Ticket Punch

Fahrenheit rising:
Melvin Williams obviously doesn't read the Kansas City Strip on a regular basis. Otherwise, he wouldn't expect such a high standard from Tony Ortega (Letters, July 22).

It didn't take me long to figure out that Ortega was playing left field, but as conservative as I am, I actually get a kick out of reading Ortega's twisted, Marxist views on the world. I actually thought "Hot Ticket" (July 8) was very interesting, because he dares conservatives to use their brains rather than just overuse the term liberal to combat an issue that they haven't researched enough to form a solid opinion. Melvin probably refused to eat his vegetables as a child, too. I doubt that he has read any of Michael Moore's books or seen any of his films. They're available at the public library, so he won't feel guilty for contributing to Moore's anti-American agenda. Maybe he can write back after he knows more about Moore's films than their titles.

Since I took the time to write in, I should also point out that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and other conservative hosts are broadcast on AM radio every weekday. I dare Tony Ortega and all of the liberal readers to tune in for a few hours a week. It's one thing to tell conservatives that they need to see a crockumentary by a propagandist like Michael Moore; it's another if he can actually follow his own advice and listen to Limbaugh's message rather than just read about how much of a big, fat idiot he is, according to a liberal comedian.

Bryan Stalder
Kansas City, Missouri

Brush Up
Tooth be told:
I am upset at the slant Ben Paynter's " Oral Argument" (June 17) took.

I knew Steve Thomas in the late '70s, when he and I worked together. I was a paramedic, and at times Steve was my EMT driver. He was in dental college back then.

I know firsthand how dedicated this man is to the healing arts. We worked shootings, car wrecks, cardiac emergencies, etc., etc., etc. Steve was an excellent EMT and a great ambulance driver (if you think that isn't important, try working 24 hours with a crappy ambulance driver), and he sincerely cared about our patients.

I trusted him so much that in 1980, prior to joining the Air Force, I went to the dental college that Steve was attending and allowed him to pull out my wisdom teeth. The entire process took about a half-hour, and I never had a problem afterward. I also let him do various other work on my teeth and gums. I could have gone to my family dentist, but I didn't. I chose Steve to do the work on my teeth.

I would trust Steve Thomas with my life -- which I did so many times when we were working in the ambulance together.

Your article seems to focus on where Thomas may have obtained a piece of paper. So be it, but a piece of paper is just a piece of paper. He is admired by his patients, his professional peers and those of us who have known him for longer than the Pitch has been in print.

Carolyn Henneforth
Independence Church and Straight
Prime ministers:
Bravo to Kendrick Blackwood and the Pitch for having the courage to publish " Ministers Hate Fags Too" (July 22), exposing the vile hatred that is being preached from so many pulpits in the greater Kansas City area (and across the United States, for that matter) and giving a plug to the good work that Mainstream Coalition is doing in response.

I caution you on the title, though. As you know, not all ministers "hate fags." Some of us actually believe that God is love, as the writer of the first letter of John declared, and that God loves all of those that he or she created. I believe that God even loves ordained hatemongers.

Such ministers should read their Bibles more carefully, not just the passages they co-opt to bolster their fundamentalist agendas. Jesus, who never said one word about homosexuality (for or against), did say, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). Sounds pretty clear to me. Peace and blessings.

The Rev. John Tamilio III
Overland Park

Gospel chorus:
I have made Kansas City my home for over 24 years now, after moving here from the UK in 1980. The reason for my move? I fell in love with a local girl while on a yearlong mission trip in Israel. Although I like living here, I must confess I have never been too impressed with your political or religious institutions.

I find your politics facile and your religion materialistic and superficial. Combine those sentiments with a general disdain for commercial sports, and you've got yourself one cynical and apathetic guy. But I cannot be apathetic about the antics of Jerry Johnston and company. As a Christian who has been active in the church for over 39 years, I find their bigoted arrogance embarrassing and an affront to the gospel of Jesus Christ.