Author: Flyer Readers

Terrorist Options

To the Editor:

Terrorists have the means to wreak havoc on the United States by using equipment readily at hand to disperse deadly biological organisms and nerve agents. Most of the equipment used for the spraying of pesticides, such as trucks and planes, are located in areas that can easily be accessed. Pesticide trucks sit in unsecured city and county parking facilities. Many crop dusters are not even located in airport settings, where security measures can be employed, but sit near farm fields all over the U.S. Surely this has occurred to terrorist organizations. Has it occurred to the presidential team, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency?

I would like to respectfully suggest that the agencies responsible for national security consider what steps need to be taken to create security measures to protect the American public from terrorist activities that may consider these mechanisms.

Ashley S. Hotz, Monticello, Florida

Butter Bombs

To the Editor:

A military response, particularly an attack on Afghanistan, is exactly what the terrorists want. It will strengthen and swell their small but fanatical ranks.

Instead, bomb Afghanistan with butter, with rice, bread, clothing, and medicine. It will cost less than conventional arms, poses no threat of U.S. casualties, and just might get the populace thinking that the Taliban doesn’t have the answers. After three years of drought and with starvation looming, let’s offer the Afghani people the vision of a new future. One that includes full stomachs.

Bomb them with information. Video players and cassettes of world leaders, particularly Islamic leaders, condemning terrorism. Carpet the country with magazines and newspapers showing the horror of terrorism committed by their “guest.” Blitz them with laptop computers and DVD players filled with a perspective that is denied them by their government. Saturation bombing with hope will mean that some of it gets through. Send so much that the Taliban can’t collect and hide it all.

The Taliban is telling the Afghani people to prepare for Jihad. Instead, let’s give the Afghani people their first good meal in years. Seeing your family fully fed and the prospect of stability in terms of food and a future is a powerful deterrent to martyrdom. All we ask in return is that they, as a people, agree to enter the civilized world. That includes handing over terrorists in their midst.

In responding to terrorism we need to do something different. Something unexpected, something that addresses the root of the problem. We need to take away the well of despair, ignorance, and brutality from which the Osama bin Ladens of the world water their gardens of terror.

Kent Madin, Memphis

No War

To the Editor:

I am appalled, disgusted, and dismayed by the rhetoric I have heard in the wake of the events of September 11th.

I have heard our nation’s leaders say that proof of culpability is not necessary before we make war on another nation. I have heard a preacher say that hating bin Laden and wanting him dead is not wrong in the eyes of God. I have heard otherwise rational people speaking of the prophecies of Nostradomus and Revelations. I have heard Christian leaders say that feminists and liberals have brought the wrath of God on our nation and that we must begin a religious war.

Lunacy and tyranny are loose in our nation and we have welcomed them in. The war is already over. The terrorists have won.

Michael B. Conway, Memphis

More Shad

To the Editor:

I read with interest a letter to you last week by Michael S. Williams referring to my recent book Playing For a Piece Of The Door. Williams maintained the information conveyed to me by his uncle, Bubba Williams, who was the leader of Shadden & the King Lears, was incorrect. In gathering information for any book, you have to trust the validity of your sources. I found Bubba Williams most trustworthy. As far as incorrectly placing Shad Williams in Arkansas, had the writer of the letter read my book, he would have known that incorrect information was mentioned only in the Flyer article.

Any father would be thrilled to have a son like Michael Williams, who is proud of what his dad has done with his life. Just as my sons were proud of me after tracking down 250 band members and trying to accurately document events that occurred 35 years earlier. He and his family should be proud. Any ministry is a tough gig. You’ve got to be good to last 34 years, and I applaud him.

In closing I would like to say to Williams that I saw your dad perform several times and always got my money’s worth. In your life you’ve obviously seen an equally impressive side of him. Where and when he left the band should not have any bearing on the thoughts any reader of my book will have in your dad’s honor. I’ll be doing another book signing at Burke’s Books October 4th and I would be honored to meet your dad there.

Ron Hall, Memphis

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Unprepared For War?

To the Editor:

If the number of people killed at the World Trade Center horrifies the
American people, they will be astonished at the number killed if we go to war
against Middle Eastern countries and groups that have the capability for
biological and chemical warfare with no regard for human life. It will be
warfare that our military personnel are woefully unprepared for. The number of
casualties of American personnel will be enormous and ground troops will have
to be used to carry out this mission. This will be nothing like our people
have seen since Vietnam. It will be a conflict that could wipe out the
majority of our military — our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.

I understand the need for the call to war but I hope the American people
realize the cost to each one of us and comprehend the huge price that will be
paid. I pray I am wrong but I am afraid I am not. I hope those yet to come
will look upon us as a nation with courageous resolve that did the right
thing, in the right way, at the right time.

