Postmarks
Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, follow this link.
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Date Received: Fri., Nov. 6, 2009
AUSTIN NEEDS A SPAY/NEUTER ORDINANCE
Dear Editor,
I am so glad Austin is primed to move forward on these no-kill issues, but once again I am sadly disappointed that no one is talking about a spay/neuter ordinance. For a progressive city like Austin, it saddens me that San Antonio, Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth have all joined thirtysomething other cities and adopted a spay/neuter ordinance. It's the sort of thinking, "We don't need to repair the hole in the dam, we just need to get more buckets.” At some point people are going to get tired of bailing and we will be right back to killing 195 tons of cats and dogs each and every year. No pun intended but it's time to "fix" the problem.
I have more than 10,000 hand-written signatures from Austin residents on a petition supporting the adoption and enforcement of a spay/neuter ordinance. Now is the time to listen to the citizens of Austin, join the civilized world, and move forward with this ordinance.
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Delwin Goss
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Date Received: Thu., Nov. 5, 2009
QUESTIONS ABOUT SXSW
Dear Editor,
I just called my son, Aric Garcia, drummer for local Austin band the Wonderland Avenue, to remind him, like I do every year, to submit his band for the upcoming South by Southwest 2010 before the deadline. He said they have submitted the band the past two years, paid the fee, and were turned down. I'm sure there are hundreds of bands in the same boat. My problem is that there is a fee charged to these bands. What is the fee for, paperwork? Administration fees? Most are volunteers. Why not charge a fee if they do make the "cut," then I can see you are using the fee to include the band in all the marketing. Mainly, what are the qualifications you look for in a band? I'm sure you have heard this before: Why not put more local Austin bands in a main showcase to open up for a big-name band? Well, whatever your answer, if I could fit the large mainly college-age fans of the Wonderland Avenue in our small East Austin home, I'd hold a "side show" during the SXSW week and invite them all to the gig … free, no charge, no fees! No wonder so many locals refuse to purchase badges or wristbands, at least that's the comment I've heard! Here's my shout-out to the band: Keep on f...... rocking. I know my hard-earned money was well worth it since my drummer started at age 5!
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Marie & Fish (Steve) Fischer
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[Louis Black responds: Putting on my SXSW cap here: There is significant processing involved with each submission, and they are all listened to at least twice, which involves costs. Most music festivals that take submissions, as with most film festivals, charge an entry fee.]
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