Letters to the editor

Braking suggestions

Thank you for this timely article [“Braking News,” Jan. 3]. The style of non-attentive (negligent/reckless) driving detailed in the Tamiko Murray column is becoming more and more prevalent.

The following information may be of some use to the residents on Ms. Murray’s street, as well as to DeVonte — the injured child victimized in the vehicle-human collision. Please pass it on!

1. Was the formerly apologetic driver blabbing on the cell phone when DeVonte was whacked? The cops can check the cell-phone company records for times of calls to verify this. Since Miss Driver is suing, this info can be obtained/used as discovery in evidence.

2. If cell phone was in use, her cell-phone company may be liable, since they usually advertise anytime minutes. Look up the definition of anytime! Notify the cell phone company they may be a party to a countersuit.

3. What was the speed of the vehicle? The vehicle may contain a black box that records this data. Probably too late now for this one, but useful for future reference. Is the vehicle in compliance with state law (inspection sticker, tire condition, brake condition)? Again, since Miss Busted-Mirror is suing.

4. In the December 2006 issue of Money magazine, there is an article about a person that sued Milton, Mass., for not fixing the streets. A pothole broke his car, so he sued and won. It’s not about the money in his case, but city hall got the message.

5. If county and city residents are tired of all the illegal atomic-sonic boom sound from the mufflerless motorcycles, they can ask the cops to enforce NCGS 20-128 and NCGS 20-183-7A. (Since a few cops and our Bunkin’ County School Boss Cliff Dodson own some of these bikes, don’t hold your breath here.) These ear-numbing motorcycle guys ride all day in the west-side neighborhoods but can’t get away with disturbing the peace on Kimberly Drive or Country Club Road.

6. The EPA would also be interested in the illegal modifications on the newer machines (for size, try $5,000 in fines per motorcycle).

Summary: If the residents will commence a certified-letter writing campaign (keep copies and receipts) to the appropriate city and NCDOT officials as well as N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, then [those officials] can be held accountable for not acting. Ask Roy why NCGS 20-128 and NCGS 20-183-7A are not being enforced.

Good luck.

– Clayton Moore

Asheville

The question of fighting for peace

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the rally planned by the WNC Peace Coalition for March is the wildest of successes, that ears from the Pentagon to Capitol Hill to the White House hear the tune and immediately withdraw all American forces from Iraq. Then what? That is, aside from the chaos that will fill the ensuing vacuum and aside from how retreat will confirm that America has grown fat, lazy and complacent, with little stomach for defending the ideals it claims to champion.

The coalition’s letter [“Whip Out That New Calendar,” Dec. 27] showed no interest in such matters. It was all about a desire to speak for “the majority of Americans — who want to see an end to military intervention in Iraq” and to ensure that “the world will know about rallies and events in the USA and will know that Americans do not support this violence brought about by the Bush administration.”

Perhaps organizers can prove me wrong. Instead of the usual collection of anarchists, anti-capitalists and professional protestors waving “Bush is Hitler” signs, [perhaps] we’ll hear something of substance — something that recognizes the irony that this country’s enemies draw no distinction between those who will protest the war and those who’ll protest the rally.

The world’s leading sponsor of terror is a nation flush with oil money, bent on producing nuclear weapons and led by a man who believes his role is to provoke a clash of civilizations. He is neither interested in diplomacy nor fazed by threats of sanctions, and he hardly shares the coalition’s desire for “finding nonviolent solutions to the world’s conflicts.”

Peace is a wonderful thing, but achieving it requires two sides working toward a common solution. Without that, you have to decide if your position is worth fighting for; you have to decide if you are more motivated to fight for a system that lets you freely protest policy, or against an individual whose particular policy you don’t like.

– Alex Lekas

Asheville

Rationalizing rapacity

Regarding Alex Lekas’ “Pass the Turkey, or the Ham” [Letters, Nov. 29]: How unfortunate that such weak arguments pass as objections to animal-rights philosophy. Animal-rights advocates are often portrayed as irrational (“tugging on emotions”), but fanatic sentimentality for the taste of dead flesh goes unquestioned. Have critics (like Lekas) ever read a single book outlining the many rational reasons to go vegetarian/vegan?

Lekas claims that man, in his natural state, eats meat. (This appears to be some sort of justification for eating meat, though it certainly doesn’t follow logically.) What a blatantly self-serving rationale to continue doing whatever one wishes while disregarding any moral controversy involved. As Cleveland Amory says, “Man has an infinite capacity to rationalize his rapacity, especially when it comes to something he wants to eat.” Does Lekas mean that all natural human behaviors are morally justified? I hope not. If so, how can we condemn murder, rape, theft etc., all of which occur in the state of nature?

Contrary to what Lekas says, animal-rights advocates are not trying to control anyone’s behavior. Rather, we are attempting to raise consciousness, start a dialogue and get people to question their deep-seated notions about our relationship with animals. Is this really such a bad thing? Surely open-minded people won’t think so. As for Lekas’ notion of dietary tolerance, why isn’t he more tolerant of an animal’s right to live free from human torture? Why don’t we have a live-and-let-live ethic toward animals?

