We locals are known for our strong opinions but we also have a culture of tolerance. In fact, respect for others’ differences is what makes our area such a desirable place to live.
This respect was violated in the April 2 edition by your publishing a rebuttal letter [“Had Enough of Stewart David’s Letters,” Xpress] which personally attacked Stewart David, a frequent contributor of thoughtful letters to Mountain Xpress. David’s letters might be controversial and it’s fine when others agree or disagree. But Dow’s attack letter “shooting the messenger” did not address one single issue. By publishing it you did nothing to educate, entertain or make us think.
Zia Terhune
Asheville
Mountain Xpress responds:
We regret running the April 2 letter, “Had Enough of Stewart David’s Letters.” Although we felt at press time that the letter was a general complaint and not a personal attack, we understand that it can be interpreted as the latter and also that it does not encourage dialogue about the issues. Mr. David has written letters and commentary for Xpress for many years. We value his contributions as we do those of all of our active readers.
April 15, 2014, 10:03pm.
Dear Mountain X, if I understand this correctly,
Mr. Dow has read Stewart David’s every 6 weeks diatribe letters promoting a militant herbivore diet for the entire planet Earth, the ASAP euthanasia of all domesticated animals and a de facto agreement with PETA’s misinformation that is the new de rigeur , and now the Mountain X kow tows to the aggro veggie crowd by retracting its previously published adherence to its so called terms of agreement policy a la Letters to the Editor.
Have the Terms of Agreement for writing letters or responses to LTE changed? I re-read them and don’t notice any changes, but maybe it’s my meat glasses that obscure my vision.
How is it that the Mountain X publishes articulate criticisms of a food totalitarian one week and crawls on its knees the next week in apology
and re-writes its own LTE history as “personal attacks”?
Please list all personal attacks that were perpetrated in terms of the Terms of Agreement a la posting and responding to letters, if you would.
I’m not the only one who is curious.
Sub question- do the letter writers who have such a ‘beef’ (sorry, I couldn’t resist) even live within the area that Mtn X “serves”?
Am I missing something, or is this just a case of a rapidly diminishing readership that must be preserved at any cost?
Please respond, dear readers, but remember that PETA (People for the Euthanasia of Terrestrial Animals) is only as factually based as FOX news.
Long live the Carbon Cycle (aka Science) and the Circle of Life according the those pesky American Indians who used to hunt until we declared a genocide upon them.
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin. Pass the tatanka and the greens.
Let’s see if this letter is published in a timely fashion.