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Letters: Frat case

ISSUE | FRAT CASE Getting it wrong hurts real victims Michael Smerconish was far too focused on the immediate and localized effect of the misreporting and misrepresentation in the now-discredited Rolling Stone account of a fraternity rape ("Red flags on piece were there," April 12). The larger tragedy here is the pall of doubt and disbelief the magazine cast over actual victims of campus rape.

ISSUE | FRAT CASE

Getting it wrong hurts real victims

Michael Smerconish was far too focused on the immediate and localized effect of the misreporting and misrepresentation in the now-discredited Rolling Stone account of a fraternity rape ("Red flags on piece were there," April 12). The larger tragedy here is the pall of doubt and disbelief the magazine cast over actual victims of campus rape.

In fact, testosterone and alcohol-fueled fraternities occupied by man-child Neanderthals raised on Internet porn offer a perfect breeding ground for abusive behavior.

We have come so far in characterizing rape for what it is: a crime of violence that has little to do with sex. As a society, we continue to try to evolve beyond the archaic ideas that pervaded courtroom arguments in these cases just a few decades ago ("she led him on" and the like). Unfortunately, the magazine's tragically flawed piece has given those who would still blame the victim a terrible piece of propaganda.

Campus rape is a serious problem. It goes unreported and leaves long-lasting, debilitating scars. Those who bring it to our attention bear an enormous responsibility to get it right. The consequences of not doing so are far too high.

|Christopher Knob, Media, cknob@comcast.net

ISSUE | CONCESSIONS

Healthier rooting

Sporting events in America have gradually gone from buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks to buying an entire day's worth of calories (or more) ("Ballpark Bacon Brouhaha," April 14). The fault isn't the bacon. The fault lies with our culture, in which food is seen as part of the entertainment.

Over the winter, the Phillies marketed their food choices more aggressively than their team. I suppose they figured that it would be easier to lure fans with food than baseball.

Rather than question the offerings at sports events, we should question the behavior of a society that cannot watch a ball game without gorging itself with food.

|Anthony Preziosi, West Deptford, a_preziosi@yahoo.com

ISSUE | PHILA. GAS WORKS DEAL

Philadelphians grasped what pundits fumbled

I was surprised to see The Inquirer finally weigh in on the sale of the would-be buyer of the Philadelphia Gas Works to a Spanish energy company, announced nearly two months ago ("Missing the boat," April 14). Considering the millions spent by the Nutter administration to promote the PGW bid by UIL Holdings, how could this be? Could it be last month's poll showing Philadelphians rejected the sale? As Philadelphia magazine noted, the opposition runs counter to "elite commentary on the sale" - much of it in The Inquirer.

City Council members have the pulse of their constituents. The take-it-or-leave-it deal also threatened 250 family-sustaining jobs. Instead, Council is exploring ways to enhance PGW operations.

|Darrell L. Clarke, president, City Council, Philadelphia

ISSUE | PA. ATTORNEY GENERAL

Prosecuting in the court of public opinion

What was missing from Signe Wilkinson's spot-on cartoon of Kathleen Kane getting the hook was those wielding the hook (philly.com/signe, April 16). She could have depicted a vindictive subordinate, a district attorney who aims to be a U.S. senator, overly zealous reporters, and the owners of an influential newspaper. Kane deserves to be tried in a real court, not in the court of public opinion.

|D.J. McElroy, Philadelphia

ISSUE | CULTURE

There's an art to keeping accountants happy

While upholding its artistic integrity, the Walnut Street Theatre nonetheless operates at an 85 percent earned-income level and has not run a deficit in 20 years ("Art morphs as its pursues money," Feb. 22).

Responsible management is a necessity. It ensures that you are selling tickets, and creating the right programming to reach your audience, and remaining relevant. Does an arts organization have to be poorly managed - or produce work people do not want - in order to be a true arts organization? Hardly.

Many great artists, such as Mozart and Shakespeare, in addition to having patrons, were also popular.

Over three decades, the Walnut has grown substantially. Amid that growth, we remained true to our mission: to sustain theater and contribute to its future viability.

|Bernard Havard, president and producing artistic director, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia

Cycling skills would have put out literary light

In the obituaries and debates over the life and writings of Günter Grass, I haven't seen mention of what for me is most important: the fact that the author's inability to ride a bike enabled him to become a German literary conscience, as well as a Nobel laureate ("Nobel winner became Germany's conscience," April 14). As the story goes, Grass and his squad were trapped in an old farmhouse by the advancing Red Army; the squad sergeant decided to escape on bicycles found in a barn. Grass had never learned to ride a bike and so was left behind by his squad, which perished to a man as they made their two-wheeled escape attempt.

|James Robison, Philadelphia grstables2002@yahoo.com