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, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Editor,
    I was sad to read in "Off the Record" [Music, Sept. 28] that Gary Primich died. He had so much soul – listening to him in any environment was total pleasure, because he gave each performance everything he had. I wish more people could have heard him play, but he put out some amazing CDs – so his music will live on. (That was a great picture of Gary, by the way!)

Lee Nichols,
    I very much enjoyed your cover story [“Clear-Cutting Austin,” News, Sept. 21], as much as one can regarding the content. Will your editor let you do a follow-up story? Can the city arborist do any retroactive enforcement? I wish that I had known of such a position as city arborist, before the “rape” of our neighborhood occurred; perhaps a follow-up story would deter any future mass destruction.
    Here is my lead to you. I live in the Oak Hill neighborhood. We used to have deer running through our neighborhood, as evidenced by the many “Deer Warning” yellow diamond signs just two blocks from my house. Only Google Earth can provide the evidence of the mass destruction of what could have been parkland areas instead of the eyesore developments of concrete and steel that have replaced entire groves of trees and the wildlife that they supported. Were there any endangered species in these areas? Now we may never know the answers to the aforementioned question.
    Specifically, such carnage occurred on the plot of land directly across from the fire station, bordered by the streets of Beckett and McCarty: Where there once was a beautiful grove of old trees now sits a development of garden homes, packed together like sardines in a can. However, the next degradation brought me and my wife to tears: the area bordered by Brush Country Road, West William Cannon, and South MoPac. This area was a true city forest, and the deer were running away for weeks during the destruction. Now this area is a retail mall filled with more not-needed banks and fitness centers; the developer made a fence to surround the track that circumscribes the area, out of the dead limbs of the trees of course. Finally, we have another fitness center/water park just a spit-throw away, bordered on the west by South MoPac, and south by Convict Hill Road. Like the other areas, the tree destruction was unreal, as the last of our area wildlife fled for its life.
    In the end, it is irresponsible for the city arborist to sit around waiting (or whatever they do to waste time) for a phone call from citizens who do not even know they exist. Why isn’t the city arborist proactive regarding development sites? I think you let the city arborist off the hook too easily. Now Oak Hill has more than 10 banks within a half-mile radius, along with four fitness centers. I would rather have had trees and parks. What is wrong with the city planners? Why does Austin have to look like Houston? Rhetorical questions aside, it is a disgrace.

Dear Editor,
    Thank you, Kimberly Reeves, for covering the story about the Austin Revitalization Authority [“The Dead End at Olive and Juniper,” News, Sept. 7].
    There are still other East Austin residents out there who participated in homeownership and/or rehabilitation programs who've endured similar and perhaps more profound atrocities with regard to these type of programs (delays; noncommunication, the runaround; smoothing over/covering up the facts; and residents displaced from their homes, living in limbo indefinitely).
    Ms. Reeves, please keep up the good work – I believe you've just scratched the surface.
    I look forward to seeing more stories on this topic. The people and the stories are out there.
    Also, regarding a reader's comment on the story – while I can relate to the reader's concern for residents who are in extremely oppressed situations, the focus of the story has to do with ARA's apparent mismanagement and abuse/misuse of their contractual duties and misuse of your/our taxpayer dollars.
    The point is: If it is happening to people who are college graduates, then just imagine how significant the impact is when these same abuses are happening to those in less-fortunate situations and are also struggling to get their story out. The fact is, if this is happening to any citizen of our community, it is causing hardships that certainly impact low-income individuals.

Dear Editor,
    Thanks for calling attention to our problem of Austin's dwindling tree canopy [“Clear-Cutting Austin,” News, Sept. 21]. Although your story is a good indication, it's a bigger issue than you reported, and you can do a lot more to help. As a developer myself, I have had to deal with the city and got the distinct impression trees are something of a sideline to them. Trees don't seem to really matter to the bureaucracy or to our "city fathers.”
    Take a look at what our own city bureaucracy did a couple of years ago to the beautiful pecans along Barton Springs Road, radical V-swathing them – à la Houston – as part of "vegetation management" by Austin Energy. Within the past month, city crews appeared again to hack on them some more! We're all left to watch the desolation until, I suppose, they just go ahead and cut them down to the ground.
    Where is the outrage? Where are the tree huggers when we need them?

