Letters

—Richard Espy
Los Angeles

PUNKS PLUS

Ernest Hardy’s vicious, irresponsible condemnation of the film Punks [New Film Reviews, November 16–22] tells us more about Hardy’s personal hang-ups and his narrow, dreary vision of how black gay life should be represented than it does about the film he was supposed to discuss. While pretending to be concerned about the racial and sexual politics of representation of the film, Hardy completely misses the powerful statement the film makes by exploring the lives of black gay characters who are politically conscious and aware, but who are also complex and complete enough as human beings to think about issues like love, friendship, work, art, commitment, community and destiny.

—Dionne Bennett
Culver City

SNUFF ’N’ STUFF

Re: the Topps Enduring Freedom trading cards featured in Judith Lewis’ “Back Story” piece for Week 9 [November 16–22]. You may be interested in the fact that some of us citizens out here on the Web who carry slightly less enthusiastic views than Topps on the current exercise of power — and the means by which it is being sold to the public — have created an entirely non-commercial set of print-’em-yourself trading cards as a political, counterpropagandistic response to the current war fervor. American Crusade 2001 Trading Cards, currently 37 in number, are at http://www.infinitejest.org/1/cards.html.Please note that each card depicting the weaponry of war — so lovingly fetishized by the Topps cards — correspondingly includes an inset picture of a dead or injured Afghan. That only seems honest.

—Ted McManus
Madison, Wisconsin

4 TO 40

Re: “A Letter From Pakistan” [November 16–22]. “Zahir Shah, now 87 years old, lives in exile in Rome. He had reigned as king of Afghanistan from 1933 until July 1937 . . .”

That should be July 1973, not July 1937.

—Daud Malik
Rawalpindi, Pakistan

WEASELS . . . GET IT?

Please be advised that this is T from the Weasels who was mentioned in Christine Pelisek’s article regarding the Love Ride [“Biker Life,” November 16–22]. I informed Christine that the Weasels is not a motorcycle club. Weasels is a social organization. Motorcycle clubs take the “MC” on their colors seriously and for good reason, as a specific commitment is made by club members to their club. It is not a commitment that is taken lightly, and it is a commitment that Weasels do not make, which is why we do not profess to be a motorcycle club, nor do we wear the “MC.”

—T
Valencia