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: Tue., Oct. 7, 2008
Dear Editor, As an Iraq war veteran, I was disheartened and angered to read Larry Joe Doherty's quote in the current Austin Chronicle [“ The Man in the White Hat,” News, Oct. 3] in which he states: “We have to face the fact … we’re in that [Iraq] war for oil. We’ve killed children for oil.” Most people that have met me know that I’m basically an easygoing person that is slow to anger, but his quote, if accurate, has personally offended me. I write this as someone that knows that innocent people have been killed in conflicts since the dawn of man but also as one that personally volunteered to spend 7½ months in Al Anbar province, Iraq, to help the children, families, and good people of a land that needs our help. We can disagree about the cause of the war, the tactics, and the future (in fact, my roommate and best friend in my battalion in Iraq disagrees with me and even spoke at the Democratic National Convention this year); however, I truly cannot believe that Larry Joe Doherty would accuse us of killing children for oil. This disgusting statement angers me to my core. I have heard more reasonable and well-thought-out lines from Cindy Sheehan and Saddam Hussein’s disposed spokesman “Baghdad Bob” [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf]. I hope that Mr. Doherty misspoke and does not truly think my fellow Marines and I are baby killers. In fact, I would welcome the chance to visit with him in person on this matter. In the meantime, here is a series of nonpartisan blogs I wrote during my deployment in Al Asad and Haditha, Iraq, from August 2004 to March 2005 ( www.politics1.com/usmc.htm). In them one will find happiness, hope, death, and despair – something every person in war has encountered to one degree or another. Nowhere in them however will you find anything about us “kill[ing] children for oil.”
Semper Fidelis,
James Crabtree
Iraq war veteran, Central Texas vice captain of vets for freedom, and a resident of Congressional District 10
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Date Received: Mon., Oct. 6, 2008
Dear Editor, I am very disappointed – no, that's the wrong word; I am very sickened to see your cover this week [ Oct. 3] portraying a kitten about to be shot. Don't you know how many animals are tortured and abused in this world? Your cover is a disgrace. I don't need the threat of animal cruelty to get me to vote. I am not a PETA activist; I am not a Republican; I am not a Democrat. I am a just a regular, responsible person living in Austin for the past 12 years and a person who used to read your paper.
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Date Received: Sun., Oct. 5, 2008
Dear Editor, What gives, Chronicle, with your latest cover showing a kitten with a gun pointed at his or her head [ Oct. 3]? I mean, seriously, if you had chosen to put a human baby on the cover instead of a kitten, readers would have turned the gun on you for displaying such inhumanity. Why should it be any different for a defenseless animal? It's shameful that we, as a society, have to resort to violence to get a point across.
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Date Received: Fri., Oct. 3, 2008
Dear Editor, I'm amazed I finished the one-sided Lee Nichols article on Texas Congressional District 10, glorifying the thoughts of the challenger Larry Joe Doherty without learning anything [“ The Man in the White Hat,” News, Oct. 3]. Why didn't the columnist ask the two basic questions to LJD: "Why are you running?" and, "Why haven't you ever run for public office before?" No public service, no school board, no town council, not even a "community organizer.” LJD sues attorneys for a living. He doesn't even fit in with the ambulance-chasing crowd. What would make him a good congressman? Mike McCaul served this area well as a U.S. attorney (underpaid and overworked). If Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar can work with Mike McCaul on homeland security and securing Texas' border, the Chronicle is missing good information by being blinded by their bias. Mike McCaul is a leader on homeland security, the U.S. House science committee, and the high tech caucus, all issues important to the readers of the Chronicle. Travis County residents that work at Dell, IBM, and other high tech firms benefit well from Mike McCaul's understanding of patent law, freedom to innovate, H-1B visa shortages, and anti-piracy protection. Shame on Lee Nichols – for only using one source for his five-page coronation of LJD. And that being Larry Joe Doherty himself. The kicker should read, "Paid for by the Larry Joe Doherty Committee." Next time, ask around Austin, others will help put some perspective on your story.
