[Editor’s note: The following letter was received in response to a letter to the editor appearing in Gay and Lesbian Times issue #806, 6/5/03. The letter, in support of tenure for former SDSU professor Pat Washington, was co-authored by Times columnist Nicole Murray-Ramirez.]

Dear Editor,

I am astounded at the amount of print space you continue to give to this Nicole person. His column — a virtual throne upon which he no doubt imagines himself a potentate influencing public opinion within his ‘kingdom’ — is one thing. But to also hand him the entirety of your letters section for his friends and him to express their outrage was absurd.

To be honest, I have not been following the supposed tribulations of the professor in question. If the facts included in the letter are correct — that this academic was rated lower than her colleagues by the institution — then the denial was justified (popularity with students be damned). The primary purpose of an academic professor is to teach students; amassing a large volume of published articles is secondary at best.

Yes, there were other names attached to the letter as co-authors, but Nicole’s was of course at the top. [Frankly, the letter’s strong syntax alone fairly indicates that Nicole had little to do with its physical composition.] If someone on your staff wants to write an opinion piece, such work belongs on your Op-Ed page; the Letters section is for the public at large, and basic journalistic integrity holds that a staff writer is not considered ‘the public.’ It was particularly galling that the letter’s size was more than 100 words past the limit printed in your standard guidelines ON THE VERY SAME PAGE. I have long been perplexed as to why you and many others esteem this Nicole person so much. I’m not the first person to wryly imagine Nicole must have a lot of scandalous knowledge (as in ‘dirt’) about many people; what else could possibly explain politicians fawning over him? I find his column enormously entertaining, but only because he’s such a puerile writer with a comically, yet frighteningly inflated, ego: With such insipid statements as “Yes, that was me doing” such-and-such, or “Well, this weekend I’m flying to Washington to have lunch with” so-and-so, it is rather funny, yet sad, that his despot mentality imagines the public is slavishly noting every iota of his existence. How patently absurd! Yes, Nicole has done a lot for charity through the years, but the definition of PURE charity is works done ANONYMOUSLY; I doubt that such an egregiously egomaniacal morass of mediocrity does any good deed unless there’s plenty of P.R. value in it. Or am I just being astutely cynical?

Sincerely,

Joseph Grienenberger

San Diego

Dear Editor,

I’m a retired teacher who has been a volunteer for Special Delivery for a year and a half and will continue to do so — not only to be of service to our community, but also because of the respect I have for Director Ruth [Henricks], the heart and soul of the organization.

It’s sad when there is enough money from Ryan White funding to be shared — and the council has said there shall be two groups providing the meals — that one group would take it all. And it’s odd that the head of Mama’s Kitchen would be in a position to have some say in it.

When preparing the wonderful meals we deliver every day, we may share some of the facilities with The Huddle, but the popular diner does not depend on this or any other funding for its prosperity, as the regular breakfast and lunch clientele can tell you. Special Delivery doesn’t spend money on advertising, fundraisers or a paid board of directors. Ruth has said she wants for ALL of the money to ‘go to food for our guys.’ And that’s where it goes!

Maybe it’s not run like a high-powered business, but instead as an act of love. And what’s wrong with that?

I’ve seen suggestions that they merge. I’m not speaking for Ruth, she’s not a complainer, but I’m afraid that Mama’s Kitchen would just swallow Special Delivery like a big name coffee corporation would replace a neighborhood mom and pop café — very sad for the community.

Meanwhile, I’ll be shoulder-to-shoulder with Ruth and the other volunteers at Special Delivery.

Lyn Asaro

Oceanside

(Yes, I drive all the way down to volunteer for them.)