Dear Don

As president of the State Bar of New Mexico, I feel compelled to respond to the recent attention focused on our judiciary as a result of the tragic circumstances of the Terri Schiavo case in Florida.

Clearly, this emotionally charged case has elicited strong feelings from all sides. This is understandable and expected in our society where democracy provides us all freedom to voice our opinions. Many commentators and observers, however, have crossed the line in using this tragedy to needlessly, gratuitously and viciously attack the dedicated men and women who serve as America’s judges. This needs to stop.

Regardless of how one feels about the specific circumstances of this situation, the role of the judiciary in it is clear and straightforward. The federal and state judges who have been assigned this case have been charged with weighing the facts of the case and the remedies set forth in the law, responsibilities they have carried out valiantly and with great dignity and sensitivity to the anguish that all of the participants in this case have endured.

While it is appropriate for commentators, policymakers and the public to debatem the societal challenges and dilemmas brought to light by the Terri Schiavo case, there is no need for personal attacks on the judges in this case. They are not killers. They are not activists bent on pushing an ideological agenda. They are dedicated public servants called on to serve as impartial arbiters in a very difficult case.

Instead of maligning them for applying existing law to the case at hand, even though it may not reflect the current will of Congress, we should praise them for dispensing even-handed justice and upholding the independence of the judiciary even under the most difficult circumstances. These judges deserve our respect, not our scorn.

Get ready for Mayor Marty to bob and weave his way through the evidence room debacle. The mayor has been sucking up to APD since he first ran for mayor over a decade ago; he has made promises and delivered hefty pay raises and does not miss any chance to stand and be counted with the men in blue. He has got the force up to 1,000 and of course now is pushing it even higher.

Where the hell has his hand-picked chief been the last few years while the evidence room was opened for business like the 25-cent box at the flea market down the street? The underlings are starting to come over the wall of silence that usually keeps all the nasty secrets of APD firmly in check. This scandal is going to the very top and that may start to singe the cape of the superhero mayor who is just getting his re-election bid started. Get ready, Marty's going bowling and heads are gonna roll.

[RE: Commentary, “Political Correctness in the Time of Global Warming,” March 10-16] Jim Scarantino is right about global warming–it is “a runaway train coming straight for us.” But he is wrong about nuclear power. Along with the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases humanity is pumping out is an increasingly less dilute cancerous stew of toxic chemicals which includes radioactive waste. This too is a runaway train. Calling it “politically correct” to be concerned about radiation is empty rhetoric, especially when wind power, hydrogen and bio-fuels are so promising. I wonder if Saint Pete Domenici is supporting the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act. We do know he is for drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a region which has already seen a temperature increase of 4 degrees, with sea ice diminishing at 9 percent per decade. And he supports a president who never says a word about the runaway train of global climate change. Some environmentalist.

[RE: Letters, “It's Past Your Bedtime,” March 17-23] I would like to correct Elly Cates when she states, concerning the all ages dispute, “the reason that they have limited options for night life is … because they (Jessica Housand and Crystal Lucero) are children.”

If you had actually read my editorial [“All Ages Shows,” March 3-9] all the way through, Ms. Cates, you would realize that I am not under 21. In fact, I am 23 years old, a student at UNM and as responsible a citizen as you. Does this mean, however, that I have to disregard the younger generation (who will catch up and determine our future someday) as being insignificant children who are only getting in the way? Although I am over 21, I can still relate to those younger than me and their wishes for music venues that play the kind of music they love. Their right to enjoy this music and the venues that bring bands into this city are as legitimate as mine or yours.

Children are people, too, Ms. Cates. Should we pretend to be better than them because we can claim that time, which is not particular, has brought us a couple years closer to death than they? Some of these kids even have jobs, believe it or not, and pay for the tickets themselves that help bars supply the beer you drink. And if you despise being “trapped” in a cage and paying on an “overpriced ticket,” there are plenty of boring bars without live music in this city that you can escape to and leave the rest of us overagers, who enjoy seeing the kiddies have fun, well-enough alone.

Mistakes show up in the food section of the Alibi periodically, but one of your latest issues is way off. In “The Dish” [Feb. 24-March 2], Gwyneth Doland reports that Relish is on Wyoming between Louisiana and Pennsylvania, streets that all run parallel to each other. As you may know, Relish is on Menaul between Wyoming and Pennsylvania. This is a simple mistake that should have been easily caught. (Editor's note: Relish is located at 8019 Menaul NE)