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.

Dear Editor,
    The billboard trucks driving around Austin with the obviously pro-life ad of an aborted fetus with the giant letters spelling "choice" is appalling! I am all for having one's own opinions, but to put that picture on a truck and drive it around town is the most insensitive thing I have ever seen! I sincerely hope they don't drive by any victims of incest or rape who this horrible ad would probably affect the most. The freedom to choose to make our own decisions is the most important thing to us, and I hope the people behind this ad never have a mother, daughter, or sister fall victim to a rape or incestuous act! I feel the worst for the monsters behind this ad!

Dear Editor,
    Conservatives speak of the free market as though it were holy. To them, it solves all problems and must be allowed to function without restraint. That is, until we need to bail out one of the biggies. You see, some companies (Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Bear Stearns, AIG) are just too big to fail, they tell us. So, the taxpayer is forced to prop them up. Meanwhile, companies are buying each other up, trying to make it to that plateau where they, too, are too big to fail, and so have a government-guaranteed insurance policy.
    Seems like if we want the free market to function properly, we should prevent companies from ever making it to the "too big" level, because failure is an integral part of the free-market system. Just ask the large proportion of small-businessmen who have lost their shirts at one time or another. Why not require every company that wants to merge or acquire another company to prove that it will not become "too big to fail.” Wouldn't want them to miss out on all the attributes of the holy free market, including the potential to fail.
    And let's start identifying and breaking up the entities that are too big for their britches already.

Dear Editor,
    On Tuesday, Sept. 16, I heard President Bush urge us to give to those affected by Hurricane Ike. He warned us not to suffer from "disaster fatigue" and give to charitable organizations such as the Red Cross to help those displaced by the storm. After touring the devastated areas of our state, he also urged those evacuees not to return to their homes or businesses until local authorities deemed it safe to do so. I started thinking about “disaster fatigue” and couldn’t help but think of an even greater national tragedy we as Americans face.
    Every time there is a natural disaster, whether it be a hurricane or even a tsunami, I see average Austinites, Texans, and Americans come together to help those in need. Not surprisingly, many politicians often use these opportunities as little more than photo-ops to better their own careers. Even worse, many large corporations and unscrupulous small-business owners often seize the opportunity for price gouging. While this may be unethical, it is not illegal under current Texas law. I have a hard time understanding why crude-oil prices have dropped 35% over the last two months, yet consumer prices for gasoline have fallen only 7% during the same time period.
    Regarding politicians, both parties have raised considerable amounts of money for the presidential campaign. Why couldn’t they donate some of this money to help those in need instead of hitting us with another attack ad?! It almost seems to me that both parties are too busy trying to divide our country based on ideological differences rather than help unite us when we have a common cause more important than individual political ideology.
    Personally, I believe our legislators should pass a law to put a temporary price freeze on gasoline and other important commodities during a state of emergency. In my opinion, those who engage in price gouging during a disaster are as bad as (if not even worse) than looters during times of tragedy. Better yet, wouldn’t it be refreshing to see our corporate neighbors roll back prices or even donate goods and services to those affected by a natural disaster temporarily or at least until the time of need has passed? Anyway, I believe most of us would suffer much less from disaster fatigue if all of us (citizens, politicians, and corporations) worked together during a natural disaster – instead of using these tragic times for financial or political gain.

   [Editor's note: Price gouging is illegal in Texas.]

Dear Editor,
    I like reading your letters to the editor to gauge the argument of the opposition. Seeing all the nasty letters last week regarding Sarah Palin confirms my belief that she scares the shit out of the left. In my opinion, she does this for the following reasons: 1) she loves her husband, and they have a happy, long-term, monogamous marriage; 2) she is attractive and smart and funny; 3) she believes in the sanctity of life so much that she was willing to deliver and raise a special-needs child rather than taking the coward's way out and killing it; 4) she has a husband who is a union member and blue-collar worker; 5) she has a son who is not a coward and is going to Iraq to fight in a war that we are winning; 6) she believes that guns should be in the hands of citizens and not criminals; 7) she actually knows something about oil and gas and energy production; 8) she stood up to special interests in her party when needed, something that the messianic coward, Obama, never did; 9) she believes in God and is not afraid to talk about it; and finally, 10) she's not a bitch like Hillary.
    I think the last 20% of your publication gives a pretty good idea of the kind of freaks that read it, and I know that to them she poses a threat. So the fear and hysteria is understandable. But since your guy Obama is going to win in November, there's no problem. Check the polls lately?

