Letters

New City Theatre article full of lies

I find the article titled "Bad Act," by Anthony Del Valle [Feb. 26] full of unwarranted accusations against the New City Theatre and owner Yehoshua "Josh" Sofer. I have worked with Josh since 2001 as an unpaid volunteer. I helped with the building of the New City Theatre, including the box office and green room. I am not sure as to the motivation behind the accusations listed in Del Valle's article. I did not witness or hear about any of the sexual behavior supposedly taking place during classes. During my work on the stage sets, I had to frequently walk through classes and rehearsals in progress. I never saw any sexual activities, nudity or sexual touching, nor did I hear any talk about sex. The only sexual behavior I witnessed was initiated by the associate producers and some of the actors/actresses themselves. On breaks, they would spend time giving back and foot massages, cuddling and petting in a sexual manner. Based on my observations, I feel that Josh handled himself in a professional manner at all times.

I also find it suspicious that Metro took "no further action" on the sexual assault charges due to "'conflicting stories,'" yet for Del Valle's "separate interviews, they all tell similar stories." I believe the stories told for Del Valle's article are all fabricated lies.

While working with Josh, I feel he conducted himself responsibly and professionally at all times. As for the associate producers, I feel they acted dishonestly and unprofessionally. It was my understanding that the associate producers were paid to work full-time hours. My hours at the theater were Mondays all day and Tuesday through Saturday from 6:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. I was usually the first to arrive for the day, as the associate producers arrived after me supposedly coming back from lunch. From what I saw they did not work more than five hours a day. I also feel the associate producers did not take their work seriously. They spent their time giving each other back and foot massages instead of working on projects. I also feel they acted dishonestly by not returning change from purchases made for the theater with the theater's money. Despite Josh's unhappiness with the associate producers' work ethics, I saw him continue to support them in improving not only their careers but personal lives as well.

I have responded to this article to show that the accusations make no sense and are unfounded. The Josh who I have come to know is a hard-working, dedicated and honest man. I have not nor will I ever receive pay for the services I have provided and will continue to provide to the New City Theatre. Please come see and judge for yourself how a professional theater is run.

--Chris Lush

Will Nevada pols take on pot?

With Nevada voters facing a revised marijuana ballot initiative, I join Steve Sebelius in wondering how politicians will try to defend the indefensible this time around ["Poll Pot," Democracy in Peril, Feb. 26]. Punitive marijuana laws have little, if any, deterrent value. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Study reports that lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the United States than any European country, yet America is one of the few Western countries that uses its criminal justice system to punish citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis.

The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared with the long-term effects of criminal records. Unfortunately, marijuana represents the counterculture to many Americans. In subsidizing the prejudices of culture warriors, the U.S. government is subsidizing organized crime. The drug war's distortion of immutable laws of supply and demand make an easily grown weed literally worth its weight in gold.

The only clear winners in the war on marijuana are drug cartels and shameless tough-on-drugs politicians who've built careers on confusing drug prohibition's collateral damage with a relatively harmless plant. The big losers in this battle are the American taxpayers, who have been deluded into believing big government is the appropriate response to nontraditional consensual vices.

--Robert Sharpe,

Policy analyst,

Common Sense for Drug Policy