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[Editor's note: As noted in the article, Rep. McCaul did not make himself available to the Chronicle for an interview.]
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Date Received: Thu., Oct. 2, 2008
Dear Editor,
All those letter-writers complaining about this and that. Jeez, even reading them starts to get me all worked up and ticked.
Over here where I'm sitting, everything is pretty good. The sun is shining; fall has blown in; I have a roof over my head, food to eat, good friends, and a family that supports me. That's all that matters.
Yeah, there's a bunch of stuff I could complain about also, but I try not to think about it too much. I don't like the way it makes me feel.
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Date Received: Wed., Oct. 8, 2008
Dear Editor, School districts, including Austin Independent School District, are being asked to attain ever-increasing goals for student achievement without the state increasing the financial resources to do so. Because of the current school finance system, Austin voters will be asked to approve a 3.9-cent increase to their property tax rate in support of AISD Proposition 1. The measure will allow the district to provide teachers a 3% pay raise for this school year. If the measure does not pass, local educators will not receive a pay raise of any kind. The Texas Classroom Teachers Association, the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Council of PTAs, Austin Labor Council, League of Women Voters, and the Association of Texas Professional Educators have come together to support this initiative, and developed www.supportaustinteachers.com for voters to learn more about this important measure.
Kristina Tirloni
Texas Classroom Teachers Association
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Date Received: Tue., Oct. 7, 2008
Dear Editor, I enjoyed the listings of restaurants, and quite a few of my suggestions made your follow-up article, but your "our game, our rules" thing is just wrong [“ Landmark Eateries,” Food, Sept. 12]! You've included establishments in Driftwood, Bee Cave, and Lakeway/Lake Travis, but you don't consider equally close establishments because of your "rules." You should do a follow-up article with the most logical, commonsense rules – consider any place in any area that gets copies of The Austin Chronicle. That includes San Marcos, for example. Why tell your readers and your advertisers in those areas that they don't count because they're not "Austin" – and then bend the rules for selected favorites? Come on, Austin Chronicle, play fair! Respect all of your readers in this greater Austin area and do another comprehensive follow-up!
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[Virginia B. Wood replies: Barry, I read all of your online posts and want to thank you for all the time and effort you put into researching restaurants in San Marcos and Round Rock that you felt should be added to the list. However, the main focus of the story was dining landmarks in Austin. The list of 25- to 49-year-old places was a byproduct of research on the main story (“Austin Landmarks on the Menu,” Food, Sept. 12) and was only included as an interesting sidebar, at best. I've reread the main feature and my follow-up column, and I still can't find the section where I've told readers or advertisers in surrounding towns they "don't matter" – it's just that Austin was always the main focus of the story, as is the majority of all of our regular coverage. As Food editor at The Austin Chronicle, part of my job is the allocation of time, resources, and page space when assigning stories for our Food section. While your dissatisfaction with the parameters set for this particular piece is unfortunate, the story is finished, and we've moved on.]
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Date Received: Thu., Oct. 2, 2008
Dear Editor, In response to Gregory D. Solcher's letter [ Postmarks, Sept. 26], why would anyone be scared of Sarah Palin? As far as I know, no one doubts that Barack Obama loves his wife, but one could question John McCain and his stand on the sanctity of marriage after he cheated on his first wife (who stuck by him during his imprisonment) with a beer millionairess. Cute maybe, but not someone that would cause a double take. Smart? Not so anyone would notice by anything she has said or done. Funny? I bet that bit about pit bulls kills at the Rotary Club. Knowing the risk of having a child in her 40s increased the chances of birth defects, and disregarding science and facts was a selfish decision, but I'm sure Palin will pay for the cost of her child's special needs. Blue-collar workers are leftist too, or is history something Palin supporters reject as well? Just who was the coward remark meant for, as more Democrats have children, siblings, and mates in Iraq than Republicans? I know of no politician that supports arming criminals, just regulating firearm possession. She raised funds for indicted Sen. Ted Stevens and campaigned on getting the pork for the bridge to nowhere. Nowhere in the Constitution is there a religious test for holding office. Bitch is in the eye of the beholder. Polls are popularity contests, just ask Al Gore about winning the popular vote.
