Jack Lessenberry's Nov. 2 column, "Becoming the martians," earned a hand-delivered letter from G.M. Ross of Lowell. He writes:
Although I now find gerund titles a cliché, you probably did not choose it. Nonetheless, the imagery is great and, yes, I read The Martian Chronicles.
Your appeal is downright Tolstoian, with all due respect, but how blokes like me are going to grab the tiller of the state is a poser. If we could not keep duplicitous Republicans from taking us to war in 2003, there is no keeping the Clintons out of the candy jar. By the way, the famous quote by Robert Kennedy is from Bernard Shaw.
One notes expository excess in column two. One also notes you are a university professor who should put aside the childish things of his youth.
Back to the slog of the 86th House District race, definitely a long shot, nondescript Republican opponent not withstanding, but the proverbial "dirty job."
In response to Jane Slaughter's Nov. 2 review of the Farmer's Hand ("Corktown shop keeps it local)," Jim West emailed:
It was great to see a restaurant review by Jane Slaughter in the Metro Times again. Can you offer her some inducement not to take such a long vacation next time?
Longtime correspondent Thomas Stephens emailed us about last week's Feedback column, which offered a clarification of the position of the Detroit Free Press on community benefits. Stephens wrote:
A question about last week's "correction" — what kind of community benefits ordinance would the Free Press editors support? The no vote on both plays so perfectly into the status quo. Are they just afraid of any significant restrictions on tax-subsidized billionaire business ventures in Detroit?
Among corporate-affiliated critics like the Free Press editorial board you won't find anybody against CBAs or CBOs in theory; in practice, however, their answer is usually no on both. Like right-wing jurists who claim to believe people have legal, constitutional, human, and civil rights in theory, they just have never seen a case where they would actually uphold such rights. The effects of public money subsidizing billionaires are corrosive of intellectual integrity, as well as generating even more economic inequality!
The Nov. 3 blog post "Michigan water conservation group blasts Nestle's groundwater grab" riled up some readers, including nobsartist, who commented:
So you assholes have the nerve to shut off people water when they are behind on their bill yet you allow Nestle to steal billions of gallons of our water? You do understand the meaning of "our," don't you, you simpleton bastards in Lansing? So exactly how much is the water worth that you allowed Nestle to steal?
Michael Jackman's Nov. 4 blog post "MDOT to hold 'open houses' on 20-year, $3 billion plan to widen I-94" got several comments. David Bignotti writes:
There's plenty of research into widened highways, most coming away with the same conclusion — it does nothing to hasten the movement of traffic. So why put $3 billion toward a project with no benefits?
And Thorvald Edvardson commented:
I-75 gets 15 years of construction.
I-94 gets 20 years of construction.
Have we lost our minds? This is insane.
How about fixing our existing infrastructure before building new lanes.
Jack Roskopp's Nov. 4 blog post "This teenager went on 'Dr. Phil' and claimed Eminem is her dad" earned some surprisingly earnest Facebook comments. Marie Altobelli Chown commented:
It was rather sad to watch her obvious mental instability. I hope she is getting the help she needs.
And Melissa Seman posted:
She needs to be treated ASAP. Obviously mental issues with this girl. Feel bad for her.
