Club Wed

Marry maids: The only thing scarier than C.J. Janovy’s reflexive damnation of everything Republican in her February 12 piece, “Altar Ego,” is the fact that I’m a Republican who almost agrees with her. I say almost because, in the end, the constitutional amendment we should be working toward is one that defines marriage as a union of two individuals. How can lofty principles like freedom, equal protection under the law be construed as a “gimmick” of the right wing?

As much as Janovy would like to blame Republicans for the sudden appearance of the gay-marriage issue, she should know better. I think some litigants in Massachusetts, the mayor in San Francisco and a number of judges coast to coast might disagree with her. Bush may want the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, but he knows it won’t happen. The issue itself will play out in court after court, not in the voting booth. No one will need to be dragged to the polls this year. Anyone with a brain — and liberals, too — should know that the 2004 election will be unlike any other in recent memory.

The problem with the left-wingers is that their only true position in this campaign is that George Bush is a liar and he lies and keeps lying. What’s missing here? Well, that would be the most elusive of Clintonian stains, called “proof.”

The bottom line will remain the same no matter how and when gay marriages become legally recognized unions. Democrats will still claim to be the party of tolerance, as long as you’re not a Republican or sound like one.

Clint Hooker

Prairie Village

Space Cadet

Alien nation: In Tony Ortega’s article “Space Ghost” (KC Strip, February 5), he states that Bob Lindsay “[put] up notices of the sighting on two different UFO Web sites” but “had no inquiries whatever from UFO researchers” and that “his messages on the two sites have both disappeared!”

I write to counter this assertion.

It appears that Lindsay did submit a report, albeit a very short one, to our center on January 28, although I can find no record that he tried to telephone us over our hot line. Contrary to your assertion, his report has been posted to our Web site (www.ufocenter.com) since January 31.

Perhaps the reason that Lindsay has not been contacted by any UFO investigators is that he included no contact information with his report. Even if we had wanted to contact him, we would not have been able to do so.

As a general rule, UFO investigators can do very little if the witness waits two weeks to report his sighting and then provides no contact information so a follow-up investigation can take place.

Peter B. Davenport, director

National UFO Reporting Center

Seattle

Another Green Word

Courting trouble: Regarding February 12’s Kansas City Strip, I say to Judge Henry Green: Sentencing a retarded teenager as an adult is a bigoted, stupid act.

Having been raped by the neighborhood pedophile at age 12, I can speak unimpeachably on this. The experience certainly didn’t warp my “sexual identity,” although it was some years before I rid myself of severe homophobia. These days I’m fairly “normal,” save for the occasional urge to firebomb North American Man/Boy Love Association meetings, but I digress.

The majority position of the court is the worst kind of malfeasance, melding your fearful religious zealotry with affairs of the state. The Founding Fathers foresaw this possibility, hence the First Amendment. Unfortunately, people such as yourself still abuse their power and “do the Lord’s work” of vengeance.

If Matthew Limon has the mind of a six-year-old, then treat him as a six-year-old. Help him rather than getting your jollies from persecutive excess akin to that of John Winthrop. Cultivate good judgment rather than judgmentalism: If brain death determines legal death, then let mental age determine legal age — for sentencing, at any rate.

I live in Leavenworth County and like it here; however, your contemptible court forces me to like it somewhat less than I used to.

Russ Bixby

Leavenworth County

Belly Ache

Director’s cut: Thank you for Allie Johnson’s insightful article about the colorful Dr. Timothy Sifers (“The Deepest Cut,” February 26). In 2000, I also plunked my $200 down and got his infamous sales pitch. Cocksure of himself, he didn’t convince me he was the man for me, and I was somewhat relieved when I found out that my insurance would cover only the Roux-en-Y. Sounded good to me — it was a safe, known surgery with good results. One day I got a call from his office — he was no longer going to perform the RNY! Believe me — I got the hell outta Dodge! I found a nice, respectable doctor in St. Louis and am happy with my surgery. I never did get my $200 back.

I belong to a local group — Kansas City Weight-Loss Surgery Support Group — that is made up of people who have “been there, done that” and come together to share our experiences (never medical advice) and encouragement with those who are searching for answers about the different types of surgery. Several of our members were Sifers’ patients — some detest the man, and some put him up near God.

Thanks for exposing the dark side of the man. I am sure there are other instances of misdealing by some of his peers; this is not a perfect world, and money equals greed in the weight-loss surgical arena. But for people like me who are looking for a miracle, the more said the better.

Name Withheld Upon Request

Hard Cell

About faith: Since I moved to Kansas City last August, I have regularly picked up your weekly publication, sometimes casually perusing articles, sometimes taking time to actually read them, and sometimes tossing it in the trash. Mostly, it is to keep up with the Joneses and to see what’s up in the community.

However, I need to thank you for your recent front-page article “Jesus Is in the Big House,” by Ben Paynter (February 12). I’ll admit that I was skeptical and nervous when I saw the picture of Jesus on the cover, which is what prompted me to read the article. I was very impressed with the way the InnerChange program was presented, and I look forward to fully reading any more articles you print concerning revolutionary faith-based organizations such as this one. Thank you.

Andy Fey

Kansas City, Missouri

Half Baked

Watt the hell?: Had I never visited an Ethiopian restaurant, Charles Ferruzza’s review of Addis Ababa Ethiopian Café may well have steered me away from experiencing what my husband and I considered to be a complex, savory and absolutely delicious meal rich with Ethiopian culture (“African Queen,” February 5).

We were disappointed to read a review scattered with contradictory and often unfavorable comments (at one point likening the food to canned dog food). The colors and textures of Ethiopian fare do indeed differ from the visual monotone of what is typically consumed during the average lunch hour, but this is a welcome change. The vegan friend who accompanied the reviewer to the meal requests something “flashier” that she “cannot cook at home.” Admitting my culinary shortcomings, I have never been successful in re-creating such a mosaic of flavors in my own kitchen, but if she can whip up a batch of equally delicious misir watt, more power to her.

Rather than disputing each comment that we perceive to have been made in ignorance (e.g., the “vinegary” salad dressing is actually lemon juice), we feel compelled to add our voices as gratified customers. Try Addis Ababa and form your own opinion.

Jacqueline Giambrone

Kansas City, Missouri

Duly Noted

Where should I start?: Thanks for reviewing the CD Beginners (Here and Now, February 5). I would like, however, to point out that the name credited to the CD is wrong. The CD is released under the name “Brad Cox” rather than “Brad Cox Ensemble.” It is a minor point, but the Brad Cox Ensemble is a nine-piece group focusing on vocal music, and the Beginners CD features a wider variety of ensembles and compositions. Nathan Dinsdale might be advised that reviewers typically research this information by looking at the CD cover or spine.

But factual inaccuracy would not be nearly so annoying were it not for Dinsdale’s smug, dismissive tone combined with his failure to make any substantive comment on the music itself. Ultimately, Dinsdale’s “review” is not a review at all but merely a forum for his smug witticisms. Hopefully this is not what the Pitch regards as quality music criticism.

Thanks for your time, and best of luck to Mr. Dinsdale in the future in actually doing his job.

Brad Cox

Hong Kong