Love/Hate Mail
Agreed
Thanks to David Cantwell for a fine piece of editorial. “The Cryin’ Side of Me” (March 20) was a welcome slice of reason and intelligence in a time when a lot of people are saying some really embarrassing things in the name of America. I support our troops, and I oppose the war, and I applaud anyone who can cut through the silly crap that sometimes passes as patriotism around here.
Toby Keith can sing about kicking ass every day of the week, and I’ll fight for his right to do so, but when I switch off the radio every time that song comes on, nobody better tell me I’m not proud to be an American. I will fight for the right of Toby Keith to sing that stupid song of his, just like I’ll fight for the right of Natalie Maines to say what she really thinks in any arena in the world.
It’s time we all snap out of it, clear our heads and get right. Disagreements are like spices in the stew: Once they marry, everybody eats good. Amen. Let’s eat.
Kevin Welch
deadreckoner2@mac.com (Nashville)
Jowers: building blockhead
I read with particular interest Walter Jowers’ article “Watch Closely” (March 20), in which he ominously warns the reader to beware the sad fate befalling the gullible new home purchaser. He warns of skillful salespeople who will ply the unknowing with snacks and compliments, and swindle them without a moment’s hesitation. He speaks of wicked and heartless builders who knowingly build houses incorrectly, then ignore the hapless owner’s pleas for help. He derides codes inspectors as little more than parasitic blobs of useless flesh that either can’t or won’t find material defects and/or codes violations.
After reading his article, one is left to wonder, “Who can protect me?” Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Home Inspection Man! Is business so bad for Mr. Jowers that he must stoop to slanderous accusations against three entire professions to build up so much angst and mistrust that one is petrified during the entire building process?
I am a Realtor and an on-site salesperson for Randall Phillips Homes, LLC. I have exclusively represented this builder for 10 years and find that his business practices bear no resemblance to those Mr. Jowers describes. I may have fiduciary responsibilities to the builder, but as a Realtor (and as a decent human being), I also willingly subscribe to a strict code of ethics and treat all parties fairly and honestly.
Mr. Jowers attests that all houses have many things already wrong with them, but they conveniently won’t be apparent until the one-year warranty expires. We at Randall Phillips Homes have been known to go back to a house to make repairs years after the expiration of the one-year warranty. Why? Because Mr. Phillips’ word is his bond, and his name is synonymous with quality building practices in Tennessee.
Tamara A. Senibaldi, Broker
Randall Phillips Homes, LLC
tamarasenibaldi@mac.com (Goodlettsville)
Poor word choice
I enjoyed your article on the recent renovation of the Hermitage Hotel (“Regilding the Lily,” SITE, March 13), but I must take you to task on two counts, both of which involve a photo from that piece labeled “suffragette.” First, the women who were involved in the suffrage movement did not appreciate that term. They were “suffragists”; the term “suffragette” was derogatory. Second, the photo you printed was not of suffragists at all, but of two women (posed here with an old Civil War veteran) involved in the anti-suffrage movement. Since you had to do some cropping to eliminate the words “Anti-Ratification Headquarters/Exhibition” from the top of this fairly famous photo, I wonder why you chose to mislabel it.
Maryanna Clarke
maryanna_clarke@hotmail.com (Hendersonville)
Poor word choice
I enjoyed your article on the recent renovation of the Hermitage Hotel (“Regilding the Lily,” SITE, March 13), but I must take you to task on two counts, both of which involve a photo from that piece labeled “suffragette.” First, the women who were involved in the suffrage movement did not appreciate that term. They were “suffragists”; the term “suffragette” was derogatory. Second, the photo you printed was not of suffragists at all, but of two women (posed here with an old Civil War veteran) involved in the anti-suffrage movement. Since you had to do some cropping to eliminate the words “Anti-Ratification Headquarters/Exhibition” from the top of this fairly famous photo, I wonder why you chose to mislabel it.
Maryanna Clarke
maryanna_clarke@hotmail.com (Hendersonville)