Dear Editor,
    I find Michael Ventura's long list [“Letters at 3am,” Sept. 12] of negatives accruing to the McCain-Palin ticket constitute good reasons for voting for the Obama-Biden ticket. However, I wish Obama would support even one of the positions I feel a presidential candidate should be promoting. They include 1) reduced military spending, 2) exit strategies for self-defeating land wars in Asia rather than plans to shift troops from one battlefield to another, 3) increased gasoline prices to reduce usage which we can't afford either monetarily or environmentally, and 4) reduced consumption to lower our negative trade balance.

Dear Editor,
    StopDomainSubsidies.com tells it straight on why the "word" of opponents of Proposition 2 at "Keep Austin's Word" is unreliable, at best. Prop. 2, if passed, will stop the city from giving $64 million in tax rebates to high-end luxury mall the Domain.
    Now, the Chamber of Commerce along with various big developer interests are trying to hide this ridiculous voluntary subsidy to the largest mall developer in the U.S. – Simon Properties – behind claims that it will hurt Mueller.
    Give us a break! The city has done absolutely nothing to address their supposed concerns about Mueller even though Stop Domain Subsidies has been certified for the ballot since Feb. 19. One can only assume they aren’t really worried and are using this as a political football at the last moment.
    If the city was really concerned, they could have easily taken care of this since last February, and still can, with a minor contract change or any number of other mechanisms. The Mueller sales-tax bond they question is only $12 million. If the city’s concern is genuine, then they could pay it off early with money saved from the Domain.
    The citizens of Austin need to ask the council why they're covering for certain interests, who continue to feed from the city trough, while they cut libraries and institute a backdoor hiring freeze.
    Who owns the council? Right now, it's not us. We hope to see a sea of people at our outdoor music and art auction this coming Saturday, Sept. 20, 5-9pm at 2200 S. Lamar. You can RSVP on our website.
    Join us to rock the city and tell them who's supposed to be the boss!

Dear Editor,
    I was saddened to read that Richard Wright of the band Pink Floyd died of cancer on Monday. I don't know if any of the Chronicle writers and staff are fans of this band, but I would imagine that a good portion of the readers are, as well as myself. Pink Floyd was one of the best progressive rock bands of our time. I grew up on Pink Floyd's music, and I have been influenced heavily by their lyrics and their sound. Syd Barrett is gone as well, and now we have three members left: David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters. Let's hope that they decide to reunite and tour once again before they check off the planet. Rest in peace, Rick, you will be greatly missed by myself and others.

Dear Editor,
    Times are changing, and cities are growing. Austin is not immune to the abusive corporate growth sweeping the world. Many of us complain of this "progress" because it is being achieved through despotism. Realize serious issues face a community when citizens have to continually file suit against their own government. Those who criticize others for attempting through legal means (currently, the only means available) to hold our government accountable and obey its own laws are encouraging the rise of government against the people. The criticism should be about paying taxes in the first place, not against other citizens for attempting to hold the government answerable. Despotism is a dangerous overwhelming trend that absolutely requires opposition from the people. It has crept into our daily existence and is subtly taking the place of democracy. The recent FDA ruling against Good Flow Juice proves, yet again, the government's power in preventing citizens from making their own (consumption) choices [“Big Brother Puts the Squeeze on Good Flow,” News, Sept. 12]. This is the same government that has no qualms in allowing unlabeled cloned meat into the nation's food supply, but a citizen apparently doesn't have the wherewithal to choose between pasteurized and unpasteurized juice. The continuation of the carnivalesque presidential race is designed to keep the masses preoccupied with everything but the real issues. And the "real issues" brought to light by our elitist leaders are only a fraction of the truest controversy we, the average citizens, face. We are slowly becoming completely subordinate to our government (and the affluent individuals that control it) through its manipulation of our Bill of Rights and unrelenting financial oppression. If you are not appalled by current events, then bliss for you. Those of us who remain concerned will concentrate on preserving true democracy. We will do so through complaints, protests, and organization. Eventually we will be successful.

