[RE: Letters, “Reverend Don” and “Born in the U.S.A.,” Aug. 31-Sept. 6]To begin with, I think it’s safe to say Don would prefer to walk on bare earth with his bare feet rather than tax-paid-for sidewalks.I support Don, not because I aspire to be exactly like him, but because I recognize that he is holding a balance point for an out of control consumer nation.I support him because he keeps me reminded of the need to scale back, to conserve, to recycle, to be kind to all creatures of the Earth.That isn’t to say he’s flawless. It’s only to say he has a message vital to our survival. If we have ears to hear, we will hear. If not, then we will hold the messenger in contempt.Thank you for continuing to print Don’s letters. I so look forward to them.
Spanishority
[RE: “¡Ask a Mexican!” Aug. 24-30]About Spanish-Americans claiming to be Spanish-American, let me try to explain.I don’t know what Arellano’s ancestry is. He appears to be Hispanic but it would be presumptuous to call him Spanish or Cuban or Puerto Rican or Mexican or whatever. According to him, it’s all the same, so it wouldn’t matter anyway. German Americans may look Irish to some but their traditions and ancestry differ. Neither claim to be anything else but what they are. We only claim to be who we are. Regardless of whether our ancestors are all mutts, Gustavo, mine happen to be Spanish. Not Mexican, not Puerto Rican, not Venezuelan. There are many differences, just ask any Mexican. Oh, and our ancestors did arrive here 200 years ago (how many Mexicans can say that), so we are Americans, thus our superiority complex.
History Lesson For The Mexican
[RE: “¡Ask a Mexican!” Aug. 24-30]Gustavo Arellano doesn’t know his history. When the Spaniards arrived on what is now Mexico in 1519, they found many Indian tribes, each with its own culture, dialect and religion. Among these tribes were the Tarascan, Mixtecs, Otomis, Totonacs, Tlaxcalan, Zapotecs and Queretaro, etc.The only Mexicanos, in Colonial time, were the Nakua, “Aztec,” who were latecomers to what is now Mexico. They founded their settlement in the shallow waters of Lake Texcoco, and named it Mexica and Tenocha, now Mexico City. The Spaniards conquered the Aztec empire by making allies with other tribes who hated their Aztec neighbors . What is now Mexico, became La Nueva España , and the seat of authority “capital” became what is now Mexico City.For 300 years, Spain owned what is now Mexico and gave her language and customs to nineteen countries and at one time collected taxes from all of them. The dominant language of Mexico is Spanish, a European language; the music, architecture of Mexico is Spanish. Their religion is Catholic. The Spaniards were the first vaqueros , now called cowboys. They brought the first horses, cattle and every domestic animal into this continent. They started the first rodeos, bullfights, cockfights and horse racing. Polkas, corridos , guitars, violins, dramas, operas were also brought by the Spaniards. There was no product contributed to the agriculture of America, which the Spanish had not planted earlier.Spain ruled New Mexico from 1598 until 1821. New Mexico became Mexican territory from 1821 to 1846, less than a generation. New Mexicans did not revolt against Spain, and felt little loyalty toward Mexico. A gabacho is a Frenchman, a gachupin is a Spaniard and a gringo is an Anglo. Mexico got its independence from Spain in 1821, and became the Republic of Mexico in 1824. If Mexicanos don’t like Spaniards, then get off its “teat,” stop using our language and get your own culture.
Alibi Is Atkins-Approved
To the guy who wrote in about how much he hates the Alibi [RE: “Reading with a Mexican,” Aug. 24-30]: You can’t possibly hate the Alibi as much as I hate the Santa Fe Reporter . Thank God they started delivering the Alibi up north, is all I can say! At least you deal with issues I care about, from everyday stuff like bicycles to the alarming post-9/11 shenanigans in our federal government. The Santa Fe "Who Cares" never takes a stand on anything. It’s a bunch of Frappuccino-fueled, pseudo-hip garbage with an occasional feeble stab at snarkiness that substitutes for wit and a raunchy, tasteless sex-advice column that substitutes for wisdom. They have no one as amusing or insightful as Devin O’Leary or the guy who writes “¡Ask A Mexican!” Their writers have the emotional depth of a bark beetle and the moral backbone of Paris Hilton. Bottom line, they’re just plain boring. I’m just glad I’m on a lowcarb diet so I have a lot of fish to wrap.Thank you, Alibi , for not being a total waste of our precious vanishing forests. I can’t say the same for the Reporter .
Horse Pampers
This letter should be the final word on public horse shit, although I realize nothing is ever that simple. A while back, some Alibi letter writers whined that picking up horse shit would just be too cumbersome so horses should simply be allowed to dump practically anywhere they go.Hello? Shit is gross. It doesn’t matter what food went into making it, how biodegradable it is or how much it might benefit the immediate surroundings where it was plopped. A pile of shit is still a pile of shit. There’s no reason why gigantic horse piles should be tolerated while dog owners are required to clean up their little dog piles or potentially face paying a fine.There already exists a simple solution to this mess: horse diapers. Horse-riding police in several places throughout the country make use of them and they completely eliminate the public horse shit problem (except for the poor chumps who have to change them, of course). We need a law ASAP that makes it mandatory for all horses to wear diapers on all public streets and trails so none of the rest of us ever have to see, smell or step in horse shit again. Thank you.
Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number via e-mail to letters@alibi.com. They can also be faxed to (505) 256-9651. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium; we regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.
