Enough With the Yeti, Already

THE ARTICLE "Bigfoot Inc." by Stett Holbrook (Cover Story, June 27) has overextended its hospitability. The belief in Bigfoot has the same credibility as the existence of "Compassionate Conservatism." Both are totally unreal and--as your article explained--very lucrative; the latest model in bamboozle. So why is the Bigfoot phenomenon greeted within the realm of plausibility? The answer is the mainstream media. The article's title itself is self-explanatory: "Bigfoot Inc." There's money to be made in publishing and in films. The very idea of Tom Biscardi's organization pursuing Bigfoot is self-explanatory as well: it's his nationwide cottage industry. But regardless of the players in the game and the layers of deception, one demand has not been made, a demand that true Americans make when confronting dilemmas and mysteries: "I'm from Missouri. Show me!" After thousands of years of Bigfoot sightings, not one of its toes has been found, let alone a live one, captured and exhibited in public.

It took six years for Americans to get over compassionate conservatism; it's time for the rest of us to get over Bigfoot.  

 Armando Gomez, Santa Rosa

Hillary: Last Man Standing

IT HAS BEEN a long time since I felt good about a presidential candidate, and I really felt good about Fred Thompsen, senator and actor. Watching his character on films such as Cape Fear and the series Law and Order allowed me to get to know him because he was playing himself. I thought, "Here at last we have a candidate of true integrity, one who stands above the trappings of party or favor debts, who would put loyalty to the people above party ties." Yeah, I figured Fred Thompsen, big burly man that he is, would eliminate the asinine bickering which keeps needed legislation in limbo and get it done.

Well, Fred went and announced he supported the clemency for that filthy, lying Libby--a clemency which makes a mockery out of constitutional authority. Poof! There went my hope we had a true leader coming up. Thanks, Fred, for the disappointment. Thanks for not having the guts to stand apart and see a criminal for the crime, not what party he belongs to. You are another rubber-stamp, brown-nose Republican, Fred, and now Hillary looks like a mighty fine candidate. Only one left with balls.

Theodore F. Meyer, Santa Cruz

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