Median rage
This is in regard to Larry Gabriel's article about the Livernois Avenue median ("Traffic jam," Metro Times, Feb. 27). I am just now getting a chance to read it.
It's funny how I found it. I was at work talking with a co-worker of mine about how the city has basically screwed up Livernois, which was one of, if not the best, street to drive on in Detroit. We were joking that we'd like to find out who was behind this debacle so that we could have his head on a platter. To find out more, I Googled something like "Livernois median," "stupid idea" and "messed up" and your article was in the list.
I think it's beautifully written and expresses the frustration of so many people that I talk to. I know that, personally, I patronize several businesses less often since this mess has been developed. Oh, how I miss my O'Quinn's carrot cake and Boston Market! But, as someone in your article mentioned, it's just not worth it to have to drive almost an extra mile or two to make turn-arounds to get to the different businesses.
As a daily driver on Livernois who has now become increasingly frustrated and angry, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one pissed-off about it. —Brandon Wilkins, Detroit
Geoffrey's big case
In "Fieger vs. Meijer" (Metro Times, May 21), Jack Lessenberry has written the best political article of the season. I am confident the jury will see through the government's machinations and acquit.
Several years ago, my uncle was in from New York City. We were in a restaurant, and Geoffrey Fieger was there. My uncle, one of those New York lefties from the Depression, wanted to meet Geoff so I introduced him. It was at the time that the great New York left-wing lawyer, Paul O'Dwyer, died. I had the New York Times obit with me for some reason and showed it to Fieger. This is the guy you should be, I suggested to Fieger. He laughed and said he would try. He has come up short, but he does not deserve to be the whipping boy that the media makes him out to be. —Stuart Freedman, West Bloomfield
Saving Fieger
Everyone is claiming selective prosecution, but you are the first that I've seen make the case. Good job. I suspect Mr. Fieger's opinion of you might change if he reads your article. —Paul C. Youngs, Brownstown
Minority opinion
I was writing in response to Jack Lessenberry's column comparing Obama with Bobby Kennedy ("Barack and Bobby," Metro Times, May 14). Supporters of Hilary Clinton (mainly female) think that electing a woman president would be more radical than electing a black president. However, none of the countries that have ever elected a woman president or woman prime minister have ever elected anybody who wasn't a member of the dominant culture. Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, is as white and German as her predecessor, Juergen Schroeder, while Britain's Margaret Thatcher was as white and British as Sir Winston Churchill. While Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto was a woman prime minister of a Muslim country, she was Muslim rather than Christian or Hindu. Like the women that I have already mentioned, Hilary Clinton belongs to the dominant culture: she's as much a WASP as her husband, Bill, or the current president, George W. Bush. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is a member of a racial minority. That being said, the United States shouldn't elect Obama as president just because he's African-American, but because he's the best one for the job. —David Joanisse, Lincoln Park
