Metroland Online

Frank, I’m taking the liberty to speak not just for myself but for many people I’ve talked to. We don’t hate you. We don’t think you are less concerned than we are about the future. We don’t hate Bush. We do hate what he has done, continues to do, and now has a mandate to do. The reason we seem so sore, so whiny, so angry, and so determined to be heard is because we genuinely believe the Bush administration is leading this country—that’s you and me, Frank, and everyone and everything we love—to ruin. Not just us either, but the whole world.

It’s kinda like a lot of us see a terrible monster about to gobble us all up, and then there’s you and the others who see something else. We can’t understand what you see! But it does appear to us that you do not have all the information. It’s so obvious to us the monster is destroying our air, our water, our health, our safety, the future for our children, any chance of world peace, any chance of our species’ survival. It’s that serious in our eyes, Frank.

We think the man you voted for and his colleagues are hell bent on destroying everything that matters to us. Not just a few things, but everything that we value! Now I hear you say you don’t agree. And I totally give you that right. But I can’t stand by and be a good sport about losing the attempt to stop this march to destruction before it’s too late. I can’t. I believe, with good evidence, that you and I will lose everything we love and value about America if this administration has its way. I want to shake you, yes, and make you see what I see, because it is so terrible and so destructive. But I can’t. I’m left with nothing but compassion for you, and sorrow. Because you will discover the truth, if I am correct, and then it will be too late. And you will be suffering right alongside me and my grandchildren. I weep for us, Frank. You and me and everyone else. That’s how seriously I take the current situation.

Judith Brink

Albany

. . . Counterpoint

To the Editor:

I picked up [the] Nov. 11 edition of Metroland. Rather than get into a long drawn out typed debate on the issues with you, I decided to give you the short version of what I have to say. Let this sentence sink in hard: Mainstream America does not agree with you. Plain and simple. No matter how many left-wing clever articles you type. We (I voted for Bush) also know where the true power lies . . . in the voting booth. But you can continue to weep in your articles. As a conservative I truly enjoy reading the tone in the articles. It gives me mental satisfaction hearing you people whine.

Mark Walsh

Albany

Zeroes and Ones

To the Editor:

Please be advised that Rick Marshall is in error with regards to the crowd numbers at the Egg, as well as the seating arrangements, for the recent Howard Dean appearance [“The Doctor Is Back In,” Newsfront, Nov. 11].

Approximately 1,300 people were in attendance, both in the Hart Theater (the first theater reserved by ESC), and the Swyer Theater, where an audio and visual feed was made available for the overflow crowd.

The Empire State College representatives did a wonderful job of organizing the appearance, as well as handling the bulk of the logistical issues, and should be commended for their work. Additionally, reservations were required, not “suggested,” as Mr. Marshall would lead us to believe. Every piece of promotional literature that passed through the Egg box office advertised this fact. I can’t speak for specific numbers as to people who didn’t make reservations, but of those who showed up, the vast majority were able to get in, provided they were patient enough to wait until Mr. Dean started to speak.

Matthew Kampf

The Egg, Albany

Rick Marshall replies:

I acknowledge that I incorrectly identified the theater, and therefore the size of the crowd that filled it. However, ESC representatives made no mention of either the change in the venue (the press release issued to Metroland by ESC has Mr. Dean appearing in the Swyer Theater), or of an alternate theater with audio/visual arrangements, when asked how the excess crowd was being handled. In fact, while speaking to attendees in the lobby, I witnessed several groups of people being instructed to “wait and see” if room would become available, with no mention of the extra theater. Metroland also received several calls from readers who did not attend the event, as they had called ESC beforehand for information and were told that there were no more seats available. Regarding reservations, the press releases issued by ESC state, in bold print, “The event is free and open to the public, but R.S.V.P.s are encouraged,”(emphasis ours) providing a possible explanation for the large number of people who arrived without reservations.

Fancy That, to Swallow a Cat!

To the Editor:

There is a very offensive ad in the back of last week’s issue showing an Asian guy trying to eat a cat [page 43, Nov. 11]. I am not sure of the purpose of this ad, but it is highly offensive to cat lovers, and not to mention racist in its appearance. Metroland has always been supportive of such issues as animal rights, and I am shocked and offended that you would run such a despicable image. I should be able to pick up my favorite local paper without fear of seeing such disturbing images. Please see to it that whatever this ad is trying to promote, that they do it without offending your animal-loving readers . . . you have a lot of them. Also, I would hope that you are not inadvertently supporting some form of animal cruelty. I trust that you would not even want to appear to be supporting some sort of animal cruelty, which you are at the moment. Please rectify this situation.

Linda L. Rubino

Latham

Editor’s reply:

Last week’s cat-swallowing ad was part of an ongoing promotion in which a fake ad is placed in the paper each week; readers are asked to identify the fake ad in a call-in radio contest the following week (see page 63 of the same issue). Typically, we try to create ads that are outlandish or otherwise clearly fabricated (and, we hope, funny); to those who found this ad offensive, we apologize for the confusion.

Metroland welcomes typed, double-spaced letters (computer printouts OK), addressed to the editor. Or you may e-mail them to: metroland@metroland.net. Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length; 300 words is the preferred maximum. You must include your name, address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will not publish letters that cannot be verified, nor those that are illegible, irresponsible or factually inaccurate.

Send to:
Letters, Metroland, 4 Central Ave.,
4th Floor, Albany, NY 12210
or e-mail us at metroland@metroland.net.


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