Dear Editor,
    Airco Joe knows nothing about the Kill-a-Watt program.
    Recently, I actually paid attention to the local Airco commercial on TV. Instead of letting the gleeful jingle just pass through my ears, I watched the commercial where Airco Joe knocks on the front door (not the back door, mind you, wink) and an overheated housewife answers to let Joe do his magic. First of all, I don’t know if Airco periodically does random urine tests, but they should drop a bottle on Joe to fill. The guy has to be using steroids! He was able to lift a whole air-conditioning unit onto his shoulder without even a grunt. Once he gets everything in working order, he turns the thermostat down to 67! Holy crap! I don’t know about you but that is cold enough to make my nipples stand at attention. Heck, I feel guilty turning the AC down to 78.

Dear Editor,
    A friend just called me to tell me Gary Primich, local harmonica player and singer has passed away. I am basing this on a call from an Austin drummer friend of mine. He had no information on how or why Gary passed.
    Just two days ago, Gary and I were talking. Before his solo career, he was the harp player for the Mannish Boys, and he had copies of their two albums. He was going to meet me last Thursday to hand them to me. Gary missed the meeting. We talked on Saturday and did not set up another hand-off date but suggested this week. He seemed happy.
    In 1993 I decided to move to Austin. A harp-playing friend of mine put on the first couple of Primich solo records and said to look for Gary. I could tell he
   was a great player. I saw him within my first month of moving to Austin, and he was very strong. I could tell he was just going to get better, and I remember telling him that he would become one of the best of his generation. He proceeded to do just that.
    Gary put out multiple solo albums. He toured the world, doing all of his own booking and band-leading. He taught at multiple conventions, and I took lessons from him at Elkins Augusta Heritage Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica),and privately. I consistently told people that Gary was of of the strongest players in Austin.
    It should be noted that although most laypeople might not have been aware of Gary, in the international harmonica community, he was a huge star. If any two harp
   players were discussing modern blues masters, Gary's name was sure to be talked about quickly.
    Although he struggled with the pitfalls of the road, he recently cleaned up and told me that he had found God. There was definitely a brighter, happier Gary in the last couple of years.
    Many times I would see Gary live and marvel at his ideas, tone, phrasing, and overall professionalism. He was a musician's musician, and I salute him.

Dear Editor,
    I wonder if your film critics have too many collateral duties that are hindering their primary responsibility to write intelligently and with authority about film in what is arguably the most cinema-literate city in the world? Space does not allow me to provide the numerous examples from past weeks that have prompted this letter, so I will proceed with my current beef, which also addresses the attention to detail, or lack thereof, of your film-reviewing and editorial staff.
    In the current edition’s Screens section, you note that The Hottest State is Ethan Hawke's directorial debut ["Life Story," Sept. 21]. It is in fact his second film, following Chelsea Walls (2001), which also featured Mark Webber, the young actor in The Hottest State. That might have been worth mentioning had you bothered to research Hawke's work in the least. In short, your coverage of The Hottest State made me cringe for Mr. Hawke, who has close ties to the local film community and is one of our brightest lights. He deserved better from you.
    I can't change your feelings about the worth of particular films, and you are entitled to your at times bizarre and contradictory opinions (as in praising the dreadful Self-Medicated [Film Listings, Aug. 31] and savaging Hawke’s similar-themed but far more accomplished film). But you are doing an extreme disservice to the local film community, not to mention cinema in general and your own paper, by continuing to make such needless editorial and research blunders in your coverage. Film may not surpass issues of immigration, the Iraq war, and local politics in importance. But to some of us, cinema is still damn important, perhaps more now than ever, and is one of the many reasons we make our home here. Like Hawke, we deserve better from the Chronicle.

Dear Louis,
    I won't take much of your time. I simply wanted to write to thank you for your coverage on the issues we are having with Austin's trees and, along with it, charm vanishing quickly. Seeing your feature article on "Clear-Cutting Austin" [News, Sept. 21] was excellent to see, and I appreciate you giving this important issue coverage.
    I urge you to keep these stories top of mind for Austin and helping us press the issue. Our city must do more to protect the beauty that we have here.

