Doggonnit, Andy!
None of my dog-involved friends commit the offenses for which Andy Moore indicts his (and my) east-side neighbors ("Close to Home," 5/22/09). This says to me that if I would just befriend the crowds whose illegally off-leash companions are daily tearing up the restored Yahara River Parkway near the Rutledge Street bridge or befriend the people who act as if my garden were a doggie litter box, then those behaviors would cease and peace would guide the planet.
We'll work it out somehow, as friends do; then we can all do the happy dance and get back to freeing Tibet.
Greg Conniff
Don't worry, this is not a response from an angry dog owner offended by Andy Moore's comments about their lack of responsibility. Frankly, I couldn't focus on the column topic once I came across this line: "Like those who throw the race card to reset the table of any argument, dog owners...."
This seemingly offhanded comment implies two troubling beliefs: (1) that racism no longer exists and harms society, because (2) the only reason someone would bring up race would be to get out of an argument.
Amy Hilgendorf
Andy Moore replies: I believe racism and its cruel byproducts exist and do immeasurable harm. With regard to my specific comment, I meant nothing of what you suggest, only that people sometimes use unfair tactics in an argument.
Don't evict
I am appalled at the courts for hiring Dane County Deputies Brian Harter and Brenda Haney to do the dirty work by throwing people out of their homes because of foreclosure ("Evicted," 5/22/09). People who are forced out of their homes do have rights. Landlords should not evict people just because they are unable to pay their rent; it is because they are unemployed and don't have the money. The courts should try to help people with their problems, not just throw them out on the streets.
Russell Novkov