I have whittled my subscription down to weekend only for the Observer and that may be gone shortly. I wait eagerly each week to see what Tara Servatius or The Rhino is going to uncover. Tara has exposed the Observer for what it truly is -- a group of pseudo-intellects that regurgitate the news du jour off the web and pass it off as journalism. I appreciate the layers of information Ms. Servatius must pore through, the phone calls and the obfuscation she must tear away at to bring us the stories she does. Whether it is transportation, the arena, local government or an idea, Tara gives one helluvan effort to bring as many facts to the table as possible.
Tara is a local treasure. I hope she does not outgrow us.
-- David Drew, Charlotte
End Pot Prohibition
Lucy Perkins is absolutely right ("Drugs R Us," June 11). Almost every state in the Union is facing budget shortfalls, yet we continue to waste billions in pursuit of the failed social policy of Prohibition. What began with the noblest of intentions, to protect society from the ravages of drug addiction and to protect citizens from themselves, has morphed into the Drug War, Inc., a massive workfare program for police, courts and prison guards.
Establishing a legal, tightly regulated market where adult citizens who so chose may purchase alcohol has proven to be vastly more successful in keeping booze out of the hands of children, eliminating the violence of turf wars, getting help for problem drinkers, and generating a reliable revenue stream for the state than Prohibition ever did. Why wouldn't we expect similar results by extending the same model to cannabis?
-- Greg Francisco, Paw Paw, MI
Bludgeoned Conservatives
Hal Crowther's hit piece "Weapons of Mass Stupidity" (June 4) reminded me why I rarely read Creative Loafing: The leftwing liberal bias lacks finesse. The bludgeoning conservatives get from Crowther is relentless. He finds nothing good about Fox News or the Bush administration. It seems clear that his vitriol toward Fox stems from Fox's honest reporting. He would much prefer Saddam Hussein's shill, Peter Arnette.
If Crowther hates Fox, Fox must be doing something right. In fact, Fox News could never have succeeded were it not for the liberal bias of Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, and all the folks at CNN. They are the reason people who want the truth -- not the liberal spin -- watch Fox News.
-- Larry Shull, Kings Mountain, NC
Required Reading
Crowther's article should be required reading for every American citizen.
I read it and all I can think of is, "There are none so blind as those who will not see."
I honestly fear for our country.
-- Donna Valko, Triangle, VA
Crowther's Hissy Fit
How utterly sad yet amusing it was to read Hal Crowther's hissy fit disguised as an article on Fox News in your June 4 issue. The emergence of alternative media to compete with the entrenched liberal media has brought about many a hysterical rant recently. In the Liberal universe, nothing substitutes for reasoned analytical argument like outlandishly shameful associations and frenzied name-calling. As a member of the Loony Left, Mr. Crowther does not disappoint.
What is truly troubling is Mr. Crowther's selective use of facts. To attempt to detail the bias at Fox News he mentions the coincidence that one of President Bush's aides was a former producer for Fox News yet fails to mention the intimate relationship between Rick Kaplan, former head of CNN (Clinton News Network), and the disgraced former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
Mr. Crowther's main problem is one of intolerance. After years of one-sided liberal media spin, he has allowed himself to become unhinged by the emergence of a conservative point of view actively presented in the media. To Mr. Crowther, serious issues of the day cannot be debates in good faith. It is possible to agree with the war in Iraq and not be compared to Hitler, isn't it, Mr. Crowther? A good number of conservatives who enjoy Fox News are highly educated, law abiding, productive citizens. In Mr. Crowther's rash generalization, Fox viewers are the ignorant unwashed who are led around by lying, thieving, Fascist Nazis. Since many on the Loony Left continue to use these cartoonish and sophomoric characterizations in place of logical, level-headed discourse, they will continue to marginalize themselves in the years to come.
-- James C. Signorile, Charlotte
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