Love-Hate Mail
Journalistic assault
The May 31 Scene article (“Rape Trauma”) suggests rape victims are assaulted again by being forced to receive their medical care at Nashville General Hospital (NGH). The truth is that rape victims are treated with dignity and respect at NGH, and victims are provided with access to compassionate and expert services that no other facility can or has been willing to provide. If you or your child are unfortunate enough to experience sexual assault, NGH is not the last place you want to be; it’s the first place you want to go.
A team of expert examiners provides both compassionate medical care and forensic expertise when evaluating adult victims. Children are evaluated by expert examiners at the Our Kids Center, a fact not mentioned in the recent Scene article. Our Kids is an outpatient clinic of NGH that specializes in expert medical and psychosocial evaluations of approximately 750 children each year from every zip code in Middle Tennessee. Indeed, NGH does not evaluate 200 rape victims each year. NGH evaluates over 900 sexual assault victims each year with children comprising the largest number of victims.
We are all vulnerable to rape. And if you are a victim of rape, you will find compassion at NGH no matter who you are. You will find someone who does not blame you. You will find out rape does not define your existence. You will find someone who believes in you. And it is not easy to find someone who believes in you when you are a victim of rape.
A very small group of dedicated and compassionate medical and mental health providers is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week every day of the year and responds to NGH to provide care to rape victims. Make no mistake that it is a considerable upgrade in care when a victim is transferred to NGH for a rape exam. NGH provides financial support and access to services for rape trauma care that are unmatched by any medical or mental health facility in this community.
It would be a tragedy if, because of this article, women and families felt hesitant to report the crime of rape because of some fear about an inaccurate, distorted characterization of Nashville General Hospital. This community needs to applaud and recognize the track record of barrier-breaking excellence offered by the Rape Trauma Services at Nashville General Hospital for over two decades.
SUE FORT WHITE, ED.D.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AND OUR KIDS STAFF
info@ourkidscenter.org
(Nashville)
Festival love
Thank you for the article about The Toy Box Bonnaroo backstage studio hosted by Music Allies (“Radio Daze,” June 14). Jack Silverman did a great job describing what we do and how we do it. This is my third year recording the bands that come through our studio at Bonnaroo, and it has been my pleasure to work with a team of very talented Nashville people. While the article made a point to list the folks involved with building and running the studio, one key Nashvillian was omitted. Jesse Newport, an East Nashville resident and recording engineer, has built and run the studio with us from the beginning, and he has been a crucial member in bringing recordings of so many great bands to Radio Lightning and to stations all over the country. He deserves equal credit with the rest of the fine Nashville folks involved. Thanks again.
LIJ SHAW
lij2mail@gmail.com
(Nashville)
Medical condition, not character flaw
Ronnie Steine deserves better from Nashville than he got from the Scene’s article (“Resurrecting Ronnie,” June 14). Obviously he has an impulsivity disorder—it doesn’t matter which one. What is important is 1) it is an illness, not a moral failing and 2) he has sought medical help. He stands in contrast to others who have given evidence of such disorders without seeking help. A contemporary example is Bobby Knight, who has gotten into fights over a salad bar and thrown chairs at basketball games. A historical example is Andrew Jackson, who was shot in a barroom brawl at age 42. I’ll choose Ronnie Steine, who gave us the Oasis Center, over either of them. If he hems and haws over a medical condition, which the Scene’s interview demonstrates carries a powerful stigma, then I can live with that and think Nashville and Ronnie’s anonymous “acquaintances” should be able to as well.
SAM KAPLAN
samkaplan@hotmail.com
(Spring Hill)
Flexible fundamentalism
I found the article by Jeff Woods on “Christers at the Gate” (June 14) to be offensive. As a retired newspaper editor, I felt that there was no excuse for his sarcastic tone. Why should a professional journalist stoop to calling any religious faith “quirky” and “squirrelly”? I am reasonably well educated, with five college degrees. I am also an elder in a large Church of Christ in Edmond, Okla. We are conservative, but not rigidly fundamentalist. We believe that all people immersed for the remission of sins are saved, whether we know about them or not. We reject instrumental music on the basis of New Testament scripture and historical evidence.
DR. GLOVER SHIPP
shippslog@okplus.com (Edmond, Okla.)
Paper or...sorry, no paper
I am confused and disturbed by Kroger’s recent decision to violate the terms of the agreement with Out & About that was signed on its behalf by DistribuTech (“Out with Out & About,” June 7). Focused primarily on news that is important to Tennessee’s GLBT community, Out & About is a professional publication upon which I rely to keep informed about matters that are important to my family. As Kroger has no issue with the distribution of The Southern Voice in Atlanta, a refusal to distribute Out & About is clearly a poor business decision motivated by local homophobia and ignorance. I hope that Kroger will reconsider its decision to remove this respected monthly periodical from its distribution racks and honor the terms of the signed agreement before legal intervention, further destructive publicity and a possible nationwide boycott ensues.
THOMAS SCHLUETER-WHITE
tom.schlueter-white@comcast.net
(Goodlettsville)
Adding travel to trauma
In regard to the letter from Ronda J. Kopra, PA-C (Love/Hate Mail, June 7): Jeff Woods’ article didn’t criticize the doctors, surgeons or staff at Nashville General. It didn’t criticize the care provided at Nashville General. Vanderbilt would not pay Nashville General to have nurses on call at the university if it did not believe those nurses were highly trained and the most qualified to treat rape victims. The article simply points out that, geographically, it may not be convenient for a victim to travel to Nashville General. Another hospital may be much closer. I hope the article spurs change and policies are amended such that a woman may exercise freedom of choice as to what hospital provides care in such a traumatic situation.
N. CANTER
ncjc212@hotmail.com
(Nashville)
Outrageous
I have never read a more insulting, bigoted and ignorant piece of journalism than Jeff Woods’ absurd “Christers at the Gate” (June 14). As a liberal Democrat raised in a local Church of Christ, his reference to its members as “that quirky collection of rigid fundamentalists that’s a little squirrelly” outraged me. The many Church of Christ members I know are educated, thoughtful and broad-minded individuals. This stereotyping would not be tolerated against any other group of people. Jeff Woods’ article mis-portrayed a large number of Nashvillians and revealed a lot about himself.
ANNE-MARIE DANIEL FARMER
annemariefarmer@hotmail.com
(Nashville)
Opine whine
It seems that Mr. Woods has a bone to pick with those affiliated with the Church of Christ in his recent article about the religious views of Ms. Tucker and Mr. Dozier (“Christers at the Gate,” June 14). Why were the religious affiliations of the other mayoral candidates not explored and analyzed? His stereotypical analysis of the beliefs that the so-called “Christers” hold seems to be based more on opinion than fact. Had either of these candidates been promoting their faith as a basis for their political beliefs or stances, this article might have been warranted. As it is, it only seems like an attack.
DANIEL DREADEN
d_dreaden@hotmail.com
(Nashville)
Faulty but forthcoming
Sure, Ronnie Steine is a politician with some faults (“Resurrecting Ronnie,” June 14). But, unlike most of them (and a whole administration of them in Washington, D.C.), he has admitted to having a problem. Furthermore, when he was in office, Steine was a thoughtful, open-minded pol who cared about big issues and everyday people, all at the same time.
In an era where the desires of the super rich are increasingly rubber stamped by their bought-and-paid-for politicians, independent thinkers like Steine are needed more than ever. Welcome back, Ronnie!
BILL COLE
4022 Vailwood Dr. (Nashville)