Letters

Junkie's Lament
I am writing to give another perspective on your recent article "The Quick Fix" (Nov. 13) detailing one addict's failed attempt to get clean using Ultra Rapid Opiate Detoxification (UROD). Your article was highly informative about the process, and accurately defined the crux of the controversy surrounding its use. The addict interviewed in the article may not have succeeded because he was not physically ready and wasn't supported by a rigorous recovery program.

I would give my eyeteeth to have the chance he had to deal with the physical aspect of getting clean. The fear of the truly agonizing withdrawal process has kept me a "highly functioning" addict for eight years, stably employed, never arrested, the habit kept under such tight control that my secret remains solely my own source of suffering. There are many addicts who would use the UROD method as it was designed, solely to get off drugs.

Name Withheld

Kicked Around
Jeff Stark's article on playing-field politics ("Battled Fields," Bay View, Nov. 13) documents well the turf-war mentality at Park and Rec. Unfortunately, the problem is not limited to soccer players.

I've been playing pickup Ultimate Frisbee in Golden Gate Park for about nine years. About six years ago we were hounded off of Big Rec by perhaps the same guy who has it in for Chris Duderstadt (the soccer dad). Same tactics, same attitude. We moved to Sharon Meadow, but it wasn't long before the rangers showed up and said we couldn't play there either. A little research turned up that though Big Rec IS reserved for baseball, Sharon Meadow is open to any sport. The next time the ranger came, we had a copy of the park regulations. When he tried to kick us off, we called the police. An officer arrived, read the regulations, and warned the ranger not to harass us anymore. Shortly thereafter, there was an item on a Park and Rec agenda (never passed) to ban Ultimate Frisbee throughout the park. Do we have a control issue here?

Let us hope that Duderstadt's efforts and this article may start some discussion.

Christopher Schardt
Castro

Country by Numbers
James Sullivan's description of Jim Campilongo & the 10 Gallon Cats in the WAMMIES awards supplement (Nov. 13) typifies the average San Francisco hipster's complete lack of depth on any musical subject outside the latest indie sensation. The only factual statement in that article was that Patsy Cline was associated with the "countrypolitan" sound.

Campilongo has as much to do with countrypolitan as the Sex Pistols do to Foreigner. Instead, Campilongo takes his inspiration from the bop sounds of Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West, not to mention Bay Area honky-tonk swing legend Jimmie Rivers.

Scott Shaw
Bernal Heights

Silents Speak Up
I enjoyed your "Ultimate Guide to Bay Area Filmgoing" (Nov. 6), but it left out the second annual Silent Film Festival, which is tentatively set for July 13, 1997. It will present rare and restored silent films with live musical accompaniment at the Castro Theater. We're putting together a program to honor the 75th anniversary of the Castro, and, like this year, all the films will be presented in beautiful 35mm archival prints.

Stephen Salmons, Event Director
Silent Film Festival
San Francisco