Dear Editor,
    In honor of World Carfree Day, which took place for the eighth consecutive year without U.S. acknowledgment on Sept. 22, let's try a little thought experiment. Let's imagine how our lives might change if we separated living space from car-storage space. Suppose that the residents of neighborhood N in Austin store their cars, not in driveways or on the public street but in a garage a mile or two away. What is the result?
    Since no cars are stored on the street, there is room for pedestrians to walk. Since people live at least a mile from their cars, everyone walks, bicycles, or travels by wheelchair at least a little. Children go outside to play. Old people walk around and enjoy life. Driveways turn into house lots or small parks. The scenery improves dramatically, as does the air. Noise and stress levels drop. People feel better.
    Neighborhood N has lower health-care costs than the rest of town, due to lower rates of osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, respiratory ailments, and car-crash injuries. Neighborhood N has a reduced carbon footprint and lower street-maintenance costs.
    If you have children, neighborhood N is clearly the place to live. If you're old and afraid to walk among speeding cars on streets without sidewalks, neighborhood N is for you. In fact, neighborhood N is for most of us.
    In honor of World Carfree Day, let's spend five minutes thinking outside the box – you know the box I mean.

Dear Editor,
    The recent profanity-laden letter by Justin Andrews protesting the exhaustion of successful musicians and artists was clearly a sad demonstration of Mr. A's jealousy of their success ["Postmarks," Sept. 21]. These artists started the same way that Mr. A did, in the same trashy bars and nightclubs.
    No drink comps? Really, how sad! Sounds like he'd rather drink than work his music. Success in the music business is never laid in your lap; it's earned through years of hard work and dedication. The one difference between Mr. A and these artists is that they earned their way to where they are today.
    Bear in mind there are plenty of other hardworking Austin artists who aren't griping that they have no drink comps, no limo, and no setup staff. They do it day after day for the love of their music and their fans. The next Austin artist who "makes it good" will undoubtedly be the target of Mr. A's jealousy, as well. Mr. A needs to grow up, keep working hard, and stop whining about, "Why isn't that me?"

Dear Editor,
    I just had the immense pleasure of reading your article on VegAustin.com [“New & Noteworthy,” Food, Sept. 21] – an online resource that lists all of the vegetarian and vegan options available to us.
    I spent my summer in D.C., and it was there I fell in love with VegDC.com, the first of the Veg guides. I am so excited (haha, sorry, a bit exuberant, aren’t I) that this now exists for Austin and that we are the third city in the country to be graced with such an awesome resource!
    Thank you for writing an article about it, and keep it coming! Vegans are notoriously healthier than meat-eaters, so I see it as an ethical duty to make sure everyone knows how easy it is to go veg! Compassion Over Killing's website is a true eye opener. I'd love to see more articles on their primary focus of relieving animals from their current living situations.
    Furthermore, perhaps you can investigate and write up the health benefits of going veg at least several meals per week if not for the majority of one’s meals. In this article you can then mention VegAustin again as a convenient resource for people who would like more information on how to do this easily. The website www.pcrm.com is another great health-based organization that promotes the benefits of a vegan diet. Oncologists from around the nation contribute to their database.
    Peace, and rock on Austin!

Dear Editor,
    I am reading so much lately about the clearing of beautiful trees and such by greedy developers ["Clear-Cutting Austin," News, Sept. 21]. It is so sickening to me to think that these wonderful treasures are being destroyed so that some California idiot can have his house 6 feet bigger. Screw that in the eye! How long until our city is nothing but concrete and smog, like the hellholes these morons left to begin with? What really gets me is that these "enlightened" people move to Austin and rant and rave about how much they love it and how it's so quaint and "hippy-dippy" and they had to get out of wherever because of this laundry list of problems … then they go and create the same problems they are running from. Seems a little counterproductive – nah … seems a lot stupid. Furthermore, I am sick to death of every yuppie that goes by thinking that my Southern accent, my broom skirt, and my patchouli oil are such a damn novelty. I strive to be a very tolerant person, but frankly I'm getting a little fed up. I can see who is causing the damage to our way of life, and to them I say, "Go back and finish devastating California; leave us alone!" Maybe after they get through, it will fall off into the ocean, then – to quote Bill Hicks – "We can all go visit Arizona Bay."

