Love Letters/ Hate Mail

Opposing Views

Dear Editor:

(In response to "Out of the Woodwork" in the Dec. 3-9 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

Let's see how long they stay. North Tulsa is so bad the cops don't patrol certain areas after dark. It has gone from bad to worse the past three years. Let's not sugar coat North Tulsa with this story. Let's get some politcos out there to patrol the streets and get rid of the gangs. Let's get the pasty-faced duo of Eric Proter and Seneca Scott out there and show their love of community by helping the cops at night get rid of the gang problem.

-Ed Jones

Dear Editor:

It's a shame that those who know so little about our community feel the need to be negative about every advancement.

I am proud to be a North Tulsan, and I'm proud of the work the Pickards are doing here in our neighborhood. Keep up the good work Leah and Justin!

-M_Carter

Understand the Process

Dear Editor:

(In response to Ted Rall's "Rise of the Codgers" in the Dec. 3-9 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

Once again Ted Rall's latest column shows his general disdain and lack of understanding of the military and due process. The choice to try KSM and other 9/11 terrorists in civilian court versus in military court isn't about seeing America take her knocks, as Rall seems excited about. The more ominous story, which Rall misses completely, is the military intelligence windfall our enemies will garner. Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy said, "Nothing results in more disclosures of government intelligence than civilian trials. They are a banquet of information, not just at the discovery stage but in the trial process itself, where witnesses -- intelligence sources -- must expose themselves and their secrets." McCarthy prosecuted Omar Abdel Rahman, the "blind sheikh" for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Our government was required to provide defense lawyers with intelligence details, including a list of 200 potential co-conspirators (people the government knew about, but didn't have enough evidence to charge). Within days, those names found their way to Sudan and were in the possession of bin Laden; an intelligence prize that strengthened his ability to wage war against the United States.

Ted Rall has a good command of the written language, but he'd be better off using his talents responsibly, including investing time speaking with people who know more about the topics he's lacking in understanding.

Thanks!

-Scott Murtha, Jenks

Grills Great

Dear Editor:

(In response to Katherine Kelly "A Steppe Up" in the Dec. 10-16 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

Genghis rules! Reviewer was right on about having to stand in line for 15 minutes to build your bowl, so if you go during peak hours be prepared to wait it out. I have been a few times and it only takes about 5-10 minutes to grill your bowl and bring it to your table.

I had baby corn appear in my bowl to! I did not put it there, I think it came in the fried rice and not from someone else's dish...but come to think of it I had a single green bean appear as well, possibly a stow-away from the veggie bar taking cover under my cilantro?

I will definitely go back to Genghis but late in the evening or before the lunch crowd arrives so I can make my bowl in peace without the pressure of a hundred people behind me waiting.

-Lu

Dear Editor:

I think Genghis Grill is awesome. I don't agree with the reviewer at all, as the food, service and value is the best. The place has been spotless every time I've been there - and I go a lot as they have a great customer rewards program. You get to pick everything about your bowl, what could be better? I can't ever finish my bowl, and I build with nothing but veggies.

We only have about 30 minutes for lunch once we arrive, and we have never waited 15 minutes for our food to come after we give it to the grill guy, usually about 5 minutes max. The review seems unfair as this seems like the exception. Maybe Katharine went on a bad night or maybe her boyfriend works for a competitor??? Genghis Grill is the bomb!

-Fit4Life

Out of Slavery

Dear Editor:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has recently compared the Republican's opposition of Health Reform to that of the nation's past supporters of the institution of slavery. This is an appalling comparison and he actually has it backwards; it is Republicans that are attempting to end modern slavery, which is dependence on the government for one's health and livelihood. And looking at the past, it is clear that the Republicans were the ones that fought to end slavery.

It is the Democrats, which worked against the abolition of slavery, the Democrats who stood in the way of equal voting rights for former African slaves, and it is the Democrats who have created all these Federal welfare programs which have only exacerbated our social ills and generated more governmental dependence. The comparison is simple, for the Republican: dependence on government is a form of slavery, and for the Democrat: "depend on me, the government, for I know how to run your life better than you do!" If Senator Reid and President Obama are successful in passing their "public option" health reform measure, then Americans will enter a new era of soft-tyranny and become ever more dependent on their Federal government slave masters. Wake up America and realized that dependence on the government comes at a price, and that price is your individual liberty.

-Phillip W. Smith, Oklahoma City