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Thanks for the review of Big Kahuna’s, long a part of Alta Vista (not Tobin Hill, sorry). `The Fast Foodie, March 28-April 3.` The arts and cultural expansion (largely due to the efforts of Joel Settles, a well known arts activist in the neighborhood) is a sign of our area’s vitality and diversity. News of these events proudly appear on our website, www.avna-sa.org.

David Sonenschein
Alta Vista NA WebGuy

HANG 'EM HIGH

I have always kept high standards for Rep. Miles, (Democrat) Texas. However, Monday’s events disappointed me. Rep. Miles should not have taken the art pieces at his own discretion. `The QueQue, March 21-27.` He may have opened himself up to charges of theft.

The level of discourse in a state capitol building should not be reduced to only what is appropriate to children under 8. Creating public policy is not a G-rated Disney movie. We cannot intelligently discuss the problems affecting the state by limiting how we discuss public issues to only what is suitable for a 5-year-old. The Texas state capitol is the one building in the entire state where people must be allowed to fully engage on and grapple with difficult issues facing the state. Lynching is a part of Texas history that continues to impact our society. Executions take place today most frequently in those states where in the past lynchings were common. If anyone would like to read more about the connection between lynchings and the death penalty, read The Rope, The Chair, and the Needle: Capital Punishment in Texas, 1923-1990, by James W. Marquart, Sheldon Ekland-Olson, and Jonathan R. Sorensen.

Hooman Hedayati
President, Students Against
the Death Penalty