The Schiavo Debate
Re: Political Whore, "Florida Catechism No. 1," by Wayne Garcia (March 23-29)I've enjoyed reading your column each week since you've joined the staff at the Weekly Planet. I just had to write today because I feel you've done a great job in separating the facts from the fears and fiction in the Teri Shiavo case. I wish all the media outlets would just reprint or post your simple and honest assessment to this very complicated case. Keep up the good work.
– Scott Drury
St. Petersburg
Let's put aside the sinful thought that you have become a judge's spin doctor, and let's concentrate on the real issue: Terry is dying. Suffering starvation, thirst. Wise men and women say you don't suffer if you die this way. These are the people you should be praying for.
Your column has disappointed me … you do not mention in your catechism that Mikey Schiavo lives in adultery with another woman. That no "compassionate" judge that has ruled in good ol' Mikey's favor has ever questioned his statement ("Yep, she said she wanted to die, Judge!") at all.
Alas, this letter is not to start another conservative-liberal battle, but to congratulate all those supporting an adulterous individual's success in murdering his defenseless spouse. Because of this case, people around the country will have to start carrying little cards in their pockets that say, "In the event of entering a state of coma, please don't murder me. Thank you!"
– Boris Herrera
Clearwater
Museum Pieces
Re: Art, "The ‘Ow' Factor," by Mary Mulhern (March 23-29)Thank you, Mary Mulhern! Until now, I thought I was the only one. I must admit when I recently read that the Tampa Museum might not have the funding to move ahead with the new building, I heaved a guilty sigh of relief: now they might have to scrap Vinoly's horrible design and start over again. Why a guilty sigh? I'm a Tampa native, a graduate of the USF College of Fine Arts, and I've spent my career (eight years as an art teacher in the public schools, five as an adjunct professor at HCC) showing my students how to appreciate modern art. I would love for Tampa to have a world-class art museum. I would love for my hometown to grow beyond being a place where the only artworks that sell are depictions of palm trees that won't clash with someone's couch. A crowd-drawing museum can be the place to educate the public about art and raise this town out of the cultural swamp. Vinoly's unapproachable, industrial design is not that place.
– Amy Propper
Tampa
Mary Mulhern said that she was interested in hearing from a supporter who doesn't fit into one of her mentioned categories. I do like the museum's design, and I am not connected to the project. I'm simply someone who has recently developed a love of architecture.
If we want any proof that Tampa is a little backward when it comes to loving architecture, allow this quick story to suffice: Recently I went to downtown Tampa to take in the styles of our buildings. As I stood there admiring the tops of some of the larger structures we have, a police officer asked me what I was doing. Apparently, just looking at the architecture of an office complex is considered suspicious behavior in our city. I don't think this would happen to anyone admiring the Pompidou Center, for example.
Actually, the Pompidou Center is more than just an example. It is a warranted analogy for several reasons. Ms. Mulhern seemed to focus quite a bit on the grids and bars of our proposed museum. From my point of view, the gridwork, as well as the stair-step effect of the back of the building, evokes a schematic homage to the Pompidou Center.
By the way, even the Pompidou was derided when it first appeared. The same thing with the Eiffel Tower and many structures that are now considered icons. If a building is criticized before it even becomes part of our landscape, perhaps that is a good indicator instead of a bad one.
– Bradwell Jackson
Tampa
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2005.
