Silly and Provincial

BEFORE the ballyhoo about gay marriage and the cries of injustice over Prop. 8, I didn't give a hang whether gay couples got married or chartered a shuttle to the moon. But after Prop. 8 passed and the demonstrations came and all these faces in gay crowds contorted in ugly hatred--they don't just want in on marriage, they want retribution upon those they perceive as ignorant and unsophisticated, those who hold for man/woman marriage.

Indeed, what can't gays have in the way of liberties, rights and privileges? Can't the straight people have at least one institution reserved for a man/woman union? Apparently the gays can't stand to have a place where they are not suitable.

By forcing themselves upon traditional marriage, they are denying non-gays their right to determine what authority will preside over the union. That's right, God is that authority and as silly and provincial as that sounds to the intelligentsia, marriage is not to be put asunder for the sake of social enlightenment.

 Theodore F. Meyer,
Santa Cruz

Chocolate: It's What's For Dinner

Do you resolve to lose weight every year, only to find yourself no thinner in July than you were in January? If so, you may have more success if you eat a vegan diet. Don't worry; a vegan diet is not a "diet" at all--it's just a healthy, humane way of eating. I've lost 30 pounds since I stopped eating animal products and I still enjoy all of my favorite foods, including chocolate.

Plant-based foods are naturally cholesterol-free and they tend to be low in fat and calories. Studies show that vegans are about one-10th as likely to be obese as meat-eaters. According to the American Dietetic Association, "vegetarians, especially vegans, often have weights that are closer to desirable weights than do nonvegetarians."

When you choose vegan foods, you reduce your risk for many diseases, including heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and certain cancers. You also help alleviate world hunger, fight global warming and save animals. To learn more about the benefits of a vegan diet, visit www.GoVeg.com. Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Heather Moore,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Who's the Blowhard?

THE TRAPPED IN VIDEOGAMELAND article "Mind Rot" (Cover Story, Nov. 19) seemed like it was gonna be a hoot, but the guy couldn't stop bragging. (I'm paraphrasing) I am in high demand in Europe. I am in high demand in NYC. I am in high demand in Alviso. Yes, there was something off-kilter about this particular formula-confessional. When not trembling in the basement of Hell with videogame addiction, which is bad, I used to fury-dance all night in the S.F. clubs, which is good! Does anybody buy this? Everyone on the planet wishes World of Warcraft didn't exist. How, then, does he explain their truly amazing worldwide popularity? I know of families who unsubscribed from cable TV because the cost of four WoW accounts is practically the same; and the family get to spend their evenings together happily, literally and virtually! (I contrast this with my family's TV-evenings, where we were physically together, but ...) Consider, also, that an evening of online gaming doubtlessly burns less energy than going to a dance club and spending your share of all those expensive lights and sound systems.

He mentions his astounding accomplishments (and "hip-hop") more often than he discusses any videogame addiction. (And even with that monkey on his back, he was always "elite," so don't you miss that!) If any of this is honest, the author's so blatantly obsessive that anything he does probably looks like "addictive behavior" to the casual observer. Who's he representing? What's his group, and what's their agenda? This whole "confessional" reads like something written for Community Service. Write us three pages of "Confession" that'll make us feel good! Hip-hop dancing till dawn? Perhaps our author was busted! He did willfully apply the honorarium "elite" to himself; and that spells cocaine. His bottom line seems to be that online gaming became no longer fun for him, so he quit. So now he wants to get everyone else to quit?? This author is so completely smug and self-congratulatory (while claiming to be humbly confessing) that I don't see how Metro Santa Cruz was moved to print the essay. (And to make it a cover piece?? Oh, dear!)

Eric Palmquist,
Palo Alto

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