Arguments against animal rights cannot withstand rational scrutiny. The line of “reasoning” involved in opposing animal rights is incredibly weak. Were similar arguments used to justify any other morally controversial behavior, they would be given no merit whatsoever. Yet in a culture with so little regard for animals, these pathetic arguments are terribly popular. Please visit www.animal-rights.com.

– William Kelly

Asheville

It’s just human nature

Alex Lekas’ visceral response [“Pass the Turkey, or the Ham,” Nov. 29] to Joe Walsh’s pro-vegetarian letter [“A Fowl Tradition,” Nov. 22] was predictable. Many people respond defensively to information that challenges their belief systems. It’s easier to have a knee-jerk reaction than to be open to lifestyle changes.

Mr. Lekas believes that a vegetarian diet is unnatural. That’s simply not true; humans are herbivores. We lack the sharp claws and teeth needed to tear flesh and the stomach acids needed to digest raw flesh and kill the bacteria. If humans were natural carnivores, we’d salivate at the sight of a puppy and the smell of dead animals on the highway. To learn more about why we are not carnivores, visit goveg.com/naturalhumandiet.asp.

Mr. Lekas stated that “vegetarians tend to look pale, skinny and not very happy.” Regarding happiness, he appears to be the grumpy one. Regarding pale and skinny, Mr. Walsh, a long-time vegan, is a championship weightlifter.

Mr. Lekas doesn’t want anyone telling him what to drive, smoke or eat. But society does indeed have an interest in modifying destructive behavior. We all pay for the wastefulness of SUVs; they pollute our air and keep us fighting for oil. Eating meat is more environmentally destructive than driving an SUV (see goveg.com/environment.asp). The societal cost of medical treatment for tobacco-related illnesses is approximately $50 billion annually, and some estimates show that the medical costs associated with meat and dairy consumption are greater.

We should look at the science instead of the information provided by the PR hacks of the meat, dairy and egg industries. These folks shamelessly suppress the truth while profiting off of illness and suffering. Remember, the PR industry once told us that tobacco was a healthy choice.

Finally, what’s wrong with having compassion for the weakest among us? To see how animals are treated on factory farms and at slaughterhouses, visit www.meat.org.

– Stewart David

Asheville

When local isn’t

What a disappointment when I looked at the results of “Best of WNC 2006” [Sept. 27 Xpress].

I have a very small business located in Fletcher, and just like other businesses, we fight every day to stay in the game, trying our best to beat “big store” prices and expecting that Mountain Xpress would realize that.

I understand that the “people” of WNC voted, but guidelines should be established by your paper. When I saw that PetSmart was “voted” best pet-supply store, I was speechless.

No one in the area can compete with those guys. They have thousands of shops all over the country, so in my opinion they should never even be considered. It’s like voting Starbucks the best coffee — doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.

I am in the pet-grooming and accessories business, and looking at the results just made me realize that WNC is no different from any big city out there: the bigger the better.

Shame on you!

Where is the supporting-your-local-business spirit?

– Izabel Breese

Hendersonville

Applause for Biltmore decision

The Biltmore Estate ought to be applauded for its responsible and humane decision to remove foie gras from its menus (“Small Bites,” Dec. 27 Xpress). The production of foie gras is so cruel and inhumane [that] it’s been banned in more than a dozen countries and legislated against in Chicago and California. …

More restaurants and establishments should follow the Biltmore Estate’s honorable lead and move away from foie gras. No “delicacy” justifies animal abuse.

– Katie Carrus

Coordinator, Factory Farming Campaign

The Humane Society of the United States

Washington, D.C.

No peace on the farm?

During the holidays, I drove past a Warren Wilson College pasture, and prominently [visible] on the barn was a light display of a peace dove with an olive branch. The irony hit me like a fist to the stomach.

A while back, I had inquired about animal welfare at Warren Wilson and was told that the animals are subjected to painful bodily mutilations such as castration and removal of needle teeth without the benefit of anesthesia. The justification given was that relieving pain costs too much and the procedures are quick. Can you imagine going to the dentist or doctor and being told that your dental work or surgery would be done without anesthesia because it would save money and it would happen quickly?

The animals at Warren Wilson are ultimately sent to the slaughterhouse, where they are brutally dismembered. A peace dove display at Warren Wilson is inappropriate as long as they continue to treat animals so violently.

– Terri David

Asheville

WWC Farm Manager John Pilson replies: At the Warren Wilson College Farm, we believe we are raising our livestock in the most humane ways possible. It is something we talk about with both the students here and our customers, and is under regular evaluation. By allowing our pigs, chickens and cattle to express their natural behavior patterns such as nest building, pasture and pen farrowing for the pigs, social-order maintenance and access to grazing land, we come pretty close to fostering a natural environment for them. We use no routine antibiotics in feed, no growth hormones, and [we] strive to handle them with respect and humility. Nonetheless, they are meat animals, and we are raising them to make food.

Correction

In our Dec. 27 “Green Scene,” Maggie Leslie was incorrectly identified as a green-building consultant with Home Energy Partners. Leslie formerly worked for Home Energy Partners, but is now the program director for the Western North Carolina Green Building Council.