Dear Editor,
    In your article about Ethan Hawke regarding his new book-turned-film, The Hottest State, Hawke said, "There are tons of books about women impaling themselves on love but not any about men" ["Life Story," Screens, Sept. 21]. In response, I would recommend a book to him entitled Of Human Bondage. William Somerset Maugham's epic bildungsroman will have you groveling till you drop. I am a huge fan of Hawke and his films, but surely he knew about this book. I mean, it is even referenced in Catcher in the Rye.

Dear Editor,
    Nooooooo! R.I.P. falling girl. Thank you to the Chronicle for alerting me and everyone else to the demise of one the most longstanding and hands-down one the most creative and artistic pieces of graffiti in the entire city ["Naked City," news, Sept. 21]. And thank you for dedicating one-third of a page to it with a nice zoom in of one of the "panels."
    I used to live within blocks of falling girl (painted on the parking deck at 12th and Guadalupe) and over the years have never once walked, biked, or driven by without pausing to admire this work and the cleverness and creativity behind her. I mourn her passing greatly. And I cannot stop kicking myself for not taking pictures of her entire stick-figure tumble down the parking decks while I had the chance.
    In a world with so much crappy graffiti that rarely surpasses name-tagging, it's a blessing when pieces actually stand out as real public art. Illegal public art, I suppose. There is a fine line between defacement and decoration but, alas, not so much so in the eyes of whomever finally made the call to paint her over. However, much credit is due for allowing the work to remain for as long as it did.
    I would like to ask that if anyone out there has pictures of falling girl, please e-mail them to me at graffitifan@gmail.com – especially if anyone has a photo of the mysterious last panel of her landing that was painted over long ago. Any other pictures of quality graffiti art are welcome.

Dear editors,
   Citizens need to be warned. Don't be duped by the city Neighborhood Planning and Zoning Department. Participating in a neighborhood plan is a waste of time. If I knew in 1997 what I know now, I never would have gotten involved in the neighborhood-planning process. Once the neighborhoods go through the tedious process of developing a plan, the city will completely disregard the adopted plan. Neither city staff nor the Planning Commission pay heed to whether a neighborhood plan has been adopted as part of the Austin Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan.
   Creating and maintaining a neighborhood plan keeps the volunteers busy and gives them the misperception that they have a say. But it is still business as usual at City Hall. It doesn't matter which neighborhood has a plan or doesn't. An adopted plan means nothing to the city bureaucracy. He who has the best lobbyist will get his way, even if it is contrary to a democratic neighborhood vote set up within the adopted neighborhood plans. There will still be inevitability to the goals of moneyed interests that back land speculation. This is particularly true if your neighborhood can’t afford a lawyer.

Dear Editor,
   So Louis Black contends that Jimmy Carter exhibits "reasonable compassion and genuine lack of partisan preferences ["Page Two," Sept. 21]." Oh really! Not only is Mr. Carter a neo-leftist partisan, but those in the Middle East he tacitly supports, namely Palestinian terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, are the lowest forms of humanity on earth. They are Jihadi barbarians who would tear our throats out in an instant. This is reasonable compassion and genuine nonpartisanship? Louis has achieved a new low.
   This recent example of moral relativism prompts the ultimate question: How can anyone of reasonable intelligence support any group of mad Islamists such as Hamas and Hezbollah? And how can a person as bright as Louis, and Jimmy Carter for that matter, fall for this? The answer is that they are infected with a cultural psychosis induced by being addicted to impressing the social, academia, media, and political glitterati.
   History is clear. Fashion slavery has always powered good or evil social phenomena. A compelling example is the crucial influence of chic in Hitler's acquiring power in Germany in the 1930s. And conversely being vogue was the fuel that drove millions to fight for the Allies to destroy the Nazis.
   So fashion is a force to be reckoned with. But we had best be on the right side of history when supporting a popular ideological political movement. And that brings us back to our dynamic pair. Driven by the mavens of trend, Louis and Mr. Carter are unwittingly enabling genocidal totalitarian Islamists.
   To be sure, the price of supporting any ideology based on fashion is high. So that decision must be based on wisdom, i.e., intellectual honesty and moral courage. Trendy vogue cannot be the ultimate arbiter of the ethical value of any social or political belief. Otherwise, evil can and will triumph.

   [Louis Black responds: Again and again throughout the documentary, Carter condemns terrorism and terrorist organizations. If an interviewer concentrates on Israeli excesses, Carter addresses the topic, but he also always brings up the hideous inhumanity of terrorism. Carter is not interested in championing sides but in genuinely considering scenarios for peace in the Middle East.]