Dear Editor,
    There are a few things that I would like Mr. Black (and many Austinites) to know. We came here about three years ago. Not to raise a family but to escape North Carolina, an extremely conservative and backward state. Hearing how “progressive” Austin was, its incredible music “scene” (I’m a musician), and a job offer for my wife, the choice seemed obvious. Being originally from the Pacific Northwest and having lived in several progressive cities, in comparison, Austin sucks. The “truths” Mr. Black speaks of in “Terms of Entitlement” [“Page Two,” Sept. 5] are mostly subjective opinions. I’ll be the first to admit that the only place for a progressive worth living in Texas is Austin, especially the Travis Heights/SoCo area. Here are just a few reasons why Austin sucks. 1) Cost of living; if this place had the amenities and natural beauty of Portland, Ore., that would be one thing, but it doesn’t have those amenities, and it’s certainly not beautiful. 2) Jeans and boots culture; the only place we’ve lived where mediocrity is worn as a badge of honor. It’s truly depressing. 3) The music “scene”; there is a handful of truly talented musicians (i.e., Asylum Street Spankers, Alice Spencer, etc.), but having genres that cater mostly to twenty-nothings with little class and certainly no taste (as shown by the hugely successful yet depressingly homogeneous South by Southwest) really sucks for us middle-agers here in the self-proclaimed “live music capital of the world”! Oh did I mention the dirty, dilapidated clubs that smell like piss (Broken Spoke and Sixth Street)? Why don’t we just leave? Believe me, it ain’t for lack of trying, been trying for more than a year. Hopefully, we’ll be lucky enough to escape this hot, ugly, and mediocre state as soon as possible. Read this link about Texas, and you be the judge: www.borderhealth.org/files/res_880.pdf.

Dear Editor,
    Gov. Sarah Palin has injected a colorful personality into the presidential campaign, but this election is not about changing personalities. It’s about changing policies, changing philosophies. If John McCain is 90% George Bush, Sarah Palin is 110% Bush, with no apologies. Fellow citizens, please! By its very definition, “conservatism” means aversion to change. Republican conservatism has dominated American politics for the past 40 years. There have been five Republican and only two Democratic presidents. The Republicans must accept major responsibility for the state of the nation. Long a Republican myself, we voters must assume the ultimate responsibility for repeatedly trying a conservative philosophy that has proved seriously flawed. If the Republican Party were a serious, honest political organization, it would accept that responsibility for the condition the country is in and should have conceded this election without fielding any candidate.
    So let us get serious about this election. Let’s forbid the candidates, all worthy and decent people, from slandering one another and insist they talk to us only about how they would address our grave problems. Let’s tune out Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann and Rush Limbaugh and Chris Matthews and the rest of a corporate media that thrives on conflict and feeds and stokes the divisiveness that is destroying our democracy. I have no real expectation that voters will do that. The candidates will escalate their negative and nasty politics, and the media will gleefully broadcast it, apparently because we like it. But can we voters do our duty, remember our history, search our consciences, think positively, and vote honestly?

Dear Editor,
    Loved your story about KEYE and its budget-cuttin' hedge-fund owners [“KEYE on the Blink?” News, Sept. 12]. What should I see as I surf hurricane coverage on Saturday morn at 3am but KEYE the only ones just running a state feed and no local coverage. Darn that overtime! I say welcome to the real world you corporate, right-wing media. You refused to cover the raping of America by these scum, and now they are coming for you. Just deserts justly deserved!

