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 [email protected]. Thanks for your patience.

Louis,
   Although I have to agree that the Chronicle staff's wardrobe does seem to overly rely on never being seen by humans ("After a Fashion," March 5), I was so impressed to see live in person what Stephen often shows us in print. We are truly blessed to have some great, accessible, quality, impressive, local fashion designers, retailers, and artists in our little town. Thanks for bringing even more of our Austin treasures into well-directed light.
   And back to your staff's unfortunate fashion misdirection, please let them know that we all get our eyebrows singed off by Stephen's flame every now and then. Hopefully they remember that there is no such thing as bad press.

Dear Editor,
   If this Lib freak [Jim Hightower] can't even make the Drudge list, why does his crap keep showing up here.
   How about Nat Hentoff or someone with a brain.

Hello Stephen [Moser],
   I am writing to thank you for the marvelous time with fantastic people at the Fashion Folio party last week (I was one of the models from Acclaim). I loved the atmosphere of the event and wish you great success in future projects.

Dear Editor,
   If the people in a representative government do not have faith in the accuracy of their elections, then it's only a matter of time until the government will collapse. Fair elections are the lifeblood of democracy.
   If there are reasonable doubts about the accuracy of computerized voting machines – and I believe there are reasonable doubts about them – we should do whatever it takes to dispel those doubts.
   We can do this by simply mandating that computerized voting machines produce old-fashioned paper ballots that would be available in case questions about the election arose or a recount was necessary.

Dear Editor,
   Lee Nichols' rant against the DeLay-directed redistricting echoes my own feelings ["Disenfranchised in District 10," News, March 5]. While some of our politicos boast that we have "the greatest democracy," as a resident of Northeast Austin, I feel more like a citizen of Cuba, Haiti, or Iran. Disenfranchised by a lack of any real choice as an undistinguished bunch of shrill sound-alike conservatives are shoved down my throat. It really sticks in my craw.
   As an Austin resident, the only thing I have in common with others in CD 10 that includes Brenham and Houston is that I eat Blue Bell ice cream and follow the Astros. My only wish is that bully Tom DeLay go back to exterminating bugs and not democracy as we once knew it.

Dear Editor,
   Hey! I just picked up a Chronicle after maybe two years. It's just the same old thing. The cartoons are so shallow you might actually think George W. thought up the whole new world order all by himself. Will there ever be more than bashing and smashing in the dark? Would it be too much for the public to be faced with a little reality? Democrats and Republicans are a part of the same evil. One cannot vote for the other party in hopes of eliminating the international monetary scam, the trilateral commission, United Nations, and the fact that our elected officials represent the international powers of the world and not our own people. The point is, hire someone to explain this to your readers. These people are in the "matrix" so to speak. They have no idea. We are so programmed it's not funny. Find out for yourself if you don't already know. Or take whatever pill and forget it.

Dear Editor,
   Let me just say first, I was totally opposed to re-redistricting and the GOP agenda in general, however while I agree with many of Nichols' points, why blame the GOP for the lack of options at the voter box ["Disenfranchised in District 10," News, March 5]? It's the DNC that have once again wimped out and refused to run in any districts that are not a surefire win. In this one limited instance, the DNC should take some lessons from the GOP – which is running a $2 million campaign in District 25 – which is 62% Democrat. I believe District 21 is only 55% GOP, and the DNC just throws the district away. At least give the GOP a run for their money against the extreme right candidate Lamar Smith.
   I can only hope there will a Green Party option in districts 21 and 10. But given their record lately, they'll probably run in 25 instead and try to mess up the Democrats chances.

Dear Editor,
   The same people who lied to us about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are also lying to us about Aristide. In the eyes of those who are paying attention they have absolutely no credibility and much blood on their filthy hands. One could say that it is very patriotic for the U.S. news media to cooperate so "nicely" with the White House spinmeisters. Truth is we spent more than $2.5 billion on Haiti in the mid-Nineties. Some in power evidently believe that makes it ours, and justifies a CIA engineered "coup d'etat" which will let us get a puppet to replace Aristide. Certain members of the Bush regime cannot stand the fact that Aristide has been working with Castro and Chavez, and that none of them embraces capitalism. Only the truth will set us free from tyrants like those in the White House and the dreadfully lost mainstream press, who use their power to feed the masses the same drivel that the White House shovels out.

