Letters to the Editor - Don’t risk it June 24 2004

It is difficult to understand why Mr. Eason would be anxious to buy Cox out of its 25 percent of Creative Loafing, if doing so would be to the detriment of CL (News & Views, “CL seeks to be free of Cox,” June 10). John Sugg (who I enjoy) makes frequent jabs at the AJC and seems to feel a competition that is difficult to understand. Creative Loafing is a free paper featuring offbeat advertising (to say the least) and some great writers who present a very liberal take on many important issues. How can CL see itself as a competitor of the AJC, a major city newspaper?

I am personally not interested in AccessAtlanta and hope it fails because of the competition posed to CL. It’s easy to understand animosity on the part of CL if [Cox Newspapers President] Jay Smith and [Cox executive Charles “Buddy”] Solomon used their positions as board members to gather information to launch AccessAtlanta. If so, nail them, but do not jeopardize the continued success of CL for spite in a strained buyout.

-- Peggy Davis, Atlanta


br>?Shoulda been me
Hell, if all you have to do to get profiled in CL is have tons of ugly crap laying around the house, I shoulda been on the cover years ago (Nightshift, “Frederick Noble: Degenerate and proud of it,” June 17).

-- Phil Oppenheim, Atlanta


br>?Balance not bias
I think that the article on Cynthia McKinney was very biased (News & Views, “Leave down the seat,” June 10). You did not mention that Cynthia McKinney has the endorsement of the Georgia AFL-CIO. You mention that her critics think that she neglected her constituents. You did not mention that Cynthia McKinney brought hundreds of millions of dollars to her constituents. She pioneered community policing and sound barriers along the interstate. She helped create an Enterprise Zone for her rural constituents, getting them funding that continues today. While in Congress, she advocated the expansion of MARTA in DeKalb County, and the 2002 transportation bill, which she supported, brought billions of dollars to her district and state.

-- Sean Mulligan, Alpharetta

?Say what?
The spontaneous outpouring of affection for former President Ronald Reagan has greatly moved me. I have enjoyed watching the pomp and grandeur of his burial, unequaled since the death of Princess Diana. I was nearly moved to tears when Nancy Reagan delicately brushed her hand against the flag-draped coffin in the Capitol rotunda. I have listened to the numerous eulogies reminding me of his accomplishments and the many diatribes berating those who would stoop to remind us, that in the end, he was simply a man. But I can’t help but think that I like Ronald Reagan much better dead than I ever did when he was alive. What kinda shit is that?

-- Tom Robertson, Atlanta


br>?Power to the people
I appreciated the realness of your article “The poor are always with us” (Fishwrapper, May 20). This piece is written on the heels of a two- to three-year recession that could possibly turn into a Great Depression due to the oil resources. The downward spiral of the economy has lent a helping hand to many people who are without.

A country that’s the leader of hope and success may have lost the vision due to the huge mountain and the hazy horizon. Why is the Nicholas House able to give people a sense of hope? Our government and president haven’t given hope to any of us who aren’t in the top 5 percent of the social economic class. America makes it difficult for those who are homeless to become successful people in society.

It has become too easy to brush by someone who’s less fortunate. The deplorable thing I’ve seen and heard is the judgment of the homeless person. No one knows where that person’s shoes have been, and if given an opportunity, would not opt to travel in them.

We can continue to point fingers and place the blame on government because it is easier to look at them, rather than ourselves. Each person can be of assistance to someone who has become down and out. Rather than judge that man or woman, cover them with clothing, feed them and understand them. Individuals have more power than the local government and it has to be recognized. Take the power out of their hands.

-- C.F. Jackson, Atlanta


br>?Write on
You hit the nail on the head: We have a government that’s conquering other countries by any means necessary and to hell with anyone who disagrees (Fishwrapper, “America’s soul is tortured,” May 13). Thank you for speaking for people like myself who know this war is wrong and our young soldiers are dying in vain and a country has been destroyed. When will the American people realize that our government is out of order and we are in the wrong? Thank you again and continue to give us the truth.

-- Connie Jones, Atlanta


br>?Stick to your guns
I would like to start with telling you that I did enjoy reading the article on BookCrossing (Arts, “All the world’s a library,” April 29). It featured in their last newsletter as the only piece that was critical, giving the e-mail address to let you know, I assume, how wrong you were. At least that seemed the idea and is the tendency on the discussion forums. I disagree with them.

However much I enjoy BookCrossing, I myself had raised similar questions on a forum a few weeks ago, not to the enjoyment of the fanatics that every site like this seems to attract.

So please do not think that you have missed the point, that a lot of e-mails stating you are wrong are a sign that you indeed are.

-- Gerben Kappert, Netherlands


br>?Set it free
I strongly disagree with the article written by Jenny Jarvie and the opinions she has formed about BookCrossing (Arts, “All the world’s a library,” April 29). This is not a book club where you read a book each week or month and discuss it. This is an avenue for sharing books that are no longer being used. I have hundreds of books on my shelves, some of which I read in the 1980s. What good are they doing there? I would rather “release” them in the wild for others to enjoy. Sure, the first person or the second or the third that pick up a book might not be interested, but they might pass it on. I have no idea where my books will end up. Isn’t that better than having a book sit on a shelf for 20 or 30 years with no one enjoying it? Ms. Jarvie missed the point entirely!

-- Cindy Dunn, Mooresville, N.C.