Tomorrow’s Terrorists
I really appreciated Tara Servatius’ insight in her “Today They Blow Up Stuff” column (Mar. 31), which made the link between our societal dependence on Saudi oil and the proliferation of hate-indoctrinating madrasas that inculcate young boys into the typology of terror. The great Swiss psychoanalyst C.G. Jung once made the observation that a man’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. This is as true for nation states as it is for individuals. America’s two greatest strengths? Our immense economic/military might and our love of freedom. Our greatest weaknesses? Our stubborn belief that solutions to international problems can only come from the barrel of a gun and our collective disinclination to temporarily limit our freedoms, such as access to cheap gas, in order to embrace longterm strategies. The solution? Support all programs that trade hate for hope and elect enlightened leadership that has the intelligence and courage to adopt approaches based on the long view.
— Matthew Alexander, Charlotte
Give Me a Break
Just finished Quinn Cotton’s article “Breaking News” (Mar. 31), and simply had to congratulate her on what I felt to be a particularly fine piece of journalism. No doubt you must be paying her far less than a commentator of her eloquence rightfully deserves. Her penchant for uncovering profound and insightful new angles with regard to pressing social issues is utterly without par. I find it a welcome respite from the mind-numbing and frequently myopic tripe that so often permeates our local media. Bravo Quinn Cotton! Thank you for giving the more affluent among us a voice through which to strike back at the tactless masses of working class cattle who make our lives so . . . inconvenient. Again, Bravo! I apologize for the brevity of my response, but as I only receive a 30-minute unpaid lunch break, I lack the time to give your work the attention and praise it so richly deserves.
–Justin Stacy, Charlotte
Cotton Good, Fur Bad
Kudos to Quinn Cotton for her article on the divine retribution we as humans get for using animals for our own needs (“Stick to Your Own Skin,” Apr. 7). I hope people will take her words to heart.
— Heather Marshall, Charlotte
Road to Corruption
Tara Servatius hit more than one nail on the head in her piece on piled up traffic in Charlotte (“Dream the Impossible Dream,” Mar. 17). Priorities are screwed up in Charlotte city government. City Council isn’t representing us anymore; Mecklenburg schools are starving; and we need to spend a fortune on the sewers just to keep the slop inside the pipes. Charlotte citizens voted against spending public money for a new arena, but Council defied us. What are they thinking? The sewers still leak, and property taxes just went up. Now we’re getting railroaded into a half-baked, six billion dollar “light rail” line apparently designed to funnel major public money to certain construction contractors. How does this corrupt spending really happen in Charlotte? Is it misplaced priorities, or are our councilmen getting bribed? Charlotte used to be a great place to live. The city lawmakers of late, though, have condemned us to a future of high taxes, crippling traffic, criminally overloaded sewers, and weak schools. Property and sales taxes are up, but our city leaders think they are in the basketball arena business. It’s time to demand accountability from Charlotte local government. This place is starting to suck.
— Milton Gross, Charlotte
Thanks from Planet Cancer
Thank you for your help in raising awareness about the unique needs and issues of young people with cancer (“They’re Young, They’re Vibrant, They Have Cancer,” by Sam Boykin, Mar. 31). We work hard to get the word out, and love seeing articles like yours because every little bit helps to keep young adults from falling through the cracks of medical and support services, which happens all too often.
— Heidi Adams, Executive Director, Planet Cancer, Austin, TX
It’s All About Woo
Lindsey Grossman’s article on Woo girls (“I Am Woo Girl, Hear Me Woo,” Mar. 10) could not have hit the spot any closer than with my NC State Zeta girls. . .we are all 23 to 26 and still go out on the weekends and have just as much fun if not more than we did in college. . .sure, we have girlfriends that are married or engaged but we just like being ourselves knowing that life doesn’t end in your mid-20s anymore…Thanks for representing the most entertaining crowd in Charlotte!
— Caty Rhino, Charlotte
Woo Too
My very good college friend, who lives in Oklahoma right now, forwarded the “I Am Woo Girl” article last week. I have no idea where she got it, but I had to tell you how awesome I thought it was. I don’t find something that hits home very often, and had been feeling a bit down, but this was totally inspiring, and I wasn’t in a sorority (no time — engineering undergrad)! A recognition Woo! to you!
— Darci Scherbak, Alpharetta, GA
This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2004.
