Love Letters/Hate Mail

(In response to "Some Weasels More Equal Than Others" in the Jan. 13-19 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

Sense and Sensitivity.

There are a few respectable arguments against religious expression on public property, but just please spare me from Rall's "smallest concession to common decency and sensitivity" plea. If you don't believe in something, with the certainty that Rall has, that item should be an object of ridicule in your own mind. Suppose I visited a place with an annual tribute to WoobaJooba on the courthouse lawn. Jeez, Louise, would I have my precious sensitivity rubbed raw? I'd snicker, but quietly. If something like swearing on the Bible (unbiblical, by

the way) offends you in court, why don't you think of it as having to say "Eat more possum" before you can testify? Treat it like a 55 mph speed limit sign on a deserted 10-mile straight road in the sunshine -- ignore it.

-Anatoly Arutunoff

Make It Count.

(In response to "Prodding Questions" in the Jan. 13-19 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

So, we should spend more money on research for a cancer that only kills 13 percent of the affected population and that population is most likely to be septuagenarians. Why not discuss lung or liver cancer that affects both sexes? Why is UTW focusing on prostate cancer rather than something more aggressive that has commonly misdiagnosed symptoms (colon, lukemia, etc.)If this article is intended to inform the public, pick something that impacts the whole public. Hopefully, this article is the beginning of several informative editorials to come. Hopefully, this is not a spotlight for a cancer that will see its clientele die from old age before it kills them.

-Peechas

World Economics.

(In response to "Some Weasels are More Equal Than Others" in the Jan. 13-19 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

The question not asked (and the answer may never be known) is what would the income levels be in Europe had the capitalist engine of the United States never been revved up in the first place? The article ignores the fact that the poorest of Americans are still among the richest in the world. Were the author able to bring our economy crashing down, the poor of this country would not benefit; they would simply become as poor as the poor of the rest of the world.

-FixedOn66

Ruling the Right Way.

We have heard of superficial, we have heard of superstition, we have heard of super human, we have heard of Superman -- but what America needs now to make things right and do things right is super liberal. The Right is wrong and always wrong. The Right is superficial, preying on superstition; claiming to be super human and Superman while under their capes are lurking evil deeds of suppression and depression of all things that are good for America and the world. They do not give a hill of beans about human beings; they are the original wearers of the green -- the greenback dollar bill. They are mean without any meaning and void of lasting value -- they have no family value, economic value or creditable value. They are not right or righteous, they want the left to only get the leftovers that may trickle down from the table's of obscene rich and elitist in their ivory towers above the riff-raff common people that it has been commanded will inherit the kingdom of God. Well, God if you're up there it is time to send Super Liberal back here again -- the bad guys now own America while trying to kill with war all your poor with bullets and stuffed ballots -- the Golden rule seems to mean those with the Gold Rude. It is time to superimpose your power on those that will not share and do not care about this One Nation Under God only the God Almighty Dollar bill.

-J.R. Hunt

City Habits.

(In response to "Plan's Progress" in the Jan. 13-19 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

"The mayor's chief of staff said a national search would be conducted for a planning director.

"We'll search for the best planning director we can find," he said. "Any time you're looking at such an important position, you want someone with top-flight credentials."

Simonson said he is hopeful that a planning director could be in place by the beginning of summer."

Why is the Mayor's office wasting time and resources on a national search when the best planning director they could find already works for the city of Tulsa? That person is Theron Warlick, ranked No. 2(should have been ranked No. 1) on the UTW 2011 Hot 100 list published recently, right behind the Mayor.

Theron Warlick's knowledge, intimate involvement and successful guidance of the PLANiTULSA process thus far in his job as a city planner make him uniquely qualified to excel in this position. Mr. Warlick has a well earned reputation of being able to work with diverse interests across the political spectrum while earning their trust and respect. PLANiTULSA has been an oasis in the desert of the otherwise endless scorched earth political battlefield that Tulsa has become, much of the credit for this success with PLANiTULSA is due to Theron. This level of public support and trust in the guidance of our planning director will be critical to seeing the zoning code smoothly and successfully overhauled.

I'll chalk this national search for a planning director up to more wasteful, squandered, spending by the Mayor and his chief of staff.

As far as the hiring of a firm to update the city's zoning code goes, there is at least one rule that should be applied without exception: Anybody but INCOG.

Enough about the planning director and firm to update the code search, except there is one last thing deserving of comment about this article that has leaves people guessing on this topic, will the selection of a planning director and the hiring of a firm to update the city's zoning code require Council approval?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

-TYProle