Dear Editor,
   I'd like to commend Lee Nichols for the important article detailing the disappearance of the tree from the residential milieu of Austin ["Clear-Cutting Austin," News, Sept. 21].
   A year ago this past Veterans Day (a holiday no less!), I awoke to the sound of chain saws removing a 40-inch-diameter oak tree from a neighbor's Jewel Street property, immediately adjacent to my own house on West Monroe Street. As the city offices were closed for the day, I had to wait until the following morning to contact city arborist Michael Embesi. When I did speak to him, he informed me that he had approved the variance to remove the tree, because "the tree was in the worst place it could have been - right in the middle of the lot." He also commented to the effect that he regularly experienced a great deal of pressure from developers to grant such variances. Pretty shocking to consider it's that easy to obtain a permit to remove a tree that probably existed before the city of Austin did. The rules were put in place for a reason. If it's no problem to obtain a variance, what reason is there to have rules at all? Embesi isn't doing his job; that is part of the problem. He should vacate his position to someone that will.
   Inside of two months, I will no longer inhabit this Bouldin Creek area neighborhood where I've lived the past 13 years, due to the fact that I can no longer endure the heartache. I am being forced from my home by the methodical encroachment of new houses, which are simply too large for the lots upon which they are being constructed. Currently in progress 10 feet from my bedroom window is a future neighbor's floor slab, which, when completed, will be 2 feet in height above the 6-foot-tall privacy fence enclosing my back yard. There will be three stories of construction placed upon this floor slab. It's still unclear which, if any, of the existing trees will remain.

Dear Editor,
   I searched and searched this year's reviews of ACL shows ["ACL Music Fest Live Shots," Music, Sept. 21] and couldn't find a review of the Muse show anywhere! I suppose everyone was too busy watching the Arcade Fire and whining about the cancellation of the White Stripes to appreciate this very talented group. Muse played an awesome show with unrivaled energy and gusto. The set was fantastic, the lasers comparable to those used by Björk. The talented trio was my favorite act at ACL and definitely stepped up to the plate (and then some) to fill their headlining position on Saturday night at the AT&T stage. Personally, I was thrilled when the White Stripes decided that they were too tired to play ACL; it gave the true "headliner" the opportunity to strut their stuff! Thanks Meg!

Dear Editor,
    I would like to point out immediately that this letter has nothing to do with anything. But I feel impelled to get something out in the open that has me aggravated, stymied, and baffled.
    Here's the story: I am standing in line at the checkout at a local store, and the young woman in front of me is not only loading her purchases on the conveyor but also speaking on her cell phone. The cell phone business is rude at best, but I'm used to it. This is, after all, America, and free speech and rudeness often coincide. She is, however, speaking loudly enough for me and the checker to hear her conversation. She said, "And like I told him that she didn't like say that, and I was like really pissed off that he would like hear something that was like not said," etc.
    Albeit, I don't get out often, but I am horribly unnerved at the misuse of the word "like" in the last 20 years. I know it started out in the Valley girl days to point out the silliness of a certain kind of young woman. But now, it seems, it's in every conversation one has with anyone. Does this young woman in line in front of me mean that something was said and that she was only relaying the gist of the narrative? Does she mean that the words spoken were near but not the actual words spoken? Is the word "like" now just a modern-day adverbial phrase signifying that, although, words were spoken, they have no import as to how the report of the conversation was received? I am baffled.
    I am like not going to take it anymore. Does this mean that I am similar to not taking it anymore; just a misty vapor of not taking it anymore? Don't know.
    But I am going to strive very hard to change this. I will now insert the word "peace" every time the word "like" is favored to be the next malapropos out of my mouth. If we can all try this, maybe we can not only change our national dialogue with the winsome feeling that "peace" connotes but also ban forever the need to live in a symbolic narrative.

Dear Editor,
   The ACL Fest – where do I start? Is it me, or was there little or no metal or progessive-rock bands at that event? I may be wrong, but I did not see one of these types of music there. That is too bad. But seems to be following a disturbing trend in Austin, and particularly in the Chronicle, of neglecting any mention of music that is not of the hipster ilk. There are not even many clubs anymore that will feature metal bands. Why is that?
   The Chronicle has always been biased in their music coverage. If it's not the same old singer-songwriter stuff or the much-anticipated punk resurgence, then this paper has nothing to say about it except a chicken-shit jab at "wanker music."
   There are plenty of people who enjoy this type of music. And, frankly, it is much more exciting than watching some moron that can't even tune his guitar spew out some crap I played in my bedroom when I was 16! Is there anybody listening? What happened to the rockers out there?
   Thank you and goodnight, America.

