Graham says that "if you don't want the paparazzi to bother you, you stop for a few minutes . . ." Where the hell has he been for the last 18 years? Or did he miss the thousands of published pictures she did "stop for"? Did she not have the right for some privacy? It was during those personal moments that she ran. Who wouldn't?
One more thought for those letter writers who say, "So what, get over it": I guarantee that people like Princess Diana, who do great things for underprivileged people, are not thinking, "Hey, what about me? I don't get any credit for all that I do." No--they, too, mourn her death, because these people who give everything they can to others do not seek recognition; they are not selfish.
E. Suzannah Smith
Mesa
I can understand why Barry Graham would strike out at English royalty. Scots are raised to regard the English as scum and hold them responsible for Scotland's demise as an independent country. This is pretty much true. But Graham's attack on the dead Diana was an uncalled-for excuse for a cheap shot. It's not Diana's fault Graham was born in poverty in a hell-hole city like Glasgow. Diana touched many of us with her genuine goodness. It's royals like her who can truly unite the British Isles.
Andrea Miller (a fellow Scot)
Phoenix
How easy and cowardly it is to slander the dead! Boo to New Times for printing such a trendy and self-serving tirade against someone who deserved to be laid to rest with dignity and honor. I'm not saying we need to buy the myth of "Saint Diana" lock, stock and barrel, but does that really justify calling Diana a media whore?
Graham is obviously a hard-boiled, peeling and pimply cynic of the worst kind--and probably proud of it, too! He also apparently belongs to that group of ne'er-do-wells who believes that the problem of poverty can be solved if only we throw enough money at it. Haven't we learned anything from the failure of the American and British welfare systems to solve the problem in the entire 60-plus years of their existence?
Diana was a lovely, compassionate woman with a lot of class, who managed to maintain her dignity no matter how some people (including the media) tried to pull her down. Her premature death was very sad, indeed. And Graham has sadly missed the point.
Colleen O'Donnell
Tempe
I'd like to thank Barry Graham for having the guts to say what no one else will: Mother Teresa was no saint. Graham, however, left out the piece de resistance of Mother Teresa's resume: She staunchly upheld the Catholic Church's antiquated, patriarchal prohibitions against birth control and abortion.
How could a saint witness the misery of thousands upon thousands of people and in good conscience oppose any viable solution to at least some, if not most, of their misery? Was Mother Teresa afraid she might put herself out of a job? Were the egos of the Vatican elite more important to her than the sufferings of the masses?
If Mother Teresa had vocally opposed the Catholic Church's insane, oppressive and woefully outdated mandates, then she would be a saint in my book. But Mother Teresa blew it; bucking the Vatican would have been the "miracle" she could have performed to earn her place among the true saints, whether the Vatican would have recognized her sainthood or not.
Graham's right: We like to deify mediocre (or even evil) people, like Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Bill Clinton and, locally, Jane Hull and Joe Arpaio. (Even Fife Symington still has worshipers.) The tragic flip side to this is that the true saints among us tend to remain in hiding because they know we'll crucify them.
Robert Crook
Phoenix
I do not understand the judgment New Times makes in allowing Barry Graham's columns to run. He is quite offensive and is obviously very angry and full of hatred toward anyone who is in the public eye. It appears that he must attack and resort to name-calling to put forth his message. I find it disgusting that someone who is intent on informing all of us that we are too ignorant to see that people such as Princess Diana and Mother Teresa were human must be so disrespectful and hateful. He has the right to express his opinion, but when it is spewed with such venom, his opinion gets lost, and he loses credibility.
Judy Poel
Phoenix
I assure Barry Graham his efforts to demean the good works of Mother Teresa will be in vain. Graham is the "monster" using his "poison pen" column to tear apart what little goodness is left in the world today.
Ken Ziegler
Tempe
Correction
While investigating the 1994 Wells Fargo murder-robbery, Glendale police did not tap Michael Sanders' phone ("Glendale's Witness-Protection Program," Terry Greene Sterling, September 18). However, Glendale police did keep track of all calls made from Sanders' phone for a period of time. They did tap telephone lines of other suspects in the crime. They recorded calls between Timothy Ring, who has been convicted of the crime, and Sanders, who has not been charged. Glendale police recorded no converstations between Sanders and William Ferguson, who is also charged with the crime.