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Date Received: Wed., Oct. 8, 2008
Dear Editor, I know a lot of folks are excited to see a symbol of the oil industry like T. Boone Pickens now building the largest wind farm in the world in Texas [“ Pickens and Pope,” News, Sept. 26]. It’s just too bad his plan calls for increasing the use of natural gas in cars. Trying to solve the climate crisis by switching from oil to natural gas is like trying to dodge cancer by smoking light cigarettes. It’s a joke, because natural gas only produces 30% less CO2 than gasoline. While scientists say climate change is hitting much harder and faster than expected, Pickens says we should keep adding to CO2 levels at 70% of the current rate rather than reducing it by at least 25% in 10 years. It’s a joke. Of course, Pickens says it’s about energy independence, so who cares about the global impact of burning natural gas? Guess what: The U.S. only has 3% of the world’s natural gas reserves, while we use 25% of the world’s energy. Has anyone asked Mr. Pickens where we’re supposed to get the rest from? He’d better look to Russia and Iran for a start, because that’s who has the world’s two largest reserves. Considering that Pickens says, “The U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of wind,” why don’t we power our cars off of the huge amounts of solar and wind that Texas bathes in by investing all that money into plug-in hybrid cars that can get up to 100 miles per gallon and be charged overnight from his own windmills? Now that’s no joke!
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Date Received: Tue., Oct. 7, 2008
Dear Editor,
Maybe Sarah Palin would consider becoming Texas' governor. She might be attracted to the state, because Texas is reported to be leading the entire nation in teenage pregnancy. Of course, the contribution to this outcome of school boards, local and county officials, religious leaders, and the state Legislature should be acknowledged. It seems that “abstinence only” sex education, which Palin preaches and apparently practices, is required exclusively in Texas, and that would be a good fit for her as it is for her Republican friends here. A Palin administration here would no doubt keep Texas on top and No. 1 for its teenage daughters being “barefoot and pregnant,” or at least pregnant.
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Date Received: Tue., Oct. 7, 2008
Dear Editor,
Since Simon Property Group, one of the largest corporations in the world, launched its half-million-dollar campaign and unveiled its arguments about why it should receive our tax dollars, its campaign messages raise more questions than they answer.
The "Keep Austin's Word" campaign never claims that Simon has kept its word to the public on things like living-wage jobs or open space. In fact, they openly admit that they have not provided the jobs or open space that they promised the people of Austin.
Instead, the campaign focuses on legal technicalities claiming that Simon has met all of its legal obligations.
What does this mean? The city has met all of its legal obligations to Simon also. Simon agreed to a "deal" (in a legal settlement) that the city has no duty to pay them in the future – which raises an interesting question about their slogan "a deal is a deal." Is Simon going back on its "deal" now, claiming that the city has a some kind of legal obligation to give it our tax dollars?
Austin taxpayers get to decide this time. Last time, the public had one week's notice before Simon's tax incentives were granted. This time we get to choose whether it is in our best interest to give tens of millions of our hard-earned tax dollars to a corporation that has not kept its word to the people of Austin.
Would you rather give your tax dollars to one of the world's largest corporations, or would you prefer that our local emergency services, libraries, parks, social services, and roads benefit from your money?
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[Editor's note: According to its campaign finance report filed October 6, Keep Austin's Word PAC (which opposes Prop. 2) has collected $53,750, of which $10,000 was contributed by Simon Property Group, owner of the Domain.]
