Newspaper Page Text
m KSWMSE9 C contact us at p.o. box ioxt, Athens, ga sogos or mailcelagrole.com
■E E f ErlC9 LETTERS MAY BE EDBTED FOR STYLE, CLARITY AND SPACE CONSIDERATIONS
TOO MANY WORDS
1 have been reading your paper for many
years now. In general, I feel it is of very high
quality. I find many uses for it. However,
lately I have begun to feel as though the
quality is slipping somewhat. There are just
too many words in it. I like my newsprint not
to soil my fingers when I read it. But more
importantly, I don’t like newsprint soiling my
fish. Please, use better ink if you are insistent
on putting so many words in your articles.
Thank you.
Bob Uzmekitoula
Winder
FLUSHING BAXTER
I’d like to comment on two of your recent
cover stories and, perhaps, I can link them
together. The two themes were “bike lanes
to nowhere" [ City Pages, June 7] and “the
flush truck flushes" [City Pages, July 5].
Almost one year ago, I spoke out at a city
council meeting against the three-laning of
Baxter Street. I made it very clear that I was
not opposed to bike lanes or bikers’ rights
but that without real infrastructure, improve
ments to the bike lanes were a joke.
In fact. I warned that these bike lanes
were just a bone tossed to bike activists to
quiet them down for awhile. The bike lanes
never planned to be continuous with lower
Baxter or the even more narrow streets like
Lumpkin, Milledge or Broad. But if Baxter
was to be the first with bike lanes, I
requested publicly that a bike cop be pro
vided as well as a few bike racks, etc.
Makes sense, huh? No way. The real plan
seems to have been a cheap paint job to
slow’ down traffic volume at the expense of
all the tax paying businesses that have been
neglected for over 20 years. So Mr. Verrastro,
in his editorial letter [Letters, July 5), should
not be so surprised at the miserable condi
tion he finds the bike lanes to be in. You see,
all the money flows dow’ntown and that
bi ings me to the second item, the flush
truck.
The sequence of events seems to be the
following; downtown bars and restaurants
are enjoying an excess of business; this
results in excess garbage, stale beer and
vomit; some people complain; and ACC pro
vides additional garbage pickups and a
$91,000 flush truck. And, of course, we have
the consequence of where the flush flushes.
On Baxter, we don’t have such problems- we
have to pick up most of the garbage our
selves, since even the ACC garbage bins by
the ber.chless bus stops are often neglected
for weeks on end.
Now, in case you might think that I have
only a narrow, slanted opinion, please con
sider the following idea. Suppose our
Commissioners had proposed the three-
laning of Broad Street from Milledge to
Pulaski. This stretch of road is actually three
feet narrower than Baxter and certainly
would see more bicycle traffic. Honestly, do
you think the city could have railroaded the
Downtown Development Authority or the
downtown merchants into accepting a
’harmless’ reduction of one traffic lane? And
from a pure safety point of view, why wasn’t
Lumpkin the first three-lane experiment
since it is actually 11 feet narrower than
Baxter?
Sander Heilig
Athens
KNICKS NIXES HICKISH
1 would like just a moment to respond to
a recent letter in your fine publication from a
Miss Hickish [Letters. July 5]. Miss Hickish,
you closed a recent letter to the Flagpole by
saying “there doesn’t seem to be any way to
reassure them that I am no threat to them
even if 1 do drive an SUV." Your “them" were
two kids that worked in a video store, and by
the way, you sounded, if you read through
the lines of your lett2r, [like they] led a life
that you miss! And guess what! You are the
enemy!
I personally don’t know you. but I do
know your kind. You drive your big ol’ SUVs.
You live in your plastic sub-division, built by
illegal immigrants who are lucky to make five
bucks an hour. Your plastic house is filled
with plastic crap and made by slave children
in other countries who may make a nickel a
day. You have to have instant service wher
ever you go “no time for waiting, we got to
get junior to soccer practice." You smoked
enough dope and drank enough booze back
in your day to stun a wino, but now you're
for zero tolerance where kids go to boot
camp or prison for a bag of pot and some
times don’t make it out (alive that is).
So instead of complaining about your ter
rible service at the video store, why not
complain about the terrible service we get
from our worthless politicians. Oh, I forgot,
you’re the type who elected the bastards
and will again! I’m sure you didn't plan this
type of response when you wrote the
Flagpole. Well, I’m sure the pierced face
deviants didn't expect it from you when you
rented the trendy new flick from them. My
suggestion Miss Hickish and all those like
you: Bum your SUV, collect the insurance
money, donate it to some radical organiza
tion and let your “freak flag" fly again and
maybe this country will not be the place of
alienation it is now! Re-legalize.
