Alas, poor Silva -- I knew him: Eddie Silva, in his Feb. 13 article on the proposed Loop Theatre ["Loop Hole"], was (as usual) more interested in being hopelessly one-sided than in representing the situation accurately. In fact, the theater companies who are looking at using the new theater are not at all bickering among themselves the way Silva implied. They're just making sure that the people creating the facility understand how theater companies work and what they need to function and survive. Looking out for their companies and their futures is hardly "reverting to their long-held victim status." Silva's implication ... that we should be grateful for anything that comes our way, whether or not it serves our needs, is ridiculous, and he should know better. A man dying of thirst won't get much use out of a bag of popcorn. There are quite a few beautiful theaters in St. Louis already, but almost none that are affordable and usable for the many outstanding small professional companies in town. Will the Loop Theatre be the answer to our prayers, or just another beautiful theater we can't use? That's the question, and it's one that's legitimate to ask, whether or not Silva thinks so.
Scott Miller
Artistic Director
New Line Theatre
He's Kidding, Right?
Loves the rubble of Kabul, too: I'm with the opponents of the Kirkwood Station development [Eddie Silva, "A Mayor Runs Through It," Feb. 13]. I favor looking at a vacant parking lot and abandoned Target versus the prospect of a lively residential/retail center.
Ken Underhill
St. Louis
Kitty, kitty, kitty -- a Kirkwood ditty:
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye,
Let it be known, far and wide
That [Kirkwood] Councilman Paul Ward has stepped out of stride.
He's made a comment that "It wouldn't be good
If Kirkwood ended up like Maplewood."
He's putting Maplewood down.
Now, isn't that a lark?
Especially when you look at
What they did to Meacham Park!
And he put us down directly to the RFT,
The rag that says we pay our citizens to flee.
So I'm here to set the record straight
And tell you what happened, right out of the gate.
You see, it all started with some citizens' unrest.
Decided they wanted to move out west
"We're tired," they said, "of living in our 'hood.
Oh, if only, if only, we could live in Kirkwood."
....And so I'm here to protest our citizens' retreat.
They've all moved to Kirkwood -- now, isn't that sweet?
You've stolen our people, and we think that's snooty.
And Councilman Paul Ward can kiss our patooty.
Geri Redden
via the Internet
Actually, that was Sidney Greenstreet: Hey, really enjoyed your Feb. 13 issue, but I still can't quite figure out why Drew Carey was on the cover.
Robert Choate
via the Internet
Kirkwood is the center of the universe, and Swoboda is its sun: The city of Kirkwood has just experienced a "Copernican moment" with the City Council's [approval of] the Station Plaza redevelopment project. Copernicus' revelation changed forever the historical view of earth's place in the universe. And so will Station Plaza forever change the character of Kirkwood. Universal acceptance of the New Urbanism mixed-use makeover of downtown will never be achieved, no matter how successful the project may be. Change of any sort will, it seems, face a good measure of resistance in a strongly conservative community such as Kirkwood. With this in mind, the forward-thinking Mayor Mike Swoboda's efforts in shepherding this project through the pitfalls of Kirkwood politics deserves a goodly share of kudos! Station Plaza will surely enhance the character of the city by bringing with it a new vibrancy of life in the heart of the city. Indeed, Mr. Copernicus, change can be for the good.
Fred Boeneker
Glendale
Just Call Her "Killer"
How 'bout them sex ads? How frustrating it must have been for a talented writer like Jeannette Batz to be assigned to write a hatchet job on a company that, even with the classic RFT spin, came off making readers want to go to work for them ["The Graveyard Whistlers," Feb. 6]. If you want to do a business exposé with some teeth, start with those shysters and fly-by-nights on your back page.
D.J. Fone
Affton
Holy Tooth Decay, Indeed
Dental care for poor children: I thank Ray Hartmann for exposing the issue of discrimination against Medicaid/MC+ beneficiaries in St. Louis ["The Gap," Feb. 13]. Treating Medicaid/MC+ patients differently is a widespread problem in private dental practices, as well as for-profit and not-for-profit institutions.... I encourage readers to contact their state representatives to provide additional points of access for Medicaid/MC+ children with institutions clearly dedicated to serving low-income populations.
Joe Squillace, Health Policy Analyst
Citizens for Missouri's Children
