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Too
Much Is Never Enough
To
the Editor:
I’m
disappointed with “The Sex Issue” [Feb. 12]. When it comes
to politics, religion or health, Metroland presents
stories that challenge popular dogma. Why stop when it comes
to sex?
Your article about how to discuss kinks with people ended
when people all agreed . . . not to talk about their kinks.
It was a column about nothing. You printed it.
The sex-laws article would have been great if it had offered
more relevant information. Why tell us about Alabama when
you’ve not told us New York folks how our state defines indecent
exposure, lewd conduct or prostitution?
You also printed not one but two articles about forms of sexual
addiction. Two stories suggesting that sex is an evil temptation
that will spoil our lives is two too many. I know you agree
with me in part because in one of them you point out that
there has been plenty of media attention to Internet porn
addiction yet very little research done. Why didn’t that stop
you from running another story on it?
One more and I’ll stop. Regarding the story about feminist
porn: Can we please stop pretending to even remotely believe
the cliché that most porn involves a man forcing a woman with
fake breasts to have sex until she finally comes around and
likes it? We all know this isn’t true. How you ask? Because
the average person watches a fair amount of porn. We all know
that there’s something for every taste in the really huge
back room at Super Video that tons of people rent porn from.
You’ll find it arranged by sexual content, not social ideology,
though, so there is no feminist section. Maybe it would have
been more interesting to talk to feminists who sometimes like
to watch women being spanked or dominated by men. I know they’re
out there because one sleeps next to me at night. People whose
sexual preferences seem to conflict with their social or political
views would be more interesting to read about than the stereotypes
you’ve laid out for us.
Maybe you can do a new sex issue and pretend this one never
happened. Look around Albany and find out some things people
would like to know about. Talk to one of the various swingers
groups, interview people who have tried group sex for the
first time, talk to strippers or their clients, or lingerie
models or escorts. Talk to virgins who are sick of being virgins.
Talk to people who are sluts and proud of it.
I could write a list or a hundred topics more interesting
than the ones you chose without even really thinking too much.
Almost every news story regarding sex takes either a negative
or sophomoric approach. Maybe Metroland will take the
lead in realizing that their readers might like something
more. I assume many of us have sex, some of it not even vanilla.
Think of us as your audience.
Dave
Thurlow
Albany
Who’ve
You Been Talking To?
To
the Editor:
Mike
Brown seems to be out of touch with his constituents [“Commander,
You’re Fired,” Newsfront, Feb. 12]. He didn’t return my recent
call about his position on property taxes. He suggested we
raise the sales tax, which would disproportionately adversely
affect his constituency. I wanted to share some information
with him and discuss the ramifications of his position, but
I was not shown the courtesy of a call back. I am not a constituent,
but he knows me, so I was very disappointed at his lack of
courtesy and consideration.
Now, he claims he’s spoken to hundreds of people in his district
that don’t know D’Alessandro. Is he suggesting his constituents
don’t know their beat cop? Don’t you read the paper or watch
the news? Don’t you attend the many public meetings relevant
to police issues? I don’t know what people he’s talking to,
but he obviously didn’t even talk to Jestin Williams, who
is very familiar with D’Alessandro. Mike and Jestin hang out
together, work closely together—but they don’t talk about
police issues? I just don’t buy it.
Mike, come on out and talk to your constituents. You’re clearly
out of touch!
Wanda
Lubinski
Albany
Investigate,
Don’t Contaminate
To
the Editor:
Geraldine
Hourigan’s article, “One Half-Life to Live” [Feb. 5], was
an excellent piece of investigative reporting. Metroland
is to be commended for publishing such important information.
It seems the Capital Region has been cursed with the presence
of four such Department of Energy facilities. Besides National
Lead Industries, there is the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory,
the Peek Street site, and the Kesselring site operation. The
common denominator, a well-established nationwide DOE trademark,
is that all have contaminated everything in sight with toxic
and radioactive materials, with little concern for the health
and safety of their employees, who have paid a grievous price.
Why anyone of sound mind would locate these dangerous operations
in residential neighborhoods, or even close to American cities,
defies comprehension. To compound the problem, the two state
agencies chartered to protect public health and safety are
nothing short of a sick joke, namely the Department of Health
and the Department of Environmental Conservation. In fact,
William Kelleher, an ex-DEC employee, alleges that these two
agencies, along with the federal Departments of Defense and
Energy, worked with NL to cover up exposures to depleted uranium
and other contaminants. I can verify Mr. Kelleher’s allegation
because the same cover-up by the same cabal has been going
on at the other three DOE facilities for many years (see http://www.mindspring.
com/~kapl/index.html).
Assemblyman Robert Prentiss has called for an investigation
of the state and federal agencies involved. Let’s make that
a criminal investigation to put those responsible for this
fiasco in jail, where they belong. There is no excuse for
this nonsense and it will not end until the guilty parties
see the consequences of their actions and inactions.
Robert
G. Stater
Scotia
Shop
Psychology
To
the Editor:
I
was a regular customer at the downtown Music Shack location
[“Rockin’ the Suburbs,” Newsfront, Dec. 18], at least as regular
as would be expected with the amount of consuming I do. At
the old location, during the evening hours, one could drive
up, park, and walk in. True, you might come in contact with
members of the lumpen proletariat on the way in, and this
can be disconcerting.
However, when going to purchase an item for my holiday shopping
in the vicinity of the new location on Central, at about the
same time of day, I found myself stuck in traffic that was
not moving. It is very inconvenient. Now, I know that I’m
supposed to feel safe when surrounded by middle-class individuals
driving two-ton hunks of metal risking life and limb to get
back to the suburbs, but it is hard to convince myself of
this in my Honda Civic. (At least I won’t be a victim of “street
crime” while in my car.) I am not planning to participate
in automobile arms by buying a bigger vehicle. It would also
be very difficult for people who don’t drive to get to this
location, but it is assumed that they wouldn’t have much money
anyway.
While I’m at it, I might as well bring up the parking meters.
Are people really going to pay $1 per hour to shop in dollar
stores? The problem has not been finding parking on Central
Avenue, it has been finding something to buy. On some blocks,
every other building is abandoned. Lark Street has expensive
restaurants and no parking. I suspect the increased political
muscle in that area makes it harder to use it as a cash cow.
Marty
Gawoski
Albany
Metroland
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Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length; 300
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address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will not
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illegible, irresponsible or factually inaccurate.
Send
to:
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4th Floor, Albany, NY 12210
or e-mail us at metroland@metroland.net.
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