You had us at "Great issue": Great issue ["Best of St. Louis," September 28]! We've already gone to An American Place (loved it) and Rearn Thai (incredible) and my girlfriend can't wait to go to Hearthbeats.
What a great service to the community. It's a yearly reminder that St. Louis has a thriving culture that you can only appreciate by experiencing. Keep up the great work -- the RFT is a cultural lifeline!
Shannon Russell
Florissant
Pic hit: Who's the woman spattered all over the "Best of St. Louis" issue and why did you miss yet another opportunity to embrace diversity? She's more annoying than the bald Six Flags octogenarian! You can (and should) do better than this!
Lesley H. Mabrey
St. Louis
Best acceptance speech: Whoa. We had no idea. First of all, thanks so much. Uh, if this is for real, I'd just like to offer our info: www.theroundups.com.
My comments? Well, they remain summed up in the aforementioned "Whoa." Thanks again.
Irene Allen, singer
The Round Ups
St. Louis
We asked for it: I was disappointed to see the letter from Beatle Bob attacking me that you republished in your recent "Best of St. Louis" issue.
I think your readers are entitled to to know that back in March, after you originally published Beatle Bob 's personal attacks, I wrote a rebuttal you declined to print.
Since you gave Bob a voice to slander me, you should have allowed me to respond.
It's a shame that Bob seems unwilling to respect the differences of opinion held by those who have criticized his behavior. Instead he has chosen to be defensive and to lash out with personal attacks. A saner response on his part might be to examine his own behavior and consider the validity of other people's perceptions. Had he chosen to respectfully disagree with his critics, I suspect this debate would have lost its momentum long ago.
Those who defend him as being a "gentle person" have only to read his own words in previous RFT letters sections. I think they speak very clearly to what kind of person Bob is.
Jeff Hirsch
Maplewood
Pipe dream or boondoggle? "Best Pipe Dream" caught my attention. A lid over Interstate 70 would indeed be a pipe dream -- and qualify for the "Best Boondoggle" category. The greatest past decisions that detract from St. Louis today are eliminating the regional streetcar lines and building the freeways into downtown St. Louis. I-70 should have been, and should be in the future, relocated on the Illinois side, through Cahokia and East St. Louis, with on- and off-ramps leading to bridges across the river into St. Louis. And I-255 should have been I-55 to cross into Lemay and link up with I-44 from there.
Had they done that, our riverside city would have become the Paris of the United States. And it still can be. It would be a great economic boon to both sides of the river. Now, I joke over our cluttered image that the Arch is really a gigantic staple that keeps St. Louis from sliding right into the river.
Ronald Kinum
St. Louis
Danforth amendment: "A" for amazing amount of work and awesome assembly. "F" for naming Tall Jack "Best Citizen" because he took a slight left turn. Not a good enough reason.
Ed Golterman
Kirkwood
The Lion's Din
Speaking of Tall Jack: I am a conservative Republican. Mike Seely's "A Lion in Winter" [September 21] states that John Danforth thinks it's high time that we right the ship. I would like to say that this is what we have been doing. I and a lot of people that I know do not consider the senator to be a conservative. We look upon him as a moderate/liberal.
I was a member of the Republican City Central Committee for six years during the early 1960s when Danforth entered politics. We worked to get him elected attorney general and for every office that he was elected to since then. It was my hope that during the Goldwater era the Republican Party would become the conservative party and the Democratic party the liberal party. This did not officially happen, but the American people through the years have accepted the conservative positions more than the liberal positions, and that is why the Republican Party finds itself in the position that it is in today. As the Democratic Party continues to go to the left, it is going to continue to lose support. Danforth's election as attorney general was the first statewide office the Republican Party captured in many years, and look where we have gone since then.
I would like to remind Danforth and all of our citizens that this nation was founded as a Christian nation and we seem to be losing our way. I have to wonder just what our elected officials are thinking of when they place their hand on the Bible and take an oath of office.
Angelo Dendrinelis
Ballwin
Thanks, Again
What a relief: Shiloh wants to thank the RFT for assisting us with the September 18 hurricane relief concert at Frontier Park in St. Charles. Early estimates are that more than $20,000 was raised in addition to a truckload of goods and clothing for the victims.
Thanks to all the volunteers and organizations that donated time and worked late into the night. The music was great, the crowd was big and everyone's hearts were large. Again, thanks for all you did!
Gil DeNormandie
Valley Park
Errata
Regarding the feature "Meet the RFT Staff" in last week's issue: Mistakes were made.
