letters from the week of July 19

Pitchcast: "Uncensored Stretch," June 21Back Stretch
Hi, Pitch. "Uncensored Stretch" was an awesome Pitchcast! The world needs more artists who speak out against the bureaucracy that impedes innovation in our cities. Stretch should be the mayor of Kansas City!

Steven Young, San FranciscoLetters, June 21Law Review
As someone who is constantly having her efforts and good intentions questioned, I got a good laugh from the letter by the name-withheld police officer who whined about the anarchists' trip to Greensburg. That this upholder of the law and peace officer would characterize the difference between his off-duty volunteerism and the Kansas Mutual Aid Society's expression of goodwill with the statement "WE WERE INVITED" is utter junior-high nonsense. There were hundreds of volunteers who served in Greensburg because they wanted to help. So, please, get over yourself.

On a somber and painful level, his letter served as another reminder of the prejudice and hatred certain members of law enforcement have for people they can't associate with or understand. It LOUDLY reinforced stereotypes that the police are intolerant of people with different political and spiritual beliefs.

When law-enforcement officers resort to name-calling, it undermines their character, their honor and their ability to do their job with integrity and fairness. It is unprofessional and ignorant. The Johnson County police departments' reputations have been tarnished by this letter. The officer responsible ought to be ousted from his hate closet and fired immediately. Was the letter typed on city-owned property?

I am proud to say that I have worked with many law-enforcement officers from multiple agencies who are kind, thoughtful and dedicated to the public good. Even though they do not always agree with me, they treat me with respect for my efforts and intentions. Here's to the good guys who protect and serve with dignity!

Laura A. Green, Executive Director, Drug Policy Forum of Kansas, LawrenceFeature: "The Dimwit D.A.," June 21 Full Tilt
I don't read your free weekly paper. I know it's not worth my time. The slant is so obvious from looking at your cover page, I don't need to bother. Each of your rag's front-page screams as loud as it can: "We are extreme leftist, pro-culture of death, anti-family, anti-human life, anti-morality anarchists, and we're proud of it."

You take broad bigoted swipes at anyone with moral character, i.e. Phill Kline. If you're tarred and feathered in the feature of the Pitch, it's a sure sign you're heading down the correct path.

Nope, your rag is not worth the time. But since my vet told me newspaper makes the best kitty litter, my husband or I pick it up and line the litter box with it. Seems the four cats share our opinion about your paper. Being that this propaganda is provided to us at no charge, you've saved us heaps on kitty litter. Only good that'll ever come out of it. Yep, "Pitch" is a good name for it — the cats agree.

I did not read the article concerning Phill Kline, but my husband did in his curiosity. It was filled with bigotry against Phill Kline because of his pro-life, pro-family stance, and because he refuses to back down from his convictions in spite of pressure from leftist anarchists like yourself.

Name withheld by requestBuckle Bunny, June 28100 Percent Pure News
What the hell was up with that Alicia Solo write-up? How was any of that article relevant to music?

I understand that the highbrow-serious rock-critic thing gets totally boring after a while. I'd rather read something fun and not so self-involved than see a writer whack off with 50-cent words. I understand that it's a piece about an outgoing personality, and you want to include those personal details that make this person "remarkable." I have no idea if being a virgin and flaunting it is Alicia's main agenda, but I just thought the whole thing was unremarkable and bordered on that tacky E!-style superficial journalism that I've always believed the Pitch was above. Honestly, isn't there something better to focus on in the article than that she still has her V-card?

I'm not saying Alicia isn't talented and shouldn't be recognized for those talents, but the fact that she can keep her legs shut doesn't scream "front-page news" to me; it screams MySpace blog or Tiger Beat.

I'm writing this not as someone who is in a band but as someone who hates to see our small town fall into the trap of small-town-rag gossip, with trivia overshadowing talent. Let Hearne Christopher tackle that sort of shit and fall all over himself trying to get quotes. I think there's a way to be lighthearted, sarcastic or satirical without being gossipy about it.

That said, I should probably lighten up a bit, but I just wanted to put my two cents in on this whole thing. Name withheld by request