Mary E. Davis, Memphis

To the Editor:

I have witnessed two reactions to the tragedies in New York and
Washington. First, there was President Bush’s faux Clint Eastwood assurance
that the perpetrators will be “hunted down,” followed by Norman
Schwarzkopf’s banner-waving explanation of “the difference between us and
them” — meaning that when the U.S. makes an attack, we do not target
innocent civilians. (Vietnam?) Second, I have seen sidewalks full of people
waiting to donate blood, women handing out sandwiches in airport terminals,
prayer services being organized within minutes of the first plane crash, and
countless other acts of human kindness between total strangers.

While I want very much to see those responsible for terrorism brought to
justice, my hope is that rifts of fear and anger will not be spawned by
efforts of our leaders to look tough when facing the world. The end result
will only be continued violence and unrest and the terrorists will have
achieved their goal. But perhaps if we can continue to focus on the outpouring
of goodness toward those in need, the opportunity may be created for healing
to begin. Terrorism is ineffective against a society whose strength is founded
in hope.

Jon Devin, Memphis

Shadden Light On the Subject

To the Editor:

I want to thank you for Tom Graves’ article on garage bands, “Out Of
the Garage” (September 6th issue). I feared those unique and wonderful
Memphis icons were all but forgotten. What a joy to know that their memories
still live on. I must say, however, that I was very disappointed in one
particular section of the story.

My father is Shad Williams, who was the lead singer of Shadden and the
King Lears. I appreciate author Ron Hall’s dedication and hard work, however,
it bothers me that inappropriate information about the best father ever has
been printed when the truth is right here in Memphis. I have lived here my
whole life, as have my parents, Shad and Sheila Williams. They have recently
relocated to another town in Tennessee, not Arkansas — as was claimed
by Hall — and are very happy.

My dad remembers fondly his days as a youth playing around Memphis. I
grew up listening to those old 45s and they have become some of my most valued
possessions. My father, however, was not “struck” by God, nor did he
leave in the middle of a set. My dad was “born again” while in the
band and after that profound event he spent several months trying to figure
out what to do. He loves his brother, Bubba, very much and loved the guys in
the band. He didn’t want to disappoint them and their dreams, but he also felt
a calling to go into the ministry full-time. The pull on his heart by God won
out. He eventually told the band that he was leaving and following God’s call
on his life. That is the actual story, not the humorous one told by Hall that
made my dad’s call to the ministry sound trite.

Again, I deeply appreciate Hall’s work, along with Graves’ in writing the
article. I just ask that you help me in honoring the amazing life my father
has set forth as an example to me, my sister Rachel, our spouses, and his six
grandchildren. Shad Williams once was a man of rock-and-roll, but for 34 years
now he has been a man of the Rock. I am the proudest son you can imagine.

Michael S. Williams, Memphis

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to
the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or
send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All
responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should
be no longer than 250 words.

Props to Dave

To the Editor:

Thanks to Jackson Baker for giving veteran broadcaster Dave Black
his props (Viewpoint, August 23rd issue). As a fan of radio, I know a great
voice when I hear it and Dave was the only person I know who could make a farm
report so interesting and funny that I would tune in just to hear it.

I’d like to add to the list of survivors of Mr. Black: Milo must
be beside himself with grief. His regular listeners know who I’m talking
about.

Thanks for the good radio, Dave.

Jeff Golightly

Memphis

Even Sillier?

To the Editor:

In his letter to the editor in the August 16th issue of the
Flyer, Peter Gathje made the following point about CBU’s decision to
prohibit Rev. James Lawson from speaking at the Pax Christi meeting scheduled
for the CBU campus: “It is silly to hold that Rev. Lawson would be an
appropriate keynote speaker. It would be akin to the Sierra Club having as a
keynote speaker for its national meeting someone who advocates drilling for
oil in the Alaska national wildlife refuge.”

I would like to point out that it is even sillier to compare
limited-agenda organizations such as Pax Christi and the Sierra Club with a
university, where free and open discussion of ideas and issues is supposed to
occur.

Ray W. Brown

Memphis

Mud Island Flop

To the Editor:

I enjoyed John Branston’s “Down By The Riverside”
(Cover story, August 23rd issue) about the big plans that the RDC has for Mud
Island. One problem though: The cover photo was “backwards.” How
could I tell? For starters, the Mud Island Amphitheatre is south of the DeSoto
bridge, not north of it. My working assumption here is that the photo was
taken on the Tennessee side because Arkansas doesn’t have any high-rise
buildings on the Mississippi River from which to pose.