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Date Received: Sun., Oct. 5, 2008
Dear Editor,
I'm appalled by the remarks Gov. Sarah Palin made on Saturday about Sen. Barack Obama's connection with Weather Underground founding member Bill Ayers. She used a New York Times article to make the outrageous claim that Sen. Obama is "palling around with terrorists." Apparently, Gov. Palin didn't read the whole article, because it clearly concluded that the relationship between Sen. Obama and Bill Ayers was very limited. Basically, they live in the same Chicago neighborhood and participated in some of the same charities.
The McCain-Palin campaign is doing this for one reason and one reason only – they're losing. Since they can't win on the issues, they're playing to the prejudices and stereotypes that exist in this country. Throughout this campaign, Sen. Obama has had ridiculous charges hurled at him that he would never have had to face if he were white. The McCain-Palin campaign is grasping at straws here to put the words “Obama” and “terrorist” in the same sentence.
Gov. Palin seems to think that Sen. Obama's casual relationship with Bill Ayers shows that the senator is a dangerous radical. What does being married to someone who supported Alaska's secession movement show?
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Date Received: Mon., Oct. 6, 2008
Dear Editor,
I have been a little apprehensive about making this tribute to Austin protesters but not after hearing the Palin-Biden debate and hearing their difference on the sought-after increase in the power of the VP spot by Dick Cheney – Palin said she would continue this? Did I hear her right? She would like to reduce federal oversight but increase her power? Wonder what she would do with it? Biden said that the Constitution was clear on this and thought such an increase was wrong and went on further to state that Dick Cheney was the most dangerous VP in U.S. history! Right in front of the whole nation. Well, it has rekindled my desire to do whatever I can to make a positive change. I'm going to push send on this letter then immediately go to the Obama site and donate another $50 to his campaign!
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Date Received: Sun., Oct. 5, 2008
Dear Editor,
Someone once said about Obama that he was mentally engineering responses as opposed to McCain speaking from his gut. Mental engineering. I don't know what to say. I do know if I don't say that mental engineering means actually thinking about something, someone somewhere might not get how stupid it is that it's not stupid to mentally engineer your thoughts. Or I might also think about how disheartened I was that all four punks in the political circle are against gay marriage. They claim to be for every civil right for gay people, the right to be allowed on insurance, the right to hospital visitation, the rights accorded all married couples except actual marriage. Biden, yes Biden (because I expect it of the McCain camp), speaks of all the civil rights of gay people except marriage. It's oppression; it's separate but equal; it's sexual apartheid.
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Date Received: Sat., Oct. 4, 2008
Dear Editor,
First of all I would like to thank George W. Bush for fucking us to the max and putting us in a situation that we cannot seem to get ourselves out of in a logistical manner. Now, more than ever, neighbors hate one another because of their political views which, as always, contradict themselves. I feel personally terrible because I have always had a loving relationship with my country. But I feel I've been punched in the face by the media and by the two people who are running for the leader of our so-called "free world." I personally would not even call it an election for the president of the United States of America, because in order for that to happen, your vote would have to count. In the past eight years, it has not. I'm not coming forward and saying we're at the point of communism, but when a bank or a group of banks has all of the power to drown our economy at its own will right in front of our own eyes and there are no consequences, this is not the freedom I learned about in school. This is poison to the American public and our great government sees a bailout as an antidote when in true life it only leads to more of a recession, or should I say Great Depression 1929 here we come. But this time we have nothing to blame it on but our greedy self-reluctant government who care nothing more than to feed themselves their own bullshit.
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Date Received: Fri., Oct. 3, 2008
Dear Editor,
Offering up the financial fate of this country to Henry Paulson is like asking Jeffrey Dahmer to babysit your kid and to give him a Ranch dressing bath. He was the chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs before he was invited to put one in our pink, two in our stink.
