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DAVE BARRY: AIRHEAD?

In regard to Dave Barry’s “Capital Confidential” (Sept. 11) this is to opine that the writer has joined the club of media airheads who absorb their information from other airhead media creatures rather than working from basis of fact.

Barry’s crass characterization of Rush Limbaugh and his lumping him with Jerry Falwell clearly shows that he’s never listened to or watched Rush Limbaugh.

– Louis J. Engel, Chicago

WIEBEL’S LESSON

Our city owes a great debt to Wayne Wiebel for the work he is doing to contain the spread of AIDS (“Taking It to the Streets,” Sept. 4). His work with intravenous drug users blends state-of-the-art research and intervention technology with common sense and compassion. The result is an enormous savings in both taxpayer dollars and human lives.

However, let us remember that without adequate drug treatment and other rehabilitative services–particularly for such hard-to-reach and hard-to-serve populations as intravenous drug users, offenders and delinquents–community outreach projects such as Dr. Wiebel’s are rendered less effective.

By creating model programs, adequately funding treatment and other basic services and developing systems whereby public and private agencies work collaboratively, we can truly begin to manage the drug problem in our city.

– Melody M. Heaps, President, Treatment Alternatives for Special Clients, Chicago

MYTH INFORMATION

Margo Howard’s essay (“Looking for Mr. Good Guy,” Aug. 21) chills me. I began the article with a hope for insight and good humor, but found another bitter diatribe about the problems with dating over the age of 40.

If Ms. Howard spent a fraction of the time that she now spends with her support group examining her own motives and would learn the art of conversation, she may not continue to believe all the “good men” are married guys with mistresses.

She may not have to lower her sights from Mr. Right to Mr. You Might Do. She may have to raise her sights and her self-esteem as well. In the meantime, she’s probably better off with her hot-water bottle.

– Stanley Majka, Chicago

CROSSAN’S FANS SPEAK OUT

I am not surprised at the number of negative-and quite vehement-letters against the work of John Dominic Crossan (“Gospel Truths,” July 17).

Change is hard and fearful, especially to those who have placed Christ and God in a box and don’t wish them to change from grammar-school days when, as children, we were expected to rely on some outside authority in matters of truth or fiction.

But I think Crossan deserves a bit more fan mail.

I applaud him for his hard work at making Jesus understandable in his place and time. And I thank Crossan and theologians like him for assuming that I have brains and heart enough to mature with my faith, putting away the storybook and childish interpretations that any close, clear-headed reading of the Gospels simply cannot, nor, as I believe, intend to sustain.

The bottom line is, if my faith cannot withstand intellectual waves and winds, then, as a Christian, what am I doing in the boat anyway?

– Barbara O’Neill, Chicago

I applaud people like Crossan who are able to help this society move away from the psychological/emotional diseases of religion (which is what I think Jesus meant to say) by trying to explore who the real Jesus was and, as another writer said, concentrate on Jesus’ teachings.

Christianity is the basis not only of recent violence and brainwashed communes that self-destruct but also of the emotional torture of children who are told by their parents and Sunday school teachers that they are bad.

If Crossan is “left behind” with the rest of us, we terrible sinners will give him love and help him heal from the terrible wrath of God’s ego.

– Kathryn Garza, Chicago

DEMONIZING THE CLINTONS

Apparently even the President’s deceased mother (“The Unsinkable Virginia Kelley,” July 24) is not exempt from the venemous abuse of his conservative detractors.

All of the nasty adjectives which Joseph Stachowski (Sept. 11) aimed at Clinton could have been aimed at the previous administration, but weren’t, because George Bush and company made no attempt to challenge the National Rifle Association, the health-care industry nor any of the other beneficiaries of the status quo.

The Clintons have had to have incredible resilience and courage to withstand the constant barrage of their detractors.

– Marsha Niazmand, Evanston