Be careful, Flyer, your readers do notice the small
details.

Mark McKee

Memphis

Editor’s note: Last week’s cover photo was inadvertently
“flopped” during the production process. Thanks to reader McKee (and
several others) for pointing out the error.

Not Priscilla Fans?

To the Editor:

The real reason the Church of Scientology has not tried to
proselytize Elvis fans with a high regard for Priscilla or Lisa Marie
(“Elvis and Scientology,” August 8th issue) is that so far they
haven’t been able to find any.

David Sweeney

Memphis

Bravo

To the Editor:

Bravo from those of us in the ED at Methodist Central! Someone
finally understands the impact closing Baptist Central had on the downtown
area (“No Room At the ER,” August 8th issue)! The nurses and doctors
work hard to deliver the best possible care to every patient who walks or
rolls through the doors. Unfortunately, we often feel defeated at that task.
Not only did Baptist move its hundreds of beds out east, it also eliminated
hundreds more when it closed St. Joseph. So not one but two downtown hospitals
have closed and/or moved in less than three years.

This is the story the hidden cameras in the waiting room don’t
show. Ambulances wait. Walk-ins wait. Hospitals go on diversion status just to
keep from drowning. Stretchers quickly become filled and we do the best we can
to take care of those patients abandoned by the big hospital down the
street.

The nurses and doctors appreciate what Rebekah Gleaves wrote and
her understanding. Not everyone can see the big picture and often we are the
bad guys because of this. Thank you so much for hearing what we have been
saying all along.

Shannon Martin, RN

Memphis

Overworked

To the Editor:

The issue of overworked Americans (“The Overworked
American,” August 23rd issue) has more long-term implications than lost
productivity. Our system relies on mass productivity rather than efficient
productivity. Americans who work 60 hours a week have no time to socialize
with their families, much less monitor information sources. Our democracy is
undermined by an uninformed or misinformed citizenry.

This gives rise to corporate domination through advertising and
marketing and a de-emphasis on the nuclear family. The nuclear family is now
subservient to the bottom line of corporations.

Ran W. Foster

Green Party of Shelby County

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to:
Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-
9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All
responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should
be no longer than 250 words.

Wheel Taxed

To the Editor:

For the second time in two years our county taxes are being increased (Politics, August 16th issue). The wheel tax, created a few years ago, was supposed to be temporary and go to the school system. Not only was it not temporary but it is being doubled and the schools never received anything. So why should we believe they will now?

Our illustrious county commissioners are having a problem finding public funds for the schools, but they didn’t have any problem finding public funds for a new arena! There’s something wrong here, but I’ll bet one of those morning sports-radio talk-show jocks could explain it.

Anyhow, we the people put these commissioners in office and that means just one thing: Boy, are we stupid!

Joe Mercer

Memphis

Children’s Crusade

To the Editor:

August 13th Shelby County citizens were carrying signs around the county courthouse which read, “Chancellor Alissandratos Abuses Children.” These persons represent something that was missing from The Memphis Flyer story “Divorce Prose” (August 2nd issue): the point of view of those reforming the system.

Few people know how deep the problems in family law are. The legal community has been waging a misinformation campaign that their system is getting better, but for the most part this is untrue. The system is still designed to place the mother as the child’s only caregiver and transfer as much wealth as possible from vulnerable families to legal professionals.

The public knows a child needs to be raised by both parents. This is not the belief of most inside our courthouses, as shown by the fact that many children are forcibly separated from their fit parents for months and even years. Usually this happens to the dad but now to moms too, and the result is heavy psychological injuries inflicted on children. After legal practitioners have funded their latest house upgrade or island vacation, the child is then left in the detrimental situation of only being allowed narrow slices of time with one parent.

This happens every week in Shelby County. Everyone interviewed in “Divorce Prose” knows it and none said a word about it. These practices are unconstitutional, and Tennessee appellate courts, by allowing it to continue, are saying we are not ruled by law but rather by whatever can be slipped by the public.

Daniel Lee

President, Child’s Best Interest

Memphis

More ER Response

To the Editor:

I just read Rebekah Gleaves’ column (“No Room At the ER,” August 9th issue) and, as a senior vice president for Methodist Healthcare, I want to apologize for the long wait she experienced at our Methodist Central Emergency Room. Her description of the difficulty patients and providers are experiencing in the medical center was poignant. What I particularly appreciate is that through that lengthy unpleasant visit she recognized the great work the staff of our emergency rooms are doing. It is grueling and often unforgiving work. To maintain a sense of calm and professionalism 24/7 is a challenge. But I am not surprised to read that they rose to the challenge. Our associates continue to be what makes Methodist and its commitment to all Memphians a reality.