Dear Editor,
    I just returned from the East Austin YMCA. When I parked, I noticed a Ford Exhibition (one of those big fuckers) with its motor running and two wiener dogs inside. When I left the car was still there. The owners had been inside before I arrived and still there when I left. Now I ask you, who in their right mind would idle a car for hours with the air conditioning on to keep their dogs cool? I wonder how many soldiers died in Bush and Cheney's war for oil during those hours just so these idiots could idle their car. It was so disheartening that someone could be so irresponsible and so oblivious. I hope they run out of gas on the way home.

Dear Editor,
    I read with interest Margaret Moser’s excellent article about the newly rediscovered recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s early career [“They Call Me Hurricane,” Music, Sept. 5]. I remember hearing Stevie in the Triple Threat Revue at a dance club in San Antonio when a friend “discovered” them. I told myself at that time I needed to get out more, because this music really sounded better than I remembered most bands sounding. It turns out I was right.
    The article also reminded me of an excellent recording from 1979 I heard last year. My friends Rick Dielman and Jim Yanaway recorded Stevie and Double Trouble at the Bluebird in Fort Worth, an old juke joint. This was an unusual setting, a classic old blues venue with hardwood floors and walls, recorded with microphones set 8 feet in front of the stage with a mixing board and tape recorder. The recording captured the raw energy and soulfulness of the live performance in a rare setting.
    Because this show was on a Sunday night and there was not any music preceding Triple Threat's performance, the audience at first was made up of curious neighbors walking up to the club, with just a few domino players in the back of the club. But once Stevie began playing, the club started filling up with people walking in off the street and from their homes. People started calling their friends, telling them to come and check out what they were hearing. Before long, the place was full and jumping. Stevie covered many of the classic Texas blues players like Freddie King, Albert Collins, and Lightnin’ Hopkins.
    Like the recordings in your article, this recording captures Stevie before he became famous but in one of his most soulful moments. Evident in the audience appreciation is the intense initial excitement of a new musical discovery, at least for those fans.
    I hope this recording gets released at some point, but for the time being, at least those of us who have demo CDs of that night can travel back to a truly magic night in Texas music.

Dear Editor,
    I still can't believe that the Legislature could have ever considered pulling money away from real medical services to the lower-income people in order to promote an ideological view – but I guess that is why Texas consistently scores in the Top 10 for states with the highest teen birthrate, infant mortality, lowest insurance coverage for children, and so on [“Anti-Abortionists Want More Health-Care Money,” News, Sept. 5]. It isn't about reality; it is about ideology. The lawmakers have proven that they couldn't care less about those who need real medical care – look up old stories about some of the Republicans when they passed the rider the first time. You'll find a quote that the aim of this is to force Planned Parenthood out of business (although many more agencies than Planned Parenthood are affected) and that the poor and uninsured could find health care "somewhere.” Good job.

Dear Editor,
    I regret the loss of Good Flow [“Big Brother Puts the Squeeze on Good Flow,” News, Sept. 12]. I have a juicer collecting dust I'll have to clean up and put back in service. My guess is the fresh-squeezed-juice crowd is the same one that would howl if someone had become ill from drinking their product, even though it clearly carried ample warnings to drink at your own risk. Speaking of being squeezed, has anyone else noticed oil prices are falling everywhere but in Austin at the pump? I think we need an investigation, Sen. John Cornyn, just like the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investigation you want.

Dear Editor,
    As evidence that our country is rapidly skidding into an abyss, I submit the following, yet there are far more examples than will fit in a newspaper. We promote education, yet until the 20th century, most erudite persons were fluent in multiple languages, whereas people are now considered educated if they have merely absorbed a lot of trivial information and propaganda. Many of us preach self-reliance but call 911 if we have a hangnail or a noisy neighbor. You hear about amazing advances in medical science, but in America you had better be rich if you expect access to any of them. The Bush administration has probably used the word “freedom” more than any other in our history, while simultaneously eliminating our freedoms, and they talked a lot about fiscal responsibility, while spending us into extreme debt in a war of choice against the wrong enemy. The “globalists” are happily profiting from our demise. Is George Orwell's ghost laughing or crying?

