Voila! An alert reader to the rescue
“This past Saturday you advised the person who called about the comics to check the index the index on the bottom of page 1. However, you said “viola,” you put the “i” before the “o” meaning a flower, person’s name, musical instrument. It should have been “voila,” the “o” before the “i.” But anyway I forgive you. I love your column.”
Red Phone:
Oh my, good caller, you are correct. Red Phone’s mother (picture one of those phones on the wall that you had to crank to connect with the operator, well, that’s Red Phone’s mum) is named Viola, which is a good reminder to be extra careful next time since Red Phone is prone to write Viola instead of voila. And voila! Thank you for your kind words.
‘Negative’ in the eye of the beholder
“It is absurd that the Dispatch is looking at the Tattoo Page in a negative way. It is something different and it is a popular interest at Gilroy High. Tattoos are a way to express ones individuality. Sluts are known for their explicit sexual behavior not their body art. It is not the school or dispatch’s responsibility to monitor Gilroy youth. The page is purely for interest.”
Red Phone:
Good caller, we agree with you on the unfortunate use of the word “slut,” and have said exactly that in previous Red Phone columns. We are printing your point of view, but that doesn’t make it the Dispatch’s point of view, now does it?
Your issue is with other members of the community that believe they have impunity tossing words like that around, particularly in an anonymous column, not with the Dispatch.
We do disagree, however, on the role of community newspapers, depending on your definition of “monitor.” Newspapers monitor police activities, they monitor decisions made in government, newspapers monitor how well our educational institutions are performing, and yes, they monitor what’s going on in our youth community. Since you refer to tattoos as body art, you should welcome the interest of your community paper.
Feral cats perform a needed service
I’m calling about the article in the Dispatch, and it says do you want feral cats killed or not killed. We have cats here in our yard on county property; we feed them, we take care of them.
Even the shop mechanics, they like them because they keep all the rats and mice and squirrels away from eating the wires on all the vehicles here. Since we’ve been feeding these cats there have been no more problems with wires getting eaten on the vehicles. So I’m calling to let you know me and my cowokers we’re against this plan to trap and kill the cats.
Red Phone:
Good point, good caller, feral cats are a benefit to many who own barns, garages and other buildings they want free of vermin. The problem is that when you feed them and get them good and healthy, they will go out and do what all healthy mammals want to do – mate.
And the next thing you know you have twice as many cats as you do this year and not enough food for them. If you really want to be part of the solution, trap your cats, take them in to a vet or one of the nonprofit spay and neuter clinics and get them fixed before re-releasing them onto your property to do their noble work of vermin control.