Dear Editor,
   Last night I went to a gallery opening at F8 Gallery on Sixth Street, let me tell you I am so glad that I did. They were exhibiting a few artists, but the one I found incredibly refreshing was Yuri Martinez; his oil on canvas paintings are the true work of someone who will be recognized as a master in the future. He is new to this country, only three years, he was brought to this country by Papillion Gallery in L.A. He is now living in Texas. I just thought I would pass on his word. I don't get into Austin that often, but boy am I glad I did last night. Check him out. You too will be thrilled with his work.

Dear Editor,
   Observation: Has anyone else noticed that the Frost Bank Tower resembles Bubo the owl from the movie Clash of the Titans?

Dear Editor and Michael King,
   In last week's Chronicle, I was quoted as saying 90% of "hardcore activists" (i.e., those participating in resistance on a daily basis) were against Nader's presidential bid as reported from my informal poll two weeks prior to his formal announcement and his coming here ["Nader Does the Texas Two-Step," News, March 5]. However, upon his arrival in Austin and since, I'm finding supporters coming out left and right, literally from the previously silent "hardcore" activists, the "unrepentant Nader voters," those sick of the "Anything but Bush" propaganda designed by Dems who'd rather Nader simply "go away," Republicans sick of the neo-cons, and from many third party and independent camps who see that in Texas, more than any other state, the need to band together to commonly achieve their ballot-access goals in the upcoming ultra-short window in which to collect our respective signatures.
   Since the un-election of 2000, nothing much surprises me in the political scene anymore, but this election season is sure to see a whirlwind of unexpected twists and turns. From the left's own undercutting of itself (please, lefties, remember that ever-valuable tool of "critical analysis"), to the strange bedfellows Nader is attracting due to the neo-con's overt destruction of our Constitution, to the banding together of Libertarians, Greens, reformers, and Nader supporters, we are sure to see some hot political action. I for one am looking forward to experimenting in this election season with these new parameters – and to working with the "never-before voters" who are looking for a candidate that speaks to them while Kerry and gang continue to drag the Democratic party to the right and Bush and gang drag the Republican party toward fascism.
   I invite all to keep an eye out on the ballot drives and the third party conventions in June (www.lp.org and www.txgreens.org) to consider which candidate speaks to them. Vote however you want come Election Day, but the election season is the time for participating in the democratic process to move likely candidates to taking on the issues that matter is nigh! Without choice there will never be change.

Sirs,
   Jim Hightower "report" on mad cow ["The Hightower Report," March 5]. Try the tofu burgers at Mother's or any other eco-freak burger joint. Keep your nanny gate ideas to yourself. Since this is a free country then you get to choose what you eat. Please allow me the same right without your nanny goat butting into my affairs.

Dear Editor,
   The Bush campaign is using images and events of 9/11 in their first campaign ad. Is anyone really surprised that this tragic event is being spun for political gain? Let's not forget our esteemed leader in his flight suit under a "Mission Accomplished" banner in May of last year. Five hundred fifty American lives and thousands of Iraqi lives later, we have no credible exit strategy for Iraq. We have no proof that Iraq posed the "imminent threat" that Bush told the American public it did. WMDs are nowhere to be found.
   While billions of dollars are being spent to stabilize Iraq, millions of Americans are going without health care, a roof over their heads, and even a steady job. Our schools are suffering from underfunding, and our first responders, like our firefighters, are having their budgets cut.
   Leadership, that's what we keep hearing from Bush. Do I believe it? No. Neither should you. He has yet to take any responsibly for anything that has happened under his watch, not the loss of lives, the loss of jobs, the loss of the surplus, and certainly not the loss of his credibility. This is another mission he failed to accomplish, and it's time he joined the ranks of unemployed in the country. Maybe then he can really feel our pain.

Dear Editor,
   I appreciate The Austin Chronicle for the news and lifestyle information it provides; weekly I look forward to the editorials, letters from readers, and comics. Looks like we need a new strip called The Gayvernor.
   President Bush launched his campaign for re-election today, proclaiming optimism that the direction in which he has led the country will produce freedom and peace. When this doublethink is deciphered, he means that he will continue to act exactly as his corporate masters dictate to enrich themselves and to impoverish the middle class, and that we can look forward to greater restriction in our daily existence and the promotion of policies which will increase violence and enshrine us within a never-ending war against an ever-abstract enemy.
   It is counterproductive at this point to equate Bush with Hitler or to claim our government was complicit in the terrorist attack of 2001. It is sufficient to accurately account that Bush has exploited that tragedy at every turn and lied to us with every breath.
   Voting for a third party candidate can in no way deconstruct this debacle.

