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 Chronicle,
   So how much Christmas cheer did your reporter have before filing his alleged story on the homeless ["No Homeless in Our Time?," News, Dec. 17]? Here's a sampling of what wasn't reported:
   * There are 20,000 homeless people in Austin and its surrounding environs;
   * 6,709 of these meet the new federal criteria for chronic homeless;
   * 1,917 meet the criteria but are turned away due to lack of resources;
   * To be "chronically homeless" one must be an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, or one who has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years;
   * Disabling condition is a diagnosable substance disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including two or more of these conditions;
   * 755 shelter beds available for 90 days to those lucky enough to get them;
   * 388 transitional/permanent housing units for those lucky enough to get them;
   * In the Austin area, the chronic homeless account for about 33.5% of the homeless population and receive about 32.6% of the available funding, which completely screws up the "New York" reform model;
   * Ratio of staff to chronic homeless ~ 1-to-86;
   * Homeless funding: $17,960,000/20,000 homeless = $809.30 per capita, $67.45/month, or $2.25/day;
   * Chronic homeless funding: $5,067,000/6,709 chronic homeless = about $756.74/capita, $63.06/month, or $2.10/day; and
   * Implementation of "reforms" by DAA executive that seem openly hostile suggests less than optimum outcome of aid for chronically homeless.

   [News Editor Michael King responds: Bastrop's Ricky Bird, self-appointed authority on all matters homeless, finds it amusing to insult anyone else who presumes to discuss the subject without his permission. In a previous letter on another subject, he condemns those whose "politics is to spit on your allies and imply that those disagreeing with you are fools or corrupted." Yet that is the only style of argument he employs. For the record, his figure of 20,000 area homeless depends on counting "20,378 duplicated homeless individuals" who were provided services (in the Homeless Task Force survey he attached) as each an independent case of homelessness. That initial incorrect presumption undermines all his subsequent arithmetic. Certainly the local problem of homelessness is serious and the survey represents an important step in addressing the specific problem of chronic homelessness. Wild and hostile exaggerations of either the numbers or other people's motives are not much help.]

Dear Editor,
   Does The Austin Chronicle have a welcoming package, which includes a "Best of Austin" guide, for new Austinites? I became an official resident Friday, Dec. 17. If you could mail me literature, I would like that.

   [Editor’s note: For an online archive of "Best of Austin" winners, see austinchronicle.com/issues/annual/bestof.]

Dear Editor,
    Being a motorcycle rider, I’d like to state what’s on my mind.
    It is sad that two Austin police officers have lost their lives ["Many Unanswered Questions in Officers’ Deaths," News, Dec. 17]. It is always a tragedy when someone meets an untimely death on a motorcycle. However, when one chooses to ride a motorcycle they should know that there are many risks involved. Knowing the risks, to ride a motorcycle under the influence of alcohol is absurd. Even more ridiculous is the fact that a retired policeman, who was well aware of our laws, was operating a motorcycle while inebriated.
    To try and suggest that Cedars Bar and Grill is responsible for the deaths is a travesty. Yes, the bartender who was [allegedly] intoxicated while serving drinks deserved to be arrested – she was breaking the law. However, as the final stop on the officers’ ride, it is inconceivable to believe that the riders did not drink along the way.
    It’s possible that the officer who was killed did not drink until he reached Cedars Bar. If that is true, it is also true that he chose to drink, become intoxicated, and ride his motorcycle home. By doing so, he put others in jeopardy that were on the road that day. Remember, this was a police officer, one chosen to uphold the law.
    Motorcycle riders deal with disrespect from drivers on a daily basis. Many feel that we don’t have equal rights on the road. Unfortunately, bikers have a "bad reputation" to live down. The good news is that most of us ride safely, obeying the law and respecting the right to ride.
    I feel compassion for the families and friends of the deceased. However, I also feel anger toward any police officers drinking that day. Are they all above the law?

