Demented

Re "Let Chile Move On," editorial, July 16: So Gen. Augusto Pinochet is too demented to be held accountable for the human rights atrocities that took place in Chile. We still have his partner, the CIA. Unless the CIA is also too demented to stand trial. Jean Banks Torrance

Whoever believes wisdom increases with age may be in for a reality check if they come across the return of MTV's resident idiots, "Beavis and Butt-Head. " Almost two decades have passed since the animated duo first sat on a dingy couch in their living room and fired off insults at each other and music videos playing on their run-down TV. It's a different world now, but the more things change, the more Beavis and Butt-Head have stayed the same — they're still teens, they still wear AC/DC and Metallica T-shirts, and they're still dumb as rocks.

By offering thousands of dollars in prize money, ABC encourages, however indirectly, the submission of demented tapes like those described by Rosenberg. Money does it every time. Dangle the green stuff and see how far people will push--and destroy--limits. MARILYN MOORE SHULTZ, San Clemente

This Halloween season, for the first time, Universal Studios Hollywood introduced a character based on the Latin American myth of La Llorona in its annual Halloween Horror Nights in an effort to connect with Southern California's sizable Latino population. The legend of La Llorona has gone through many variations over the years. It is a folktale about a woman who drowned her children after she was abandoned by their father. Tormented by what she has done, the woman's spirit wanders the earth, crying out for her dead children.

Congratulations to Allan Parachini on his expose of legalized euthanasia in the Netherlands ("The Netherlands Debates the Legal Limits of Euthanasia," July 5). Opponents of euthanasia in this country make frequent reference to the dangers of the "slippery slope" that would be created by legalization, while advocates dismiss the slippery-slope argument as purely theoretical, as nothing more than a scare tactic of fanatical right-to-life groups. The Netherlands are presently doing the rest of the world the favor of demonstrating the reality of that slippery slope.

I feel compelled to write after viewing only a few minutes of probably the most demented show on television, "Freddy's Nightmares." I am horrified our society has allowed TV to sensationalize and glorify suffering, perversion and mutilation. I truly enjoy the horror classics--Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy. These movies left much to the imagination, yet still thrilled and chilled. Freddy is a psychotic mutilator who only fuels sick and misguided minds. It's time to draw the line.

Re "6 charged in plot to strike Army base," May 9 I am a practicing, proud American Muslim and want to distance myself from whoever is making these senseless, cowardly threats against the innocent. These people do not represent Islam but are practicing their own demented ideals. I feel that the media should not play into their hands and give them their moment of glory by identifying them as Muslims and furthering their cause, whatever it may be. They definitely do not represent Islam.

The June 23 op-ed article by the Huntington Beach City Council members, Ralph Bauer and Shirley Dettloff, against hate crimes resonated in my ears, and sets a profound example for the rest of America at a crucial time like this. Let's admit it: Almost 30 years after the civil rights movement, instead of rebuilding to ameliorate our differences, we are, sadly, dismantling it. Toward that goal even the mostly conservative justices of the Supreme Court are doing a great job, and most extremists, elated by the court's message, are having a wild party.

I just wanted to thank you for a good, well-written article on Prince ("My Night With Prince," Jan. 11). I don't think I'm a typical fan. I missed him in the '80s when I was listening to Buddhist chants in my painting studio, but he crossed my path in 2004 when I was in treatment for breast cancer. My friends thought I was a little demented, so I had a hard time explaining why his music made me laugh and how much pleasure I got from his multilayered tunes. Whenever I couldn't sleep and chemo was bothering me, or when I was just feeling blue, I could play Prince and feel better.

With the critical issues facing Americans -- the war in Iraq, terrorism, the economy, civil rights -- who cares if George Bush looks like Howdy Doody, or John Kerry has the emotional connect of a brick wall ["Read His Lips, Not His Face," by Paul Brownfield, July 19]? Personally, I think Dick Cheney looks like a demented corner druggist and John Edwards resembles a slick PR operative. But that has absolutely nothing to do with their respective credentials to serve as vice president, and that won't determine my vote this November.

Before I get to the latest Lakers crises as the team plunges into the abyss with Phil Jackson and/or Kobe Bryant leaving, I want to thank everyone in Lakerdom, just for being. Without you, we'd just cover ordinary teams like the Clippers, whose dysfunction is entertaining but whose winning percentage isn't high enough for anyone to care about them but them, a.k.a. Clipper Nation. Crazed and successful, like the Lakers, equals "zany." Crazed and a laughingstock, like the Clippers, equals "crazed laughingstock."

