HEAR THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

I am Lorraine Escobar, whom Zach Stahl erroneously describes in his article about Esselen Nation [“Culture Wars,” April 12-18]. I was not kicked off the council. I resigned. But that is not the major concern I have about this article. After reading his article, I came away with the notion that the people’s voice has been minimized.

There were at least 50 tribal members who signed the petition to ask for a tribal membership meeting to resolve our problems. Considering the mission of your newspaper, Stahl’s journalism appears as anti-independent thinking and conscious action. What about the independent thinking and conscious action of those 50 tribal members who wanted to openly resolve the issues instead of suffering back-door politics?

It’s a shame that your paper could not have validated the fact that the tribal membership has a voice and exercised it. Stahl’s article ignores this fact and, as a result, diminishes any voice the people had to find resolution. —Lorraine Escobar | Salinas

Note: The Esselen Tribal Council withdrew Escobar’s appointment before she resigned. —Editor

TEACHERS DO IT FOR LOVE

Primo Valdez’s recent comments inferred that teachers teach only for the money and lack passion for the work that they do [“Street Talk,” April 5-11]. On the contrary. Most teachers we know (and we know many) love educating students and are experts in their fields. They maintain their passion for teaching in spite of state testing which saps the life blood out of lessons, insufficient pay, and limited support from the Feds, the state, and, oftentimes, community members. Question Mr. Valdez: What do you do to help schools?  —Paul Karrer / Monterey, Brant Wilkinson / Salinas

The writers are teachers in the North Monterey County Unified School District and the Salinas Union High School District, respectively.

COULTER SATIRE WASN’T FUNNY

Someone did a piece on Ann Coulter in the last issue [“Ann Coulter—RIP,” April 5-11]. The story was that she had committed suicide [on April 1]. I thought I missed the big news and just checked on the Web; seems it isn’t so. Why this article? Personally I dislike that woman, but in retrospect I think the story was in bad taste and really don’t get it. Was it supposed to be humorous? It didn’t read that way. —Karen O’Neal | Monterey

Note: The fourth and fifth sentences in the piece read: “She is survived by her pit bull, Pius XII. She had no known friends or parents.” That isn’t funny? —Editor

WAR-PORN FLICK IS NOT RACIST

I am writing this in response to Eric Johnson’s column, “Fighting Words: 300’s violent rhetoric, and the Peace Mom’s” [Local Spin, March 22]. I found it offensive that he incorporated racism into his critique of 300 when there was no need for it. “The Spartans represent the Western modernity; the Persian hordes (played by every variety of dark-skinned actor) represent the terrorists, and the primitive world from which they emerge.” So all colored people are terrorist and primitive?

If it seems I am reading too much into his words, I am. But I am doing that on purpose to demonstrate a point, being that he seemed to read too much into Gorgo’s statement to the Persian messenger. Johnson is the only person that I know who saw racism in her words.

I still do not believe there was any racial undertone in her words. I don’t know what he was trying to convey

there. (Gorgo was a racist? Zach Snyder’s

a racist?) Next time, I think it would be better to not play the race card. —Kit Elliott | Monterey

SEND THE LEADERS HOME

In regards to “Bring Home the War” [Letters, April 12-18]: I felt at first thet the letter-writer made a valid point. However, while he says he is “ironically” in favor of reinstating the draft, I read that as “hypocritically.”

I, like many Americans, have been against this war from the beginning. I am deeply saddened for all those who have lost loved ones. However, making “every American household vulnerable to the grief of the war” is heartless.

Just because a percentage of the population may seem disconnected, that doesn’t justify punishing the country as a whole. I am pained that someone would want others to be torn from their families to fight a war they didn’t believe in from the start.

Harming more innocent people is not going to prove anything to our elected leaders. Not electing those leaders is the initial thing that needs to be done. —G. Doolittle | Salinas