Letters to the Editor Traitor Armies To the Editor: The mania for all things Confederate that plagues our city like a nasty case of yellow fever is bad enough, but I was truly nauseated by Park Commission director Wayne Boyer's recent attempt to suck up to the self-styled rebels who want to keep the Confederacy alive and kicking in Memphis ("At a Standstill," May 13th issue). Boyer suggests that we develop a "more specific focus on what we want [Confederate] park to represent" in order to "pay a better tribute to the Confederacy and the War Between the States." Oh, please. As a white Memphian, I am downright mortified that my tax dollars already fund a whole slew of parks that honor soldiers who fought for the "right" to enslave human beings. And, yes, I know that the Civil War was fought over economic issues -- all those cotton plantations were so much more profitable when labor expenses were zero. KKK founder and Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest analyzed the cause of the war most concisely when he asked: "If we ain't fightin' to keep slavery, then what the hell are we fightin' for?" (As quoted in Albert Castel's foreword to That Devil Forrest, a seminal tome by former Confederate cavalryman John Allan Wyeth.) So why don't we honor a few real heroes for a change? I want my taxes to save Martin Luther King Jr. Park from Death By MAPCO. I want my taxes to create a monument to honor the slaves who built the South with their sweat and blood. I want my taxes to raise statues to Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and our native daughter Ida B. Wells. We've paid tribute to a beaten traitor army long enough. Naomi Van Tol e-mail (Memphis) To the Editor: What is all this nonsense about preserving our city's heritage by maintaining Confederate Park in its current form? What heritage? Tennessee left the Union in June 1861, and in June 1862 a handful of Federal gunboats rescued the city and returned it to the United States. Memphis was part of the Confederacy for one year -- a lousy 12 months. That doesn't make for much heritage. And let's not forget what the Confederacy was all about. It was, from its inception, dedicated to preserving the most perniciously evil and inhumanly vile institution that ever polluted this continent. Gee, what a proud heritage! Of course, I understand that turning Confederate Park into a Cancer Survivors Park might be a bit of a leap for a city that already maintains parks dedicated to Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Still, something should be done about Confederate Park because it's only a half measure. Since our city seems to find it appropriate to honor traitors like Davis and murderers like Forrest, the Butcher of Fort Pillow, let's go all the way with it. We'll re-name it "Villains Village" and make its centerpiece a nice bronze statue of Benedict Arnold. It would probably be the only statue dedicated to Mr. Arnold in the country and would make a great tourist attraction. We could flank him on one side with a representation of Lee Harvey Oswald proudly exercising his right to keep and bear arms and on the other side by Jeffrey Dahmer happily munching on a plate of ribs (cooked Southern-style). Then we can set up a shuttle bus service, with blood-red buses, running between Jefferson Davis Park, the Forrest statue, Villains Village, and maybe even a James Earl Ray memorial at the Lorraine Motel. Wow! If that doesn't bring in the tourist dollars and improve the stature of our city, I don't know what will. Joel Hogan e-mail (Memphis) Guns and Cars To the Editor: In the May 13th issue, letter writer Jeff Gatlin makes the ludicrous argument that automobiles are more dangerous than guns (because cars possess more kinetic energy than bullets) yet less regulated. Sure, people occasionally die while operating automobiles, but we have decided, as a society, that we will accept a certain number of accidental deaths in exchange for easy access to relatively inexpensive personalized transportation. We have also decided, as a society, that we will not accept preventable automobile deaths -- such as those due to drunk driving, excessive speed, or operation by a minor --and have instituted laws to curtail such actions. Many, including President Clinton, have decided that we should no longer accept preventable handgun deaths, either, and seek to institute laws to curtail actions that cause preventable handgun deaths. Since killing is the raison d'être of handguns, nearly all handgun deaths are preventable. So, contrary to Mr. Gatlin's assertions, society is only just beginning to treat handguns the same way it treats automobiles! Roger Meier e-mail (Memphis) Green Party To the Editor: I enjoyed the article by Debbie Gilbert about the creation of a local chapter of the Green Party in Memphis (City Reporter, May 6th issue) I am writing to clear up one statement which was incorrect. In the article, it stated that "instead of a platform covering the usual hot-button issues of the two major parties -- taxes, crime, education, etc. -- the Greens summarize their beliefs in a document called "10 Key Values." The Green Party does have a platform which covers all those issues. I would invite readers with access to the Internet to go to www.gp.org/platform_index.htm and check out the platform for themselves. Also I would like to echo the statement of Gary Wolf that the Green Party is not solely an environmental party. I was drawn to the Green Party by its strong call for grass-roots democracy. The people have been shut out of the political process by those who control the Republican and Democratic parties. Incumbents with their special-interest money have a stranglehold on their offices in this country. Many of the positions I voted for in the last election had only one candidate running. This is not democracy, and I feel strongly that something must be done. Anthony D'Agostino e-mail (Memphis) Clarifying The Los Locos Creed To the Editor: I write this in reference to the article about Los Locos triathletes (May 13th issue). On behalf of our sponsors and as a member of the Los Locos Triathlon Team, I appreciate your mention of our team in The Memphis Flyer. I was quoted as saying "no matter how good you are, we don't want you on Los Locos if we don't like to hang out with you." I feel this is not a fair reflection of my statements concerning the considerations made when bringing new members to the team. I recall stating that the search for new teammates is not just a search for the fastest triathletes. Sure, performance is somewhat of an issue, but we look for people who would value team membership and be enjoyable to train with. I don't want this misquote to be construed as typical of the mindset of our team in regard to who's on our team or who might be on our team. Donny Forsyth e-mail (Cordova) The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words. Editor’s Note Never underestimate the level of civic pride in Memphis. Several of you wrote or called to complain about the assertion made by Bruce Dobie, editor of The Nashville Scene, that Memphis is the second-largest city in Tennessee. Here are the facts as we know them. According to the 1990 census, the population of Memphis is 610,337; the population of Nashville is 488,374. The same census data shows Shelby County with 826,330 citizens, significantly more than Davidson's 510,784. Digging deeper, we found that the population gap between Memphis and Nashville is shrinking. The 1996 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau (as reported in United States Statistical Abstracts) lists the populations at 597,000 and 511,000, respectively. Clearly Music City is gaining ground. Next week, we Will Host the annual convention of AAN (Association of Alternative Newsweeklies). Approximately 700 newspaper types will descend on downtown Memphis. Consider this a warning.