Sirs,
   In speaking to the Austin American-Statesman regarding widespread rumors of his sexual misconduct, Perry muses aloud, "I think it's inappropriate. I think it has great potential for backlash for those who start it."
   The governor's words may very well prove prophetic. I'd be willing to bet that, sometime in the future, Republicans will retaliate by attacking a popular Democratic president based on reports alleging extramarital sexual activity, thus distracting the nation from impending national security concerns for more than a year. Later, they'll condemn that president for having been "unfocused."
   Or is that too far-fetched?

Dear Editor,
   Will the revolution be blogged? The short answer is, yes, the revolution will be blogged.
   The proper question is, however, who will be reading which version of the revolution?
   Blog audiences, like most of America, tend to be pretty bipolar. Libs read lib blogs, and 'wingers read 'winger blogs.
   I think weblogs function mostly, and perhaps best, as a support group for their intended constituencies. They sure don't seem to affect national media coverage in any meaningful way, and aren't likely to change anyone's mind.

Dear Editor,
   Ralph Nader is nothing more than a self-centered, egotistical, mouthy CEO. He is an accomplice to the Bush administration's four years of reckless policy-making.

Dear Editor,
   Your recent column by Jim Hightower ["The Hightower Report," News, Feb. 27] contains several mischaracterizations of fact.
   First, mountaintop mining, including "mountaintop removal," with the disposal of excess rock or "spoil" in the upper reaches of drainage channels, has been a common method of mining coal in southern Appalachia for at least three decades and has been expressly authorized and regulated by Federal law since 1977.
   Second, our Jan. 7, 2004, proposal to strengthen our excess spoil rules, if adopted, would provide measurable and enforceable standards that coal mine operators would have to meet. We expect that the proposal changes would reduce the number and size of future valley fills.
   Third, our Jan. 7, 2004, proposal to also clarify our stream buffer zone is, indeed, a clarification. For over 20 years, regulatory authorities have applied our stream buffer zone requirements and worked to limit the downstream impacts from valley fill placement. However, that rule has never been an "outright prohibition" against disturbing land within 100 feet of a stream, and has never been used as such. However, recent federal court rulings, later invalidated, have shown us that the rule is vulnerable to serious misinterpretation and might need clarification.
   Finally, I would note that the Clean Water Act has not been revised. Instead, while it is not our rule, a regulatory definition of fill under the Clean Water Act, which was proposed in April 2000 during the previous administration, was finalized in 2002.
   Because you have raised concerns about our Jan. 7, 2004, proposal in your editorial, we will include it in the administrative record for the proposed rule and more fully respond to those concerns in any final action on our proposed rule changes.

   [Jim Hightower replies: If you decipher the gobbledygook, this Department of the Interior guy agrees with me, saying that, yes, mountaintop removal is grotesque, it's been going on for 25 years, and they're going to keep it up. My point is that it should be stopped. For background on this issue and to see pictures for yourself, check out Appalachian Voices, www.appvoices.org.]

Dear Editor,
   Winning votes for candidates or destroying others on the backs of targeted groups is not a new tactic and not exclusive to FreePAC. Gov. Perry signed the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Bill, and I do not believe that it is a stretch to connect the governor's current problems (rumors) to extreme members of his own party. All of this reminds me of Luigi Pirandello's writing, "Right you are if you think you are," which shows that a community pays when it is driven by gossips to find out "the truth" about people's private lives.

Dear Editor,
   Chris Danze's free speech rights have thwarted the killing of unborn babes, the poorest and most needy humans of all ["Standing Up to 'Terrorism,'" News, March 5]. Thank God for his noncensored free speech.

Dear Editor,
   It wouldn't have taken a soothsayer par excellence to predict that the GOP would wrap its re-election hopes around the tragedy of 9/11. And now the first ads are up and running, showing the backdrop of the twin towers wreckage and firefighters laboring away. I find it repulsive that anything relative of 9/11 is being used for political gain, and apparently so do the kin and friends of those who perished. It was hard to watch local GOP lapdog Karen Hughes defend this as being in "good taste," after all, these "patriots" have done everything possible they can to impede, if not outright scuttle, the bipartisan investigation into why all this happened in the first place. Oh, by the way, for all the GOP attack dogs who have tried to blame Billbo and Co. for this mess, Clinton/Gore have offered to testify at unlimited length, while Bush/Cheney have offered up all of one measly hour each. And Condescending Rice has refused to testify, period ... why? Why re-elect anybody who is never held accountable for anything? Karen Hughes can put lipstick on this pig all day long, but it still stinks to high heaven.