Dear Editor,
   On Dec. 11, 2004, my sister Shauna Jacobson, and brother-in-law, Kurt Jacobson, died tragically in a motorcycle accident ["Many Unanswered Questions in Officers’ Deaths," News, Dec. 17]. Their deaths were horribly traumatic and unexpected, leaving deep and permanent wounds in the hearts and minds of our families. The pain of their deaths has been magnified by the media coverage of the events leading up to the crash, causing an already unbearingly painful event to be even more difficult with which to cope. For those who have shared kind words about my sister and brother-in-law, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, I am also aware of cruel diatribes contained in recent editorials and discussion forums, as well as a spiteful sign posted at the crash site that was thankfully removed. Such negative remarks are pitiless and undeserved, suggesting that they actually deserved to die for one fatal mistake: Kurt’s decision to drive and Shauna’s decision to ride with him while both under the influence of alcohol that night. If you, the citizens of this community, could understand the daily horrors that my sister had to endure, surely you would view her more kindly, instead of with harshness, piety, and judgment. There were countless times in which Shauna had shed tears of sorrow about the dreadful crimes she investigated, distraught over humanity’s capacity for cruelty, as well as outrage for the pain inflicted on innocent victims. Shauna dedicated her life to protect and serve all of Austin’s citizens, even those of you who now have the audacity to attempt to besmirch her reputation or dare to speak ill of her and Kurt.
   We completely understand that Kurt and Shauna should not have gotten on the motorcycle that night, as we know that driving under the influence of alcohol is wrong. We are fully aware that police are role models, on and off duty. We, too, also thank God that no one else was injured or killed that night. But, we also implore; who among you have not exercised poor judgment at times? We acknowledge that it was a mistake for them to get on the motorcycle, as taking a taxi that night would have spared their lives and their family and friends unbearable pain. However, as Shauna’s sister, I feel compelled to defend her honor, as her memory deserves so much more than to be reduced to a simple "Don’t Drink and Drive" ad campaign. Likewise, my brother-in-law deserves better, as he had worked hard for many years as a law enforcement officer and had struggled with the unrelenting progression of multiple sclerosis. Ultimately, after the media’s attention to Shauna and Kurt’s story has waned, the majority of the citizens of Austin will forget both the circumstances associated with their untimely death, as well as their significant contributions to Austin and Travis County. However, we the families will have to continue to bear the agony of Shauna and Kurt’s deaths.
   As Shauna’s sister, I thought it important to mention that she was greatly loved, and we will forever miss her smile, laughter, intelligence, and passion for life. Shauna was admired by many of her colleagues for her professionalism, attention to detail, efficiency, and integrity. In addition to being an exceptional cop, she was also a mother, a grandmother, a gardener, a poet, and an athlete. Shauna was my mother’s daughter, our sister, our friend, a source of strength and a role model for how to live a more meaningful life, and how to leave this world a better place than before. Those who have known Shauna are indeed better for it. Our families’ loss is also Austin’s loss. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not understand the true extent of this loss, nor do they know of my sister’s relentless efforts to improve this community.
   Like the rest of us, Shauna was not perfect; she was human. However, she was genuine, intrinsically unique, spirited, tenacious, talented, and graced with a keen sense of humor. I am proud to be Shauna’s sister and hope to God I can contribute even a fraction of what she accomplished in her 46 years of life to improve this world. We will forever miss her and Kurt and rue our tragic loss on Dec. 11, 2004.

Louis,
   Gotta tell ya that while your continued postelection sackcloth-and-ashes routine may appeal to the downtown/78704 crowd, to others living farther out it's rather unbecoming in an adult-publications honcho. Plowing through the verbose, convoluted style of your self-questioning epistles is for this curmudgeon as laborious as reading a political science textbook, and that's the point at which I run the BS flag up the pole. In this retired tech writer's opinion your introspectives could use a large dose of editing for conciseness and readability; I'm fairly sure you're not paid by the word. Does the Chronicle staff do peer reviews? Maybe they should!
   As far as the useless spinning of liberal axles down at the Chron, you might consider the words of my high school football coach, a Penn State All-American: "Don't make excuses; make good!" I don't think you saw Republicans going through embarrassing histrionics throughout the five decades that the Democratic Party held sway in the U.S. Time to stand up and face reality like a man.

Dear Editor,
   How dumb can the Chronicle get? So, the Chronicle is now advocating ongoing tolls throughout Central Texas? Guess you guys are closer to special interests than you let on.
   To permit toll roads is to agree to an ongoing quadruple tax for Texas residents. First you pay the tolls, then you're paying a double-tax because some of the roads have already been paid for with other taxes (gasoline), then you pay more school tax so school buses can use toll roads, then you will pay another toll tax at the cash register because goods-and-services businesses will pass along their toll costs to consumers. How dumb can you guys get?

   [News Editor Michael King responds: The writer's specific reference is unclear, but for the record, the Chronicle has never "advocated" additional toll roads in Central Texas. Several of our writers have simply pointed out that if these roads are to be built – and maintained – they will have to be paid for, and current state funds are not adequate to those tasks. What the toll controversy has done is simply make visible longtime state subsidies to the real estate industry and regional sprawl now financially unsustainable in a political environment of "no new taxes." If there are any "special interests" involved, they are those who wish to continue massive state welfare, in the form of "free" highway and infrastructure, to developers and their residential beneficiaries, while shoving the expense upon the general public.]

Dear Editor,
   I used Todd Smiley as an actor in one of my short stories. Not only is he an amazing gaffer – he is also a very talented actor. My short is called "The Shovel," and he did a great job. You couldn’t have done a story on a more appropriate gaffer or actor than Todd Smiley ["The Lighter Side," Screens, Feb. 27].

