Simply Impressed

Enjoyed your Arts in San Diego issue (February 13). It’s nice to know this is no longer simply some fun-in-the-sun beach town. But one glaring omission: the San Diego Civic Dance Arts Association.

For several weeks each year they put on, as they have for decades, a professionally produced dance extravaganza (tap, ballet, hip-hop, jazz) featuring local choreographers (of whom many have studied in L.A. and New York) and young, upcoming dance students, who train throughout the year.

In addition, each year this association puts on a spring showcase, again professionally produced. Thousands of San Diegans from toddlers to enthusiasts well into their 60s and beyond dance jazz, tap, hip-hop, and ballet.

I’m not a teacher, nor an amateur participant, nor do I have any child involved. I am simply someone who has attended both types of events

and is deeply impressed (something that doesn’t always happen with me) with their dedication, and with the energy of the teachers and students as well.

• Steve Frank
• South Park

Stay Vigilant, San Diego

Don Bauder’s comparison of ancient Roman games with today’s mega-stadia (“Bread and Circuses,” City Lights, February 13) was brilliant.

With another business-friendly Republican in the mayor’s office now, we must be ever-vigilant that San Diego does not follow Detroit, Cincinnati, and other failing cities with taxing stadium projects.

One thing Mr. Bauder did not mention is that, in ancient Rome, the games were free admission to the masses. The only thing we taxpayers get now is the tab.

• Timothy Carr
• Hillcrest

Blowing Minds

Re: Off the Cuff, February 13: “What’s the most mind blowing fact you know?”

Jim Isaac responded,“Nine out of ten school children can’t find Canada on a map of the U.S.” Fact is none of the ten school children will find Canada on a map of the U.S. Offer a map of North America and see if the odds increase a bit.

Christopher Carmichael responded, “Folks still doubt the President was born outside of Hawaii.” Really? Which of the 50 states was he born in? Canada? Last I checked our President was required to be a natural born citizen, 35 years of age or older. He is also only allotted two full terms. Well into his second term there is nothing to deny that he is an American.

Habib Shakur responded, “The human brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and imagination.” That explains everything, or nothing? Wait, is there a difference?

I wonder what it takes to blow the mind of Canadian men.

• Christina
• North Park

Show of Hands

Re: Off the Cuff, February 13: “What’s the most mind blowing fact you know?”

I was just wondering how many people can find Canada on a map of the USA?

• Chris
• Lemon Grove

Compassion in Tijuana

I’m calling about the letter “How to Smoke Weed in Mexico” from February 13.

Because of a horrible medical blunder in 1975, U.S. doctors prescribed me marijuana for radiation poisoning. At that time I glowed at night because they accidentally radiated off my tailbone. Oops!

From my experience of living in Tijuana, Mexico for the past 29 years, 4 months, 2 weeks, and 1 day, Tijuana police are much more compassionate about people’s wellness than the SDPD, and D.A. Dumanis and her pit bull dogs. I asked the Tijuana police what the accepted use of marijuana is in Tijuana today and I was told that you can smoke it in your home with no problem. My condition is so bad that I don’t leave home without it. Just don’t make yourself obvious.

If you pass Donkey Alley the smells all blend together with the wonderful spirit of Tijuana, giving you more wonderful memories of your visit to the most wonderful city in the world.

You know, China would not have a billion-dollar bamboo industry if marijuana were legal. Just goes to show you what you get with dirty politics.

• Name Withheld
• Tijuana

Rethinking Drones

This is in response to your February 6 cover story, “We Don’t Call Them Drones Anymore.”

I get the gist of this, that you’ve got some guys who are poised to make big bucks on drones and they want to engage in a PR campaign through the Reader. They want to persuade us that drones are happy and friendly — not the scary, right-violating pieces of technology that are in the news — and they go on to talk about all the wonderful benefits.

Like any piece of technology, whether it be a gun, a Cuisinart, or a stereo, it’s not the technology. It’s the intent behind it, the brain of the pinhead operating it.

So here we’ve got this guy, Lucien Miller, who goes on to try and tell how great these are. If you want to tell us how great they are and how they aren’t malicious things that are going to be used against people, you might not want to go on and talk about scaring kids with them.

