Letters to the Editor - Pitch in October 23 2003

Thank you for your most recent column about the Buckhead situation (News & Views, “Mary, Mary, why you buggin’?” Oct. 16). You brought to light a very important, and very fair, deal. I am talking about the bar owners of Buckhead facing their responsibility of hiring some sort of security force that would patrol the Buckhead streets. The problem being one of enforcement, and not of lack of laws, makes the solution as simple as more manpower to enforce Atlanta’s plentiful laws.

I am heartened that bar owner Michael Krohngold is willing to pitch in to hire more police to help ease the problem. After all, I do not think we in Reynoldstown, or any other borough of Atlanta, should pay for Buckhead profit. That expense should rest — must rest — squarely on the shoulders of those who serve patrons who later vandalize and terrorize that area.

Another problem I see with Buckhead is the rowdy tourist element. This element is anyone from Cobb County to New York City. These people seem to look at Buckhead as some sort of free-for-all, devil-may-care, I-can-do-what-the-fuck-I-wanna-do-‘cuz-I-don’t-live-here zone. This must stop.

I live near L5P and feel far safer there than I do in Buckhead. The people that go to Buckhead have a certain violence-laced edge to them. I guess I’m saying that people go to Buckhead to get into trouble. When there are a few good examples of these troublemakers getting their asses whipped by security and the cops, the word will get out: Don’t come to Buckhead looking for trouble. Come for fun. Come here for trouble and get your jaw broke and your ass thrown in lockup. That should be the Buckhead mantra. Let’s hope we hear the chants soon.

Besides, I’m getting sick of the Buckhead runoff scurrying to my neck of the woods for a good time. If Buckhead doesn’t clean up soon, my favorite spots are gonna be overrun by Tommy Hilfiger-, Gucci-wearing fucks. Yikes!

-- Jon Avery, Atlanta

br>?But I want an award!
Don’t complain about Schieber’s awards (Earshot, “Sharp Notes,” Oct. 2). The votes simply indicate that your opinions are non-concurrent with those of the readers. This is OK; we have good taste in music. You obviously take liberty in expressing your personal opinions, so allow me to do the same. In my opinion, your article is biased to the point of bordering on unprofessional. It is not your place to suggest to readers that our votes are undemocratic — unless, of course, Creative Loafing is guilty of misrepresenting those votes. You’re just jealous that you have not won four different categories of awards for insulting your readers.

-- Marc Kipfer, Kennesaw

br>?Eighth wonder
(In response to “God save the queen,” Oct. 9): Thank you for doing such an in-depth and emotional diatribe on Diamond Lil, the once-and-always famous entertainer. She is a wonder to behold.

-- Robin Barnes, Marietta

br>?Shining brightly
Thank you for sharing the interesting cover story on Diamond Lil (“God save the queen,” Oct. 9). I have watched her for years and simply adore her. Her talent and her story make for great reading, and I appreciate the fine way you handled this cover story.

-- Tom Dunn, Decatur

br>?Right-wing recruiting
(In response to Fishwrapper, “This Scout doesn’t embrace felons and indoctrination,” Oct. 9): I have two boys in grade school, and the Boy Scouts recently did a membership drive at their school, wowing them with “building go-karts” and other cool boy stuff. My son (Cub Scout age) really wanted to join and begged me relentlessly.

Some of his friends joined. But not my son or some of my friends’ sons, as hard as it was to say no. Our reason? We told our young children that the Boy Scouts are intolerant of people different from them, like gay people. Yes, we actually explained this to a 7-year-old. He understood and agreed, and hasn’t said a word about it since.

His friends who asked why he is not joining were told by him: “They hate gay people.” Out of the mouths of babes! Then I heard about Oliver North and Ann Coulter speaking at their fundraiser. I knew I made the right decision. The Boy Scout organization is nothing more than a bunch of good-old boys in an exclusionary right-wing club, indoctrinating children as young as they can get them.

They make me ill.

-- Debra Gisby, Atlanta

br>?More must-haves for winter
Since I love clothes and try to get them as cheaply as I can, I just had to respond to Nightshift’s Product Placement, “Fashion for fall,” Oct. 2. What you said about animal print is so true, it can be overdone or it gets to be too much. I found a beautiful Karen Kane animal-print blazer that is just too cool.

I go for things that look well on me, and never for what’s in vogue. I tend to keep things I really treasure for a very long time. The more vintage, the better.

My must-have lists for the winter months:

- Bright-colored gloves — to spice up all those all black ensembles.

- Cat-eyed sunglasses. They’re hard to find, and when you do, they are costly. But they’re always worth whatever you have to pay to have a pair or two.

- Funky pair of boots. No matter what the name brand, as long as they are cool and funky, they’re in vogue.

- Full-length wool coat — for a touch of class to any ensemble, and because high-quality, inexpensive full-length coats are hard to find in Atlanta.

- Funky hosiery. My favorite accessory for winter months, especially burnt-out stripes. Usually very costly, but always worth it for the attention they generate — and more so if you have nice legs.

-- R. Green, Atlanta

br>?Read before you write
Although she is not a “religious scholar,” Jane Catoe might do well to “cover her ass” by making herself more knowledgeable about the Koranic scripture (or any other document) if she is going to make reference to it in her writing (Jane Says, “Covering your ass,” Oct. 16). She discredits herself by not being informed. The Koran does not provide an “edict that no image of God or God’s creatures shall be reproduced.” It makes no specific prohibition in this area. It is the Hadith, Mohammad’s writings, that preaches against representation of humans and animals in art. Muslim art goes far beyond that of “non-representational patterns and designs.” There is quite a bit of intellectual material available on this subject. Educate thyself.

-- Karen Pierce, Atlanta

br>?Taking care of our own
Our politicians are quite busy up on Capitol Hill cutting veterans’ benefits (my 87-year-old father, a WWII veteran who is dying from brain cancer, has been denied aid and assistance from the VA), and telling our senior citizens to “spend down” and liquidate all their assets in order to pay the $3,000-plus-per-month out-of-pocket cost for nursing-home and assisted-living care. Yet these same politicians are aware that billions to trillions of American dollars are going to hostile, untrustworthy and undeserving foreign countries. These same politicians are aware that illegal aliens are receiving free medical care that is costing Americans billions to trillions of dollars each year.

While the “business as usual” of our government and some of our politicians is to continue giving out billions of dollars each year to fund hostile foreign countries and pay off the free medical care given to illegal aliens, I am going to do all I can to get some politician out there to speak up about this national disgrace. Our veterans and our elderly are given the “boot” by our government. Their benefits are being cut to the bare bone while foreign countries and illegal aliens are being taken care of quite nicely. It appears that the American government has its loyalities backward.

-- Joanne Consalvo-Mulvaney, Stockbridge