Donna Abney

Senior Vice President

Methodist Healthcare

To the Editor:

I have been a practicing nurse for over 17 years. The recent article barely scratched the surface regarding the provision of health-care services in Memphis. Unfortunately, it is a multi-faceted problem that can’t be solved without completely overhauling the entire health-care system. And you know what that involves: the government.

Not to be pessimistic, but I don’t see any reprieves taking place anytime soon. We are all suffering (on both sides of the fence) and the price we are paying is tremendous. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997, TennCare, nursing shortages, Medicare cuts, and Medicare fraud are but a few examples of things that have contributed to this crisis.

It is for these reasons that institutions such as Baptist Central have had no alternative but to close doors and cut services. In a valiant effort, Methodist has attempted to pick up the slack, but there simply aren’t adequate resources to effectively do the job. Bottom line: You can’t run a giant hospital without sufficient reimbursement. You can’t deliver services to every person (indigent or not) in this city and its surrounding areas without proper financial assistance. Sad as it may seem, neither Baptist nor Methodist can continue as they have in decades past.

Until the tide turns, we just all have to pray that we don’t get sick.

Leesa Toepp

Memphis

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Don’t Be the Judge

To the Editor:

I was very disappointed with Naomi Van Tol’s editorial critical of CBU’s decision not to allow Rev. James Lawson to speak on its campus as part of the Pax Christi national assembly (Viewpoint, August 9th issue). If Ms. Van Tol had done her homework, she would have learned that CBU was not acting out of fear but was courageously challenging Pax Christi, a Catholic peace organization, to be true to its own principles of nonviolence.

I write as a CBU faculty member and member of the local Pax Christi organizing committee for the national assembly. Several of us resigned in protest from this committee once we learned of Rev. Lawson’s public advocacy for abortion. The truth is, no matter what CBU decided, the assembly would have been canceled due to these resignations.

Pax Christi endorses the consistent ethic of life, which holds that abortion, capital punishment, war, and euthanasia are all forms of violence. Since the Catholic Church and Pax Christi itself hold that abortion is violence, it is silly to hold that Rev. Lawson would be an appropriate keynote speaker. It would be akin to the Sierra Club having as a keynote speaker for its national meeting someone who advocates drilling for oil in the Alaska national wildlife refuge.

Dr. Peter Gathje

Chair, Dept. of Religion and Philosophy

Christian Brothers University

ER Response

To the Editor:

I was glad to read that medication could put Rebekah Gleaves back in good health (First Person, August 2nd issue). She was lucky that someone with a sick monkey or other pet didn’t happen by while she was in the ER, or her care and recovery could have been delayed even longer.

Seriously, though, her article about the ER, unlike her, remains somewhat out of sorts. An ER is far more complicated and costly in providing medical care than is a physician’s office or a minor medical center. One significant reason for delays in ER patient treatment, as well as spiraling health-care costs, is the widespread use of ERs for care that should have been sought elsewhere.

Ms. Gleaves ignored “four days of steadily increasing pain” and significantly overmedicated on non-prescription drugs, waiting until no other options were available for more appropriate, less expensive — and faster — care.

Ms. Gleaves’ ordeal was certainly not pleasant, however, the real tragedy here is that she and the Flyer could have used this opportunity to try to improve ER usage for everyone while also reducing health-care costs, rather than slamming the Baptist Hospital system for closing an outdated financial drain.

Herbert E. Kook Jr., Germantown

To the Editor:

I just finished the article about the ER at Methodist Central and I want to thank you for your insightful words and empathetic view of what we, the dedicated nursing staff at Methodist, face every day, 24 hours a day, in our ER. I think you understand how frustrated we all are that we cannot physically work any harder or more efficiently than we already are. Each day seems more overwhelming than the one before. My fulltime job is as the utilization nurse and I help to coordinate admissions, transfers from other facilities, and do insurance pre-certs, among many other duties. I also pick up extra shifts as a bedside nurse, as does every nurse in our department. I have been a nurse for 35 years at many levels and I can tell you I have never felt as stressed or frustrated as I have since the closing of Baptist and, prior to that, St. Joseph.

All of us are appreciative because finally someone seems to understand what we are going through. I assure you we are trying our hardest.

Suzie Clarke, Memphis

To the Editor:

Thanks for the article! I am a nurse at Methodist Central and we know firsthand what Baptist’s leaving downtown has done to the city, not to mention that they bought St. Joseph and closed that down as well. Thanks for telling it like it really is.

Shelby Dickerson, Memphis

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Good Sports?