Dear Editor,
   Your anti-populist, anti-independent bias is showing again. In Michael King's "The DA Makes a Deal" ["Capitol Chronicle," News, Dec. 17] on the indictments of corporations related to their campaign contributions to DeLay's TRMPAC, he cites that "half of the population," presumably Democrats, were disenfranchised by the Republican's campaign contribution practices. In the same issue, Chronicle writer Kimberly Reeves shakes a finger at the "50 speakers" who neglected to "thank" CAMPO for holding a hearing on the possibility of removing one of the tolls from the seven, eventually 11, toll road plan ["CAMPO Gets Toll Road Weary," News, Dec. 10].
   King seems to do his homework, so I figure he's probably heard about the CNN/Gallup Poll (Oct. 2002!), and many others since, showing that a plurality of voters, 35%, do not identify with any party. Nonaligned independent voters could provide the means by which real reform could take place – if elected officials of either party decided to build a sincere reform alliance with us.
   The Chronicle continues to express contempt for ordinary people speaking out in their own interests. In the case of the toll roads, actually quite a few speakers thanked CAMPO, but stated that removing just one of the tolls was not enough. If these same folks had thanked CAMPO and not spoken out on behalf of the other communities affected by the tolls, I guarantee Reeves would have charged them with "NIMBYism" and as "typical" suburbanites who don't give a rat's butt for anyone else.

P.S. p.s. I'm leading the recall petition drive for the Austin Toll Party. We have 180 days to file our petitions – sometime in February.

Dear Editor,
   It's amazing that anyone in Central Texas would negate the efforts of Sal Costello and the Austin Toll Party ["CAMPO Gets Toll Road Weary," News, Dec. 17]. It's a shame that CAMPO committee members appear bored with those against toll roads; however, the majority of Texans don't want tolls. It's a fact that toll roads are not cost-effective, and there are a myriad of reasons for Central Texans to raise a stink until CAMPO, TxDOT, the governor, and other officials finally hear the clamor and eliminate the plans for toll roads. There has been no study that proves toll roads are the best and only option to raise revenue to build and maintain Texas roads. Instead of negating Sal Costello's efforts against toll roads, the Chronicle should be supporting and praising his efforts. If toll roads do become part of our lives, our children's children will continue to bear the financial brunt of ongoing special-interest politics.

Dear Editor,
   Michael Ventura, you are a treasure. Your homage to your brother moved me more than I can say ["Letters @ 3am," Dec. 10]. In three days, my own brother Mike will have been gone for 17 years. I still talk to him and expect I always will. Where would I be without him?
   I wish you well.

Dear Editor,
   I'm adamantly against turning South Austin roads that have already been paid for into toll roads to line the pockets of Rick Perry and his buddies. If South MoPac and Loop 360 are turned into toll roads, I estimate it will cost me $60 a month in tolls to commute to work. This will be a reduction in my monthly income, and it will slow down traffic on the already extremely crowded roads. I will not re-elect anyone who voted for toll roads. It's a stupid idea that does not solve the real issue of traffic congestion.

Chronicle,
    "Naked City" [News, Dec. 17] states that Mr. Lee Leffingwell, candidate for City Council Place 1, "has done a good job clearing the field in Place 1." Had I known this sooner, I would have prepared a concession speech! I’m sure Lee has City Council potential, but his field-clearing leaves much to be desired.
    My political machine consists of a clipboard, petition papers, and a pen. Rather than purchase my place on the ballot for $500, I chose the alternative of collecting 294 signatures to get on the ballot.
    I’m mainly running for City Council Place 1 to offer voters another option. I have made the choice to initiate active participation in government as opposed to lethargic complaint.
    Please allow me to state my case in the months prior to the election, probably at a slower pace than special interests and consultants would suggest.

Dear Editor,
   Isn't it amazing, that after only a single generation, the Old Guard has gone from fearing radical youth to fearing the radical Other Guard?

Editor,
   It's completely transparent, yet you can see it coming from a mile away. The sales job is already starting for President-elect Bush's next big rip-off.
   Right now, more than 99% of Social Security's revenues go toward benefits, and less than 1% for overhead.
   So when you hear Bush's Social Security "reform" salesmen begin their pitch, listen closely to the "management fees" they're asking for their friends to be paid. If they add up to 1% or less, you'll know the whole world was wrong about Bush being a liar and a thief.
   Like that's gonna happen.

