Love-Hate Mail
Out of line
Kroger spokesperson Melissa Eads says that Out & About was removed in accordance with a company policy of not offering publications that serve political or other agendas (“Out With Out & About,” June 7). I am 44 years old, straight and married. I do not feel that Out & About serves any kind of political, religious or “other specific agendas.” It is a newspaper like The Tennessean is a newspaper. Krogers in our area have free newspapers that cater to parents, African Americans, etc., so I’m unclear as to the difference between these publications and Out &About. I am neither a parent nor an African American, but I’m not bothered in the least by there being publications available in my Kroger for those particular groups of people. I simply don’t pick up free newspapers in which I have no interest. Nashville has other options for grocery shopping, and I will definitely take my business to Publix, Harris Teeter or any other grocer that doesn’t have a policy of discrimination. I strongly urge Kroger to consider the impact of this decision on the wider community and opt for tolerance, the First Amendment and freedom of choice.
SUZANNE P. REED
justsuzanne@gmail.com (Goodlettsville)
Left on base
The Vanderbilt University baseball team just completed the greatest season in the program’s history. They won both the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament championships, yet they got bupkis in terms of coverage from the Scene. The Commodores boasted no less than five all-Americans—including a freshman all-American—as well as the No. 1 and No. 8 overall picks in the recent Major League Baseball draft, but not a single word about their outstanding season appeared in the Scene. The June 7 issue didn’t even have any sports coverage. You obviously needed that page for more newsworthy topics: Eric Church, the 2007 Bar Guide and Thong Girl 3. Give me a freakin’ break! When it came to a national news story in your own backyard, you struck out, never even taking the bat off your shoulder.
DARYL SANDERS
darylsanders@mindspring.com (Nashville)
Backing band
Thanks to Steve Haruch and the Nashville Scene for recognizing Everyone’s a Rockstar Live Band Karaoke at Mercy Lounge as the premier Nashville karaoke event in the recent Bar Guide (June 7). But there was one thing you failed to mention in the article: the “quite good” band that has hosted EARS since its inception at Mercy Lounge in August 2004 is Big Jim Slade.
P.S. The next EARS event is Saturday, June 16. More info on EARS can be found at myspace.com/everybodysarockstar .
ROBERT SIRLS
frizzboy70@yahoo.com
(Nashville)
Credit history
I read with interest the May 31 cover story (“The Gospel According to Dave”). I’d be even more interested to know whether Mr. Ramsey went back and repaid all of the creditors he stiffed in his 1990 bankruptcy after he became a successful author and talk show host.
PHIL MAYES
MayesP@greenbankusa.com (Nashville)
Shelter me
My husband and I think that the column about the interestingly weird roommate (Helter Shelter, May 31) is infinitely funny. The Power is with us—we will use this phrase, appropriate as it is. I don’t know about “the Jap Joint,” but it did make us giggle. Thank you for allowing such cleverness into print. Having called a couple of times when our favorite horoscope wasn’t included, a thanks to you for the times it appears and inspires us to view things in an interestingly weird way. We’re going to see Sergio Mendes, thanks to your information.
We are out at the end of the backwater (of Nashville). You can definitely see the end of the world from here. Thank goodness for the distribution spot at Kroger, Dover Crossing. My heart falls when I see your slot empty.
SUSAN LOBO
seblobo@yahoo.com
(Clarksville)
Suburban bliss
Lindsay Ferrier’s column Suburban Turmoil is the best thing in the Scene. I used to pick up the publication mainly to browse entertainment and real estate listings. Now it’s to laugh conspiratorially at Lindsay’s domestic and community exploits. Hooray for her hip, original and fiercely maternal voice.
KARA CARDEN
cardencopy@mindspring.com
(Mt. Juliet)
Corrections
The Scene incorrectly reported last week that Vice Mayor Howard Gentry, while spending the night on the streets with homeless people to learn about homelessness, was turned away from the Nashville Rescue Mission. In fact, the anecdote the Scene recounted never happened. Gentry never asked the mission to let him sleep there, and he instead walked past the mission and spent the entire experience on the streets.
In last week’s Critics’ Picks, the Scene incorrectly reported that Caryn Cast is part of the Plowhaus Artist Cooperative’s “Value Menu Show.” The pick also incorrectly listed the show’s closing date, which is July 15.
We regret the errors.