Dear Editor,
    Thank you for the very intelligent, calm, and positive "Terms of Entitlement" editorial [“Page Two”], written by Louis Black in the Sept. 5 Chronicle. That is a "keeper"! Maybe it could be rerun periodically to help keep things in focus? Austin is a wonderful place to live for many reasons. We need to enjoy the great things about this city and then work constructively to improve situations where there is a valid concern. Well done!

Dear Editor,
    Many businesses on Congress Avenue have been suffering practically every single weekend because of various footraces held Downtown. Streets are closed off, and traffic ensues. Employees can't even get to work without a huge hassle. Why are they allowed to hold these races so often? If it were once every month or so, fine, but it's all the time. Maybe the city will reimburse the businesses for lost clientele? Yeah, right! Would Nike like to contribute? I'm sure that company made tons of money off its race (not to mention slave labor in China). This coming weekend, yet another race is being held by some obnoxious dot-com that has the city wrapped around its finger (Liberty Lunch, R.I.P.). Why not run in the Hill Country? Fredericksburg is quaint. How about the hike-and-bike trail? Heck, it was made for running. No, it's always smack dab in the middle of town. I'm sick of it, and I know many residents of this city are sick of it, too. I'm not anti-running or anti-benefit, but these races are hurting many small businesses and making huge profits for big businesses. Enough!

Dear Editor,
    No, Louis Black, you are way off with regard to affordability [“Page Two,” Sept. 5]. Lower Manhattan is a shadow of its former self because of affordability. Sure, Brooklyn became the place in New York where the action is (although Williamsburg is getting too expensive), but cheapness is a large part of why people can live a creative lifestyle in the first place. New York in the Seventies was one of the cheapest places to live in the country, because you didn't need a car and rent was cheap. We got the CBGB explosion, postmodern art, most of the culture we have been living off of ever since. Austin's big bang came about because of cheapness. I don't like the new Austin, and yes, I am leaving as soon as I can. I was not born here, even though I have lived here 17 years, so I figure I should leave. I thought if any city could work to find the balance between redevelopment and gentrification it would be Austin, but I guess not. Affordability is key.

Dear Editor,
    While I can appreciate the frustration Jordan Smith voices about a funding bump for a pregnancy care network that provides no significant health services while siphoning money from other outfits that do, I also can't help but wonder if the extensive use of scare quotes throughout this article is trying to squeeze the reader into a particular slot on these issues without allowing a pause for some actual critical engagement ["Anti-Abortionists Want More Health-Care Money," News, Sept. 5]. Allow me to speak for the bureaucratically naive: It is entirely outrageous to hope that the state might find a way to support poor pregnant women with a full slate of services, including prenatal care; insurance; counseling on basic parenting issues like nutrition; when to call the doctor; how to arrange a home, a schedule, and a checking account around a new baby; and also (are you sitting down?) on alternatives to abortion. Granted that advice with no financial or social support is like watching your child open a 10,000-piece Millennium Falcon Lego set for Christmas, mailed from the uncle who just moved to Cairo … still, is there some tacit warrant for the assumption in this article that the state couldn't pay for her trip to the doctor and pay for her trip to the abortion alternatives counselor?

Dear Editor,
    Today, Sept. 11, President Bush had a moment of silence. Ah, isn't that nice of him. He said that history will look back on our response to the incidents of 2001 and show that “we did not tire, we did not falter, and we did not fail."
    Really, I'm pretty sure most of the country would disagree. I realize that the companies making money off this unjust war haven't gotten tired of making money, but the citizens of the country are certainly tired of it. In fact, I would say the people are tired of it, support has faltered for it, and the war itself is a massive failure.
    He went on to say, "Thanks to the brave men and women and all those who work to keep us safe, there has not been another attack on our soil in 2,557 days."
    Um … was there an attack in the previous 3,000 days? No, in fact we haven't actually been attacked by another country since 1941. So, Mr. Bush, thanks for the moment of silence. Did the war profiteers participate or at least shut off their money-counting machines for a minute?