To the Editor:

Mayor Herenton told Duncan Ragsdale to “get the hell
out” of his office. And being the professional that he is, Ragsdale
obliged the mayor. But not before taking Willie’s free NBA-arena luxury suite
with him! LOL!!

Joe Mercer, Memphis

To the Editor:

This is a message from a six-year season ticket owner to Michael
Heisley, the owner of the Memphis Grizzlies: You are the weakest link!
Goodbye!

Jess Ketchum, Vancouver

To the Editor:

The recent NBA arena court ruling proves that we are a nation of
laws, not of men. The “men” are our elected officials and the
ownership group. Rather than having the arena rammed down our throats it
appears that our democracy will allow us to decide if we want this additional
arena.

The Redbirds stadium was not built with public funds. The private
owners assumed the risk and that is how it should be with professional
basketball. If the NBA and the ownership group feel they cannot assume the
risk, they should learn to live with The Pyramid or find some other community
to dupe.

Ned Smith, Memphis

Ethnic Pandering

To the Editor:

In his article, “Ethnic Pandering,” (Viewpoint, July
12th issue), Charlie Cook wrote of “the Puerto Rican vote,”
“the Catholic vote,” and others. We speak casually of the labor
vote, the farm vote, the Jewish vote, and others. Why can’t we just speak of
the American vote?

To identify the political preferences of certain groups may give
a misleading picture of voting behavior. Such distinctions fail to take into
account the impact of national and international developments and the
personality of the individual voter.

Arthur Prince, Memphis

Blind Fools

To the Editor:

“There are none so blind as those who will not see.”
Those words express the characteristics of the Legislature of Tennessee, which
has for the second time sacrificed common sense in fear of the mob. The fools
in Nashville may enjoy the confidence of some of the people, but the world
treats them with contempt and reduces the state’s credit rating, exacerbating
the difficulties they must eventually confront.

I do not expect the electorate to rise up and replace these
legislators, because the electorate is satisfied with them. Indeed, when the
possibility of a lottery is presented in November 2002, I expect the
electorate to supinely follow the advice of the Mississippi casinos and the
hardshell religious leaders in Tennessee and reject the lottery, so that
Tennessee money can continue its headlong flight from our state into our
neighbors’ treasuries.

Martyn Finch, Memphis

No Fast Track?

To the Editor:

On June 13th Representative Phillip Crane (R-Ill.) introduced
“fast track” legislation in the House of Representatives which would
give “trade protection authority” to the president, including
authority to negotiate trade treaties for the next six years.

The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center is very concerned about
the president getting such authority, because fast track allows legislative
bodies to give only a yes or no vote, keeping Congress from having input on
specific trade agreements. Proponents of fast track say it will expedite the
implementation of trade agreements. However, the current proposal in the House
includes no standards for labor and environmental concerns.

The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center urges Flyer readers
to contact Congressman Ford and let him know that when you’re on the wrong
track, fast track is a bad idea.

Julie Rogers, Executive Director

Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Memphis

Memorial Alert

To the Editor:

West Stone Works has been selected to build the World War II
memorial at Overton Park for residents of Shelby County who died in the war.
There are over 800 names that will be placed on the monument, and in order to
make sure no one is missed we have placed all of the names on our Web
site.

We’d like to tell all Flyer readers that if they want to
make sure their loved one is on the list, they have until the first week of
August to check the site and give us any names that may have been missed.

Our Web address is www.weststoneworks.com.

Paul West, West Stone Works, Germantown

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to:
Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-
9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All
responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should
be no longer than 250 words.

The Art of Diversity

To the Editor:

David Hall’s art column “Signifying Nothing” (June 21st issue) was excellent. When I received an invitation to attend the diversity forum of the UrbanArt Commission, my response to them was couched in most of the same assumptions as those of Hall.

It is not surprising that art should be swept up and carried along in what is a tide in contemporary mentality. PC mantras such as “diversity” have led many to a point where they don’t see “All have won and all shall have prizes” as the laughable absurdity it is.

Hall speculates briefly that something may come along to point the way for art. I suggest that that something may be an attitude analogous to what is so often said about pornography: We may eventually quit trying to define it and just let those who are so inclined recognize it when they see it.

Ben Brewer, Memphis

To the Editor:

The UrbanArt Commission is committed to diversity in all of our projects — this means reaching out to all artists in the region regardless of the medium and style of their work as well as increasing the number of African-American and minority participants. It is unfortunate that David Hall chose to misconstrue the purpose and outcome of an event he did not attend. Had he attended the forum he would have known that much of the discussion was centered on networking and better communication between artists and arts organizations. Had he followed up with any of the panelists he would have learned that as a result of the forum artists have contacted the UAC, the Memphis Arts Festival, and the Center for Arts Education to get involved in their programs, and individual artists have begun to take steps of their own to begin to improve communication in the arts community.

