Love/Hate Mail
In Marsha’s defense
In response to your moronic editorial criticizing state Sen. Marsha Blackburn for opposing the idiotic illegal immigrant driver’s license legislation (Editorial, June 21), I would like to preface my response by indicating that I despise Pat Buchanan, and I don’t have a Confederate flag flying in front of my house. Why is it when someone disagrees with a liberal, [he or she is] labeled a racist or a homophobe, as your editor labeled Ms. Blackburn? The proponents of this legislation make the “Road Kill” legislation advocates look like Einstein. Who in their right mind would give a driver’s license to a criminal—yes, an “undocumented worker” is a criminal—and also encourage thousands of illegals to drive without insurance! My insurance company told me that a person needs a Social Security number to obtain insurance. Duh, my sixth-grader has more sense than our Legislature. Shame on Tennessee!
Mitchel Weiss
howinus50@hotmail.com (Nashville)
State of confusion
I began reading Liz Garrigan’s piece on the Henri Brooks/Jimmy Naifeh Pledge of Allegiance flap (“Political Notes,” June 7), mostly because I grow weary of those who would do anything to silence Americans from speaking their views, right or wrong. The problem is, I couldn’t get past the first paragraph without getting really angry at someone whose journalistic credentials are now suspect because she has no understanding of some basic facts regarding our representative republic we call the United States of America.
My problem is the assertion that Rep. Brooks represents the state of Tennessee. She does not, and will not, unless elected to the U.S. Senate. Ms. Brooks represents the people of her legislative district, no one else.
No elected official in state government represents Tennessee. No member of the U.S. House of Representatives represents the state of Tennessee or the United States of America. They represent the districts from which they were elected. The only two individuals who represent the state of Tennessee are our two Republican senators, Frist and Thompson.
This basic lack of understanding of sixth-grade social studies by journalists who call themselves professionals certainly does nothing to assuage concerns raised by those on the right who continually assail them with claims of bias and ignorance.
John Nichols
Jiffin1@aol.com
Retooled
I have read your paper for quite a while and have always enjoyed what I have been reading. The same does not apply for the music review that your “egghead critic” has just done (“Air of Mystery,” June 14). I can understand not liking a band, or [that] their music does not apply to that critic’s particular tastes—but the slaughter that happened in the Tool review was just disgusting. Ben Taylor intentionally made them look like a bunch of money-grubbing idiotic metalheads. (By the way, it is more commonly referred to as math metal, not art metal—get it right.)
He admitted that he didn’t like them before the album, so why even review it? Just leave it alone. He was right about one thing: We Tool fans are loyal, and we all want to have our boys around for a while. If your critic actually sat down and listened to the words as well—I mean all of them—he might learn a thing or two about life and other things. That review was the best display of ignorance and bias that I have ever seen in a critic.
Ryan Finney
besoaja@bellsouth.net (Nashville)
Serious sarcasm
After reading Jonathan Harwell’s Summer Guide piece (“Iron Chef,” May 17), I was compelled to send my opinion as to your very “witty” and “sarcastically funny” assembly of “a fantasy cast of local celebrities and characters.” First of all, with regard to the comments about the death penalty, i.e., the electric chair, I fail to see any humor whatsoever in anything regarding this very serious issue. Even though I know it is your style to write satirically, I would have hoped you would have shown more decency, not to mention common sense, than to even broach a subject in such a callous and crude manner as you did the death penalty.
There is something you need to understand and respect. There are numerous people living on Tennessee’s Death Row today who are entitled to the same respect and compassion as anyone else living in Tennessee. Their status in our prison system does not diminish them or their feelings, and they are not there for you to make light of their situation and for you to use as humor for your column.
I sincerely believe that the individuals facing the death penalty and their families are entitled to a written apology from you. Some things are far too serious to be treated as lightly and disrespectfully as you have treated the issue of the death penalty.
Dolores Christian
P.O. Box 278, White Bluff
Correction
Last week’s music story about Patty Loveless, “Part of the Family,” incorrectly stated that Dolly Parton won the 2000 IBMA award for Female Vocalist of the Year. The award actually went to Rhonda Vincent. Parton, meanwhile, won the IBMA’s Album of the Year in 2000.
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