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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Best of Somewhere
To the editor: I just want to pass on my congratulations for a very informative Best of 2006 issue (Sept. 20, 2006), especially in the media awards. I learned a great deal about personalities from other parts of our region.
Now that you’ve covered Dallas, will you be doing a similar issue about Fort Worth and Tarrant County? I would be extremely interested if a local alt-weekly were to take on that subject.
Chris Bellomy
Fort Worth
They’re There
To the editor: Thank you for the article on our biker church (Last Call, Aug. 30, 2006). You did a great job letting folks know what it’s all about at He’s Not Here on Sunday mornings.
In reference to the letter from Patrick Wade of Born Again Motorcycle Ministries about the article: We are a bar and we do sell alcohol. We will serve a beer or bloody Marys during services as long as there is food in front of the patron. This was discussed before we started having services here. The management and staff do not encourage the consumption of alcohol during services. Most of the people who come to these services drink sodas, juice, and coffee. Several who started out drinking during services now wait until church is over, out of respect for what is being taught and their love for Jesus Christ. The rebel flags belong to the bar, not to Born Again M/M. We are not white supremacists; one rebel flag says “Heritage Not Hate,” and all nationalities that frequent our place of business have said they have no problem with the flags. We appreciate the work of Born Again M/M. The Lord has blessed them with a new building with a nursery and Sunday School classrooms, as well as a fellowship hall. We will continue to have services every Sunday at He’s Not Here. All are welcome whether you walk in, come in a cage (car, truck, or van), or ride a motorcycle.
Rosanne “Mama Blue” Kayl
Manager, He’s Not Here
Fort Worth
Growls from the Cave
To the editor: “Shallow People” (Last Call, Sept. 6, 2006) was a poorly written article, from the grammar to incorrect statements to opinions that weren’t backed up. I don’t believe the real issue here has to do with Caves Lounge, but with the search for a perfect bar for your writer’s own pompous ass.
A lack of local music? Do your research! Local music can be found out back on many nights, when Caves hosts local live bands for their customers’ enjoyment — not to mention the DJ’s, comics, and poets the bar also helps support. And “semi-obscure” is an interesting description for a jukebox with tunes by musicians like Journey and Johnny Cash.
As for the service issue, please note that not all the people behind the bar were bartenders. One was a “bar back,” whose job is only to pick up after you. And judging by the “hands in the pocket, pissed off at the world” attitude you had, can you blame them for not jumping at the chance to talk with you?
Caves has never claimed to be anything but a local haven. I find the atmosphere to be inviting, the people friendly, and the service excellent. If you don’t believe me, ask the hundreds of other people who come in regularly. It’s important to have a second opinion, from someone other than Oscar Wilde.
Katherine Ladd
Mansfield
Heated over Hicks
To the editor: Nice profile of Kathleen Hicks and her philosophical clashes with the old guard of southeast Fort Worth (“Hicks on the Hotseat,” Sept. 13, 2006). Long overdue, I say. Briscoe and company can only blame themselves. Someone needed to stand up to them and show that, when it comes to corruption and ineptitude, race is not a factor. The old guard is out of balance and needs the heat of a controlled burn. Kathleen Hicks has the fire to get that purifying blaze started.
As one who had an infamous run-in with her over gas drilling in District 8, I can vouch for Ms. Hicks’ emotional sensitivity when she believes she has been wronged. Fiery? Yes. Mean-spirited? No. Personally, I like a little fire in my council rep. It’s a refreshing departure from the overly careful, corporate style of governing.
If she keeps her feet on the ground and her heart in the right place, Ms. Hicks has the potential to be an effective voice for the greater good in Fort Worth for years to come. Although I wish she had been a more forceful advocate against gas drilling in Fort Worth, in one instance, at least, she had the nerve to cast the only “no” vote. (You should have heard the mayor’s neck snap when he turned to see who dared to speak against his drilling buddies.)
Speaking of the mayor, if Ms. Hicks ever aspires to that office, the last person she should look to as a role model is Mike Moncrief, the worst mayor in Fort Worth history. Keep your fire burning, K, we’re gonna need a raging wildfire to clean up Moncrief’s mess.
Don Young
Fort Worth
To the editor: Kathleen Hicks is part of the New Texas that the late Gov. Ann Richards helped bootstrap. Her global education and perspective are a blessing for Fort Worth, rather than something to disparage or be threatened by. The language spouted by Bryan Muhammad is not only uncalled for and offensive, but also not based in any reality. I know Kathleen as a budding leader who insists on keeping herself intricately informed, deeply cares about the serious issues facing us, uses her own mind to think things through, and pairs that with the counsel of others before making a decision she hopes will best benefit the entire community. Without having to be told, she understands the core necessity of environmental health as a precursor to anything else. From there, sometimes she has to make tough decisions in imperfect situations.
She does have an unfortunate reputation for being hard to reach at times, which has caused some resentment in the community and made her seem aloof, which was a mistake. But we are all works in progress and all have room to grow. Here in Fort Worth, we could do far worse than the intellectual, environmentalist, vegetarian advocate for the disenfranchised, the strong black woman we have in Kathleen Hicks.
Jarid Manos
Fort Worth
To the editor: I am a resident in District 8, which Kathleen Hicks now represents. In November, with the blessing, I will be 61 years old, and I have never seen a more motivated individual representing this area, and I have been here the majority of my life. She has come in and done what others have failed to do, including those very negative individuals such as Leonard Briscoe and Clifford Davis. They are all suffering from the disease called “The Killing We’ve Made off Our Own People Won’t Be Happening Anymore.” They could put it on c.d. — this has been sung ever since Kathleen Hicks got into office.
Furthermore, her mother is just like any other mother who loves her child; she looks out for her daughter’s welfare — and, no, Judge Hicks is not our real representative at City Council. We know who runs our district, and, for the first time, we know what’s happening in our district. We like this feeling.
Perhaps writer Dan McGraw can warn these negative individuals to get suited up for a real fight for District 8, because we are feeling what it is to be free for the first time. We don’t have to stand by and watch them moving on up with our money, never paying the price but once when Leonard Briscoe went to prison. Clifford Davis has always gotten everything he never deserved, and now he stoops even lower by becoming just a mis-leader!
Della Brooks
Fort Worth
Fuel for Voting
To the editor: Mid-term election results (“Smoke, Mirrors, Votes,” June 21, 2006) are harder to cook than the ones for the Presidensity, yet — what’s the relationship between the falling price of gasoline and the upcoming November electoral festivities?
After the results are in, perhaps a look at post-election changes in fuel prices could expose the motives of Big Oil and “market forces.”
In short, who’s trying to buy what?
Matt Sacks
Fort Worth
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