Love Lines

I can't help but agree that marriage these days is a messed-up proposition [Naked City, "High Infidelity," Meredith Lindemon, Feb. 9, 2006], but not for the reasons your subjects claim. People get married every day to other people that they don't really get along with, aren't really that sexually attracted to, or just don't fit with. They do it to please their families, feel better about themselves or—one of my least favorite reasons—because "it was either that or break up." Ridiculous. It seems like every person in your article has some kind of hang up that has nothing to do with marriage. I wish that people would take an extra second to be honest with themselves and their partners. If you're not satisfied with one person, why bother getting married? If you want to indulge in that oh-so-American pastime of looking for the next big thing, don't drag another person into it legally or emotionally.

E. Michelle Berry
Via E-mail

Dr. B. Hibbs got the facts completely wrong. The overwhelming majority of the published research showed no harmful effects and, in many cases, significant benefits to having consensual nonexclusive relationships. What little current research exists confirms this to still be true.

James Fleckstein
Herndon, Va

Just finished reading [Cover Story, "The Big Miedo," Doron Taussig, Feb. 9, 2006]. When writing about Andres, you stated that no one here spoke his language. It should have read, "where he doesn't speak THEIR language."

The language of the U.S. is English. Let's not forget that. You come here, you ASSIMILATE, like the immigrants did in the old days.

James DellaVecchia
Via E-mail

Tell Jamie Graham [Mailbag, "Speak for Yourself, Jimmy," Feb. 2, 2006] he does not speak for the Irish majority. He is a wimpy, liberal piece of trash. He doesn't have to remind me how my people were treated, but the Italians and Polish were also treated like crap here and abroad. Look at [Samuel] Alito, he is being crucified just because he is Italian and the last pope was treated harshly because of his Polish ancestry. The Irish have been treated so cruelly by the English, yet the liberal English have their way in the good old U.S.A.

I have nothing to hide. Graham does: It's called the real truth.

"Irish" Jimmy Sullivan
South Philadelphia

Scientology deserves to be laughed at because it is utterly laughable. Contrary to your poor, misguided, letter-writing suckers [Feedback, "Bustlin' Forum," Feb. 9, 2006], Scientology helps no one and does not "have the answers" to anything other than how to separate morons from their money. What can you say about a religion that was founded by a seriously messed-up science-fiction writer, that sells you your enlightenment a few chapters at a time, with ever escalating costs as you move to the "higher levels" that only rich celebrities like Tom Cruise can afford? How about the laughable "E-Meter," which Scientologists refuse to submit to independent testing because it is nothing but a primitive lie detector that measures galvanic skin response? (Scientologists, if I'm wrong, then bring me an E-Meter and let my machine shop guys have a look at it. What are you trying to hide?)

Just go straight to the source and try to read Dianetics. If this piece of incoherent crap doesn't make you laugh, then you are, quite simply, a moron.

Mike Kaplan
Philadelphia

In the 1950s and '60s, entertainers like Lenny Bruce were targeted by the "religious right." Now, we have the "politically correct" [Loose Canon, "Black Hate Radio," Bruce Schimmel, Feb. 9, 2006]. Hopefully in 20 years or so, most of the population will view the bitter old biddies and invertebrate eunuchs who listen to NPR much in the same way we now view the McCarthyites who drove people like Charlie Chaplin out of this country.

Chaz Zimmerman aka Mr. Unloved
Philadelphia