Letters From the Issue of February 12, 2009

Dropout, I'm Not

I didn't realize that transferring from one college to another would make me a "two-time college dropout" ("Armed Again," Penn Bullock, February 5). I gave you an exclusive interview, made you money, and you repay me by tearing me down every chance you get. Classy. Do the editors instruct you to write like a prick, or does that come naturally?

Upon reading The Bridegroom of Blowing Rock review by Brandon K. Thorp ("Blowing Accents," February 5), I feel the need to express my extreme disappointment. Thorp has chosen to express his opinion in a manner that came across as incredibly unprofessional and immature. To use expletives in a professional article is juvenile behavior that strains credibility. In addition to this, we as readers expect to receive constructive opinions versus a blank call for silence.

Bob Norman's "Breaking Newspapers" (November 5) describes the troubles that assail our local dailies. I find that "news" runs in fourth place to screen star/performers news, served between infomercial food reports on the one side and health infomercials on the other. All this, flavored by an anemic "money" section.

These once-sturdy newspapers lost their way when they began to cater to a juvenile readership. Recently, they spouted long harangues of political matter well spiced with bias. We pray for a messianic resurrection.

In October, you wrote an article ("Lowe's Blows," Amy Guthrie, October 30) about the ongoing struggle between Coconut Creek residents and Regency Centers, a developer that wants to build Cocomar Plaza, a mall that would include a Kohl's and a Lowe's store on the northwest corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Lyons Road, which are wetlands. On January 6, Kohl's announced that it would not go through with the development, in no small part due to residents' and environmental activists' opposition. In addition, on January 16, dozens of environmental activists protested at the downtown Fort Lauderdale offices of Dennis Mele, the attorney representing Regency Centers, since, despite the statement from Kohl's, the development is still set to go through. I hope you find this helpful.

Recently, I heard you will be suspending all comic strips in your paper, including The City by Derf. Like most people who pick up a newspaper anymore, the first thing I look for are the comic strips like The City and This Modern World. The humor strips like these are vital now more than ever and bring you readers like me, who will stop bothering to pick up a paper if you follow through on your plan.

Humor and honesty are what drive people to look for alternative weeklies like yours to read. Don't give them another reason to look elsewhere.

Editor's note: You can still get your weekly installment of comics at BrowardPalmBeach.com.