It is irresponsible of the Flyer to publish an article based on hearsay and misguided assumptions. This is exactly the type of ill-informed negativity that the participating organizations are attempting to eliminate.

Carissa Hussong, Executive Director, UrbanArt Commission, Memphis

David Hall responds: God save us all, not from irrelevance or inadequacy but negativity. It is unfortunate that Hussong equates a dissenting opinion with negativity when it could just as well be signified as diversity.

Prefers Children’s Homes

To the Editor:

Rebekah Gleaves’ disturbing account of child care in Tennessee (“Taking Responsibility,” June 14th issue) reminded me of a woman I met while living in France. Madame Roc considered herself fortunate to have been placed in a children’s home when her parents divorced. They both were able to see her and both contributed to her support, and they were advised not to criticize each other in front of their daughter.

In contrast to the chaotic lives of American children described in Gleaves’ article, the French woman grew up in a stable environment with other young people she considered her brothers and sisters. She described her childhood as happy. How much better this seems than the horrors depicted in the Flyer‘s story.

I don’t know what the solution is, but had I been abandoned as a child I would have much preferred permanent residence in a children’s home to placement in a foster home, where my situation would have been, at best, tenuous.

Anita Martin, Memphis

Grand Slam

To the Editor:

The Tennessee Department of Education has identified a number of Memphis city schools as in need of reform. As a consultant employed by the state and Memphis City Schools, I visit four of these schools. The four share the same detriments, but this letter is about a gigantic benefit they enjoy.

The Memphis Redbirds RBI (Return Baseball to the Inner City) program is doing a world of good in my client schools. As I walk their halls I encounter scores of young people wearing uniforms provided by the Redbirds. I attend games played with equipment provided by the Redbirds. Without the philanthropic efforts of our home team, hundreds of young people would be denied the opportunity to represent their school on the diamond. We need not speculate about what would fill the vacuum in their day if baseball and softball were not available. The enhanced self-esteem experienced by these youngsters will certainly be reflected in their classwork.

Special commendation should be given to Reggie Williams, now a front-office executive and a voice of the Redbirds. He was once an administrator with MCS and is a product of our school system. Under his leadership RBI has altered the lives of hundreds of young Memphians. The challenge goes forth to other business leaders to soar as high.

Joseph Terre Jr., Tennessee Exemplary Educators, Memphis

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Handy Environment

To the Editor:

Regarding Andrew Wilkins’ article “Parks for Sale,” (May 24th issue): I’ve been on Beale Street since day one of revitalization 18 years ago. The former Handy Park was run-down, full of vagrants sleeping on benches, bands playing on corners with little if any dignity, and skateboarders everywhere, running over patrons.

The new Handy Park has public restrooms (badly needed), a visitor’s center, a stage with a professional sound and light system, security cameras and lights, dressing rooms (so we don’t have trailers parked on Peabody Place), and, yes, picnic tables to sit on, not sleep on, and concessions that folks enjoy. Sounds American to me.

I’m glad I don’t have to call the police every morning to clear the park of vagrants sleeping on the benches. The new Handy Park means the city and Beale Street can put their best foot forward to the tourists of the world. I see improvements, not the past problems.

Preston Lamm, President, Beale Street Merchants Association, Memphis

Pay It Backward

To the Editor:

As I understand it, President Bush’s newly approved tax relief plan will provide refund checks for all American taxpayers for up to $300 for singles and up to $600 for married couples. That sounds great for all those who believe in lower taxes and getting nice checks in the mail. However, in a political climate of an “unpopular president” there might be some who disagree with this plan.

I propose to start a grassroots movement for those who oppose this tax relief. This movement is easy to take part in, will get the point across, and at the same time provide extra funding for all the government programs Bush’s adversaries want to continue.

A one-time $300 to $600 per household refund for any (except the very poor) is negligible. What would happen if all of the proponents of the government programs and funding corrections that the previous administration wanted to save and/or revive decided not to cash their checks? That money would instantly become available for these programs, and as Americans taking this action we would be taking control of the situation in a way that no government official could “spin” or negate.

This is a call to action for anyone who wants to send a clear message to President Bush. Save Social Security! Eliminate the national debt! Eliminate budget deficits for good! Tear up those refund checks!

Michael Naya, Memphis

Judgment Call

To the Editor:

Kudos to the Memphis Bar Association and its survey on judges (City Reporter, May 24th issue). Hopefully a greater percentage of Memphis Bar Association members will participate in the future and more importantly, the survey results will continue to be made public.

