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There's an old cliché about "looking a gift horse in the mouth," but since I have spent a fair amount of my life diligently endeavoring to avoid clichés, for which I have a sizable loathing, I will not here invoke so rudimentary and commonplace an expression. What gives rise to the entry above is a column that appeared in these pages two months back; a column bearing the byline of the Metropolitan's editor, Timothy J. McClain. In that column, Mr. McClain took note that The City Club of San Diego is celebrating its 20th year. When Mr. McClain called me about our anniversary, I was quite pleased, since I had been privately lamenting the fact that a run of 20 years, even if it’s merely pumping gas (they still do that in my neighborhood), is no small achievement, and, as in the case of The City Club, a fair-minded person would say, "A major achievement," but what passes for "media" in our town has wholly ignored this milestone. Thus, the call was welcomed. When the October issue of San Diego Metropolitan arrived, I knew as soon as I saw the subhead under the column's title, "Still liberal after all these years," this was not going to be a pleasurable read. To the contrary, Mr. McClain invoked a familiar refrain, i.e., The City Club is a forum for "liberals and Democrats." This is demonstrably untrue. Untrue, that is, to anyone who fairly and rationally examines the evidence: the only evidence truly relevant — the list of City Club speakers over the past 20 years. Clearly, despite the presence in hand of that evidence, Mr. McClain ignored it. Rather, he opted to play a game often played in our town, to inveigh against anything perceived as other than conservative and Republican. That game is a sad and unfortunate product of a town run by and for the interests of conservatives and Republicans — which in San Diego are virtually indistinguishable. Will I get over this? Yes. In the same way I have fore 20 years, by being a person who believes in the doctrine of forgiveness. But also by remembering what I had momentarily forgotten, which is the wisdom conveyed in a letter from Alexander Pope to John Gay: "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." —George Mitrovich Editor's note: Mitrovich's full 1,245-word letter was too long for these pages. For a complete version, and the 640-word offending column, send an e-mail to info@sandiegometro.com with "City Club" as the subject. Congratulations on becoming a media mogul. I just finished the November edition of San Diego Metropolitan Magazine and it was even better than the inaugural issue. I enjoyed seeing the gathering of former San Diego Daily Transcript editors and reporters come back in full force. I really missed Herb Lockwood's wit and Janet Lowe's writing is always an education. Best of luck to you and the entire staff. Now, if you could tell me what you are looking at in your new Publisher's Column photo. —Anthony L. Ott I applaud what you’re doing editorially with San Diego Metropolitan Magazine. In the interest of your continued success, I offer the following suggestions:
Best of luck. I hope to be reading you for years to come. —Mark Drozda I enjoyed Woody's reflections on an early San Diego postmaster (San Diego Metropolitan, November). Speaking of stamps, I used to buy full sheets of all the 3 cent and 4 cent stamps in the 1948-52 era, as a 10-year-old newsboy, knowing they'd be worth a lot. Now almost 50 years later they are not worth even face value, any dealer will pay about 80 percent of face as they sell only for postage value, and because it takes a lot of them to make 32 cents, they are a nuisance. Claim is that too many stamps were printed for them to have any value. You'd think in 50 years there would be at least 10 times as many collectors and (like real estate) they don’t make any more of the 1940s issues. Pleased to see that Woody is still writing and sharing. —Michael Shaefer I have had the opportunity to read your article in San Diego Metropolitan about us criminal defense attorneys. It has usually been my experience that articles of this nature generally don’t accurately convey what we said or portray us in a very unfavorable light. I am happy to say that that was not the feeling I came away with after reading your article. You did a good job conveying the way we felt and what it is like to do the work we do. However, did you have to say "Defending The Guilty?" Hopefully they are not all guilty. —Mario G. Conte I’ve just perused the November 1996 issue and must compliment you for producing an interesting and informative product. Welcome to the entrepreneurial world of bottom-line, debt service and earnings! Your skills and instincts should permit you to not only write about others and their ventures, but to thrive in your new environment. —Dean Dunphy It’s getting better and better. The November issue looks great. How are you covering so much ground? Wanted to send along my compliments on what a great job your dynamic duo (and staff) are doing in such a short amount of time. Bravo! —Sara Muller Congratulations! Your new publication looks terrific. I know this additional magazine will greatly enhance the city's news and views coverage. —Barbara Stemple As someone who produces upscale private parties for dignitaries and public figures in cosmopolitan urban centres ("Metros") worldwide, it was with great pleasure that I attended the San Diego opening of "Damn Yankees" starring Jerry Lewis. After the sad sight of ensembles of former Symphony members, performing at a bar-mitzvah and an art gallery opening last week, it was nice to see a sell-out crowd come Downtown to support the arts in San Diego. As one of the many (but perhaps too few) active patrons of the arts in San Diego, I strongly urge your readers to support the local arts, so that San Diego can grow into a cultural mecca we can all enjoy and be proud of. If enough of us play an active role, we can repair San Diego’s torn fabric of culture, which today is loosely woven together by an overabundance of mostly mediocre Italian restaurants, dispensing coffee shacks, and art galleries who at times display items which look like they were picked out of the garbage bin behind Cost Plus. We must all work together to bring a greater quality of arts, culture and business to Downtown. For in the end, it is a hearty mix of culture and business at a city's core, which is the foundation for every healthy and happy metropolis and its inhabitants. —H. Arturo Arthur |
