On Bukowski at 100
I read both Bukowski and your article. I want to comment on each.
First, your article was very instructive, well said and I learned from it. Thanks.
It has always amazed me that you (and others) like Bukowski’s writing. To me, he was a slob and when I read some of his stuff, it was ugly and repulsive. He wrote about the shit and scum drunks in Wilmington and San Pedro. His reference was the bars and alleys and filth and stupid people. I hated reading it because I saw all that stuff first hand when I was growing up. I sold the Daily News in the bars and Longshoreman’s Dispatch Hall in Wilmington when I was just 10 years old. Drunks and hard-scrabble guys were my best customers and I bought my first bicycle that way. I shined shoes down there too and even flight other kids for the best bars.
Bukowski simply wasn’t a person (IMO) to emulate, read or even care about. I still feel that way and simply cannot understand why anyone would even consider — unless they wanted to go [on] a bummer. I read war stories by Leon Uris and those kinds of writers (as a young man) because they showed me a better way to look at humans. I’m always seeking smarter not ugly.
To each his own.
And BTW, I watched every minute of the Democratic Convention and it — IMO — was much needed. I gave me a glimmer of hope. Just a glimmer.
Richard Pawlowski, Oregon
Dear Richard,
As Bukowski said, it only takes a spark to light the whole forest on fire, and he wasn’t talking about Yosemite either.
James Preston Allen, Publisher
Kudos
The thorough calling-b.s-what-it-is in this last edition of RLn is so very important! Keep it up.
In this time of the wolf at the door of all we believe, hold precious and depend on, RLn does us an essential and great service.
The foolish and ignorant opinions of the reality deniers are a great opportunity for us to be polite and immediately move on to other people and considerations. Convincing “true believers” has proven to be a questionable activity for me, much like the thought that ketchup is a vegetable and that “facts are funny things.”
Robin Doyno, Los Angeles
A Letter of Thanks
Thank you, Random Lengths News for your coverage on the vigorous debate about reform of city departments including the Los Angeles Police Department. The city personnel website is long on qualifications but very short on job duties, and says “As a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department, a Police Officer maintains order, enforces laws and ordinances, and protects life and property; issues citations, makes arrests, prepares reports, and provides information to the public and departmental units; works with neighborhood associations and community members as a planner, community organizer, problem solver and information link; and does related work.” Salary $68,000 to $104,000. By comparison, some city council members and some code enforcement inspectors make over $200,000 per year. Powers of police are also spelled out in the city charter, as well as the extensive State Penal Code under “peace officers.”
Election time is upon us again. I have asked government officials to support a reform of the city election process. I see widespread prejudice against write-in candidates, even though many of those candidates run for Superior Court Judge positions. I suggest that the write-in candidate process be eliminated in exchange for a more inclusive and transparent process that will include (1) elimination of the nominating process petition but still keep the nominating process, or (2) eliminate the nominating process altogether and allow candidates a short window to sign up as a candidate online rather than initially appear in person, and (3) if the nominating process (not petition) is continued, or not, then reduce the voter signatures needed to 50 instead of the current 500 and allow registered voters to nominate candidates through an online process, rather than the cumbersome nominating petition.
Accordingly, I have thrown my hat in the ring for 2022 and now run as a candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. The best of luck to everyone, in the face of our challenging political climate.
G. Juan Johnson, Los Angeles
Where is Barron Trump?
Demented Donald Trump idiotically insists local school boards should illegally force your vulnerable children back into crowded classrooms unsafely as the Trump-caused COVID-19 catastrophe only continues to get worse, while on permanent vacation, Trump golfs endlessly at the taxpayers’ expense.
Delusional Donald continues to claim the coronavirus will simply “… disappear, one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear …” as some sort of sick, psychotic rationalization for his Russian-controlled regime’s intentional inaction during this deadly pandemic. Vladimir Putin and his pathetic puppet Trump aren’t fooling anyone other than Jim Jones Trump’s Orange Kool-Aid drinkers and their greedy, hypocritical charlatan pastors in their private jets.
Over 170,000 Americans are dead due to the Republican Party’s ongoing criminal negligence and purposefully incompetent cruelty. On Nov. 3, the American people will finally render their political and constitutional judgment against Orange Julius Caesar in a landslide defeat for the GOP of historic proportions. Adios, Trump!
And if the GOP’s dimwitted, draft-dodging version of Julius Caesar (who is more like a comb over Caligula) follows through on his tyrannical, terroristic threats to sabotage and/or cancel this November’s presidential election, the American republic’s defenders will respond appropriately in the remaining days of traitor Trump’s pathological presidency. (Perhaps the Orange Emperor has never read William Shakespeare’s play about this subject?)
Speaking of Shakespeare, where in the world is the Tangerine Tyrant’s 14-year-old son Barron Trump — a sad, tragic, unloved Shakespearean character if there ever was one? Considering the virtual blackout of almost all news coverage of President Trumptanic’s troubled relationship with his youngest son Barron, isn’t it time for the craven corporate media to highlight the highly relevant fact that Barron will NOT be returning to school in person this year like your children, but Barron Trump will instead stay safe at home and attend class online?
Jake Pickering, Arcata, Calif.
“They Say” Talking Points
• They say we want to disband police departments (and that we hate the police): we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to weed out racism and unnecessary police brutality and for those who abuse their power to be held accountable.
• They say we want to release all prisoners: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to weed out racism and ensure the punishments match the crimes.
• They say we want open borders: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want asylum seekers to be given their chance to seek asylum. We want to help people, who are coming
from unimaginable terror and poverty, help to give them the chances we have. We want to ensure children aren’t separated from their parents and that nobody is kept in cages. But we do want proper vetting.
• They say we want to take away your guns: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want logical gun control to help prevent mass shootings.
• They say we want to wage a war on Christianity and Christian values: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want people of all religions to be able to practice and worship freely.
• They say we want to get everything for free: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to work hard and make sure that healthcare and education are affordable for all.
• They say we want a war against traditional marriage: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want people of all sexual orientations to be able to love freely, no matter who you love. Love is love.
• They say we want to destroy or rewrite history: we don’t, that’s a lie. We want to recognize the ugly parts of our past and do everything we can to say “that’s not
okay, let’s not honor those aggressors, let’s not let those things happen again.”
• They say we want to take away your constitutional rights: we don’t, that’s a lie. We choose to believe science and wear masks and try to prevent the spread of this disease.
• They say we hate America: we don’t, that’s a lie. We just recognize our faults and want us to do better, be better.
Stop with the us vs. them.
Stop with the straw man arguments.
Stop with the fake news.
Stop with Fox news.
Our position is one of empathy, compassion and logic.
Stop believing the hype.
Stop with the division.
Stop the lies.
Just stop.
Twitter/Instagram: @FilAmsForBiden