I just wanted to thank you for a good, well-written article on Prince ("My Night With Prince," Jan. 11). I don't think I'm a typical fan. I missed him in the '80s when I was listening to Buddhist chants in my painting studio, but he crossed my path in 2004 when I was in treatment for breast cancer. My friends thought I was a little demented, so I had a hard time explaining why his music made me laugh and how much pleasure I got from his multilayered tunes. Whenever I couldn't sleep and chemo was bothering me, or when I was just feeling blue, I could play Prince and feel better.

As Mel, the psychotically besotted fan on HBO's cult hit “Flight of the Conchords” -- the deadpan adventures of New Zealanders Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, a musical duo taking New York not-so-much by storm -- actress Kristen Schaal has struck a sort of geeky gold. She's inspired YouTube montages and lately garnered print love from Bust magazine and McSweeney's The Believer. Yet thus far, hers has remained a simmering sort of celebrity.

Re "6 charged in plot to strike Army base," May 9 I am a practicing, proud American Muslim and want to distance myself from whoever is making these senseless, cowardly threats against the innocent. These people do not represent Islam but are practicing their own demented ideals. I feel that the media should not play into their hands and give them their moment of glory by identifying them as Muslims and furthering their cause, whatever it may be. They definitely do not represent Islam.

EIGHT cruise lines list Miami as their home port. The city calls itself the "cruise capital of the world." (By comparison, three lines call the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro home.) Happily for Miami's many cruise visitors, the port is close to South Beach, the Art Deco capital of America, a vibrant area that combines sea, celebrity and world-class people-watching.

With the critical issues facing Americans -- the war in Iraq, terrorism, the economy, civil rights -- who cares if George Bush looks like Howdy Doody, or John Kerry has the emotional connect of a brick wall ["Read His Lips, Not His Face," by Paul Brownfield, July 19]? Personally, I think Dick Cheney looks like a demented corner druggist and John Edwards resembles a slick PR operative. But that has absolutely nothing to do with their respective credentials to serve as vice president, and that won't determine my vote this November.

SO, the left-wing writer Jane Smiley "tapped her inner rage" to write her new book ("Good Faith Amid Bad Judgments," by Shawn Hubler, June 17). What fuels such anger? Capitalists and conservatives. Smiley lives in a posh Monterey ranch house, owns 12(!) horses and makes enough money from her books that she no longer has to teach -- all courtesy of a system she consistently slams. To top it off -- like demented icing on an already absurd cake -- she sees herself as a victim. It is breathtaking to observe the aggressive self-delusion of the liberal elite.

Re "Death Takes No Holiday in Iraq," Commentary, Dec. 2: President Bush risked his life to honor American valor and to pledge himself to stay the course in Iraq until the job of winning the peace and liberating the Iraqi people is done. His clear goal is to establish a historic first, a modern Arab state that can meld the best principles of democracy and Islam together, similar to Turkey or Malaysia. For Robert Scheer to then compare our soldiers' mission in Iraq to that of medieval Christian "Crusaders" who killed Muslims to save their "souls" is a despicable lie. It labels our fallen heroes, their slaughtered allies and fellow murdered international humanitarian workers as devils deserving their fate.

Re "Death Takes No Holiday in Iraq," Commentary, Dec. 2: President Bush risked his life to honor American valor and to pledge himself to stay the course in Iraq until the job of winning the peace and liberating the Iraqi people is done. His clear goal is to establish a historic first, a modern Arab state that can meld the best principles of democracy and Islam together, similar to Turkey or Malaysia. For Robert Scheer to then compare our soldiers' mission in Iraq to that of medieval Christian "Crusaders" who killed Muslims to save their "souls" is a despicable lie. It labels our fallen heroes, their slaughtered allies and fellow murdered international humanitarian workers as devils deserving their fate.

SO, the left-wing writer Jane Smiley "tapped her inner rage" to write her new book ("Good Faith Amid Bad Judgments," by Shawn Hubler, June 17). What fuels such anger? Capitalists and conservatives. Smiley lives in a posh Monterey ranch house, owns 12(!) horses and makes enough money from her books that she no longer has to teach -- all courtesy of a system she consistently slams. To top it off -- like demented icing on an already absurd cake -- she sees herself as a victim. It is breathtaking to observe the aggressive self-delusion of the liberal elite.