From our Mailbag 10/21/00 - 10/29/00
Back Again...?
From Jason W., Toronto, CANADA:
To the Editor:
I'm writing in to report what I find a major deficiency with your "World's Magazine." After surfing around this 'Zine for a while, I've found all sorts of timeless and informative articles --- but I had to work at it!
I notice that you archive only a few columns, like the "RDR" and "Memoirs of the Information Age." I think you should archive *all* of them, or have a "Back Issues" page when one considers how many years of articles are on your site.
I enjoy reading the G21, but I find this a major short-coming. I believe other readers might, too.
Print and respond if you wish.
Jason
ROD RESPONDS: Jason, a Back Issues archive is in the works. I apologize for the difficulty, but I have beaucoup other projects in the hopper. I plan to have that one complete by 2001.
From Phala Ray-Orians, (No City Provided,) MI, USA:
RA: Ý
And Eve was created from Adam's rib . . . to stand beside him, connected by their mutual inner parts. Ý
Things I love this week: Ý
Editors who know a goodÝpiece when they read it; Pantheons with room for new recruits; Job's rebuttal and God's concession; and Finding you - Let the love feast commence! Ý
PRO
From Ed C., Bloomfield, MI, USA:
SUBJECT: Billy Boy, Black & Blue!
Welcome to my fellow Michigander, Phala Ray-Orians. We're not as trendy as some of the coastal folks, but we occasionally have something good to say here in the "heartland".
Nice starting pitch kiddo.
EC
From Bart M, (No City Provided,) USA:
G21 Staff:
Thank you. I appreciate complexity. Since I first found this site, I have begun to appreciate the wealth of complexity that went into this venture.
On the surface, you seem like many other Web 'Zines... but the more I explored the wealth of information, perspective and reportage here, the more I saw that you are about something completely different. Your mixture of personal revelations, humor, satire and news is unlike any 'Zine I've discovered so far.
Congratulations! You are truly unique. I refer your 'Zine to my friends with pleasure and hope that you can keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Bart M.
From Rod Amis, Baltimore, MD, USA:
OPEN LETTER TO MY FRIEND VAN HELSING:
I notice, my dear Van Helsing, that you did not have the nerve to respond to my latest challenge.
I suspect that your chess board is gathering dust, fearful as you are of the prospect that I shall eviscerate you once again.
As I watch the television networks present you as a "clever" man who is willing to step to any challenge (part of their Halloween season festivals) --- as portrayed in those horror movies of seventy years ago --- I can only wonder who came up with these pathetic portrayals.
Admit it, mein freund, you are not as clever as you might appear to be to the common rabble!
You can run, Van Helsing, but you cannot hide.
You know where you can find me whenever you are up to the challenge!
Or have those many years in sunny California made you too soft, Girlie-Man?
Your eternal nemesis,
von Braunsweiger
From Alfred C., (No City Provided,) Montreal, CANADA:
SUBJECT: MEMOIRS
Hat's off! Great stuff.
Many of us are already involved in the this shift in the way companies work north of your borders! We're waiting for you to catch up.
Al
From Phala Ray-Orians, (No City Provided,) MI, USA:
Re: Rain
. .for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. (Matt 5:45) This oft quoted biblical reference, used as an assuagement, also implies that bad things happen to good
(and evil) people, not as a result of their malice or (mis)deeds, but rather,
due to some unknown and indifferent cosmic meteorologist.
I find that the intimate relationship that exists between ourselves and the natural world is described best by the elegance of the Japanese language. Five different words describe celestially inspired precipitation. For example, soft rain that falls in spring is called Harusame, and hard rain that falls during typhoons is called Gouu.
From your article, I surmise that you fear that we are being deluged by
monsoons. However, just as morning's mist freshens our skins, in order to cleanse
our souls, so too comes a time when the hard rain must fall.
Take heart and be of good cheer, it is enough for us to know where evil abides. To cause his demise, we need not alter our course to route him out at his location. As William Dean Howells wrote in The Critical Bookstore, "But let there be no artificial selection, no survival of the fittest by main force--the force of the spectator, who thinks he knows better than the creator of the ugly and the beautiful, the fair and foul, the evil and good."
Accuse me of skewed vision or blessed naivetÈ; but, as my favorite Asian adage says . . . One of life's greatest joys is sitting by the river and watching as our enemies float by. Be patient, stay vigilant; Gouu passes and Harusame soon comes.