Douglas R. Bergeron, Esq., Memphis

No Taste

To the Editor:

My wife and I are from the Orlando area and attended what we expected to be the grand finale of barbecue events in Memphis. As we strolled the rows of massive and ingenious cooking booths at the world championship barbecue contest, we discovered that we would not be allowed to taste the “Q.” Why should I ever come back to such a show if we are not allowed to second-guess the judges?

The reason given to us for the lack of tasting was a health department ban. If this is true, I say the health department is lazy and not operating with the best interest of the people it serves.

We have been to numerous cooking events where a book of tickets was purchased and could be redeemed at the booth for a sample of the cooking. If the cooking was sanitary enough for the judges it is surely sanitary enough for the public.

Ray Means, Lake Mary, Florida

Editor’s note: We’re just taking a guess here, but we suspect that requiring all the barbecue cooking teams at the MIM cooking championship to provide enough food to feed the entire crowd might be a bit much to ask.

Last Place on Earth is Gone

To the Editor:

Chris Walker’s Last Place on Earth’s imminent closing is a loss to a scene that has existed since the Sex Pistols came through town in 1977. Musicians local, national, and international have played LPOE’s stage, offering sounds ranging from Delorean’s beauty to Diarrhea of Anne Frank’s noise. No more will the pleasant smell of baked bread greet us as we exit a concert at LPOE. We owe Chris Walker our appreciation. Thanks, Chris, for the rock. Not to mention the roll.

Jon Fox, Memphis

Editor’s note II: Due to the fact that none of you had anything remotely new to say on the subject, we are declaring a moratorium on NBA letters this week.

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Profitable Parks?

To the Editor:

Andrew Wilkins’ article “Parks For Sale” (May 24th issue) brings forth the question, “In whose interest does the Riverfront Development Commission really serve?” Although deemed “not-for-profit,” someone is obviously profiting! The very thought of removing the downtown fire station and library and replacing them with “retail or housing” certainly indicates that other powers are at work. What are Benny Lindermon and his cohorts’ true intentions and source of motivation? Someone is going to profit by turning these spaces into retail or housing and I call into question the RDC’s integrity. This land was donated to the city for public use, not commercialization!

According to Mr. Lindermon, “The fire station and library create almost a barrier between downtown and the riverfront,” and he furthermore refers to it as a “dead zone.” Well, if they feel that way, tear down the fire station and library and create a park that would provide a real service to the public. How nice it would be to have another “green zone” overlooking the river. It would provide a beautiful setting for downtowners to escape for lunch, added space for the already overcrowded Memphis in May activities, and a more aesthetic look to Front Street.

Let’s keep Memphis beautiful!

Ted O’Brien, Memphis

Not Surprising

To the Editor:

It’s not surprising that Mayor Herenton would set up an expensive program that would only aid one of his fallen from grace Praetorian Guards (City Reporter, May 17th issue). What concerns me is that it duplicates the ex-felon employment program that’s been so effective in filling the ranks of the city council.

Neil Nokes, Eads, TN

NBA, NBA, NBA, NBA …

To the Editor:

If John Branston goes to the Racquet Club to watch an NBA game, he is defeating the purpose of going to the Racquet Club (“Random Thoughts,” May 17th issue). Next time I am at the basketball complex on Mount Moriah, I’ll look to see if anybody is checking out the Pete Sampras match.

I disagree with Branston’s assumption that just because the NBA franchise will not have a great many employees its impact will not be as great as an investment in a conventional corporation. Other than FedEx and St. Jude, how many local businesses or organizations bring positive national attention to the area, generate civic pride, and offer the other immeasurable benefits that a NBA team can bring? Our public investment in a new arena is no different from prudent decisions other cities have made.

Mario L. Lindsey, Memphis

To the Editor:

The Heisley group will do the same to your city as it did to ours. Heisley accumulated his wealth by purchasing and flipping failing businesses. Do not think for one minute that if a better deal comes along in a couple of years that he will not move the team again. Here are some warning signs:

HOW TO MOVE AN NBA TEAM:

1. Hire a snake-oil-salesman GM (Dick Versace).

2. Hire a rookie head coach (instead of Lenny Wilkins, who would have loved to come to Vancouver.)

3. Hold training camp in California instead of the home city.

4. Do not attempt to contact season ticket holders in the offseason to renew seats.

5. Do not attempt to market the team to the corporate community.

6. Have owner sing national anthem at the season opener (kiss of death).

Nail this guy down, Memphis.

