Letters to the editor:
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Calm the Rhetoric
I have found that Metro Pulse editorials, more often than not, provide valuable insight into issues of local as well as national and global significance. However, the highly provocative, confrontational tone of "Ban Faith-Based Bigotry" in the Feb. 5 issue is alienating and shows no consideration for the complexity of the issues we face in this country, be it gay marriage or anything else.
The good points that Mr. Henderson makes about gays deserving equal rights are overshadowed by the insolent manner in which he speaks to his audience. The notion that those who do not support gay marriage are "bigots," "idiots," or are part of a "fundamentalist, moralist moronic faction" is ludicrous.
It is a cliche that what makes this country great is that we can disagree with one another, but clearly it still needs to be pointed out. Calm the rhetoric and address your readers with respect.

Jessica Phillips
Knoxville

Makes Sense
Thank you for your superb editorial in support of legalizing gay marriage. As you point out so eloquently, it is the only position that makes any sense from either a political or moral standpoint.

Steven Hauck
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 Quigleyf
Knoxville

Spending Challenge
Regarding the guest commentary by Le Evans in your Jan. 29 edition, the author states: "(Conservatives have built)... Think tanks to generate ideologically pure policies; talk radio to sell those ideologically pure policies to the public..." No argument.
Author Evans, a UT law student, apparently received his "ideologically pure" facts from talk radio as he declares: "During Ronald Reagan's administration, government spending decreased by more than 10 percent." Your readers may be curious as to how President Reagan, when the United States’ national debt skyrocketed from just under $1 trillion to $2.7 trillion during the "conservative messiah's" reign that pushed for and was granted vast Star Wars funding, could possibly have cut government spending?
We have a new "conservative messiah" in Washington who has, according to Pat Robertson, been appointed by God, and your readers may also be curious regarding author Evan's assertion that "government spending has risen 21 percent." Ascertaining the truth of that statement was elusive. This reader, after viewing the record deficit spending that is documented, must question: Only 21 percent?

Chuck Janack
Knoxville

Non-emergency?
I was curious if anyone else in Knoxville has had any trouble getting a response from calling 911. I was unfortunately involved in an automobile accident on Saturday, Feb. 7, and had occasion to call 911 from my mobile phone. Myself, my wife, and two-week old son were sideswiped while waiting at the West Hills exit off I-40 eastbound.
No one was hurt, and the damage was minor, but it was a frightening experience because the other driver’s vehicle was still traveling at considerable speed when it scraped down the length of our car. The driver’s brakes had locked his wheels, and he was in an uncontrolled slide. His car finally stopped 20 feet in front of us. He began moving, as if he intended to drive off, so my wife jumped out of the car and flagged him down. She wrote down his insurance information while I called 911 so that an accident report could be written up. My wife, being inexperienced in the procedure for handling traffic accidents, let the other driver go after obtaining his insurance information. We continued to wait for the police to arrive.
After 45 minutes had passed, I called the police dispatcher, and the officer that answered informed me that since the other driver left at our discretion, an accident report could not be written, so we might as well be on our way, since our vehicle was still driveable. During the 45 minutes we waited, I observed several cruisers pass us by on I-40 in the leftmost lane without drama. Their emergency lights were off, and I suspect they were patrolling for speeders.
Yes, our situation was not urgent, and I wouldn’t have classified it as an emergency. Is that justification for the police to ignore our 911 call? The 911 operator asked for my mobile phone number, and I provided it to her. Is it commonplace for 911 calls to go unchecked or unanswered? I would think that if they didn’t have the resources to respond, that someone could call and inform us. Why else would they ask for my number? We sat for 45 minutes with our hazard signals flashing wondering if any of the passing cruisers noticed we were blocking a high-traffic highway exit.
My first call to 911 didn’t inspire much confidence in local law enforcement. The next time I call 911, will anyone come?

Adrian Sanabria
Knoxville

Compensation not a Reward
The Bredesen administration surprised many UT employees when it found money in next year’s budget to provide for a 2% raise (along with a 1% “bonus”) for all state workers.
Unfortunately, the university has shown no sign of offering a similar plan to help alleviate the financial difficulties faced by so many underpaid UT staff. Instead, there is a proposal floating around to close the university the week after Christmas to save money, offering employees two choices: lose a week of pay or sacrifice a week of annual leave time.
That proposal is unacceptable. Many employees are having troubles as it is getting by. Almost every hourly and even exempt employee one encounters will testify to the pitiful salaries paid at this university compared to other public institutions and the private sector.
Even with an additional wage increase from UT, those earning poverty wages would not be able to afford to lose a week’s worth of pay. And to ask struggling employees to sacrifice their hard-earned annual leave, especially in light of administrative scandals and ever-increasing administrator salaries, is a slap in the face.
I am a student and part-time student employee, and I may not even benefit from a state or UT raise. Tuition is going to increase every year regardless of staff raises. UT employees have received raises in only a few years out of the past decade of constant tuition hikes.
I am convinced that UT can and should find the money to simply compensate—not reward—its many hard-working employees who keep this institution running.

Chad Negendank
Knoxville

Crossing the Blue Line
Hmm. Metro Pulse’s romantic Valentine giveaway [Feb. 12] included box seats for a hockey game.
A hockey game? Well, no wonder the “Lessons in Love” led off with a discourse on masturbation.

Tim Walsh
Oak Ridge