Letters

Medicine -- or Politics?
Perhaps George Cothran was on a munchie run and 7-Eleven was closed. Or maybe he got ahold of some bad buds. Whatever it was that prompted his diatribe about the Cannabis Buyers' Club ("Blowing Smoke," The Grid, Aug. 14), Cothran was way off base. Again.

If he had contacted me instead of just cribbing from other news accounts, he would have known I didn't call for a declaration of a municipal public health emergency. I requested our director of public health, Sandra Hernandez, to investigate the feasibility of such a declaration.

I understand that Pat Christen and others may fear an attack on their needle exchange programs. I also do not want to endanger any efforts that are proven to save lives. But Attorney General Dan Lungren has been threatening us for a while and I'm not willing to choose between people who are dying.

The real discussion should be over how to continue access to medical marijuana for people in need. It's distressing to see SF Weekly trashing the progressive perspective on compassionate use. Perhaps the CBC needed to tighten up its procedures. But was a club dispensing marijuana primarily to people with terminal illnesses really an appropriate target of a two-year investigation, costing hundreds of thousands of tax dollars?

Supervisor Tom Ammiano
San Francisco

Weird for Jesus
To whatever degree I care to be labeled by a religious designation, I am Episcopalian.

At least you used the right title for the article ("One Weird Church," Aug. 14), because the building of another Episcopal church in San Francisco is completely irrational.

There is not an existing Episcopal church in this city, including Grace Cathedral, that is operating at anywhere close to 50 percent of worship capacity.

Yet, what does rich preppie Rick Fabian choose to do with his ego and money, but build a monumental Episcopal church?

I would think that with the lesser knowledge that I've gained studying the New Testament compared to Rick Fabian that maybe Jesus would prefer a free Episcopal health clinic than another White Elephant (albeit artistically cute) Episcopal church in San Francisco. But Jesus was weird, maybe not.

George Davis
Russian Hill

Batty-fied
Does Michael Batty like anything? When I read a music review, I'd like to read about the music, not stinging judgments of the audience and rock culture in general ("... So Why Don't You Kill Me?" Music, Aug. 14). Maybe Batty should cover a different beat, one that doesn't crinkle his sensitive nostrils.

Christine Beatty
Tenderloin

Corrections
An editing error resulted in the misspelling of the name of a candidate for the Chronicle's rock critic position ("Critical Void," Samples, Aug. 14). The story should have referred to the Detroit News' Susan Whitall.

San Francisco Police Commissioner Pat Norman's name was misspelled in last week's "The Grid."

Jason "Smiley" Basler has been a messenger for five-and-a-half years ("Spokes of Destiny," Aug. 14). Also, Basler lived in Millerville, Alberta.

Due to a production error, the "Real Astrology" column dropped out last week. It resumes this week on Page 81.