Letters to the Editor

Hill, Whoa

How could you write an article about homeless shelters in Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill without mentioning Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network [Cover, "Hill, No," Michael J. Mishak, April 20, 2006]? That homeless shelter has been successfully housing homeless families (even including the occasional father) in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill for the past decade.

Bob Rossman
Chestnut Hill

Sharin' of the Green

[News, "He's IRAte," Jenna Portnoy, April 20, 2006] indicates a betrayal of all the Irish and Irish-Americans who fought and died for America. When was the last time any Irishman did anything to hurt this country? We have convicted spies from other countries in our jails. Our supposed friends do not seem to have any problem when they come here.

Bill Fahey
Long Island, N.Y.

I can't believe your blind ignorance and selfishness! How dare you act as a Republican propaganda machine! Reading that article, I assume he is an IRA terrorist, yet you listen to him as if what he is saying is God's word! Many innocent people here have suffered at the hands of IRA terrorism yet you have the cheek to rub it in our faces like this.

Peter Burns County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Thank you for exposing the truth about Coleman's experience. Articles like this prove that the Catholic population from the north of Ireland are still persecuted and need political asylum.

Liz Kerr

Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians

Dirty Work

[Loose Canon, "Growth Through Garbage," Bruce Schimmel, April 6, 2006] touched on one of my top subjects, recycling. A few weeks ago, I introduced and gained passage of a resolution calling for hearings on this important civic and environmental issue. With a new recycling coordinator, successful pilots, and energized advocates we feel the time is now (if not yesterday) for the Streets Department to develop a plan so that we can approach the numbers set forth in the city code.

It is not productive to rehash why our recycling rates are not where they should be, or laying blame. I am more interested in putting together the legislative and political will to move forward and get us where we need to go. My thanks to Schimmel and City Paper for continuing to shine the laser beam on the subject.

Blondell Reynolds Brown

Councilwoman at-large

Spin Recycled

Uh, which album are you reviewing? The Spin Doctors' new one has great tunes (my fave is "Margarita") and the band's showing off a new maturity, but it seems like you're reviewing stuff they put out 15 years ago instead [Music, "Spin Cycle," M.J. Fine, April 20, 2006]. Chris Barron's solo sets show off one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the '90s in an intimate setting and the upcoming gig at Tin Angel is a must see. Five million fans can't be wrong.

Lach
New York City, N.Y.

Editor's Note: Lach was scheduled as one of Barron's opening acts at the Tin Angel last night.

Bob and Deceive

It seems to me Bob Casey Jr. is not a Democrat at all, but a Santorum Lite [Cover, "The Rickslayer," Doron Taussig, April 13, 2006]. In the quest to win the Democrat Machine and their corporate PAC backers, who also support Santorum, [the party] will put up the person with name recognition and money, just for the sake of winning.

Paul Roden
Yardley

Thems Fightin' Words

Bill Brown of Cleveland, Ohio [Feedback, "Body Blow, Body Blow," April 20, 2006] is right about one thing: It was a sloppy fight because he ran scared the whole time, didn't win a round (view the tape, Bill) and [since] it was scheduled for six rounds, he wasn't knocking anybody out with his lack of power. So PLEASE give me the rematch. Let's fight in a phone booth so you cannot run from me. Schedule it for six rounds, tough guy.

Joey "The Real Rocky" DeMalavez
Manayunk

More Chestnut Hill Letters

Chestnut Hill doesn't want them. Mt. Airy won't take them. And they will be sent to Germantown like all the rest. There are still some of us who like living in Germantown and do not agree with it becoming the place to deposit people no other part of the city wants.

D. McKevitt
Germantown

More Casey Letters

The primaries have yet to occur, and there are at least two other Democrats who will actually come forward with their ideas. Yet [four] pages were dedicated to a man who steadfastly refuses to do so. I'm surprised that a free paper can be so cynical in its approach to political reporting that it would allow such a vapid, obviously partisan article to be printed, when the space could have gone toward providing people with pertinent information about our potential senators.

Owen Hunter
Center City

Great insight on the person and weaving of positions without encumbering the reader with a 2-D model of the candidate. We need not accept a non-Santorum, we need a person with positions that are understandable. Why should we accept waffles from anyone? Let every candidate clarify his position on issues.

Ricardo Diaz
Lansdowne

P.S. I Agree With Bruce

Thank you so much for honoring Monique Frugier [Loose Canon, "Letter Rip," Bruce Schimmel, April 20, 2006] Monique's success with letters to the editor is even more remarkable, in that her native language is French. As articulate and knowledgeable as she is, Monique wrestles with the dictionary and the thesaurus like a professional wrestler to get her letters into shape. She has thrown George Bush and Rick Santorum into the turnbuckle so many times that they are now woozy and vulnerable.

Ben Burrows
Elkins Park

Green's Money

Well now, isn't Sheriff Green the personification of brotherly love! [Loose Canon, "Sheriff Green's Foreclosure Machine," Bruce Schimmel, April 13, 2006] seems to look for answers as to why Green is so intent on going well beyond the statutory requirement for advertising foreclosures. I bet the good sheriff may just be a little too cozy with that ad agency. Isn't Sheriff Green's department bound to bid out services? Did he bid out this advertising contract? How many people does an ad agency need to place the volume of ads generated by Sheriff Green? The answer is one.

W. Craig Kenney
Baltimore

And Say Hi to the Tooth Fairy

I know that it is your job to find things wrong with a production and to be uncommonly critical, but if you do find yourself wanting to see Midsummer again, I suggest that you leave your critical writer personality at home [Online, "Dream Weavers," Mark Cofta, March 30, 2006]. Instead, adopt a childlike innocence and I promise you that you will not find a thing wrong with this spellbinding performance.

Kelly Gallagher
East Windsor, NJ

Off to Siberia, McGarvey

[News, "From Russia With Guns," Brendan McGarvey, April 20, 2006] was pathetic. He uses all the phrases that have been used to describe the Mafia. He even copies by calling them a crime family and even stating them as Russian Mafia, but then mentions that some come from Ukraine. Could you pass this on to him next time he uses the incorrect term "Russian Mafia," please: The Italian Mafia's is a way of life with a code based on Italian traditions and customs. The notions of honor, respect and omerta are critical in defining a Mafia. The so-called Russian Mafia, however, is not associated with honor and respect and should not be confused with the real thing.

Norman Diederich
Merion Station