Must be the weather. Readers got all hot about Darryl Rouson; the county mayor debate; Brian Ries' review of the Hooters and Eric Snider's take on the slumping Rays. No wonder some of you were in the mood for a refreshing drink.
Re Interview with Darryl Rouson ("From the crack house to the floor of the House") by Alex Pickett, July 9: Not a word about Rouson's attitude toward gay constituents (and their families). I don't expect him to ever do anything about justice for gay students, or AIDS hitting the African American population worst, but I wonder if he still sneers at mention of the word (as he did on television some time ago). He's my representative; I acknowledge for him no right whatsoever to sneer when my son's community is mentioned — and I'll never be able to vote for him til that sneer is publicly rescinded.
Posted by Eileen O'Sullivan, July 13 @ 08:40 p.m.
So this is my state representative. Good for him for being in recovery — but is it really appropriate for him to brag about the "insight" and "talent" he can proffer because he was an addict? Wouldn't it be better for him to keep his head down and work to repay society for the costs he doubtlessly imposed on the rest of us by being an addict, instead of waxing nostalgic and claiming special knowledge because of it? Frankly, I'd rather have somebody with special knowledge in, say, accounting. You don't have to be an addict to know what addicts need or to feel empathy for them — in fact, real empathy and personal responsibility is by definition what they lack. So enough of that. As a taxpayer, I want to hear more — a LOT more — about Rouson's personal profiting from the Sweetbay deal and the allegations that his law firm (or nonprofit or whatever — anybody who works in community development knows it's just different flavors of kickback) benefits from "public/private" "investment." Where are the other newspapers on this? Recent election coverage fixated on shallow interpersonal conflict — now, months later, I'm just hearing about this stuff. If Rouson wants my support, he needs to be transparent about his business dealings. No less.
Posted by T Trent, July 10 @ 9 a.m.
Re "State senator, Tampa city councilwoman endorse county mayor plan," posted July 10 in thepoliticalwhore.com by Wayne Garcia: Can we PLEASE change the name of this position. "County Mayor" sounds so … um … stupid … only cities have Mayors. How about "County Executive"… you know … the name that everyone else in the country uses as the title for the executive branch of county government?
Posted by Obvious, July 11 @10:54 a.m.
Re "The Rays: Swoon or Collapse?" posted July 14 by Eric Snider in blurbex.com: [Re Snider's statement] "I'm looking for a diversion, not pain." Following sports teams is all about pain; you should be celebrating the fact that the Rays can finally deliver some.
Posted by maks, July 14 at 3:06 p.m.
Re "Babes, boobs and hot wings," by Brian Ries, June 25: This review sounds like it was written by someone who needs to work on the leftovers of sexual suppression floating around in his brain. …
Posted by Jerry, July 14 @ 12:44 a.m.
I am a former Hooters Girl and current Ker's WingHouse bartender and calendar model. I am both disgusted and outraged by Brian Ries' article. … that was recently published. … I am baffled by the fact that this article was allowed to print. It was rude and unfocused. Many managers, girls, cooks and customers are furious about this. Brian Ries is a food critic. His job is to report about the food and the service of a restaurant, not bash the employees and write an article about their attire.
Posted by KelliAnne, July 8 @ 01:54 p.m.
Re "You are what you drink: The men's edition," by Wade Tatangelo, July 2: Great article, Wade — some valid and revelatory observations about drinking and socialization. … You did, however, blow it on the beer observations, in my opinion. I'm starting to meet more and more people, like myself, who simply can no longer find a way to tolerate scrumpy, abominable beer. … I have learned that trying to force myself to enjoy a substance that tastes like dishwater with black pepper added is a deleterious endeavor. I'll just take a Coke these days, fuck it. My palate just cannot suppress the gag reflex initiated by such sour goo as Bud, Miller Lite, etc. … Furthermore, it's inexcusable these days for ANY establishment not to have something micro or quality import available. I'm not asking for Delerium Tremens on tap (though it would be pleasant), but at least something of foreign provenance that tastes like the result of care and love for beer. … I did agree with you about Heineken, except that my dad drinks it and is as far from a pretentious asshole as it gets. However, if we're out together, I can usually inveigle him into a Stella Artois, which is similar but less skunky than most Dutch beers.
Posted by The Edman, July 7 @ 05:19 p.m.
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2008.