RAVES ARE NOT BAD NEWS

I am writing this letter in regards to the article printed July 13
entitled "Trying to save the raves." I think that in this article, as
well as the articles that you have printed in the past on this
subject, raves have been an unfair target. Why were raves the only
event listed in this article? What about the Hunter Creek Classic? I
am sure that the music is just as loud, the people are just as rowdy
and there is a lot more alcohol. A state trooper even stated in the
article that the number of tickets and arrests made were routine for a
festival night at Hunter Creek.

Why emphasize the negative with headlines such as "Selling death" and
"Ecstasy"? If one did their background information, they would find
that no Alaskan has ever died from a rave-related cause. Yes, there
was one overdose that required medical assistance, but raves have been
thrown in Anchorage for eight years and this is the first time that I
have ever heard of such a thing happening.

People like Marty and Agnes Quaas read Time magazine and watch
"Dateline" and get a totally wrong opinion of what the scene is like.
Just because you hear one thing from a source that you might think is
reputable doesn't mean that it is correct or can be applied to
different situations. I encourage the people of Alaska to come to a
reasonable and appropriate compromise. The scene here is small and can
grow to be a beautiful, healthy, thriving piece of culture.

Serafina A. Smith
Anchorage