Letters to the Editor

What You Say

Poe-riffic Cover

Thanks for the informative Poe article [Cover, "We're Taking Poe Back," Edward Pettit, Oct. 4, 2007]. It's intriguing to note how his life and Guy de Maupassant's life were similar; de Maupassant (1850-1893), considered France's greatest short-story writer and noted for his fantastic themes, died in an asylum, insane from the ravishes of syphilis.

My favorite quote of Poe's was a response to a young newspaperman's query that since Poe was noted for his frightening stories, what frightened him? Poe responded, "My occasional bouts of sanity."

Mort Altshuler
Old City

Great article! [I was] surprised however, that you left out Poe's short story "Morning on the Wissahickon." Not one of his better-known stories, and as I remember, a sweet, pastoral piece describing a morning walk along the Wissahickon in what is now, I assume, Fairmount Park. Definitely a Philly connection.

Francis J. Tysiak
Frenchtown, N.J.

"We're Taking Poe Back" makes me wonder if the material and psychological (and possibly cultural) problems plaguing information-age Philly may have had their genesis in a time prior to the American Civil War.

Floyd Johnson
North Philadelphia

When you said Obama's stance does not differ very much from his Democratic opponents [Philly Blunt, "The Book that Could Save America," Brian Hickey, Oct. 4, 2007], you were right, and that being said, what is really unique about him? You say you he doesn't come from Skull and Bones, yet Obama is clearly in a connect with the Council on Foreign Relations (his wife, a member, has given them many speeches, and I am sure works towards forwarding their agenda). He is also clearly in bed with the huge Israeli lobby (you should read his speeches to APAC!). And anti-war ... I think not, Obama clearly stated he would bomb Pakistan of all places. He also said he would never work towards an impeachment of George W. Bush. Some hero, this guy.

Wake up, he is no different, just another pawn in the establishment chess game. There is only one [other candidate]: Ron Paul. His message of liberty and personal freedom, plus his anti-war, small-government views are revolutionary in a time of corporate oppression and lobbyists. Who better to unite a nation than a man who advocates rights based on the fact that we are all equal, not divisive groups?

Gavin Dehler
Queens Village

Baa Rock! Yeah — keep hitting us over the head with the obvious best choice for America's future. From my special interest point of view, the last three administrations have pursued "stupid" homelessness policies; we can't afford to keep the power with just two families — for people with a home and for those without.

Phyllis Ryan Jackson
Executive director, Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness

At last, someone addressing the Gayborhood phenom [Naked City, "A Tale of Two Hoods," Ryan Creed, Sept 27, 2007]. However, Ryan's shallow perspective beckons my observation: There are gay-owned and -operated businesses beneath the coded rainbow banners on street signs who do not identify themselves as gay, don't advertise in the gay media, won't display a rainbow flag decal, yet they strategically located themselves to benefit from being smack-dab in the middle of the gay ghetto. Question them and they become hostile. They are "out-and-about" queers who aim to profit from being in the historically gay hub, profiting from the gay population and luring the weekend straight suburbanites. These are a shameful bunch of self-loathing queers whose only goals are to profit from the locale [with] dining tables an inch from the gutter, wallowing in exhaust fumes and vintage urine. These business owners are loathsome and an embarrassment to the gay community.

David F. Powell
Gayborhood

Please keep your testicles intact unless they really have to be extracted [Cover, "Battle of the Sexless," Ashlea Halpern, April 6, 2006]. I still have mine and I surely intend to keep them.

James J. Martell
Massachusetts

Ernest Goes the Distance

It's 6:11 in the morning and the autumn chill is in the air with humidity nonexistent. I, Ernest Lattimore, stretch my hamstrings, reaching toward the sky. I run an average of one mile a day; I am living in a shelter until my Family Court date. I was a cross-country and track and field athlete at Germantown High. What do I have to do to join the [Back on My Feet running] club [Naked City, "Run for Their Lives," Kristin Pazulski, Sept. 27, 2007]? I'm a single black male (straight) that doesn't trust females on what they say, but by their actions. I look forward to seeing or hearing your feedback on my feedback.

P.S. Hardworkin nice guys are ignored by the common dame.

Ernest Lattimore
Outley House

Falun Gong practitioners are peaceful and good-natured [Cover, "Chinese Democracy," Aisha Sattar, Sept. 27, 2007]. It sadnesses me that there are so many widely held inaccurate assumptions about who these people are and why they are being persecuted. One of the more troubling inaccuracies is the idea that Falun Gong's teacher, Mr. Li Honghzi, encourages practitioners in China to endure the torture to which they are exposed. He in fact continues to state just the opposite: Practitioners should not accept the persecution and should help others to understand that the persecution is absolutely wrong and must be stopped.

The Chinese government is a very powerful, influential and crafty body. They will do whatever they can to hide their crimes and, unfortunately, have been quite successful on many fronts, as many of the above comments suggest. It is up to Falun Gong practitioners, media and our local communities to expose their crimes and help people understand the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution.

Jessica Russo, Psy.D.
Fairmount

Sattar's article mentions that a publication that had criticized Mr. Li and his Falun Gong movement led to a peaceful protest of more than 10,000 practitioners in front of Zhongnanhai in 1999. She stated that "No group in the history of the Chinese communist regime (CCP) had ever petitioned at the residence of the leadership." That's untrue. During the 1989 protest movement, the entrance to Zhongnanhai was besieged a number of times by students and other petitioners. Hunger strikes were also staged.

I live in Beijing, and am back here in the States for a brief visit. I've found the Western media to be incredibly biased towards what's happening in China now — focusing on the more unsavory aspects of Chinese politics that accomplish nothing more than injecting just a bit more fear and xenophobia into the public sphere. Granted, much of the information that's coming out of China now is negative — including the Falun Gong and lead paint controversies — but in reality, the residents of Philadelphia and other cosmopolitan strongholds have more in common with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing and Shanghai than one may think.

City Paper would benefit from printing subject matter that would shed some light on some of the brilliance that's been emerging from Beijing as of late: like the city's blistering indie rock scene, or some of the grassroots cultural movements that I've been privy to recently.

Pete DeMola
Via E-mail

Let's face it: The days of foie gras in the city of Philadelphia are numbered. Note the pathetic attempt by a small number of restaurateurs to encourage the general public to indulge in diseased, fatty duck liver by offering this disgusting dish for a token $5 per plate [News, "Foul Play," Doron Taussig, Oct. 4, 2007]. Foie gras may be tasty (although I have no personal experience in this culinary disaster), but from the animals' perspective, as well as from a human health standpoint, it is definitely nasty.

Maryanne Appel
Via E-mail

Philadelphia chefs who bow to the demands of the misnamed "Hugs for Puppies" animal rights group should be ashamed of themselves. Hugs for Puppies is the local chapter of a global animal rights group called SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty). SHAC's leaders are serving federal prison terms for domestic terrorism and interstate stalking. Today, Hugs for Puppies director Nick Cooney and his gang are complaining about foie gras. Tomorrow, it will be the circus, your children's milk, your leather shoes, or lifesaving medical research that uses labs rats.

Animal rights extremists seems to know no bounds. Giving a group of save-the-ducks extremists control over what the rest of us eat sets a horrible precedent.

David Martosko
Center for Consumer Freedom

In Oct. 4's "Know Your Escargot" [Naked City], we incorrectly identified a photo of a man as Dr. Gary Rosenberg. We regret the error.