Preserve Us
Thank you for the analogy [Jan. 22 Editor's Corner] to the "Taliban Mentality" of those who were pushing the "God resolution." It is the same mentality that gave us the Inquisition, the Crusades, witch burnings of New England—all negations of Christian humility. The God resolution could be the thin end of the wedge of regression to those days.
Incidentally, the Judeo-Christian God and—not or—the Islamic Allah are one and the same: Allah is the Arabic word for God, which, in turn, is the Anglo-Saxon word for whatever the word for God was in the Hebrew of five (six?) thousand years ago. In essence, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can be viewed as different sects of monotheism.
Vivian Leitner
Knoxville
Inappropriate Resolution
The Knoxville Region of The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) works daily to promote respect and understanding among all cultures, races and religions. The consideration to resurrect the so-called "God Resolution"—by some who serve on our Knox County Commission—urging recognition of God as the foundation of our nation would create an atmosphere of intolerance for cultures not represented in the statement. As such, I urge our Commissioners not to place this very divisive resolution on the agenda again.
While it is accurate to state that a majority of our founding fathers were believers in God, and that our Declaration of Independence references a Creator, these and other facts within the resolution are highly selective and present an inaccurate historical picture of our founding.
This resolution is inappropriate for the Knox County Commission. Simply saying "the public welfare requires it" does not make it so, and none of the arguments in this resolution make that claim any more persuasive. The public welfare requires the County Commission to attend to matters of Knox County, not some broader culture war which is specifically religious in nature. The Commission's time would be better spent focusing on more pressing issues like quality education and maintaining our civil liberties.
Attica C. Scott, executive director
The National Conference for Community and Justice
Knoxville Region
Un-Fun
While reading the Knoxville Found [Jan. 22], I came across the sadly juvenile description of breasts as "sweet fun-bags."
Just in case it didn't occur to you, that is seriously offensive. Males of the boys' club that is the Metro Pulse: welcome to 2004, where women are considered people with feelings that hurt and thoughts that don't involve baking.
How disgusting that one of the contributors not only thought of the phrase, but has the painfully f**ked up psyche to write it. How completely untoward that you, as the editor, let it slide.
Next time try: 'tits' or even 'boobies' if you must. Although those are not the PC terminology, they are extremely more preferable than the implication that breasts are only for the amusement of prepubescent-minded men.
Julia Nance
Knoxville
Sail Ho!
OK, I'm disappointed. Flicking through the Jan. 22 issue of MP, I was interested to see the Boating Guide heading. However, despite the fact that the lead photo showed people on a nice, family-size sailboat with other similar boats in the background, and that the photo was almost certainly taken at Knoxville's very active sailing club (Concord Yacht Club), nowhere in the entire Boating Guide article was the existence of sailing as a boating option even mentioned!
Sailing is a great sport for the whole family: it can be done entirely recreationally, entirely competitively, and at any level in between, and the CYC is a great place to start. The CYC accepts membership applications from anyone; you don't need to have a boat, and you don't even need to know how to sail—they'll teach you. Check out their web site at www.korrnet.org/cyc.
Neil Quigley
Knoxville
Open the Gates
Kudos to Glenn Reynolds [Jan. 22 Commentary] regarding the Deane Hill street closings. City subdivisions aren't gated communities.
Most of us do, however, know how to respect and drive through a neighborhood with children. When I pass through the Deane Hill area I'm certainly careful and aware to be on the lookout for kids at play.
I happen to live in the best neighborhood in all of Knoxville, filled with kids, and none of us have ever suggested a gated Forestbrook!
Susan Watson
Knoxville
Studded and Skewered
I am writing in response to the article "The School Board Races" by Betty Bean. Ms. Bean points out that Mr. Brian Hornback, who is running for the 5th District School Board seat which he currently holds, does not have a college degree and that his web site is "studded with grammar and usage errors..." Obviously Ms. Bean also has problems with grammar and usage errors, and I quote, "...to accompany her husband of a board-sponsored junket." Maybe Ms. Bean needs to go back to Grammar 101 and get a refresher course before she starts pointing out errors that others have made.
Cathy Moore
Knoxville
Not an Arena Issue
In last week's [Jan. 22] edition, Mr. Basilio challenged the Tennessee fan with this: "Tennessee basketball. Say those two words to yourself. What thoughts do they conjure?" Well, let's take up Mr. Basilio on the challenge.
It does not, as he assumes, conjure up images of that god-awful arena the Vols and Lady Vols call home. It conjures images of six women's national titles first and foremost, but, for sake of staying on topic with Tony, we'll keep this to the men's program.
Tennessee men's basketball is a program that can not and will not tolerate success. In spite of his critics, Jerry Green won 20 games per year and went to the NCAA tournament every year he was at the helm. If Mike Hamilton was committed to basketball as he is so lauded for being, he would crawl across the country on his hands and knees and beg Mr. Green to resume his coaching duties. No, Jerry Green didn't win a national championship, but he's won just as many as perceived national geniuses Roy Williams, Bob Huggins, Billy Donovan and Rick Majerus—combined. Tennessee men's basketball is a program that, in spite of playing early season games against South Vonore school for the blind, New Tazewell women's school and Rutledge Middle School, still can't get enough wins to get in the NCAA tournament. Worse yet, playing schools of that ilk keeps them from being really prepared for the SEC schedule, and the program hovers around the .500 mark while finishing fourth in the east—and then wonders why it didn't get invited to the dance.
Tennessee is the program that would be better off with DeVoe, should have sent Wade Houston packing much earlier—even at the risk of losing his stud son, and, just in case you missed it—should have never fired Jerry Green.
Sure, Basilio, the "Tommy Bowl" is a terrible arena. The floor is ugly with that god-forsaken black trim and those butt-ugly checkerboards (what was wrong with the state?), the poor sight lines, the far away seats, and the students away from the action, but it is not the reason that the team is mediocre. Tennessee men's basketball has been mediocre for years—except the Houston years when it was horrible—it's not that new a trend.
So, while Coach Peterson and Mr. Hamilton work to make the Tommy Bowl more friendly, the men's team will stay mediocre. The team is much less likely to compete with more talented teams now than it was five years ago. And as long as they keep making excuses instead of looking in the mirror, they need to get comfortable with fourth in the division and NIT bound.
Scott Boles
Kingston
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