To the Editor:

As a basketball fan since the Grizzlies joined the NBA in 1995, I’ve been checking out both Memphis newspapers, as it appears that your fair city is going to relieve us of our franchise. When I read that a “pursuit team” is in Memphis checking this and that out, I want to scream! Not once, after Heisley purchased the team and promised to do due diligence to make the city of Vancouver proud, did team management meet with any of the businesses or fans. The original owner wasn’t even contacted to buy ticket packages for the past season. Now I read of Coach Lowe throwing out the first pitch at a Redbirds game. What a joke! Heisley and his band of followers have to be scrutinized and watched. He pulled the wool over our eyes by singing “O, Canada,” then 49 games into the season told us that the business community had failed him. He had no intention of trying to make the NBA work in Vancouver. I hope the media in Memphis keep this man’s feet to the fire.

Brian Lind, Burnaby, B.C.

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Energy Joke

To the Editor:

The energy plan submitted for public scrutiny by the president last week was a joke. The president and vice president make it sound like the energy companies are suffering. Here is a little fact: Exxon posted the largest profit of any company in history in 2000 — $18 billion on $240 billion in revenues. Is that suffering? I can’t believe he expects the American people to drill holes everywhere for oil, even on pristine federal land in Alaska, when the problem is clearly one of conservation.

This plan is the wish list of the energy companies and it looks like they got exactly what they wanted. If you own stock in Alcoa, Haliburton, or any other oil or oil services companies, hold on to it like your first-born child because you will be wealthy before this president is through. I am ashamed to say I am an American with this most recent debacle.

Mike Hagan, Germantown

Silicone vs. Natural

To the Editor:

Rebekah Gleaves has her heart in the right place, I suppose (“Why I Left Nashville,” May 10th issue), but if she thinks Memphis is totally “natural” versus Nashville’s “silicone,” she must not get out of the downtown area much.

Trees are torn down everywhere in Shelby County to build strip malls which are half-filled. (And with the coming recession, many of them will go completely bust.) Chain stores and franchise restaurants abound. Traffic is insane.

We may not have cocaine mirrors in our club bathrooms, but we’ve got a level of political corruption in this city that must be seen to be believed. Most of this doesn’t touch me personally except for being sad to see the forest disappearing in the name of ostentatiously overpriced retail, but it still saddens me. I just spent nine months in Louisiana and frankly, with all its poverty, any small town in Cajun country has got a lot more soul than this city ever will, so long as we turn a blind eye to our flaws and do nothing about them.

It’s fitting that a dead rock star is our biggest draw. Like him, we are gaudy and way overrated.

Dana Seilhan, Memphis

An Opportunity?

To the Editor:

The United States has been given a remarkable opportunity — the chance to grow up and join the ranks of civilized nations by declining to execute Timothy McVeigh. His guilt is beyond question, but the clumsy handling of his sentence and its current postponement afford a means of opting for mercy rather than for vengeance. In choosing the latter we join a small group of ugly customers; in choosing the former a larger group of more advanced countries. If we execute McVeigh, his punishment is soon ended, but the bitterness it causes will last for years. If we commute his sentence to life imprisonment, his punishment will continue until the day he dies. Since he is only 33, that date may be a long time coming — time enough for him to repent his action. His deed cannot be undone but we need not choose vengeance.

George Martyn Finch, Memphis

Three Steps

To the Editor:

The financing for the proposed NBA arena is simplicity itself:

1) The taxpayers pay for a new state-of-the-art arena.

2) The billionaires and millionaires who own the team (which, unlike the arena, is a valuable and highly portable commodity) receive the revenues from parking, concessions, ticket/luxury box sales, naming rights, arena advertising, and sales taxes generated by all this.

3) In five to 10 years, when this facility is as obsolete as The Pyramid has suddenly become, repeat steps one and two.

Or as the song goes: They get the gold mine and we get the shaft.

Herbert E. Kook Jr., Germantown

Music Fest is the Best

To the Editor:

In a letter to the editor in the May 10th issue a reader states that he saw open drug use among teenagers at the Beale Street Music Fest. Since he was so upset by what he saw, why didn’t he report the incident to the authorities? I attended all three days of the festival and I saw dozens of police personnel. I’m sure they would have responded had they been aware of the offense.

The music festival is one of the best things this city has to offer the world. There is bound to be some freewheeling, unacceptable behavior in such massive crowds. However, the vast majority of festival-goers are responsible people having a great time in a pleasant fun-filled environment. Sloppy drunks and users of illegal drugs are definitely the exception, not the rule.

Randy Norwood, Memphis

Inconsistent

To the Editor:

Be consistent. If Jackson Baker is exercising his First Amendment rights to steal intellectual property (“Napster’s Second Coming,” May 10th issue), then remove the “Copyright 2001” from your masthead as well. Hypocrites.

Deb Parkinson, Memphis

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.