Mailbag

I wonder how Eure reconciles his view of community broadcasting with the nine hours of prime time right-wing radio that WINA carries daily on the public airwaves? How does this hateful vitriol (consisting largely of GOP talking points provided to the far right talking heads by the Republican National Committee) that spews forth daily from AM 1070 “reflect the mores of the community?” Does Eure believe that this unbalanced and ultraconservative invective contributes to the greater good of the Charlottesville community? While unchecked anger may sell airtime by appealing to our most base emotions, does it serve to bring people together to solve problems?

Eure’s hypocrisy on the issue of “being involved in the community” and “reflecting the mores of the community” renders him unworthy of being named one of your C-VILLE 20.

I choose to boycott AM 1070 and its advertisers in protest of the one-sided tripe aired on the station and would encourage others who are upset by the programming on WINA to do likewise.

Jeffrey Fracher

Bad counsel

In regards to Kenneth Jackson’s letter [Mailbag, June 3], City Councilor Rob Schilling gave misleading statements in his explanation for voting against the City budget. For example, he stated that the City annually subsidizes McGuffey Arts Center at more than $400,000. How can he be so confused? That figure is the projected rental value of the building if a private developer spent millions turning it into condos or offices—and the City were willing to lose a great downtown magnet.

Schilling also misled us by saying he was “keenly aware of the immediate needs” in our schools and our police department. If he were really concerned about those needs, he would have come up with some constructive proposals, not half-truths. An effective Councilor must come up with answers.

Virginia Daugherty

High prices

Perhaps some would see Cora Schenberg’s recent parody of George W. Bush’s endearing inarticulateness (“These taxing times,” AfterThought, June 3) as a comforting sign that we have drifted back to the pre-9-11 era. Those were the good old days when the Bush administration would appoint a political extremist as Attorney General and institute massive tax cuts for the rich, the Democratic “opposition” and “news media” would sit in cowed silence on the sidelines, while those opposed to the gathering lunacy that passed for “government policy” would publicly chuckle at Bush’s apparent inability to string together a coherent sentence.

Although common sense dictates that Bush’s two favorite themes—1) massive tax cuts for the rich, and 2) war—are contradictory, it is now clear that the “Bush Era” is here to stay and is no laughing matter. Bush’s chief critic, Paul Krugman of The New York Times, recently summarized the dire domestic U.S. financial situation (“Duped and Betrayed,” NYT, June 6), where he argues that continued massive tax cuts for the rich now seriously threaten the continued existence of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

At the “Take Back America” conference in Washington, D.C., this past weekend, former presidential aide and journalist Bill Moyers claimed that “the right-wing wrecking crews” assembled by the Bush administration are engaged in “…a deliberate, intentional destruction of the United States of America.”

So we may laugh at Bush, but let us not delude ourselves into believing that dislodging Bush and company from the White House will be anything other than very difficult. First, we have an “opposition” that will meekly go along with wars based on deception and which spell the replacement of international law with the law of the jungle. Next, we have a media whose values seem to be that while it’s not okay to lie about sex, lying about the existence of “weapons of mass destruction” to lead the country into an illegal war in which thousands of innocent people are killed is quite acceptable. To add injury to insult, both the media and the Democrats seem to think it’s fine to let the Bush Administration continue to obstruct a serious public investigation into 9-11 to discover exactly what happened, how it was executed and the true identities of those involved. Meanwhile, George W. Bush is running the world. Joke over, I think.

Rob Pates

State of the arts

I miss HearSay and am a little concerned about the decline in coverage local music and art have had recently in your paper. The new design is great, but it seems that every week there is less and less. A couple of weeks ago there was only one live music review. There used to be an entire page devoted to them. And the bands you’ve picked to promote before their shows are the ones who need it the least—Terri Allard, Hackensaw Boys, Devon. What about the little guys?

As a reader, I look to the C-VILLE for everything local—art, music, etc. Your paper has always been THE place to find the inside scoop—both before and after a show. Are you even interviewing the artists anymore? And as a budding artist and musician, I hope to rely on support from your paper when I am ready to have a show. Your readers see promoting awareness of local talent as a major part of your role in this town. Please don’t disappoint us.

Don’t get me wrong, I still see the C-VILLE as a great paper and the No. 1 resource for what to do in town. I just hope that local artists and musicians can count on your support, and that this latest trend is not a sign that you no longer think that we are an important part of what makes Charlottesville such a great place to live.

ND Pendent

What’s the frequency, Kluge?

I enjoyed your recent profile of John Kluge [“Meet Mr. Big,” Ask Ace, June 3]. He may well have come by his fortune through honest, hard work. Yet, as the French say, “Behind every great fortune is a great crime.” In Kluge’s case, his sale of one of his radio stations to the man who is now mayor of New York may not have been a crime, but it certainly was a crying shame!

WNEW, “The Station of the Stars,” broadcast big-band and music presented by legendary DJs like Martin Block, William B. Williams and Jonathan Schwartz. Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but whenever he was working clubs in the Big Apple, he called WNEW to do a phone interview—as did many other great names in popular American music.

Alas, the station’s license to broadcast at megawatt power levels was coveted by Michael Bloomberg’s Business News Network. The sale was consummated, and the old format was shifted to a low-wattage frequency transmitter, where it couldn’t survive.

So, while Kluge’s good works may have made him a local hero, ex-New Yorkers like myself rank him down with Walter O’Malley, the man who moved the Dodgers to L.A.!

Ed Russell

The kids are alright

This is in response to the letter written by Mary Ellen Wagner [Mailbag, June 10], in response to the letter about the article “Resale for sale.” I am sorry to hear Wagner was so upset with her experience at My Silly Goose. This is a store for parents and their children. Please keep in mind there are many toys throughout the store that I have searched for, paid for, cleaned up, repaired, purchased parts for and had batteries replaced in, to ensure they are all complete with all parts and indeed working. And please remember they are for sale.

Being a mother of three young boys, I know how excited children can get, so keeping that in mind, My Silly Goose has a play area fully stocked with many toys and a TV/VCR for the children to enjoy while their parents shop. We have come to find that children look forward to coming into the store just to play in this area. As far as overpriced, this is a children’s resale shop, not to be confused with the adult consignment shop. So yes, our prices between the stores will vary. All “No playing with toys” signs have been removed.

Now the Lollipop Shop, I understand, does not allow strollers into the location at all, forbidding mothers of the very young even to enter. The Lollipop Shop, as told to me by the owner, is a for-profit business just like My Silly Goose, not a charitable, non-profit organization. Although some proceeds may go to charity it is also an income-producing venture.

So in hindsight please remember My Silly Goose is here year-round and available for those with small non-walkers to the most active child, with a full selection of toys that can be tested and clothing that can be tried on. And I invite Wagner to stop by and pay us a visit.

Pamela Juers

Charlottesville