Letters 

What a gem you have in news reporter Tara Servatius!

Her "Taken For A Ride?" (January 29) is the type of crackerjack investigative reporting you used to see years ago at the best daily newspapers in the days before reporters got lazy and publishers lost their nerve.

Kudos all around for her professional work in digging out the facts. Just a first rate effort. Our local leaders would be wise to retain her services since every single one of them appeared to be clueless as to whom they were doing business with.

Keep up the outstanding work, especially your excellent coverage of the ongoing CMU scandal.

--Phil Ricaurte, Charlotte

Unfortunate Comparison

This is in reply to "Taken for a Ride."

Some light rail people are also highway men (two words). It does not hold that they are also all highwaymen (one word).

To compare the political climates of Charlotte and Boston is unfortunate. I believe that the politicians extract a toll on all roads and public projects in Boston.

--Dave E. Crawford, Charlotte

Same Boat

I read your article "Taken for a Ride" with great interest as we in Seattle are apparently on the same ride. PBQD (as the lead firm in PSTC) is the engineering consultant for Seattle's light rail system. In five years we have yet to break ground, the cost has doubled, the time has increased, and the length of the system has been cut in half. They are still "on the job" at many times their original fee.

--Barbara Shulock, Seattle, WA

Home Again

Tim, Thanks so much for "Talk About The Passion" (by Tim C. Davis, February 5). Great job! Sometimes we all need to be reminded that something changed our lives. You did it for me with this story. I'm listening to Murmur right now, and it feels great to be home again. Thanks!

--Tom Eure, Jr., Charlotte

Trailer Park Thinking

Don Reid and Martin Davis actually think you can catch something from sharing a swimming pool with gay people ("Out of the Water," by Tara Servatius, January 22)? And they're perfectly willing to show their ignorance in a public forum?

That so many of Charlotte's prominent citizens (Reid, Davis, Bill James, Joe Chambers, and too many others) so consistently and publicly abandon critical thinking and common sense and instead allow their words and actions to be governed by herd mentality, medieval superstition, and knee-jerk reactions to a simple three-letter word, "gay," is why Charlotte is not a "world-class" city and is actually regarded by more people as an overgrown trailer park with delusions of Atlanta-hood.

--James P. Moore, Charlotte

Priceless

After reading several of your music reviews I have come to the following conclusions:

1. It's all about Charlotte. God forbid any great band come out of, gulp, Raleigh, Chapel Hill or Greensboro. Your bias is astounding. (See Justincase review)

2. You're too clever by half. All attempts at wit and humor must be done at someone else's expense.

3. You don't really listen to any of these bands, rather you try to trash the out of towners and praise all things local. (see 1 above)

4. It is very clear why Creative Loafing is a free magazine.

--Oliver Bailess Jr., Greensboro

Tara Needs History Lesson

Responding to Tara Servatius' "Not In America" (CL, January 15), like many others in Charlotte, I would like to complain about the lack of research carried out by this so-called "journalist." What does she know about "the willingness of other countries...to face their wretched bloody past head on and to keep the memory of it alive in their popular culture"?

In 1995, in Paris, I lost a friend in a terrorist attack. We in Europe have always known why they hate us. The attacks never came as a surprise simply because we know our history. I take her column as an insult to the memory of my friend.

There is a big world out there and it seems that Ms. Serviatius is only aware of the tip of the iceberg. Excuse my French but, "Quand on a rien a dire, on ferme sa gueule!"

--Emmanuel Barbe, Charlotte

Editor's note:

Loosely translated, the last sentence means "When you have nothing to say, keep your trap shut." My curiosity about the vitriolic tone of Mr. Barbe's letter was dispelled when I realized he's probably edgy these days since, while he was office assistant to Andrew Reyes, his name was attached to a couple of political donations totaling $6000.

We welcome your letters to the editor. Please send your letters to: The Editors, Creative Loafing, PO Box 241988, Charlotte, NC 28224. Or write us via the Internet at the following address: backtalk@creativeloafing.com. Please note that this e-mail address is for letters to the editors only. Please limit your letters to 300 words or less. Please include your phone number for confirmation, including e-mail letter writers; your phone number will not be published. We reserve the right to edit all letters for space, grammar and clarity.