For Miller it was probably a lot of fun, but for the kid on the receiving end, it probably wasn’t. And it probably wasn’t that fun for the lady who undoubtedly freaked out while driving a car. I think, what if that lady had freaked out and had an accident? Would it have been fun then?

He basically put people in dangerous situations or tormented people with this piece of technology. Whether drones are good or not, again, it boils down to how they are used. And he showed, just in those two examples, how these things could be misused by someone with malicious intent or no regard for other people.

I’m sure it’s great to see Lady Gaga flying around like a frisbee, but the question remains, How are these things being used? And that’s what we need legislation for.

Whether it’s law enforcement that is using them, or whether people up in Washington use them to spy on their citizens, or blow up innocent people or people that deserve it in other countries, you may want to rethink some of the applications these drones are being used for.

While the technology isn’t bad, we need laws in place. The people operating them need to be responsible in suing them.

• Alex
• via voicemail

Seriously

If the Reader were to give a prize to one of its letter writers, let me be the first to nominate Christopher Corbett-Fiacco of North Park for his letter, “Gaily Gobbled by the Glorified Greedy” (February 6), in which Mr. Corbett-Fiacco explains in the third paragraph of his letter the ins and outs of politics in San Diego, which are dominated, according to Mr. Corbett-Fiacco, by an entitlement mentality, the “pay-to-play” financing of local elections which provides prime-time seating at a “smorgasbord” of sweet political goodies that are no longer consumed in the “smoke-filled rooms” of the past, but have been brought into the light of day and illuminate just how unimportant those outside the corridors of power are in the great scheme of life, love, and politics in San Diego, except when there is a local election and the great (unwashed) masses are bombarded via television, telephone, and the USPS to vote for their candidate who will protect San Diego from the unions, or from the downtown developers, or another pension debacle, or from losing the title of “America’s Finest City.”

I loved this letter. Seriously.

• Suzanne Ledeboer
• Normal Heights

Cut Our Losses

I’m astounded when government agencies refuse to pay judgments smaller than their legal expenses, and continue paying their outside counsel with no chance of reversal or net savings (“County Office of Education Loves to Pay Lawyers,” News Ticker, February 6). I guess the five defending law firms must have ties to management? We taxpayers ask that you cut our losses.

I worked with Rodger Hartnett before he added to the county’s expertise, and I assure you that he is an expert public entity claims professional, including legal expense control.

Thanks for an excellent article; you guys are the cutting edge.

• Chuck Allen
• Pacific Beach

Ticket to Ride

As one who walks most places in San Diego, bicycles on the sidewalk is one of the main things that gets my blood pressure up. Someone who wants to sue for getting hurt while riding on the sidewalk is just stupid.

I’ve been in San Diego for 50 years, and I can tell by a quick reading of the California bicycle code that the rules for riding a bicycle haven’t changed much. You ride with the car traffic, you follow all of the laws a car would (such as stopping for stop signs), and you keep your bike in good mechanical shape with part of that being lights at night. No where does it say it’s okay to ride on the sidewalk.

There is part of the code that gives individual cities the right to judge whether a bike rider may ride on the sidewalk, but I gather this part of Carmel Road was in San Diego County and that they adhere to California bicycle laws.

The person should have gotten a ticket along with a ride to the hospital. If the city pays this person then they are setting a precedent for more lawsuits.

San Diego, show some backbone or you’ll end up like El Cajon. There are No Smoking signs posted everywhere in El Cajon and a person smoking under each one of them.

• Name Withheld
• El Cajon

Late Notice

This letter is actually a question. I came across your latest issue, February 6. In it, I noticed that it had the John Lennon exhibit starting on the 7th. Is it because the people listing the event tell you so late that it’s only printed the day before?

I’ve seen this happen in your magazine a bit. It seems that when I notice something that I would like to attend, it sneaks up on me and I can’t make it because of the timing.

Is there any way you can correct this? Like telling whoever is going to announce anything to give you guys more notice?

• Frank “The Rat”
• Fallbrook

We print events occurring during the week of publication. For a list of events happening beyond the current week, please visit our website: SDReader.com/events — Editor