Bear Attack

Sprechen zie doublespeak?: I read with interest Tony Ortega’s May 12 Kansas City Strip column, “Springtime for Hitler.” If Bill Womack allowed Nazis to host a reception in his restaurant, are we putting our stamp of approval on Nazi sympathizers by continuing to dine there? I did not take lightly the thought that my social conscience might require me to boycott one of the best restaurants in Kansas City — and an owner-operated one at that. Forgive me if I’m carrying the notion of free expression a little too far, but isn’t protection of unpopular groups the vanguard of our First Amendment? Isn’t it hypocritical, or at least inconsistent, to contemplate driving a restaurateur out of business not for acting like a Nazi but simply for thinking like one and serving dinner to a gaggle of them?

The question of whether you or I will continue to patronize the Berliner Bear is, of course, a personal and individual one. My point is that if you cannot stomach the thought of dining in a restaurant whose owner has been tainted with the suggestion of unsavory politics, I, for one, will not condemn you for your decision to stay away. Nor will I condemn Mr. Womack for his privately held beliefs, whatever they may be. If he is a Nazi, I hope the next time I am in his dining room, he will allow me to argue with him over rolled pork roast why those beliefs represent the ultimate misguided and devastatingly tragic ideology of Western civilization. The rolled pork roast, after all, is amazing.

Carmen Mosley-Sims

Kansas City Missouri

They’ve got some crazy lil’ women: Enjoyed Tony Ortega’s article about the Nazis and the one awhile back about the crazy, baby-stealing maniac (Kansas City Strip, January 13). I mean, it sucks that there are Nazis and matricidal baby stealers out there, but I thought Ortega’s commentary was insightful, informative and just damn funny.

Phil Gable

Fairway

Blunt Rolling

Cut it out: Loved C.J. Janovy’s article on Matt Blunt and his cuts (“Blunt Trauma,” May 12). I think the big story lies in those state departments that did not receive cuts.

Take a look the Missouri Division of Tourism budget. It is well over $10.1 million dollars. Although I am a strong advocate for tourism, history reflects that when the economy is slow, people travel close to home. Additionally, our own state research shows that our biggest dollars come from the eight states that surround Missouri.

The question for me: Why are we spending money to market Missouri in the UK and internationally? And why are we comfortable taking money away from the disabled and disadvantaged just so we can bring in the international tourism crowd? Do they really affect that much $$$ locally?

Like Janovy, I believe Alcatraz is looking good!

Name Withheld by Request

More Monkey Business

My favorite Martin: As a former staffer at the National Center for Science Education — the only organization in the country wholly dedicated to opposing creationism — I was very happy to read Tony Ortega’s excellent article about the Kansas School Board’s “kangaroo court,” as it has become known to its detractors.

Mr. Ortega did a superlative job peeling away the thin veneer of legitimacy the ID crowd works so hard to present to the public, revealing its true agenda: redefining and misrepresenting science to fit a narrow view of fundamentalist Christianity. After all, it was their own leading light William Dembski who wrote that “any view of the sciences that leaves Christ out of the picture must be seen as fundamentally deficient” (Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science and Theology, p. 206). No one wishes to deny Dr. Dembski his personal religious faith, but scientists and educators are only acting responsibly when they object to bringing religiously motivated and scientifically inaccurate content into public school science classrooms.

Kathy Martin’s backpedaling not withstanding, she could not have made clearer the ID movement’s agenda when she said, “Of course this is a Christian agenda.” Having been intimately involved with this debate, and having followed very closely the shepherding of local activists by the Discovery Institute, I could just see them sitting in their high Seattle office blurting out a Homer Simpson “D’oh!” when they read that one! The DI hates nothing more than to see the less savvy, local activists speaking the plain truth, something they themselves have referred to as “amateur hour.”

Corrupting science education and misleading the public, Ms. Martin, is best left to the professionals. No amount of cajoling, reasoned debate or scientific evidence supporting legitimate science will ever derail the ID movement. But one thing can: Kansas voters, time to toss those suckers out … again.

Skip Evans

Whitehall, Montana

Brass monkey: Just wanted to let you know I thought Tony Ortega’s article on Scopes II was excellent. Good job. And good for you for publishing it.

Chris Losinger

Apex, North Carolina

Trial and error: I linked to the Pitch and Tony Ortega’s superb review of the evolution-ID debate from the Panda’s Thumb. Thank you, Tony!

I have the sinking feeling that this American embarrassment is a losing battle, but these regressive twits must be fought to the last. Keep up the good work.

Eric Collier

Dillon, Colorado

It’s only natural: The 1925 Scopes Trial is a good analogy because the evolutionists pleaded guilty at midtrial, before their theory could be cross-examined, artfully dodging any criticism. Here are three evolutionists who successfully argue against Darwin’s idea of chance variation and natural selection: Francis Hitchings (The Neck of the Giraffe: Where Darwin Went Wrong), Richard Milton (Shattering the Myths of Darwinism) and Michael Denton (Evolution: a Theory in Crisis).

Darwin could not believe God created moral and natural evils (predators, parasites, tornados, tyrants, etc.), nor could deists or gnostics, whereas orthodox Christians preach God’s sovereignty and providence over all. Evolution accepts only natural causes, again pushing God to a bystander position. The point is that evolution is a theological statement about God.

John Lagle

Kansas City, Missouri

King Me

Saladin days: Although “Kingdom of Heaven” is full of inaccuracies, Bill Gallo’s comment that the film features a “romanticized version” of Saladin is incorrect (“War: What Is It Good For?” May 5).

The reputation of Saladin’s generosity and chivalry among the Christians was not a legend. Furthermore, Saladin later made an agreement with the Christians — the Peace of Ramleh — which left the Latin Kingdom with land from Tyre to Jaffa.

For Gallo to call Saladin’s military image “romanticized” is like Karl Rove questioning John McCain’s and John Kerry’s military achievements.

S.B. Walton

Kansas City, Missouri

Point Blank

Devil in the details: Let me see if I get Geoff Harkness’ review of Devils & Dust straight (Hear and Now, May 5): It’s much better than The Rising. Nebraska was great because of its “aw shucks enthusiasm”? The “social commentary” is “paint-by-numbers.” (I’d love to know a single song this refers to.) Blue-collar people don’t care about drug addiction, the cost of health care or job insecurity. Uh huh.

I’m trying to hear the justification for any of this on what has to be the least preachy album Springsteen has ever made. Devils & Dust has its share of strengths and weaknesses, and Harkness, amazingly, misses ’em all.

Danny Alexander

Shawnee

Correction: The April 28 Wayward Son column incorrectly identified the charge for which Music Exchange owner Ron Rooks served five years in prison. He was charged with marijuana possession, not trafficking. Also, the column reported that Nancy Rooks was in nursing school — she has been recertified as a nurse and is working at Research Medical Center.