Off the Rack

Bud light: OK, am I the only one who finds your Backwash submissions idiotic, sophomoric and insultingly tasteless? I mean, is Bud, your so-called "fashion expert," supposed to be the yin to Jen Chen's Night Ranger yang?

I like Jen Chen but not necessarily what she writes about in her column. Mindless drivel based on her exploits in the anals (pun intended) of KC's testosterone-loaded drinking establishments. No class. It's a poor use of someone whom I'm sure is a talented writer. And Bud can't even pass for a writer. Neanderthal -- maybe. Writer -- no. Choice in subject matter? Fucking retarded.

Jewell St. Clair
Kansas City, Missouri

Kris Cross
What's the matter with Kris?:Regarding Tony Ortega's KC Strip (September 23): Kris Kobach has become the darling of the seasoned right-wing old guard because he proves he knows how to play the game. It is not surprising that a Republican politician would play the race card, à la Willie Horton-style fear mongering. It is more surprising that middle-class folk still fall for it.

No matter that these brown people watched Mexican jobs generated by NAFTA also get shipped to India and China, which may have necessitated their coming here to seek a higher standard of living. The tuition discount may be the only compensation they get for being forced out of their own countries by these policies. None of that matters, because, of course, "brown people like to steal from us."

As I continue to try to figure out "what's the matter with Kansas," I wonder whether it is the politicians and their mind-control tactics or the poor people who so desperately want to believe their rhetoric and vote for them.

Imani Malaika
Kansas City, Missouri

FAIR play:
Thank you for Leonard Zeskind's very informative article on Kris Kobach ( "All's FAIR," September 23). It's interesting to see the connections between groups such as FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) and Gun Owners of America ("the NRA's militant cousin"). Kobach apparently has no problem with the FAIR issue or with accepting political funds from extreme groups such as Gun Owners of America (which has direct ties with white supremacists). It doesn't come as much of a surprise that he opposes the assault-weapons ban while taking a hard line on immigration reform.

And let's not forget that old radical-right crank Phyllis Schlafly, who recently gave the Kobach campaign 3,000 smackeroos -- the maximum amount allowed by a PAC. Let's see, Kobach was pro-choice ... now he supports women having back-alley abortions if they are in need of health care. The real kicker is that he's a young politician at the beginning of his career, and he's already sold his soul so many times that I doubt if he even knows who he is anymore. I'll be supporting Congressman Dennis Moore.

Jeff Witt
Prairie Village Fed text:
I was president of the University of Missouri-Kansas City student chapter of the Federalist Society last year. I organized the immigration debate with my American Civil Liberties Union friends last year.

Mr. Zeskind writes that the Federalist Society is an organization of "conservative-movement" attorneys. What does that mean, Mr. Zeskind? If it means that all members of the Federalist Society share the same opinion regarding any number of policies, including immigration and the war in Iraq, you are incorrect. If it means that all members of the Federalist Society share a basic understanding and respect for the separation of powers and an antipathy for extremist judicial activism, then you are correct.

Given the tone of your article, though, I suspect you enjoy your type of McCarthyism. It is much easier than any true analysis of a candidate's stated position. According to your logic, all Democrat candidates must agree with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, because Moore has contributed to the Democrats. That would be insulting to many intelligent Democrats. After all, degrees of separation mean nothing to you.

Here's a news flash for Mr. Zeskind: In a two-party system, both sides are going to get support from people and organizations that they don't entirely agree with. Your attempt to link Professor Kobach with the Aryan Nation is why the Pitch is being used more and more to sop up spilled bong water than as a source for intelligent and independent analysis of important issues.

Joshua Harden
Kansas City, Missouri

Right of way:Leonard Zeskind's left-wing political attack on Kansas 3rd District congressional candidate Kris Kobach makes use of fear mongering and character assassination by association. So what if at one time Larry Pratt had something to do with the Gun Owners of America or John Tanton was one of the founders of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)? Kobach has repeatedly denied any support of their controversial ideas.

If you dig deep enough, all candidates can be accused of accepting contributions from organizations and individuals with questionable motives or agendas, including Dennis Moore. Congressman Joe Baca, who accepted $5,000 from the same Gun Owners of America group, contributed $1,000 to Moore's campaign.

The real issue is that Zeskind, and apparently your paper, would like illegal immigration to continue and the current exploitative immigration fiasco maintained -- America's 21st-century version of the slave trade?