Mark Knicks
Jefferson
GREEN MAIN ENW
I would like to issue an apology to the
band Planet Jive and their road crew for W.D.
Hellhound's (or whatever his/her real name
is...) incredibly rude, self-absorbed, incon
siderate letter [Letters, July 5]. While I have
seen and expect varying degrees of rudeness
by letter writers before, 1 believe the arro
gance toward these local boys was unwar
ranted (and a sign of deep insecurity...).
Although I was not at AthFest for Bill
Mallonee’s performance, and therefore
cannot comment on the specific issue
Hellhound has, I can comment on the count
less other encounters I’ve had with Planet
Jive. I have enjoyed several memorable,
enthusiastic, colorful performances. I have
known these guys to give back to the com
munity through their generous and sincere
support of several charitable benefit perfor
mances. I also think they are fai from a
“rehashed, post disco, “white boys got the
woo-woos," groove funk rip-off. What they
have is FUN!!!
Perhaps you are just jealous of that green
hair! LOSER!
George Montgomery
Athens
THIS VMW by TOM TOMORROW
Sure. The Patriot' takes some liberties with histori
cal accuracy--but it it inspires an interest in American
history, what's the harm in it? In tact, il there are any
movie producers reading this cartoon, we'd like to
pitch an idea ot our own--the story of Alexis ' Fightin'
A I' - deTocqucville and his journey through...
TWO-FISTED
DEMOCRACY
IN AMERICA!
YOU SEE, FIGHTIN' AL—WHOSE
BlAnce to KEANU REEVES
OFTEN BEEN NOTED— SPENT IQ
STUDYING OUR NASCENT Df.MOCf
--AND THERE'S CERTAINLY no REASON hE COULDNT
have STOPPED SOMEWHERE ALONG the WAT TO have
A TORRID AFFAIR WITH A YOUNG WOMAN BEARING A
striking SIMILARITY to REBECCA RoMUN-STAMoS:
“IF ANYONE ASKS ME WHAT X THINK IS THE CHIEF
CAUSE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY PROSPERITY AND GROW
ING POWER OF THIS NATION, X SHOULD ANSWER THAT
IT IS DUE TO THE SUPERIORITY OF THEIR WOMEN*"*
wrt* x raiMU of COORJC muu AM Jvm MA*u
WOIS CAM.* MASTS*.
BWAH HA HA.* THEY'LL PAY MY RANSOM--OR I SHALL
ACTIVATE MY INFERNAL DEMOCRACY DESTROYER'.
UM, SURE
WHATEVER.
"X KNOW OF NO OTHER COUNTRY
WHERE LOVE OF MONEY HAS SUCH
A GRIP ON MEN'S HEARTS.'"
HE INTERVIEWED PRESIDENTS, LAWYERS, BANKERS AND
SETTLERS...BUT THE WAY WE FIGURE IT, MOST OF
HIS TIME WAS PROBABLY SPENT TRYING TO SAVE THE
COUNTRY FROM THE EVIL PLANS Of A DIABOLICAL
MADMEN WHO LOOKED uncannily LIKE GARY
OLDMAN— *
—A BATTLE WHOSE MANY TWISTS AND TURNS LIKELY
INVOLVED BREATHTAKING CHASE SCENES—ON HORSES,
sure, but FAST horses—And A stunning climax
ATOP THE VERY CAPITOL of THE NATION BY WHICH
HE WAS so FASCINATED...
‘When great perils threaten the sta’E, the people
OFTEN MAKE A HAPPY CHOICE OF THOSE CITIZENS
BEST SUITED TO SAVE nr
CURSE YOU, FIGHTIN'
AL D£ TOCQUEVILLE*
So how 'bout It, Hollywood? Have your people call our
people-and we'll do lunch-or they will-or something.,
Lisa Elizabeth Alder
MT, CYT, CCT
22 Years Exferience
Healing with Colour and Lijht * Massage Therafy
Clairvoyant headings • Yoga Teacher
By Affiintmeht (706) 5+9-8999
*thtn*(a)ne§i*. net
From: ATHEr j S
ATHENS: Super Mcdo. Los Compadres-1330 Prince Ave. 706.543.6777
Restaurant La Bamba-151 E Broad Street 706.543.0023
^ATLANTA 9*90
TIMES A DAY
We are now inside
PLAZA FIESTA
4166 Buford Hwy. - Suite 1023B
1-877-725-5287
GEORGIA
19, 2000
tuoj pMOMUJipoujtim mmm - ujo3 , iiaM®MOjjomoi ,, ‘00-bi-iQM*M*W*l. Wjl