Politicians need to lay off the rhetorical nitwittery that curses "greed on Wall Street" as though they weren't instrumental in ushering in this age of welfare for millionaires. Back when Britney Spears shocked a dumb world and shaved her head, Bush was proposing a budget that gave more than $30 billion in tax breaks to the Wal-Mart family alone. The same budget cut $28 billion in Medicaid that year. If we can't get it together enough to throw the scum out on their fat anachronistic asses, then they can at least acknowledge their own complicity.
But hey, let the millionaires keep their blood money. Fine, let's bail them out. But every executive from upper management on up the ladder at AIG, Lehman Bros., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must perform community service that involves nothing but cleaning public toilets in economically depressed neighborhoods 40 hours a week for one year. During this period of servitude, they must listen to Fran Drescher, Ray Romano, and Rachael Ray read Sweet Valley High Books on Tape. They will learn to subsist on the shitty food of the American poor: Cheetos, Vienna sausages, and Tang. They will be the Mahars and Dhobis of the new American caste system, disposing of homeless crackhead corpses from Jamaica, Queens Porta Pottis, and scrubbing the armpit and pubic stubble of street whores from blood-stained sinks in the blown-out tenements of Camden, N.J.
We'll be able to make an individual choice at the moment we walk by, seeing them decorated in the turds of those they attempted to destroy. The enlightened few will imagine their souls healing, their perspective opening petal by petal in a dramatic stop-motion rhythm. Others of us will just think, "With a bit of luck, his life was ruined forever."
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Date Received: Fri., Oct. 3, 2008
Dear Editor,
The more I read about and watch this financial bailout unfold, the more I realize that we American citizens are being deceived by members of our government. I’ve also noticed that during this so-called economic meltdown, our dollar has actually gained in strength against foreign currencies, and the price of oil is dropping. Isn’t this a good thing? I have yet heard anyone address why this is happening. Would anyone out there care to explain this? Maybe we need a healthy market correction, or “cleansing,” to take place. Or is there something more sinister going on that members of our government don’t want us to know about? All we keep hearing is how George Bush and Henry Paulson are trying to rush us to judgment (kind of like he did with the Iraq invasion). By the way, the level of pork spending attached to this plan is insulting.
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Date Received: Thu., Oct. 2, 2008
Dear Editor,
My name is Betty Johnson, and I live in Pasadena, Texas, with my mom who has Alzheimer's. When the hurricane was on its way, I wasn't quite sure where to go. Then I called a friend of my mom's she hasn't seen in years. George and Mary Larson own Camp Pedernales in Spicewood, Texas, and didn't hesitate to tell us to stay at one of the cabins they normally rent. A few of my friends went, too; there were five of us in their cabin. The cabin next to us also had evacuees. They let as many people that needed a place to stay come to their camp. We had no electricity and stayed more than two weeks. Jim, the manager, was great also. He was like a book of information when we needed anything. He was eating at Lee's and mentioned we were there, and Lee's Cafe told us to come and get food. We were given organic fruits and veggies that were wonderful. I appreciate their kindness so much and would like to publicly thank them in some way, and this is the only way I can think of.
Thank you so much,
Betty Johnson
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Date Received: Sun., Oct. 5, 2008
Dear Editor,
In 2000, we were living in England on sabbatical and did the process of an absentee ballot. Upon coming home, I discovered that Texas does not count the absentee ballots unless they "are needed"!
I am still incensed over the fact that all votes are not counted for correct information for posterity. Can someone determine if this is still the way Texas "counts" our votes?!
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[Mary Fero, public information manager for the Elections Division of the Travis County Clerk's Office, replied (in part): We want to assure voters that every valid ballot cast and received by our office is counted. This includes votes cast through early voting in person, early voting by mail (domestic and overseas), and votes cast on Election Day. By state law, overseas ballots that are postmarked by Election Day have an additional five days to be received by our office and be counted. (For this election, the fifth day falls on a weekend, so the final day to receive overseas ballots is Nov. 10.) You will note that the vote totals released on election night change slightly when the official final canvass results are released. The final results include the eligible overseas ballots.]
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