Letters to the Editor

Volume VII Number 4
January 28 - February 3, 1999

Icy Incivility's Last Stand

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

A postscript on the recent snowfall: Our Mason's Beach snow plower reported that when he came by on that snowy Friday to plow our streets, he was greeted at the north end of First Avenue by a hail of snowballs with stones in their middles.

That is the behavior of hooligans, and is inexcusable. The danger is obvious. But also, how thoughtless it was to put at risk someone who was trying to help.

For my Mason's Beach neighbors, I apologize to our favorite snowman. For those who cast those first stones, I encourage immediate consideration of community civility, and some appropriate parental discipline. A repeat performance surely should lead to swift action by the Anne Arundel County sheriff.

-Chris May, Deale

The Forum's Still Open: 10 More Top Movies

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

In reference to your Sept. 10. 1998 call for readers' choices of their 10 best movies of all time, here are mine: 1. Days of Heaven; 2. Raging Bull; 3. 2001: A Space Odyssey; 4. Citizen Kane; 5. The Third Man; 6. Last Tango in Paris; 7. Badlands; 8. Casablanca; 9. A Clockwork Orange; 10. Barry Lyndon.

-Tim White by Internet

Homicide, Life in Vietnam: Fair to Vets?

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

Like Baltimore Sun's television critic David Zurawik, I was concerned that Homicide, Life on the Streets was running out of steam this season. The loss of Reed Diamond and Andre Braugher didn't help matters, either.

I have changed my mind. The January episodes had more drama. The two new characters have finally been given depth of personality and the freedom to act like homicide detectives. The 1999 episodes had more emotional impact than the 1998 shows did.

However, I am not without bias. I was recently called as an extra in a scene about U.S. Army soldiers during the Viet Nam War. I am on the extras list for the show, and I suspect I was called for this scene because I am a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Viet Nam tour 1969-'70.

The episode speaks about and to Viet veterans by inserting underlying messages in the show. It is an episode that should be watched by all veterans across the country. Is that how American citizen soldiers really were? Were we presented fairly? As veterans, we can make up our own minds about the scene.

The episode is entitled "The Same Coin" and airs on NBC, channel 11 locally, at 10pm on Fri., Feb. 5. Oh yes, don't forget to look for me. I'm the extra who plays "The Colonel."

-Charlie Makowski, Baltimore

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