nothing of Al Gore or the damage that is being done to our environment, etc. Please learn to write, so your string of arguments, facts and dismissed conclusions don't run together like a stream of vomit.

Myra Fairchild