Dear Editor,
   A vote for Doggett could possibly result in the election of a Republican in the newly created CD 25, a district "begging" to elect a Hispanic Democrat. Tom DeLay must be "laughing out one side of his mouth" knowing he pitted Doggett against the Hispanic community, forcing Sen. Barrientos to "go Hispanic" in favor of Judge Leticia Hinojosa while Doggett tries to court Hispanic votes in South Texas, fully aware how tough it is to "speak Hispanic" with a "Learning to Speak Tex-Mex" translator booklet as a guide. A prudent Barrientos decision in favor of Democrat Judge Hinojosa is smart and presents the best opportunity to elect both a Democrat and a Hispanic in the salamander-shaped CD 25 that stretches from a few precincts in East Austin to a majority Hispanic voter block in South Texas.
   The following scenario will be true joy to Mr. DeLay. Imagine that Democrat Hinojosa somehow "politically stumbles" in South Texas, that Doggett splits enough votes in Leticia's backyard, keeps his tiny block of liberal Anglo Democrats in East Austin, and gets into the general election. Now, South Texas Hispanics must decide whether Doggett is preferable to Republican candidate (and Hispanic) Rebecca Armendariz Klein. To help them make their choice, South Texas voters will see Republican money spent for Armendariz Klein that will make Doggett's war chest seem puny by comparison. Can this scenario get worse? Yes! Remember the Hispanic voters that voted for Hinojosa because she is Hispanic will not switch to Anglo Doggett no matter what the party affiliation. These former Hinojosa voters will likely go for Armendariz Klein, joining the few Republican voters in CD 25, and producing the "nightmare" that most of us "yellow-dog" Democrats could not imagine would happen – the election of a Republican in a "slam-dunk" Democratic district.

Dear Editor,
   Like many people in America, it drives me nuts that I can't get away from certain sensationalized events in the media. Regardless of the subject, some things warrant little coverage if any, yet Americans love to get involved on some strange voyeuristic level.
   Tabloid coverage of the rich and famous is anything but novel, although instantaneous information transmission is taking it to a new level in modern society. Usually the person being covered is an athlete, politician, musician, or movie star. These people should expect the slanderous coverage they receive; they volunteered to be in the public eye.
   Moreover, Americans have always drooled at the success of business tycoons since the era of 19th century trusts. However, unlike the tabloid news originating in Hollywood and D.C., news coverage of today's CEO is something we should all keep our eyes on.
   Optimistically, I see capitalism in a late phase of existence and hope to see its evolution in my lifetime; however, realistically I understand that capitalistic excess will get worse before it gets better. International corporations are already without boundaries; largely unchecked by national governments, their power is intangible and largely uncontrollable. Acting as an emblem for these corporations, the CEO will gain a level of power and control that is all too comparable to that of the U.S. president.
   The interesting thing is that these CEOs, with the power that they wield, are not something the common man can vote out of office. Even if a person has stock in that company, their voice is small and unequal compared to the board of directors and large shareholders. To remove a CEO from office requires internal bickering rather than public debate.
   My point? Michael Eisner is a case study for how the world will soon be run solely by insiders.

Dear Editor,
   Yes, I'm one of those folks who has been making the boycott phone calls to Central Texas suppliers, contractors, and vendors imploring them to not have any involvement with Planned Parenthood's new facility in Austin ["Standing Up to 'Terrorism,'" News, March 5].
   No, I don't have fangs or live in a swamp. I'm actually highly educated and believe I have a strong aptitude in the area of moral discernment.
   First, I assure you all of my phone calls have been perfectly open, honest, and respectful and have in no way harassed or tormented anybody.
   The real issue, of course, is when we place an inordinate premium on unbounded and undisciplined personal autonomy and license at the expense of what is good and true and most noble in the human condition, we can become completely incapable of even recognizing human life and the necessary sanctity that attends to it.
   This, I fear, is what has happened to our so-called progressive friends in this country, including Austin.
   Legal abortion is gravely wrong and therefore will not be able to last. People like Chris Danze will be heralded as heroes. What our citizenry 200 years from now will be wondering is where were the rest of you and what in blazes were you actually thinking?

