Thanks to Curt Guyette for trying to expose the blatant exploitation of the residents of Detroit, the Detroit School Board, the State of Michigan and the communities of metro Detroit by Joe Nederlander ("Down at the fair," Metro Times, Nov. 14-20). If Nederlander’s hand shakes because his $200 million plan for the fairgrounds is falling apart, so be it. He’s a businessman doing what he does best, trying to make the most amount of money with the least amount of effort.
Look in your office, Joe, for the proposal I sent you to build your equestrian center, at no cost to you. The proposal brings the sport to the people of Detroit in an affordable, accessible manner. I’ve been a horse owner, trainer, teacher and show sport enthusiast for 30 years. The best students are not necessarily the most affluent or the prettiest. I’d like to se an Olympian come out of Detroit. The talent is there, and so is the political and financial support. —Barbara L. Tell, Royal Oak
When to strike
Be so kind as to let us all know when Jack Lessenberry ("Facing the real enemy," Metro Times, Nov. 14-20), the ACLU and U.S. Reps. John Conyers and John Dingell decide the American body count is high enough to take actions in order to protect our nation. —Kimberly Bryant,[email protected], Romeo
Fair and true
One of the truly great things about Metro Times is the excellence and balance of the great Jack Lessenberry's timely editorials, with "The view from ground zero" (Metro Times, Nov. 21-28) being no exception. What a joy it is to read his worldly wisdom and unbiased truth on always-current topics. —Rosetta Brooks, Detroit
Color us yellow
Your story on Louis Schimmel and his takeover of Hamtramck ("Czar wars," Metro Times, Nov. 21-28) is the best yellow journalism I've read in a long time. You seem to have interviewed every city worker who lost a cushy union job where all they had to do was collect a paycheck without doing a lick of work. There's a reason they’re upset with Schimmel and Mayor Gary Zych. Both wanted to get an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, and both of them came up against foot dragging from those who benefited from the old-boy network that has been in place in city government since former Mayor Kozaren's first term.
If you want a good bleeding-heart liberal story, why not write about how the entrenched Polish/Ukrainian network of Hamtramck doesn't want the recent Bangladeshi and Bosnian immigrants to have the same rights and freedoms that they enjoy? Or just read the Hamtramck Citizen if you want to know what kind of stupid bullshit goes on in that city because selfish assholes are trying to protect their gravy train rather than moving the city forward. Perhaps then you could be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. —Robert Kolinski, [email protected], Hamtramck
One thumb down
WXYZ's Bill Carey sure does have something to be proud of, if his station does have the highest ratings in the Detroit local TV news pool ("Tubed," Metro Times, Nov. 21-27). As if being the least shitty of shitty options is something to proclaim.
You didn’t mention what their ratings actually are. How many people in Detroit watch our unpalatable local TV news? I wouldn’t if my life depended on it — and frankly, over the past two months, it's sometimes felt as if my life does depend on me watching television news. In that case, I'll take any cable station, including the Weather Channel, over our crop of local sensationalist shit-muckers. —Dorion Cable Southfield
Toast to Voas
What else is there to say, Jeremy Voas ("Defining our times," Metro Times, Nov. 28-Dec. 1)? You make me laugh. You're timely. You're on my side. You should have a long and healthy life, my boy. And keep putting out this stuff! —Ruth Dasche, [email protected], Seal Beach, Calif.
