News

Fair Game

"Contract Killing," November 14

Beautiful bucks deserve straight shooters: What a great article. Before finally deciding to pick up this issue of Scene, I had noticed the cover, read the title of your article, and continued to walk past on a few occasions. I assumed it was just another article about the Solon deer kills. It's not that I'm your typical gun-toting, lifelong NRA member who blindly follows the Religious Right, but let's just say I'd most likely disagree with a Scene article on that subject.

I'm an avid outdoorsman who prides himself on ethics and hunting fair chase. I haven't even picked up a gun in years, focusing 100 percent of my time in the woods on bow hunting, strictly because I find it more challenging and ultimately more rewarding when I do find success. I fall into the group of guys who are strictly opposed to "high fence" operations like World Class. It's operations such as these that make the ethical hunters out there cringe, when we realize the majority of your readers will most likely lump all hunters in with hacks like the owners and clients of World Class Whitetails. But I personally appreciate the fact that you made it a point to mention that there are guys out there who wouldn't pay to kill such a rare, beautiful animal, even if we did have the money to burn. I just hope your readers realize that greedy men like Mr. Yoder and lazy people like his clientele are in the minority within the hunting world. For most of us, it's not the size of the deer's antlers that defines our success. It's the time we spend getting close to nature, and hopefully even closer to our friends and family.

Eric Swiatek
Willoughby

"Sympathy for the Devils," October 31

He's Got the Dish
Sports fan's life revolves around satellite: Do you work for the cable industry or what? Time Warner is the bigger scumbag, despite what your lackey wrote last week in his letter to the editor.

Neither of you mention that people like me with DirecTV receive the NFL Network and Big Ten Network free. It costs us nothing extra. Why anyone would want cable is beyond me. Obviously satellite providers see there is a benefit in having those networks on their systems, even though they can't charge extra for them.

On the other hand, the poor cable company, with its monopoly, can't allow its customers a channel for free. No, it demands it be allowed to charge for it, and if it can't, then it tells its customers that the networks are to blame. Really!

I changed to satellite years ago, when some holier-than-thou execs who know what's best for me blocked the UFC from cable. Since I prefer to think for myself, I switched to satellite. Cable is basically just like the government: slow, bureaucratic, inefficient, expensive, and nanny-like. It delivers poor service at an expensive rate and is unresponsive to our needs and wants.

May it go the way of the dinosaur.

Wayne Capka
Cleveland

"Jesus for Sale," October 31

Ménage à Deux
Humbard and Hoffa: Bedfellows comique: Excellent piece. Haven't laughed out loud this much in ages. Never realized that this joker was in bed with Hoffa! It never ceases to amaze me about the gullibility of the U.S. public to these fraudulent scam artists. Quality investigative journalism.

Keep up the great work. I read Scene regularly here in Paris, especially for these types of pieces. I grew up in Hudson so know quite a bit about phonies!

Gary Dempsey
Paris, France

"Christopher Columbus," November 21

Just Ax Her
Reviewer's remarks cut to the quick: Your recent review of my performance in Christopher Columbus gives the distinct impression that you have a personal ax to grind with me. I can't imagine what that ax might be, because I don't know you at all, but I can't think when any review you've ever written spewed such vehement hostility toward an actor, whose performance is not their own design, but mandated by a director. What is most offensive is that you are paid to render a public opinion, which, in this case, proves to be no more insightful or eloquent than that of the most common, catty, water-cooler gossip with a hormone imbalance. I can respect anyone's opinion about my work, but yours was just too nasty to ignore. I don't care to know what motivated such contempt. I just want you to remember that the performers you write about are, first and foremost, human beings, following direction in a play they didn't write.

Jean Zarzour
Lakewood

Nightwatch, "Insane Clown Posse," October 17

Cool Fool
To this Juggalo, writer's a Bozo: You know, there is a saying that goes along with the phrase "ex-Juggalo": "Were never was." You see, even though you may have liked Insane Clown Posse in the past, you fail to realize that if you are a Juggalo, you are a Juggalo for life.

Secondly, the simple fact that you think that we really care what is "cool" is "insane." We don't want what you obviously want, and that is to be cool. We couldn't care less about what "cool" people do, say, or act.

Thirdly, as far as growing up, you should be ashamed of yourself. I am going to college, majoring in philosophy, politics, and economics, and minoring in political science. And I am just one example. I know four Juggalos who are majoring in computer programming. They will be making four times as much as you will ever make writing for a third-rate newspaper.

Matt Van Boening
Mankato, Minnesota