Don’t Kill the Messenger
It’s really disappointing to see Creative Loafing resort to childish mudslinging in its assessment of “Best Hatchet Job” by the Observer, throwing fuel on an already unjust fire (“Best of Charlotte,” Aug. 3). I thought the only folks blaming a single review for shutting down an entire theater company were the uninformed. CL should appreciate that Perry Tannenbaum no longer has to be the sole voice exalting local theater, but is now joined by another intelligent and insightful critic — both clearly love theater and want to see more quality productions in Charlotte. The venom and ink wasted in this “award” was not only hurtful and unnecessary, but could have been better spent on bringing attention to what’s really killing theater in this town — bad productions, public apathy and community leaders who gleefully undermine the arts. Speaking of which, kudos on the “Hick” award for McCrory. He’s worked hard for that.
Stan Peal, Managing Director, Epic Arts Repertory Theatre
Let Illegal Immigrants Drive
I was upset by the article on driver’s licenses by Tara Servatius (“Who Likes Easley’s Licence Policy?,” July 27), and I want to make three comments:
1. You need a whole lot more than an ITIN number to get a driver’s license in North Carolina. Since February 2004, international applicants must show valid immigration documents or a passport with a valid US visa stamp in order to be eligible for a license.
2. Restricting driver’s licenses further can pose a severe public safety dilemma for our state. There are about 300,000 undocumented immigrants in NC. They are still going to drive no matter what. Do we really want 300,000 unlicensed drivers on our streets?
3. That “cheap labor” Servatius refers to is what keeps North Carolina’s economy booming. In NC, Latino immigrants make up 75 percent of all construction workers, 92 percent of all farm workers and more than 20 percent of the employees in food and textile plants. Plus, they have $8 billion in buying power.
Ailen Jardines, Charlotte
Tara Servatius replies: Ailen Jardines is correct that applicants for a North Carolina driver’s license can use a passport or valid immigration documents to prove their age and identity, but they are not required to. They can also use a variety of court and administrative documents, which do not have to be accompanied by any identification, to fulfill the same requirements.
Companies Are To Blame
Way to tell it about how North Carolina issues driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. You can’t blame the illegal Mexicans for flooding Charlotte and Rock Hill, though, because certain unscrupulous Americans pay them cash to work. Unemployed citizens and depressed wages are the immediate result.
Law enforcement should focus on the real problem: greedy Americans who sell out their neighbors to hire illegal immigrants and pocket the difference. Private American contractors who hire illegal aliens should have their businesses confiscated: licenses, weed-whackers, mowers, pickup trucks and all. Put them out of business, and maybe the ones remaining will hire citizens and legitimate green card holders. Illegal immigrants will stop showing up around Charlotte once word gets around that we won’t hire them. Then we could give the impounded lawn mowers to the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and churches. Our own teenagers should be making money mowing yards, not 30-year-old Mexican men who snuck into the country.
Milton Gross, Charlotte
When Hunter Becomes The Game
In response to Chip Hunter’s letter to the editor (July 27): Are those who support the war too addicted to Fox News that they can’t use actual facts and make coherent arguments?
Hunter compares deaths in Detroit to those in Iraq. I think it’s safe to say there haven’t been over 1,800 murders and tens of thousands of serious injuries in Detroit in the last 2+ years. And even if there were, what is the relevance?
FDR did not start World War II. Japan attacked the US. We declared war on Japan. Four days later, Germany declared war on the US.
When Kennedy sent soldiers to South Vietnam, that separate, sovereign country, had asked for our help. It was not a case, like now, where the US attacked a country without any provocation.
As for Bush’s “accomplishments”: How has he “liberated” Iraq? People can’t even walk the streets without fear of being killed, by either insurgents or US troops. And how has he “crippled al-Qaeda”? Two years ago there was no al-Qaeda presence in Iraq at all, but now it’s a hotbed of terrorist activity.
Greg F., Charlotte
Editors’ Note: An addendum — The text of Chip Hunter’s letter, it turns out, was apparently copied word for word from a rightwing website.
This article appears in Aug 10-16, 2005.
