Letters to the Editor

Small-town spirit

On May 24, the skies over Goose Creek cleared just in time for us to hold our annual Symphony Under the Stars concert. This year, the free outdoor concert featured performances from the Berkeley All-County Jazz Band, the Goose Creek High School Symphonic Band and the Summerville Community Orchestra. I cannot say enough about what a joy it was to listen to these extraordinary groups.

These annual concerts demonstrate the best of what it means to live in Goose Creek. While the musicians entertained us with their skill and their obvious love of music, I saw neighbors talking, children dancing and families spending precious quality time together.

I would like to thank not only the groups that treated us to such wonderful performances, but everyone who attended the event and created the small town spirit we are so proud of in Goose Creek.

MICHAEL HEITZLER
Mayor
Goose Creek Boulevard
Goose Creek

Wooten confused

Frank Wooten, in his May 18 column titled "Righten the ivory tower with free speech power," is annoyed that faculty and students at Furman published a statement objecting to the fact that President Bush was chosen to speak at the school's graduation ceremony. As a college professor who agrees with their objections, his commentary caught my eye.

Wooten acknowledges that college professors have the right to express political opinions, just as college students, such as the chairman of Furman's College Republicans on whom he relies for his information, have the right to express theirs. This is apparently just what happened at Furman.

So what then is the point of the commentary? Wooten uses his freedom of speech and his access to the public forum of the newspaper to mock and insult those who hold different political opinions than he does. He denounces liberal professors as "campus Nanny Statists" who espouse "stale left-wing dogma" and have a "knee-jerk aversion to common sense."

He derides a provocative speech given by Angela Davis, a feminist professor and social critic who recently spoke at the College of Charleston, as "Marxist claptrap." In the context of this mud-flinging, it is incredibly ironic that he advocates "respectful, well-informed debate."

Wooten's response to the Furman statement itself is particularly irresponsible. The statement accuses Bush of starting an unjust and tremendously expensive war, eroding civil liberties, ignoring science in favor of his political agenda, etc. In the past several years, such charges have generated a great deal of "respectful, well-informed debate."

But Wooten dismisses them as "picky, picky, picky." He also describes the Furman statement as "rude" and concludes by encouraging students to tell professors to "mind their manners." He doesn't explain why it is "picky" to question the legitimacy of the Iraq war or "rude" to hold a public official to account for his policies.

What does become clear in this confusing and unsupported argument is Wooten's general hostility to higher education. He first disparages academia as an "ivory tower," then devotes his entire column to chastising and belittling academics for speaking out on public issues.

TIM CARENS
Associate Professor of English
College of Charleston
Gate Post Drive
Charleston

A home for PURE

Your recent article titled "Times hectic for homeless PURE Theatre" reminded me of a passage in the book titled "Witness to History" by Ruth M. Miller and Ann Taylor Andrus. The authors note that the "first documented location of a performance in Charles Towne" was on Feb. 17, 1773 in the Council Chambers above the Court of Guard.

This is now the location of the Old Exchange Building, one of the most significant Colonial-era buildings in America. The large room on the second floor was used for many functions, including entertainment.

The Old Exchange Building is owned by the Rebecca Motte Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is leased by the state and managed by the city of Charleston. The intimate nature of the performances I've seen by PURE Theatre might be a good match for the hall above the Old Exchange Building.

JOHN R. COLES
Moultrie Street
Mount Pleasant

Carter had chance

Will someone please tell Jimmy Carter that he is no longer president? He had his chance 30 years ago and blew it badly. What an embarrassment.

HARRIET LITTLE
Joyce Lane
Summerville

Airlines don't care

One would imagine that airlines, which are nearly bankrupt, would try harder to satisfy their customers rather than annoy them.

During a recent flight on a major airline, I determined that the customers are regarded as an inconvenience to them.

I have traveled all over the country using a small portable mobility cart. On this trip, after returning to Charleston, I received my mobility cart back from the airline. It was dismantled and in a pile. No employee was around to assist me in the re-assembly.

Sitting on the tarmac, I managed to put it back together myself. Just then, a caring pilot disembarked from the plane, helped me onto the chair and helped me collect my carry-on bag.

The mobility cart has traveled thousands of miles without needing dismantling. If that was needed this trip, why was it returned in a pile?

I surely hope they give their equipment better care than they gave mine.

BRUCE YARNELL
Dorchester Road
North Charleston

Not funny

Wanting to take in a variety of Piccolo Spoleto events, we selected a theater performance, which was advertised as "a comedy" and "hilarious."

That sounded like a safe choice. Wrong! Within the first two minutes of the performance of "Lobby Hero," we again learned that many playwrights are simply incapable of producing a play that doesn't spew filthy language at their audience under the guise of comedy.

Or is it that audiences have degraded to the point that they don't find anything funny unless it is laced with filth? The actors in "Lobby Hero" were all superb and nailed their roles.

From the description of "what happens when bonds of loyalty give way to truth," it would have been interesting to see how the plot played out, but we simply voted with our feet at intermission after having had a constant barrage of profanity shot at us like projectiles for an hour.

We would like to challenge playwright Kenneth Lonergan to see if he is capable of rewriting the script and giving these fine actors the opportunity to show they can deliver the same quality performance without having to crawl into a character with no better than gutter language.

CHARLES & ANN BEAUCHAMP
N. Dallerton Circle
Charleston

End diversions

Just as the legislators' perks with our tax money are exposed, some other way is devised of "quietly" diverting the money.

My praise goes to The Post and Courier's investigative reporter, as well as the board members of S.C. State University, who asked that this practice be ended.

Evidently, many of our state colleges' boards of trustees and boards of visitors missed seeing this money being inserted in the budgets of the colleges they represent. If this is extra money in our state treasury, give it to the colleges for South Carolina student scholarships. With the tremendous increase in the cost of college education, I am sure students can use it.

I would like tax money to fund state business, not the "non-profits" or "for-profits" that are pet projects of legislators.

MARY E. IVESTER
Guerard Road
Charleston