Support, Don't Judge
I just read Katie Allison Granju's [June 28] commentary, "A Choice, A Child." I must commend her on two fronts. First, to publicly discuss a topic so intimate and controversial shows bravery and candor. Secondly, the clarity in which she writes of a murky issue and process is revelatory.
Having witnessed women struggle with this decision in professional and personal arenas, as well as reading Ms. Granju's thoughts, I am thankful for never having to walk through the muck myself. But nonetheless, being a woman, I have strolled the path in my mind, and I have come to a place similar to where she appears to be.
The "issue" of abortion is not an issue or political agenda with polar-opposite stances. Rather, it is a personal, heart-draining and mind-warping journey which most women walk with trepidation and distress. We, as bystanders, should support these women in their survival of the journey and not cheer or curse them upon their arrival at a destination.
Thank you to Ms. Granju for her writing on her true and personal process.
Kristin Mix
Knoxville
Polishing a What?
It is pointless to discuss building a planetarium in downtown Knoxville in order to revitalize the area. I haven't noticed very many people walking around peering up at the night sky, have you? Does anybody really see the images inside the constellations? Hell, the air is so polluted around here that you can't see much at all after dark with or without a telescope.
An aquarium is a good bet for a drawing card because an interest already exists, as evidenced by numerous tropical fish stores. However, both Chattanooga and Gatlinburg have aquariums, so that rules it out for Knoxville.
The biggest problem about revitalizing downtown is the lack of free parking, and given the physical layout of the area it is probably impossible to overcome. An equally grave problem is that Knoxville is ate up with dumb ass. Come on, what can you say about a city where the main preoccupation is watching savages play children's games on a dirt field (U.T. football)? Where the biggest hotel in town is next to (sigh) the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. It does prove that women can be just as stupid as men.
Nobody goes to downtown Knoxville because there's nothing there except bums and government offices. The Old City is an exception, but paying for parking puts a gloomy cloud over the scene right at the outset. It is just asking too much for suburbanites to drive a good distance and then grease a palm.
What to do? Nothing. Let the marketplace find itself. A few people choose to live downtown, some others will come anyway. It really is a scruffy little city, and that's a fact. You know, your paper should stick to discussing political issues (which you do well even if I don't agree with your point of view), and stop trying to polish a turd. No matter what you try to do, downtown Knoxville usually isn't worth worrying about.
John R. Snyder
Knoxville
'Free' Fixes
While Joe Tarr has always been good to us, I figured I'd better write to clear up some inaccuracies in his [July 5] report about First Amendment Radio. As someone living at ground zero of the one day-broadcasting spot, I know we have a long way to go. The first thing I would like to clear up is that we only raised $250 at last month's spaghetti dinner fund raiser. I, and everyone else involved, wish we could have raised the $800 reported. In fact we only have about $500, of the approximate $2,200 needed to buy the proper equipment. Also, unless things have changed, we plan on broadcasting at 88.3 (the frequency of the community station that was around in 1997) instead of 88.9.
Thank you for letting me clear things up. I encourage everyone who is interested to get involved, donate money, or support our fund raising events. After all, this is your radio station too!
J. "Ratchet" Kaos
Knoxville
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