Dear Editor,
   I read with interest Lee Nichols' article "Clear-Cutting Austin" [News, Sept. 21] on the Tree and Natural Area Preservation Ordinance and some proposed changes to it. If the ordinance is to be revised, my husband and I have recent experience that showed us that a different part of the ordinance would benefit from revision. The ordinance does not have any guidelines on whether a homeowner's desire to install solar panels in any way affects whether a tree-removal permit should be granted. We consider both trees and solar-panel installation to be beneficial environmentally, but unfortunately in our case, the two environmental goods were hopelessly in conflict with each other. We had the health of our trees assessed by an arborist to weigh as effectively as possible, which would be the greater environmental good in our case. We were told the two trees had very poor structure, so we concluded that the solar panels were a greater environmental benefit in this case. At that point in time we applied for a permit and learned that solar-panel installation was not considered a reason to grant a tree-removal permit. We did eventually get the permit, but that took about four months, scheduling an appeal of the denial of permit with the Environmental Board and obtaining a not-inexpensive, written arborist report detailing the poor condition of the trees.
   I think that if every homeowner in our situation experiences the same hurdles we have experienced, the result will be a reduction in compliance with the ordinance and/or a reduce the number of residences with solar panels in older parts of Austin. I don't think either of those results is in the city's interest.

Dear Editor,
    I was listening to some blather on the radio about an idea to tax by mileage instead of by gallon of fuel.
    What this supposedly would do is encourage environmentally friendly behavior by "punishing" people who "drive too much."
    But what it will really do is shift the tax burden to those people who must commute distances to work, which means those people whose jobs are not high tech or white collar enough for connecting to the office by computer, which means the entire tax burden would fall on the mostly-minimum-wage earners who do physical work and who live outside the pricey urban zones.
    Another idea born in irrational-government hell, sheesh.

Dear Editor,
    I read today's article “Clear-Cutting Austin” by Lee Nichols [News, Sept. 21]. First of all I'd like to say that I thought the article was well-written and that I'm mostly sympathetic to the views expressed. In this political environment, however, in which “development” is a flash-point issue, I think that particular words have to be chosen carefully for the most accurate and nonconfusing communication. The subject of this letter is the use of the word “developer” in the article. As most people in this town know (and as Nichols indirectly acknowledges in the article), mention of the word “developer” usually raises hairs on the neck and gets people riled up. The article makes independent use of the word (separate from the direct quotes) that is inaccurate. None of the projects mentioned in the article is a development project, and none of the contractors/home builders is a developer. Land development (what developers do) is the process of taking raw land and making it buildable by platting legal lots, building streets and utilities, and securing utility service. Tearing down a house and rebuilding is one thing contractors and/or home builders do, but it is not “development,” per se.

Dear Kate Thornberry,
    Just wanted to congratulate you on your articles focusing on food as medicine [“The Real Road to Wellville?,” Food, Sept. 21]. You do a true public service by helping people realize that they truly are what they eat.
    How nice it is for a change to see this paper use some of its food space to talk about what food is really meant for: nutrition. Usually we get yet another review of the latest barbecue joint to sell delicious burned pig and cow. Those who eat a steady diet of such food – and this country is full of them – are a chief reason for our health-care crisis, expecting others to subsidize the illnesses caused by their own gluttony and their unwillingness to learn more about what they eat and why they are so unhealthy.
    The average physician takes only a few hours of nutrition in a four-year course on how to make people healthy, i.e., prescribe drugs. Americans are once again realizing that they can make themselves well with good food and exercise and that the priests in the white coats are really mostly just pushers for drug companies.
    Food as medicine is hardly news; the Greek philosophers spoke of healing diets frequently, and 50 years ago Adelle Davis' fabulous books on nutrition and self-healing were bestsellers in the U.S. That sensible nutrition seems like news today speaks volumes of our national devolution.
    Please keep giving us more articles like these. Most Austinites know where to get a good burger; not enough know how to eat so they can live healthy, joyful lives.
    Thanks for pointing out that food is not entertainment; it's how we determine what our bodies and minds are made of.

