Human slaves? Find them in CityLife

What a hypocrite you and the newspaper you write for are, Emmily Bristol. You write an article on human bondage ["American Slave Trade," April 14], which is good information and something we need to be educated about. But one has to turn only a few pages in your rag and you see the "Adult Scene" pages, with over a hundred ads or more advertising Asian babes this way and Chinese babes that way -- not to mention the transvestites and numerous other sexual predators. What! No dogs and ponies? Ask yourself: How many of these women are victims of human bondage? Does your magazine check out these advertisers to see if they are not purveyors of bondage? Ha. I doubt it -- or maybe you better ask your editor what's he doing for lunch today?

MICHAEL BREACH

Lazy reporting disparaged Vons

Did the fact-checking at CityLife end with Mike Zigler's departure? In "West Las Vegans Demand Grocery Store" [Shrapnel, April 14], CL writes, "Veronica Dunn-Jones, an activist with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, said Vons was making close to a quarter-million dollars a week." This point was re-emphasized when Dunn-Jones was quoted saying, "If it was about money, how much more do they need to make?"

First, I agree with the thrust of that story. Poor people are screwed when their communities are not served by large corporations who pursue profits, and thus are left to smaller corporations which pursue profits less efficiently. I mean, everyone would rather shop at a Vons than at a convenience store, and the poor can little bear the burden of paying so much more for food.

Yet the above unverified comment disparages Vons by making them appear to have abandoned enormous profits to stick it to West Las Vegas. It's an astounding notion, quite shocking, but it's also very wrong. Nationwide, grocery stores operate on a very thin profit margin, which is separate and distinct from sales volume. Sales volume is meaningless if it is not accompanied by profits. So, although Von's may have been "making $250,000 a week" in sales volume, they could also have been losing money each week by having negative profits.

How did nobody notice this? Did CL even contact Vons' flack? You should hope Vons doesn't sue, but there's always the "like Fox News, our ideologically pure 'news' doesn't need to be cluttered by truth" defense.

AARON M. CLEMENS

Lawyers dish it out, but can't take it

I laughed out loud after reading George Knapp's column ["Legal Threats Loom Over Tale of Embattled Surgeon," April 21]. It seems that Knapp dared to voice his opinion about a pending lawsuit against a local oral surgeon, and the attorney representing the plaintiff got pissed off, which caused him to hire his own attorney, who in turn fired off a letter to Stephens Media. Not surprisingly, the attorney for the attorney has hinted he wants to sue over the matter. Is it any wonder why we laugh at lawyer jokes? Trial attorneys routinely scrutinize, defame and humiliate those on the receiving end of their lawsuits, but when someone dares to question their own actions, well, that's cause for legal action. I'd say more, but I don't want to get sued.

PATRICIA DUCHARME

HENDERSON

CL sure looks old and white

Is it me or did the average age of the writers at CityLife leap by 10 years? It seems to be more white and gray now. How can you consider yourself a liberal rag when you let a bunch of greedy, corporate pukes fire Saab Lofton and replace him with the aging status quo? You guys suck.

I read CityLife because it's supposed to be an alternative to the conservative sermons that stain the Review-Journal. Now, not only is your writing staff chock full of more honkey, it's apparently on a collision course with Geriatric City. Next time George Knapp submits an article about chickens and Hawaii, sneak in the word "fuck" somewhere for laughs. Otherwise tell him to stick to exposing the bullshit in this town, because that's what I expect from him -- that's how he's earned my trust in the past.

Hiring a bunch of seasoned, well-established writers doesn't give you dick in the field of legitimacy. Established writers usually get there by conforming to a set standard of rules, and as far as I'm concerned the rules can go to hell when it comes to writing. When you start censoring yourself and others, e.g. Saab Lofton, because you're afraid you might upset some rich white assholes then you might as well give up any claim to being liberal and progressive because you're not.

MICHAEL C.O. WAGNER