To the Editor:
I am writing to comment on Ms. Marinoās article on the "Civil War Zone: On the Front Lines at an Abortion Clinic" in the November 14th issue of The Memphis Flyer. The escort in this article is not representative of escorts in our clinic. We believe it serves no positive purpose to engage in mudslinging with abortion protesters. Our escorts walk women into the clinic and provide support and protection. We do not advocate agitating protesters. This type of behavior is irresponsible on both sides of the abortion issue. There is no civil war on abortion. Abortion is legal in this country and a small group of fundamentalist Christians have intimidated and harassed women and abortion providers. Focusing on radical fanatics with hidden agendas on either side of the abortion debate is a waste of time and a waste of the attention of your worthy readers.
Ms. Marino repeatedly alludes to her own stance on abortion. It is difficult to take someone seriously when they continually refuse to state their position. Ambiguity is not a virtue. It only serves as a tool of confusion, which is what this article epitomizes.
Women who encounter an unplanned pregnancy and choose abortion not only have to face "protesters" at clinics but a media which creates negative stigma that these women must confront their entire lives. It is time the women and men in this country who have made the decision to terminate a pregnancy and those who support a womanās right to terminate her pregnancy stood together and publicly thanked the few abortion providers and clinics who provide women with legal, safe, and supportive abortion services, instead of focusing on fanatics.
Jeni Young, Counselor
Judi Gilbert, Program Director
Memphis Center for Reproductive Health
What Liberal Media?
To the Editor:
Jackson Baker was right on target in his column "Dole-ing Out the Blame" (November 7th issue). What a pity to see someone of Doleās stature reduced to incoherent attempts to blame the mythical media for the shortcomings of the Dole campaign · and the Republican party!
Incoherence aside, the big problem with Doleās whines is that they were based on a falsehood. When Bob Dole ranted that "America belongs to the people, not The New York Times," he was desperately trying to insinuate that the "evil liberal media" was part of a vast conspiracy to deny Bob Dole the presidency. The only people who believe such gibberish think that Rush Limbaugh is an objective source of information.
In reality, the "evil" New York Times broke the Whitewater story and has led the way in reporting about the often-inept responses of the Clinton White House to investigations of the matter. The "evil" Los Angeles Times broke the story of the Indonesian financial fiasco. The "evil" Washington Post first reported the Democratic National Committeeās failure to report on its finances in a timely manner.
For all of their supposed "liberalism," these three newspapers continue to provide the most authoritative, objective, and reliable news in the country. All three papers have sharply criticized Mr. Clinton on many occasions. Meanwhile, openly right-wing newspapers like the Washington Times (and the editorial pages of the otherwise responsible Wall Street Journal) are so blatantly partisan that their "reporting" and editorials are often indistinguishable from the drivel spewed out in such paragons of right-wing yellow journalism as The American Spectator. On the radio, faux "journalists" like Limbaugh, Ken Hamblin, and local ranter Mike Fleming serve as unthinking lackeys of the Republican Party and can be relied upon to provide the name-calling, lies, and rumormongering that have given talk radio its well-deserved bad name.
The rightās attempts to destroy Clinton have failed, despite years of attacks on him and his family and the frequent invention of hysterical conspiracy theories. If the Republican Party plans to run against the evil New York Times in 2000, Al Gore will be elected president by a landslide.
B. Keith English
Memphis
Understanding Mental Illness
To the Editor:
In the disturbing story (City Reporter, November 7th issue), "Is Mentally Ill Prison Population Growing?", Jacqueline Marino reminded us that "activists raised concern about the treatment of mentally ill people in the jail in the late 1980s."
And it was good that they did! Today, in the late 1990s, let us raise concern about the treatment of mentally ill people everywhere! For, despite the attempt to educate people to a better understanding of mental-health problems in our sick society, there are some individuals who still tend to reject mentally ill persons. Even a great number of general practitioners, as well as other medical personnel, are both uninformed and unsympathetic when they are confronted with cases involving mental-health problems. Whereas most people are sympathetic toward a physically challenged child or adult, or anyone with a catastrophic disease, they usually turn away from the mentally ill person.
Yet the great majority of mentally ill persons ÷ those who temporarily lose their mental health ÷ are doing the very best they know how and desperately need understanding and help. We must understand that some of the causes of mental-health problems ÷ examples being changes in oneās environment, a disappointment in love, loss of a job, physical illness, an accident, the death of a loved one, and other heartaches that so greatly increase the severity of oneās adjustment problems that one is no longer able to cope with satisfactorily ÷ could affect any one of us at one time or another. The point is that some people can cope better than others.
Thank you for your in-depth reporting. What would we do without you?
Arthur H. Prince
Memphis
Weāre Singing Your Song
To the Editor:
I am one of the thousands of Tiger fans enjoying our victory over UT. People across the nation are looking at the University of Memphis in a different light. This team worked together and believed they could achieve their goal. Because of the outcome of the game, our team spared the fans the agony of listening to "Rocky Top" being played an obnoxious number of times. I have hated that song for years and every time I hear it played, I feel queasy.
My question to the people of Memphis is: Why was "Rocky Top" adopted as a State Song of Tennessee? "Rocky Top," by Boudleaux and Felice Bryan, was adopted as an official song of Tennessee by Chapter 545 of the Public Acts of 1982. We already have five state songs. Why do we have to include a song with improper grammar and the glamorization of bootleg whiskey?
This song is very appropriate and represents Big Orange fans accurately. But it really doesnāt represent our state well. If "Rocky Top" remains a state song, then letās put "Da, Da, Da-Da" (Tiger fight song) up for a vote next time. Go Tigers!
Donna Lee
via the Internet
To the Editor:
I came home to see the Dead at The Pyramid ÷ one of my greatest memories for sure. If I only could have been there to see Memphis State whip UT, then my life would have been complete!
Sid Butts
Oakland, CA
(University of Memphis class of ā92)
Among the interesting stories still floating around about the big football game between Tennessee and the U of M is the one involving the few in town who believed the Tigers could win. Mark McClellan at WREC-AM 600 predicted they would cover the spread (but at +26 that limb wasnāt too thin). Howard Keltner, a participant in our football contest, not only picked the Tigers to win, he picked the correct score (and since he was the only one to pick the Tigers, we gave him a special prize).
Still, we havenāt heard of anyone who showed more faith in the hometown team than our own publisher Kenneth Neill. Back at the start of the season, Neill, the founder of this paper, began telling anyone who would listen that this was the year. Memphis would beat UT on November 9th. None of us believed him, of course. After the Tigers lost four in a row and limped into the big game with an offense that had only scored one touchdown in its last three games, one would think the boss would drop the subject.
Not our Ken. He put his money where his heart was. The week before the game he announced he was taking $5 bets, offering 20-to-1 odds. Thirteen of us signed up. Thirteen of us had to pay (although we hear one of our photographers traded a picture of the final scoreboard and a flag from one of the goalposts in lieu of his bet).
Kenneth Neill was one of the last to leave the Liberty Bowl after Memphis won the game 21-17. Not because he was busy collecting his cash, but because he wanted to shake Rip Schererās hand. Now weāre all wondering how heāll spend his fortune. Weāll keep you posted. ÷ Dennis Freeland