Editor,
    I just wanted to thank The Austin Chronicle for its continuing coverage of the tragic death of Vilhelm Hesness [“Naked City,” News, Sept. 7]. His death illustrates the fact that law-abiding bicyclists can be struck by a motorist, who will most likely get away with it.
    In my opinion, the reason motorists get away with it is that most everyone in the justice system, from the cops to the judges to the juries, are all motorists. They feel that bicyclists are second-class citizens and don't belong on the road.
    As a committed bicycle commuter, I see the road full of motorists, talking on their cell phones, putting on make-up, smoking cigarettes, eating, doing whatever except paying attention. Most motorists don't realize they are driving a weapon.
    That is the messy reality to this toxic American car culture that we live in.
    But I will continue to ride my bicycle in the city. Not because it is easy but because it makes me happy. I look at motorists, and I almost feel sorry for them, enclosed in their coffins, caught in a void.
    For me bicycling is better because life is too precious to be spent in a car. And I would like to think that Vilhelm Hesness felt the same way.

Dear Editor,
    Don’t look now. You’re about to be tolled, and you’re not being told about it.
    The regional transportation agency, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, proposes to toll four existing roads in the Austin region – U.S. 290 East toward Manor, State Highway 71 East and U.S. 183 South at the airport, and U.S. 290/State Highway 71 West in Oak Hill. They also propose to build State Highway 45 Southwest as a toll road through environmental preserve land, even though it's long been planned as nontolled.
    CAMPO’s poorly publicized final public hearing on toll roads Sept. 10 was conducted in a blatantly unfair manner. Chairman Kirk Watson stated that sign-up for speakers was cut off shortly after 6pm. Since registration began at 5pm, only people who could afford to get off work early and/or worked Downtown could speak.
    This was a smaller room than the one CAMPO would normally use at UT. This auditorium quickly filled up with the "white hats" of Take on Traffic, a Chamber of Commerce-funded pro-toll lobbying effort. The rest of the large crowd was directed to two "overflow rooms," where they became helpless spectators watching on TV.
    This arrangement meant that CAMPO members literally could not hear nor see two-thirds of the people who came. Of course, most people drifted away, disappointed and frustrated with our elected officials.
    The excluded were predominantly anti-toll, by my best observation. But we cannot know for sure because of the way this hearing was conducted. The Austin American-Statesman claimed the majority was pro-toll but did not supply a tally of all who spoke and/or gave written comments at the hearing.
    Citizens should visit www.campotexas.org to let CAMPO members know what they really think.
    Unfortunately, CAMPO's official deadline for written comments on the proposed Transportation Improvement Program is Sept. 26.
    However, the actual vote on the toll roads is Oct. 8. There is still time to contact CAMPO and its individual board members, who are all elected officials (except reps from Capital Metro and the Texas Department of Transportation). It may not be "counted" in the official TIP testimony, but it will still count politically. Elected officials need to know how we feel, and they pay attention to voters.
    If you feel this is important, you can also show up for the CAMPO vote, and they will see that the people are watching them. Don't let them get away with hiding what they are doing.

Dear Editor,
    Ahh, it is only by an accident of birth any of us were not born in the Middle East.
    I cannot be as "black or white" as Vance McDonald [“Postmarks” online, Sept. 17], because I recognize that the universe is much more fluid with vast arrays of options. Duality is a fraction of a whole, and I cannot nor will not limit myself so heinously. McDonald can so choose to live and react out of abject fear; it is not a choice I could make in good conscience. Call me coward if you will; I really couldn't give a rat's ass anymore than McDonald cares what people think about him. He is a tough old coot, and I give him kudos for that, but (and you knew this was coming) he is just a little too narrow-minded for me to agree with him. It is actually reacting to that fear that will give the fear strength and cause repercussions, which could enable the fear to become a reality. Call me blind, call me whatever … again, remember “rat's ass.”
    I see no good prospects of a functioning democracy or even a functioning representative republic in Iraq. To stabilize will require another asshole dictator because the people there are just too fractured and cannot agree on anything, much less meeting one of the "benchmarks" of signing over all operations to extract their oil to American oligarchs.