Out On A Limb
In response to “Just Waiting To Happen Again” (by Tara Servatius, Dec. 18): The recent ice storm and power outages has at least one positive side; it gives editorial writers employment so they can chastise Duke Power for not cutting down all the trees near power lines. According to their editorials there is no excuse for trees and tree limbs overhanging power lines in a city with so few trees, as measured by the debris on sidewalks, and which experiences such frequent severe ice storms such as we just had. They claim all those limbs throughout the states served by Duke Power should have been removed before the storm! But editors and writers have to eat and therefore need something to write about, and what could be more timely? They would probably also be the people who would demean the utility that severed some beautiful trees in their backyards. So in this holiday season let’s be thankful for the workers who cleaned up the problem and the writers who have to find fault with something in order to afford their Christmas turkey.
–William H. Meanor, Charlotte
Tara Servatius Replies:
I thought of Mr. Meanor as my family and I opened presents in the dark Christmas night, thanks to Duke Power. We made the mistake of attempting to cook a Christmas meal on which we collectively spent about $100 without first checking the weather. Silly us! Unfortunately, a slight wind blew through, knocking down limbs left hanging over Duke Power’s lines and we spent the rest of the evening in the dark. The food, half-cooked at the time, was ruined. We ended up eating cold macaroni and cheese. But don’t feel bad for us. Pity the repair crew men who came through to fix the mess around midnight, grumbling about their ruined Christmas. To cheer them up, I shared my articles and the pictures documenting Duke’s incompetence. They echoed my sentiments and agreed that there was no way Duke had spent $40 million on maintenance. They would know. They work on those lines every day. Guess we’re all just a bunch of ingrates.
Sacrilegious Cartoon
I was totally shocked that you chose the worst so-called editorial cartoon I’ve ever seen to be included in your best of the year article (“The Best of Jim Hunt,” Jan.1). Wasn’t it bad enough that you ran the original cartoon blaspheming Christ and insulting Greeks and Christians everywhere? This was a private matter among followers at one church in town and it’s not appropriate for you to make a sacrilegious joke out of it.You should be ashamed.
— Name Witheld By Request
You Gave Us A Break
Thanks for the fantastic Christmas stories by Julie Townsend, Mary Kratt and John Grooms (“Bloodlines,” “At Christmas,” “Traversed Afar,” Dec. 18). Townsend’s story was hilarious and hit the nail on the head as far as families and holidays go — even though most of us don’t have a famous preacher in the family! Kratt’s and Grooms’ stories were both really moving and very well written. We suggest that Creative Loafing should publish more stories like this — memoirs, maybe even fiction, though not necessarily Christmas stories — all year long. It was a great break from the usual angry voices heard in the news. Just wanted to say we appreciated it, especially around the holidays.
— Marisa and Ken Bramlett, Charlotte
Give Us A Break
What is the purpose of printing a front-page article about Charles Kuralt being watched by the FBI the week of Christmas? (“Charles Kuralt’s FBI File” by Jon Elliston, Dec. 25.) Are you guys auditioning for the role of Scrooge or The Grinch in next year’s Children’s Theatre Christmas play? It’s pretty cynical to try to make one of “Charlotte’s favorite sons” (as you called him) look bad, especially right around the holidays. Surely you could have waited a week to run that article and not injected an element of cynicism into everybody’s year-end activities. The only positive note is that you probably didn’t have as many readers for that article as usual since everybody’s so busy at that time of the year.
— David L. Phonestes, Charlotte
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.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2003.
