THEY WERE GLAD ENOUGH
TO SEE US IN 1945


In regard to Brendan Bernhard’s interview with Jeremy Rifkin [“The American Nightmare,” September 17–23]: Europe may well be the more desirable place to live in the 21st century, but the Europeans will, I hope, remember that it was mainly American blood, dollars and industry in the American Century (the 20th) that has allowed the nations of Europe to attain this success rather than becoming vassal states to one or another totalitarian regime.


—Jeffrey S. Lee
Newport Beach


ONLY CHILD


Hats off to Jonathan Gold for outdoing himself with his article on Julia Child [“America Childless,” August 20–26]. She was one of a kind with no American peers worth mentioning.


I enjoyed Child on WWBH in Boston, where she was a very popular personality, as amusing as she was informative.


I was impressed by Mr. Gold’s tribute to Julia Child perhaps because he was nonplused as to why the grand dame did not capitalize on her name, because she so easily could have endorsed this or that champagne or such-and-such a restaurant, but she couldn’t be bothered. Bon appétit, Julia, et bon voyage!


—Joseph J. Nerbonne
Alhambra


LEFT, RIGHT AND OFF-CENTER


Regarding Nikki Finke’s interview with Jay Leno [“Does Mr. Middle-of-the-Road Lean Left?,” September 17–23]: Please let Jay know he lost two faithful listeners in this household by declaring he is a Democrat. There will be more losses, I’m sure.


—Carol Murphy
Waukesha, Wisconsin


What could possibly make Nikki Finke and Jay Leno believe that George W. Bush is not intelligent? This man is a Yale grad with a Harvard MBA. No mental midget, like the last two Democratic contenders. He certainly got the best of the goofy Al Gore in the debates, and he will do the same to the equally pseudo-intellectual and shallow simpleton John Kerry.


Kerry doesn’t even need Bush’s help to uncover his moronic tendencies. He and the liberal Democrats are doing a fine job all by themselves. Look at the polls. Watch the wheels come off the Kerry campaign.


Sorry, liberals. You are not smarter than conservatives. Once again, you underestimate your opponent, and he crushes you. Who’s the dummy? The finger points at you.


—Dave Miller



ALL THE RIGHT’S MOVES


After reading Lou Dubose’s story about Karl Rove [“Don’t Mess With Texas,” September 17–23], it supported a lot of the things I already suspected about “Bush’s brain,” Karl Rove. And I started seeing the news in a different way. Especially concerning the “forged” CBS Bush documents. I put two and two together and came to the same conclusion DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe more than hinted at to reporters: Maybe it was Rove who purposefully leaked the documents. It sounds crazy but so does firefighters starting a fire to stop the spread of a fire.


It all fits together. After researching this theory more on the Net, I only found one article on the subject (see link below). The whole thing is textbook Rove: leak true but damaging information about your candidate through a discredited message and messenger, and voilà! . . . you discredit the true but damaging information about your candidate. Here’s the link.


Could be just a conspiracy theory, a strong coincidence or, quite possibly, the exposure and subsequent fall of the real brain behind today’s Republican Party.


—Mick DiMaria
Los Angeles


ANOTHER ROUND IN THE
BLAME GAME


Regarding Alex Markels’ “Ducking the Issue” on the Kobe Bryant case [September 10–16]:


If, as Patricia Giggans states, women “feel guilty and blame themselves for leading the other person on,” then perhaps the real problem is that these women are guilty. Guilty of a form of indirect sexual assault against men, sexually stimulating them beyond the point which any reasonable person could control their actions. And when the man (perhaps foolishly) responds, the female plays innocent and claims to be the victim of sexual assault.


But it is Kobe Bryant who is the victim here. His reputation, his career and his life were threatened and almost destroyed by this kind of game.


If feminists can invent the “crime” of “date rape,” then perhaps we ought to have the reciprocal “date provocation,” which will put in jail the women who exhibit the kind of irresponsible behavior that Kobe’s accuser exhibited.


Unfortunately, many peoples are in a state of denial about false charges of rape. The most common reasons that women give for falsely accusing men are “spite or revenge,” and to compensate for feelings of guilt or shame. Women from conservative communities falsely claim rape to justify getting an abortion without being condemned by their peers. (Forensic Science Digest, Volume 11, No. 4, December 1985.) Incredible as it may seem, women who make false charges of rape are rarely prosecuted, nor is any action taken against the advocacy groups which encourage such irresponsible accusations.


It’s time for some consciousness-raising. Despite several decades of liberation, many women still operate by the sexual double standard — sex is something that “good girls” do not do. So they transfer the “guilt” for sexual encounters they initiate to the men they choose to victimize with spurious claims of sexual assault. Let’s not forget how under segregation there was a long history of women making false charges of sexual assault against African-American men. These accusations often led to lynchings. Well, segregation is gone, but the lynchings are still there, conducted by the cartel of “victims’” advocacy groups, the criminal “justice” system and a sensationalist media.


By the way, congratulations to Mr. Markels for his analysis of this case. Hopefully, the Bryant case will in the future discourage women from making false charges of sexual assault.


—Joseph Miranda
National Coalition of
Free Men–Los Angeles

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.