Our account of a highly publicized porn industry murder and suicide in the Valley last year answered many questions about that bizarre crime. Some readers thanked us for providing the backstory to the strange events that unfolded over three days last June.

Other readers, however, drew conclusions that were themselves somewhat odd. Was killer Stephen Clancy Hill a demon? Or, worse, a conservative in an industry allegedly filled with Democrats?

Here's how reader The Cheese sees it: 

“I found this on Google News, and it is indeed a good story. I've always known that pornography was run by and performed by human garbage. It's hard to believe that these losers do what they do for only $50 a scene. Not surprisingly, the porn industry supports the Democratic Party. Democrats and human garbage are inseparable.”

Dear reader, you can predict what happened next: “Only the typical self-righteous conservative would believe your crap,” replies Zej. “A story about a bunch of losers in a trifling industry and you inject it with your toxic point of view and compare them to being liberal.“

G. Elielang adds: “Amazing how you turned this into a political jab at Democrats. Can you find a way to link cancer to Democrats too? You are so clever.”

A reader identified as Yeah writes: “Yes, and conservatives are the people who voted in an entire party who stated bluntly that they were going to fuck everyone in the ass by not doing anything to help anyone but their Corporationalist masters. Thanks for that, The Cheese. Why do you hate America?”

Then there's this, from rd5590: “Hill was most probably demoniacally possessed. The Dark Lord's orders are summarized by the following: Deceive, Defile, Destroy. Porn does that very efficiently … even for the 'stars.' ”

Libraries and City Fat

We received many thoughtful responses to our story looking at the fat in the city budget that could be cut in order to keep libraries open six days a week.

Teri Markson writes: “How can the mayor justify a staff of 206 people when the Library Department has just laid off 28% of its employees? It's appalling.”

The story notes that the Los Angeles Police Protective League opposes a measure on the March 8 ballot that would restore funding for the libraries, forcing the city to find the money elsewhere.

Our story says the union's position “relies on an unsupportable claim [by city officials] that there's no fat left in the deficit-riddled city budget.”

Reader Kristi writes that the League opposes the library measure primarily because the city shouldn't be budgeting by ballot box. “It's the wrong way for city officials to budget for the priorities and vital services in Los Angeles,” she says.

Reader Paintergal writes that she will be voting for the measure, explaining: “We need to have a safe place for our children to go on the weekends. We need to at least fund the downtown library so students from all over the city can take the Metro and have a safe place to work on school projects and their own intellectual development. Where are our community leaders to help fund it? … How about the library commission going after some big donors?“

Walling Off the Mayor

The week wouldn't be complete without acknowledging that nearly 1,400 readers commented on our online story in The Informer about our mayor's proposal to build a six-foot-high security wall around the city-owned mayoral residence in Windsor Square.

Many of the comments are simply quips:

Reader Roo writes: “Just six feet. Seems kinda short. Eight feet is bare minimum for pointless walls that waste taxpayer money.“

Reader Aunt Bee quotes the inimitable H.L. Mencken:

“Government is a broker in pillage, and every election is a sort of advance auction in stolen goods.”

Deep Thinker writes: “Wonder if the security camera will still keep a photo record of the comings and goings of the various bagmen?”

Finally, there is this thoughtful response from JP: “I am torn. I live very close to this house. When I found out the mayor lived there, I was a bit surprised. … The house is so very open, so accessible to anyone, guards or no guards. There are many homes with large walls around them in Windsor Square. It may be something to remember that this is only a few blocks from Wilshire Boulevard and this is the mayor's house, mayor of the second largest city in the U.S. Doesn't matter to me if he is a Dem or Republican, this is a matter of where the mayor lives.“

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