With disgust, I read the article by Tara Servatius ("A Needless Tragedy," July 31) and the letter by Michael A. Clark ("Complaint Out of Bounds," August 21). I'm not even going to comment on the drugs legality argument. While Mrs. Futrell was still grieving over her husband, Ms. Servatius used his death for her own reasons. WHAT DID YOU THINK SHE WAS GOING TO SAY? The entire article was an invasion of her privacy. -- Dennis J. DeBalso, Charlotte
Thankyew, Thankyew vermutch
I loved the article about Elvis Presley by John Grooms ("The Ghost Has Left the Building," August 14). I took Mr. Grooms' rock history course a few years ago and it opened my eyes to rock & roll's place in the big national picture. His article went deeper than any other articles I've seen about "The King" other than some by writers Dave Marsh or Peter Guralnick. Thanks for giving a musical groundbreaker the respect he deserves, even if he did wind up as a pathetic shadow of what he once was. -- Barry Moultrie, Charlotte
Easley's A Typical Elite Liberal
Tara Servatius continues to do all the heavy lifting for the local media. How does one reporter from a free publication continue to scoop all the major newspapers? Her article "It's Great to Be King" (CL, August 21) exposes Easley as a typical elite, demanding we citizens tighten our belt and live frugally while he takes our tax money and lives like Warren Buffet. The media needs to make sure that our elected officials spend our money wisely. Unfortunately, the Observer thinks all government is good, so they rarely hold anyone accountable for spending too much. I own a small business in Mecklenburg County, and I post articles that help the employees stay informed. Tara's column has become a regular on the company bulletin board. -- Mark Aspland, Cornelius
Girls Can't Play
I concur with Kevin Dudley's (Letters, August 21) assessment of the Charlotte Sting. The reason for their poor attendance can be summed up in one word: B-O-R-I-N-G. They play below the rim; they play slowly; and they can't shoot. I could go to the Dowd Y on any Saturday morning, watch a men's pick-up game for 10 minutes, and pick out five men who would murder the Sting's starting five. -- John S. Freeman, Charlotte
Straitforward and Honorable
I am writing to thank you for your article "Fundamentalist Feeding Frenzy" (a regrettable front page title, however) also known as "The Stealth Crusade" by Barry Yeoman (CL, July 31). It was a pleasure to read something that, to me, was rather straightforward, honorable reporting. For those of us who believe that Jesus is indeed the truth, it was encouraging to see it in print in Creative Loafing. We were just spending the night in your city and I was thankful that it coincided with the publication of this article. May God bless you in a way you've never dreamed possible. Look for this blessing to come into your lives, as it's in Jesus' name I pray. -- Pamela Spivey, Lawrenceville, GA
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