Dear Editor,
   The Texas Department of Transportation is running a $355 million shell game southeast of Austin. TxDOT claims that the proposed seven-mile State Highway 45 Southeast toll road, which would run parallel to FM 1327, is a connector between I-35 and SH 130 (now U.S. 183). It is nothing of the sort. It is another section of the SH 45 loop around the city. It will force construction, against the city of Austin's wishes, of the final loop segment, SH 45 Southwest, which will cross the aquifer recharge zone and become a funnel for more traffic to already congested MoPac.
   The true connector already exists in Texas 21 from San Marcos to U.S. 183. It is five miles shorter than taking SH 45 Southeast, and not tolled. A glance at a road map makes the choice obvious. And don't accept TxDOT claims at face value.

Dear Editor:
   I would like to write in response to our mayor's statements about the Austin Music Network. I was recently shocked to hear about the network's situation and now sudden possibility of being shut down. I have followed the network's history and hardships for many years now. Being a member of the Austin music community, having worked and performed in Austin, along with members of my family, I was completely surprised at the statements our mayor made about the network not being of any value or use to Austin musicians. It has been my experience as a musician and as a viewer that the network provides a forum for Austin-based artists to have their videos aired where otherwise there would be no outlet. It has also been my experience that the network has promoted nightly music events, interviews with local bands, created a really cool kids' music show, and has been a great source of viewing pleasure for every member of my family. AMN doesn't only promote one kind of Austin music; it supports every kind, from rap to Tejano to children's to alternative rock. For the mayor to take such a seemingly personal stance over a political ad that could be taken in any number of ways and for the network to suffer such scrutiny over airing an inappropriate video when it has publicly apologized and made great strides to ensure the same mistake won't happen again, I think it would be a shame to shut it down now. If the city of Austin is going to use slogans like "Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World," then the city should continue to support ways for Austin musicians to be heard.

Dear Editor,
   I'm a local voting musician, and I have a voice at the polls. I also have a place right now at the Austin Music Network. I'm enraged that my creative forum could be taken away, sold to a private company for profit, and all under the guise of running "illegal" PSAs on registering to vote and the lewd content of a video. Mayor Wynn seems a bit petty, don't you think? And strangely he's condemning AMN publicly about being of no measurable benefit to Austin musicians. I'm living proof AMN supports local talent. I vote and I'm paying attention to who really keeps Austin the Live Music Capital of the World. Do the right thing and keep AMN operating.

Dear Editor,
   Ever since Powell's ever-so-sincere speech to the UN about WMDs, etc., I've slipped into thinking of him as Powell the Unbelievable. So here he is now saying that it's absurd and ridiculous to think that the U.S. has kidnapped Aristede. Why on Earth would anyone even consider believing Powell anymore? He also said that Aristede wasn't behaving democratically. By that standard, Bush should join Aristede in the Central African Republic. Aristede was elected by 92% of the people. This was a U.S.-created coup led by the death squad leaders the U.S. trained, protected, and financed. And U.S. Marines took Aristede away. Whatever Powell and Cheney may decide to say. This administration's interest in democracy is entirely fictional.

Dear Editor:
   My brief hope that our governor's bullying fratboy political behavior could be explained by an unresolved conflict in his sexual identity has been dashed, along with any fragile hope for his recovery to self-acceptance and service to his community ["The Real Sins of Gov. Perry," News, Feb. 27].
   He's not confused, he's just another standard Republican asshole. How sad.

Dear Editor,
   Thank you for your recent article by Mike Clark-Madison regarding the need for a new central library for the Austin Public Library system ["Reading the Riot Act," News, Feb. 27]. We at the Austin Public Library Foundation could not agree more with his urgency, reasoning, and passion. Founded in 1995, the Austin Public Library Foundation's mission is to support and strengthen Austin's public libraries.
   We work to increase awareness about the library and its importance to the community and to raise funds through individual gifts, corporate support, and foundation grants. Our largest effort to date has been the funding of the Michael & Susan Dell Wired for Youth Centers in 10 branches systemwide. These centers expand computer access and offer workshops and special programs for young people. In 2003, Joanna Nigrelli, a "Wired for Youth" librarian, received a New York Times Librarian Award, and was the only librarian selected in Texas.
   The Austin Public Library Foundation is determined to help the library succeed during these difficult times. But we cannot do this alone. We need widespread public support and financial backing from the community. Right now we are sponsoring a "Buy One for the Library" campaign to encourage all citizens to help the library expand the collection. Show your support for Austin's libraries. Visit www.austinlibrary.org and click on the "Buy One" link.
   Thank you for supporting one of Austin's most important natural resources: our community's love of learning.