Helms Voodoo Article Incites Readers

“Jesse Helms’ Political Voodoo”

Thank God for Sen. Helms!!

Ed Gatewood

Matt,

Go outside and get some fresh air into your lungs. You need it.

Your “penchant” for picking on Sen. Helms has led you to sift through the “table scraps” of …um..news(?).. to produce this non-story.

[Do you actually get paid for unearthing “press-stoppers” like this?]

Pat Quinn

Mat Honan responds:

Patt,

Yes, I do get paid for unearthing press-stoppers like this one. And quite handsomely to boot. The MoJo Wire stipend provides us fellows with roughly $937 a month. Assuming I work 40 hours a week, that works out to about $5.85 an hour — a more than generous sum here in San Francisco, where the living is cheap and easy.

So, let’s assume I spent 10 hours researching and writing the Helms piece. (I chose this figure because it’s easy to multiply by ten). That means I made about $58.50 on my press-stopper. (Before taxes, that is.) Outrageous, isn’t it? Someone should stop me before I write again.

Thanks for reading and taking the time to write,

Mat Honan

Dear Mother,

My name is Sarah Hodge. I am a 21-year-old Wiccan and an advocate for gay rights. I work on my college campus to educate about both Pagan issues and gay-rights issues. I wanted to thank you for your recent coverage of both Jesse Helms’ voodoo scare and Rev. Fred’s anti-gay actions.

I think it is shameful that Helms uses his fear of a religion to try and hold back aid to people who truly need it. I think his issue is a dual one — anti-pagan and anti-birth-control. It’s sad when someone can be so obviously mixing religion and politics, and yet stay in a position of influence.

Thanks for providing these hard-hitting stories. As always, you remain one of my favorite news sources.

Sarah Hodge
Westfield, MA

Kosovo “Experts”

“Kosovo Bombings: Experts Weigh In”

I read the “expert” opinions with quite a bit of disappointment. All follow the U.S. gov’t read of the situation, but quibble about what should be done. For a view of the situation in Kosovo that is definitely not readily available to most North Americans, try printing some of Diana Johnstone’s work.

Petar Guzina

Ed. Note: Peter, be sure to check out our Must Read for Friday, 03-26-99. We link to her there. Thanks for the tip.

Bob Harris on Guatemala

“Guatemala: Bill Clinton’s Latest Damn-Near Apology”

Dear Editor,

Thank you for the article on Guatemala. I thought all had forgotten … including Mother Jones. Unfortunately, the guerillas gave up their guns with the U.N. peace accord and now the government has failed to implement the social/land reforms within the agreements signed. The “guerillas” have no recourse aside from blocking major tourist roads from time to time…and perhaps some other acts that they commit from futility and frustration. If you want any updated information, you may wish to contact jjbate@hotmail.com. He is a Canadian in the Guatemalan highlands (when not in Chiapas for short spells) named John Bate, age 24, observant and politically aware.

Jackie Bate
BC, Canada

Bob Harris on Medical Marijuana, Dude

“Medical Marijuana, Dow 10,000, Crimefighting Politicians, and Fox TV”

Why can’t the members of the “alternative” media write in intelligent, informative English? It’s truly refreshing to have access to “alternative” views on world events, but it is ridiculous to have to read an account in “dude-speak” that belittles the valuable point of view that Mother Jones, I think, stands for. I refer specifically to Bob Harris’ “The Scoop” on March 23.

I’m doubly disappointed since I just subscribed to your MoJo Wire e-mail newsletter. Hopefully I’ll be educated by intelligent analysis of world and national events, reported by skilled writers not influenced by capitalist or nationalist dogma. Otherwise, it’s a shame that the alternative media refuses to be anything but an alternative to enlightened discourse.

Stephen Baybutt
NYC