Hi Jordan Smith,
   I read your article "My Satellite Radio Jones" [News, Dec. 17] with great interest. Like you, I am convinced that there is a tremendous segment of the population that is not being serviced by today's radio choices.
   You may be interested to hear a preview of a format/show I've developed that actually targets three generations. Is that possible in this day and age? Listen for yourself at www.sonnyradio.com/SonnyRadio888.wma. We are lining up stations for syndication in 2005.
   Thanks for your refreshing perspective!

Dear Editor,
   Your article stated, "Marijuana is an illegal drug, listed as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has … no ‘medically acceptable’ use" ["The Supremes Take a Hit," News, Dec. 10]. Marijuana is no more a drug than any other medicinal herb. If the classification were changed, perception and laws might follow.

Dear Editor,
   I am sure everyone has enjoyed these last beautiful days of fall in Austin. It's as if Mother Nature is comforting us in our grief over her continued rape by the psychotic corporations.
   I would like to share 12 simple syllables that I know will make a difference in this world: Fascist will fail. Nazi shall not see victory.
   These two phrases are one of my mantras. They are fun to say! Please join me in vocalizing them a few times every day.
   Your mind is very powerful. Suffice it to say we understand very little of its capacity. The primary horror of Madison Avenue is that you will realize how beautiful and strong you are, and what little need you have for most of what it has to sell.
   Walk or bike when possible. Sing. Laugh. Enjoy! Deny any programs which pop up in your head from time to time or assault you via media that you are not good enough.

Dear Editor,
   I want to thank you and writer Jordan Smith for another courageous, well-researched, and most enlightening story, this one on medical marijuana ["The Supremes Take a Hit," News, Dec. 10].
   I have MS, intractable pain from a life-changing spinal injury, and unfortunately a true allergy to narcotic analgesics. With intense pain radiating down both legs, agonizing muscle spasms, and nerve pain from the MS, I typically sleep a very interrupted two-to-three hours a night, but I still have to work or lose coverage for the $1,800 MS medicine I need monthly. I work hard in physical therapy and have endured 12 epidural cortisone injections (so far) for my spinal problems, but there's no way to fix me, so this is it.
   As a (native) Texan I’m a medical marijuana patient "wannabe," who finds, after 54 years, that she's been living in the wrong state. (Maybe the wrong country, especially since the last election.) Doctors agree I’d likely benefit from cannabis, but they'd lose their licenses if they even suggest it in Texas.
   Obviously many people have much worse problems than mine; I'm always grateful that I'm not homeless or starving, and nobody's shooting at me. But it really pisses me off that I have more pain and disability because I’m a Texan, and because of an unconstitutional, politically motivated prohibition that helps virtually no one and literally hurts millions of us. Financial limitations and the inevitability of further medical deterioration preclude relocating to a medical-marijuana state, much less to Canada, because I’d be leaving my family, friends, doctors, and insurance coverage behind. Plus, as your article pointed out, the feds could still bust me in a medical marijuana state anyway.
   Something needs to change, and I thank you again for your help in that direction.

Dear Editor,
   One of the main reasons I turn to the Chronicle, either online or in print, each week is to read "Letters @ 3AM" by Michael Ventura. So much of his writing resonates with me, whether I agree with him or not. I don't know whether he would call himself a Christian or not, but he wrote an article on Jesus quite a while ago that I have never forgotten ["Letters @ 3AM," Dec. 25, 1998]. Thank you for your writings – for your voice and your way with words.

Dear Editor,
   Although I remain optimistic that we will one day resemble a melting pot, current conditions reveal the difficulty America has in blending multiple cultures like the metaphor suggests. At present America may be best described as a salad bowl, where each ingredient, or culture, maintains its original shape even as they are mixed together.
   One of the newest examples of our salad bowl culture is the megabar. Built like big-box stores in suburbs across the country, megabars boast six or more thematic rooms under one roof. For a single cover charge patrons can venture into the honky-tonk, rave, retro lounge, hip-hop club, karaoke bar, live music venue, or Top 40s dance hall.
   For anyone who favors the organic growth of bar districts in urban enclaves, megabars are merely an extension of shopping-mall capitalism, homogenizing and packaging consumption in a conspicuous and digressive fashion. However, critics could also view this phenomenon as a positive cultural transformation.
   Demographics that find suburban settings comfortable alternatives to urban areas would likely find megabars viable options for their weekend entertainment. Surrounded by other cultures due to the various venues, megabar patrons would be forced to mix with individuals they would otherwise avoid.
   Optimally, megabars could be the cultural melting pot suburban America needs in order to remove the cultural isolation, misunderstanding, and bigotry that prevents us from being a truly multicultural society. Of course, this is the optimal scenario. If nothing else, megabars will act like a nice raspberry and walnut vinaigrette, accentuating our salad bowl culture without completely blending its various ingredients.
   You don’t like vinaigrettes? Fine. Blue cheese. Megabars are blue cheese.