Letters

Class Standing
Regarding your comments that Tony Lindsay was appointed a district court judge fresh out of law school with little court experience ["Turkeys (And Other Creatures) on the Ballot," by Tim Fleck, November 3], implying that she obtained the position because of her husband Jon Lindsay's political clout, which might well be true, it is my recollection that she once told me some time ago, when I inquired about her class standing, that she had graduated third in her class summa cum laude from the South Texas College of Law.

In law school exam papers and grades are by anonymous numbers, negating favoritism. Because law students are very bright and competitive, graduating third in the class summa cum laude from a large, reputable school is a considerable achievement and possibly was a factor in her selection. Of course, class standing does not measure common sense, but class standing and future excellence in the legal profession seem related, or at least employers spend lots of money believing this. In future articles about judicial candidates, may I suggest that you inquire into and publish their law school class standings.

George B. Green
Houston

Missing Elements
Michael Berryhill's article "The Terminator of TSU" [October 6] has generated considerable discussion in the community and at Texas Southern University. Berryhill, however, left out several elements that might have made his article stronger, elements that I brought to his attention when he interviewed me for the article.

There has been a chronic problem of cronyism and fraud, especially in the areas of tenure, promotion, merit and faculty compensation. Many decisions were made through "old boy" connections, and members of the "old guard" removed from power by Dr. Horton abused their power and even made fraudulent claims of merit.

Dr. Vernon Clark, the new provost at the university, has given indications that he seriously intends to correct past abuses and to replace the authoritarian paternalism of the "old guard" with an approach that involves more faculty input. One challenge to reform may be the potential for new cronyism. Dr. Horton has involved an informal "kitchen cabinet" in her decision making. Members of the "kitchen cabinet" have a track record of abusing their power and retaliating against faculty members who complained of abuses. Will these members of the "kitchen cabinet" be shielded and treated as cronies of Dr. Horton, or will their abuses of power be corrected?

Robert H. Jackson, President
Texas Faculty Association, TSU chapter
Houston

Missing Press
Why do you not have the Houston Press any longer at Kroger grocery stores out here in Redneck Land?

Some of us are educated and visit the Montrose/theater/Galleria area weekly. We're not all hicks outside the Loop. Please print an updated version of your HP pickup points! Thank yew!

Joan M. Weber
Spring

Editor's note: The Press has been working on a new circulation pattern that will shrink the distribution area a bit, but increase the concentration of pickup points. And, yes, we do plan to print an updated guide to where the Press may be found in a future issue. You might like to know, incidentally, that there are close to 60 places to get the Press in your area of FM 1960; you might also like to know that while it's true that the Press doesn't presently have a contract to distribute in Kroger, that's true Houston-wide, not just in the world beyond the Loop. If you want us in Kroger, you might (politely) let that be known to your local grocer.

Lonely and Naked
I want to bring to your attention two comments from your November 10 issue that I consider to be hateful and sexist.

In Alison Cook's review of Harry's Bar [Hot Plate, "The Trouble with Harry's"] she makes the comment that "gals of a certain age drink red wine and chat intensely, glancing up now and then to see if Mr. Right has walked in." How does such a nasty comment on lonely women enhance her review? It has long been common for men to hang out at bars like the one at Harry's in an attempt to find companionship. Is this same behavior when practiced by women to be considered pathetic?

In Brad Tyer's review of Hole [Pop Moment, "Halloween Hangover"] he makes the ugly comment that Ms. Love could not "generate excitement over anything but the titillating prospect that she might show the crowd her tits." Perhaps Mr. Tyer's venom is in part due to the fact that he was embarrassed he had recommended her show in the previous issue of the Press. Whatever the reason, the use of crude slang when referring to female body parts by your journalist encourages your readers to think of women as being a sum of sexual parts. Would you allow your journalists to use crude expressions of race? Of course not. I look forward to the day sexism will be as hateful to all as racism is now.

Taine Rockwell
Houston

Doctor's Duty?
Dr. Hughes simply was doing his job, although the allegations against him sound serious, because Tanya can't undo her abortion. But don't blame him [News, "No Choice," by Steve McVicker, October 20].