My weekly trip through Scene started like any other week [July 31]. I usually enjoy reading Pete Kotz, and his queer piece was no exception. From there, the magazine usually takes a dive, and this week was no different. Laura Putre's "Hoop Jumping" was not terrible, but failed to keep my attention. The experience bottomed out with your I-Team Report. Can you waste any more space?
I figured I'd shuffle through the pages until the music and movie reviews came along. That plan took a detour with David W. Martin's "Tour of Duty." I read each word with great anticipation and felt I knew Chris Wollmann by the time the article came to a close. The young golfer's determination is inspirational. Sign me up for the Wollmann fan club and, while you're at it, give Martin an attaboy.
Rob Thomas
Kent
Sex-offender discussion topics:
I have three comments concerning the article "Mr. Molester's Neighborhood" [August 7] by Kevin Hoffman.
One, I don't think that we have to suspend the Fifth Amendment or any other part of our fine Constitution to enact good, workable law enforcement. I am thankful that the ACLU is taking the sex-offender registry laws to court. The ACLU neither sets policy nor enacts laws. It merely raises questions of constitutionality.
Two, anybody can go to his or her local police station and check to see if a person has a criminal background. Most organizations that work with children already do this. Hopefully, parents will start doing this, before entrusting their children to somebody.
Three, in this whole discussion, I have never heard or read how these very notification laws might affect property values. It would seem that a person with children would be reluctant to move into a neighborhood where a known sexual predator resides. It is my fondest hope that our civic society will continue to address the problem of sexual abuse of children.
Thomas Reke
Akron
How about a look at the other Put-in-Bay?
I just read with interest your feature ["Fantasy Island," August 14] on Put-in-Bay, an island to which I have been trekking since my high school years. While the article did communicate one side of the island's "appeal," it struck me as incomplete and -- pardon my criticism -- quite poorly researched. There are more than a reasonable share of Chachi Arcola imitators prowling the island and demonstrating just how base an animal we men are. However, your focus on that element, to the virtual exclusion of all other issues except "boobs," is unfortunate.
I had my two daughters and my wife up to the island last week to meet another couple with small children. The kids played in DeRivera Park for hours with many other children, rode the historic carousel, explored the caves and the monument, and spent several hours a day at the Crew's Nest pool. Bottom line: There is far more to Put-in-Bay than beads and boat "accommodations." Any time you would like to delve further into what has been, for our family, a true getaway from the cares of the wide world, feel free to e-mail me for a rental reservation.
Finally, two points: Late-night "hook-ups" occur much more frequently at the Skyway Bar, next to the airport. And the name Put-in-Bay has nothing to do with pudding; it has to do with docking a vessel in the harbor, or "putting in" for the night.
Tom Harkness
Bay Village
Humor bites reader:
Sarah Fenske struck a perfect balance with her article on Put-in-Bay. It's refreshing to see such a satisfying mix of objective reporting, social commentary, and biting humor in Scene. Bravo, Ms. Fenske.
Hans Petersen
Oberlin
Abortion is about human rights:
Kudos to Laura Putre for showing your readers that the pro-life movement is more than just Christian, white, and heterosexual ["Nouveau Womb," August 7]. There are nontraditional groups within the pro-life movement, including the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL), Feminists for Life, Anarchists for Life, and Vegans for Life. These groups carry the message of social change, and they approach abortion as not a religious issue, but a human-rights issue. These groups empower women to feel that abortion isn't their only alternative. They are a far cry from the stereotypical pro-lifers most people picture.
Cecilia Brown
President, PLAGAL
Cleveland
Pro-lifers: They're not all geeks anymore:
Thanks to Laura Putre for dispelling stereotypes of pro-lifers as geeky old right-wing misogynists ["Nouveau Womb"]. The Human Rights Youth Resistance reflects a growing trend among young people of rejecting abortion and supporting life-affirming alternatives. They join with several nontraditional pro-life groups in consistently opposing violence against any individual, from womb to tomb. Thanks for the thoughtful profile.
Marilyn Kopp
Feminists for Life
Cleveland