Phala Ray-Orians
AND your favorite e-mails from The World's Mailbox
From Travis, San Diego, CA, USA:
Hi, we are third try. I guess you could call us pop-punk. Anyways, we are writing you because we heard that you like bands like us, and we wanted you to visit our website: http://www.thirdtry.com. On thirdtry.com you can find FREE MP3s of our music, so you can see for yourself how great we really are. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely Yours,
third try
PS: Also, while you are there, check out how you can help us win the Ernie Ball battle of the bands and win a cool purple glitter guitar!
From Chris W., New York, NY, USA:
Subj: An Open Letter From David Mixner
Date: 10/21/2000
Dear Friends:
At no time in my forty years in politics have I felt that an election is so crucial. We literally have the Senate, House, Presidency and the Supreme Court at stake.
BUT that is not the most important thing to me. There is no question that as your family member, friend and co-worker that my life will be dramatically changed under a Bush Administration. I deeply feel that I will literally be fighting for my survival as a gay man under a Republican Senate, Republican House and Republican President.
I am truly concerned for my civil liberties, my civil rights and my ability to receive the rights of citizenhood granted every other citizen. I fear for the safety of gays and lesbians and my own in an atmosphere that will create anger and intolerance to Gays and Lesbians.
I urgently and deeply urge you to vote this November and to vote in a way that gives life to some many of us. Please read the following and VOTE. If you agree with me, I beg you to pass this on to your friends, co-workers and neighbors.
Governor Bush's record on lesbian and gay civil rights is really, really, awful. And this affects me in a very personal way.
Here's the Bush record and my future, if he became President:
- Bush publicly stated that being openly gay would not be compatible with serving in his administration, and therefore, there would be no opportunity for me to participate at any level.
- Bush has gone on record saying "Gays would be inappropriate parents"-- and openly opposed a measure to let Gay & Lesbian couples be foster parents. We have friends here in Los Angeles who are foster parents, as well as adoptive parents, and I'm terribly worried about Bush's stand on same sex adoption and foster parenting.
- In 5 years as Governor of Texas, Bush never once publicly addressed the AIDS epidemic. He never even uttered the word.
- Despite 40 brutal murders of gays and lesbians since Matthew Shepard, Bush opposes all Hate Crime laws.
- Bush pledged his allegiance to the Texas Christian right by vowing to support laws criminalizing sodomy in their state.
- In 38 states you can be fired for being gay, and Bush opposes employment protection of Gays and Lesbians.
- Bush is adamantly against same-sex partnership rights, and I believe he would work to overturn the civil union legislation in Vermont.
- Bush opposes sex education promoting safer-sex.
- Gov. Bush's Texas Republican Party refused to give space to Gay Log Cabin Republicans at the GOP state convention (3 times).
- As Governor, Bush refused to adopt an administration non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation.
- As Governor, Bush publicly opposed adding "sexual orientation" to Texas' Hate Crime law.
- Our next president will appoint up to 4 new Supreme Court Justices whose decisions will profoundly affect our lives for the next 20-30 years.
With much concern and much love...
David Mixner
From Ron S., (No City Provided,) USA:
Here is a cleaned up forward.
Overdue remedy---Worth reading!!
Our Senators and Congressmen don't pay in to Social ÝÝ Security, and, of course, they don't collect from it. The reason is ÝÝ that they have a special retirement plan that they voted for themselves many years ago.
For all practical purposes, it works like this: When they retire, ÝÝ they continue to draw their same pay, until they die, ÝÝ except that it may be increased from time to time, by cost of living ÝÝ adjustments.
For instance, former Senator Bradley, and his wife, may be expected ÝÝ to draw $7,900,000, with Mrs.Bradley drawing $275,000 ÝÝ during the last year of her life. This is calculated on an average life ÝÝ expectancy for each. This would be well and good, except that they paid Ý nothing in on any kind of retirement, and neither does any other Senator or Ý Congressman.
This fine retirement comes right out of the General Fund, our tax ÝÝ money, while we who pay for it all, draw an average of $1000/month from Social Security.
Imagine for a moment that you could structure a retirement plan so Ý desirable that people would have extra deducted so that ÝÝ they could increase their own personal retirement income. A retirement Ý plan
ÝÝ that works so well, that Railroad employees, Postal Workers, and others ÝÝ who aren't in it, would clamor to get in.
That is how good Social Security could be, if only one small change were made.
That change is to jerk the Golden Fleece retirement out from under ÝÝ the Senators and Congressmen, and put them in Social Security ÝÝ with the rest of us.
Then watch how fast they fix it.
If enough people receive this, and get this out in the public view, ÝÝ maybe some substantive change can happen. How many can YOU send this to?