I am writing this letter to bring to light an issue I am sure most parents are not aware of. My child has a history of severe ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and has other issues.  When he was in middle school, he was put on a waiting list to be placed in a special program for […]

In a July 16 letter [“New Mural at Orbit DVD is Offensive,” July 16, Xpress], David Lynch criticized public art at Orbit DVD by applying the discerning website knowyourmeme.com. Lynch referenced a sad and offensive Internet meme featuring a sloth (the same creature depicted in Orbit’s mural) and claimed this meme, which advocates violence toward women, […]

It perplexed me to see diversity voted as the third-best reason to live in Asheville [“Best of WNC, Part One,” Aug. 6, Xpress]. This is not because I believe it is inaccurate nor that I lack an abiding love for the general weirdness of our city that the word was likely meant to encapsulate when […]

OK, I am really not a prude, and I occasionally have a drink, but I am concerned about the widespread promotion of alcohol in Asheville. Is anyone else? These past two summers I’ve observed way more staggering, vomiting people wandering the downtown sidewalks than ever before. We are producing our own sake, moonshine, wine, hard […]

Referencing Janet Burhoe-Jones’ letter [“Promotion of Roman Polanski Film Appalling,” July 30, Xpress] regarding the review of “Venus in Fur”:  Is Roman Polanski morally reprehensible? A court thought so. Should film critics take into consideration the moral characters of directors and actors (think Woody Allen) when recommending movies?  If so, half the theaters in the country […]

I have never written a letter to the editor. Maybe I have never felt this passionate before, but after attending Moral Monday, I feel compelled to. It’s not that I didn’t agree with what was being said. I absolutely do. The fact that North Carolina legislators need to do more for their citizens is more […]

From what I’ve read over the years about the filmmaker Roman Polanski, I would agree with letter-writer Janet Burhoe-Jones in the Mountain Xpress [“Promotion of Roman Polanski Film Appalling,” July 30, Xpress] that Polanski is a sex criminal and an altogether horrible person. I think he fully deserved to spend the rest of his life in […]

It is so mean to put a collar on a wild bear! It is so self-serving to put a bear through human harassment. If people see lots of bears out there, there probably are lots of bears out there. If you don’t see lots of bears out there, probably there are not lots of bears out […]

A DO-NOTHING Congress and a House of Representatives, whose real speaker is a radical right-wing senator, not even a member of the House, have accomplished less and hurt the country more over the past six years than any Congress in history. It’s a fact. [John] Boehner is just a puppet, not a leader in any sense […]

The series of paid informational advertisements by Ingles has taken the store out of advertising and into advocacy. This is dangerous ground for a company because it alienates customers who don’t agree. The nationwide boycott of Hobby Lobby for its stance against parts of the Affordable Care Act is an example of where this can […]

I’m sure most people know by now that Nancy Waldrop (wife of soon-to-be ex-Commissioner  Republican David King) was successful in securing the votes needed to run as an unafilliated candidate in November for her husband’s commission position. The Democrats were unable to get anyone from their own party to run for the job, so they […]

Based on Ken Hanke’s raving five-star review [“Snowpiercer,” July 9, Xpress], we saw the new movie Snowpiercer. Having endured the two-hour farce, I can only surmise Hanke is enjoying either payola or powerful psychoactive drugs. This was one of those movies that was so unapologetically bad that it was almost good. It was good in […]

For the past two or three years I have been reading “Eating Right for Good Health” by corporate dietitian Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets in Mountain Xpress. At first I would hear about all the new organic fruits, veggies and new products that Ingles had to carry and the benefits of gluten-free, etc. Then, in the last month […]

Talk about offending readers. After reading the Movies section, I was appalled that you promote a movie [“Venus in Fur,” July23, Xpress] directed by a sex criminal, Roman Polanski. No one should attend the movie Venus in Fur no matter how “great, great” it is or support its nasty director in any way, shape or form. Polanski […]

When I read Joe Stelpflug’s letter [“Beer Tourists, Beware of Gorges State Park,” July 16, Xpress], I was not at all surprised by the pompous attitude possessed by the Gorges State Park ranger he encountered on the July Fourth holiday. For some reason, in most instances, law enforcement officers believe that a badge gives them […]

(Robert) Woolley’s article [“Profiles in Suspicion,” July 16, Xpress], in which he claims, “A book’s cover does tell you something,” defends racial profiling with the erroneous argument that minorities commit crimes at higher rates. That’s a broad insult to make without any evidence to back it up. I wish Robert were aware of the insidious, […]

OK guys, I get it. I’ve been reading your reviews for a long time now, and I completely understand why you’d like a movie such as Life Itself over a movie such as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Not enough substance in the summer blockbuster that is Dawn, too many explosions, and where […]

Robert Woolley’s commentary (“Profiles in suspicion, ” July 19, Xpress) is a disgusting, racist rant from someone whose worldview is clearly very deeply steeped in white supremacy — a fact of which he seems incomprehensibly oblivious. Woolley seems to have no understanding of the ways the criminal justice system, the police and the prison-industrial complex […]

In response to Jonathan Ammons’ article “Handcuffed: Local Bartenders Decry ABC Law Restrictions” [July 9, Xpress], the availability of specialty spirits is alive and well. North Carolina’s alcohol control system is indeed conservative. Reforms are slow and deliberate, but many will argue that the system is a good balance of consumption and control. For example, […]

I am a disabled autistic adult, and I am writing to protest the use of the phrase “feebleminded” in your recent article about autism [“Profiles: Living Full-circle with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” June 25, Xpress]. This phrase is a very derogatory euphemism for a person with intellectual, developmental or cognitive disabilities. It is rooted in eugenics, forced […]