Get the red out
It is one thing for Dave Cieslewicz to decry the affront to a significant segment of Native Americans that is the Washington Redskins team name and logo, but it is another thing to not provide suggestions for suitable replacements ("Indian Mascot Names Need to Go," 10/18/2013). After all, fans and announcers shouldn't have to refer to the team as the "Washington Thems."
What follows is a sampling of new name possibilities: Washington Red Inks, Washington Red Potato Skins, Washington Redd Foxxes, Washington Reid Scams, Washington Red Scamps, Washington Rad Dudes, Washington Read Riot Acts, Washington Red Epidermises.
Bill Sumner
We're special
While I enjoyed your recent story on the future of Monona Terrace ("Millions More for Monona Terrace," 11/8/2013), I can't agree with Madison Ald. David Ahrens' contention that Madison is not a special place. The gorgeous UW-Madison campus, our dramatically sited state Capitol building, the unique urban vibe of State Street and Willy Street and, yes, Monona Terrace all make Madison a special place to be.
Many of us can remember when Wisconsin was also considered a special place, celebrated as the birthplace of the Progressive movement, the worker's compensation and unemployment insurance benefit programs, and a pioneering public employee union that grew into the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Now, thanks to recent events, we live in a state that's fast becoming a political backwater, known only for its rejection of marriage equality, women's reproductive rights, public employee bargaining rights, and its dismal job-creation record.
The city must decide whether it wants to invest in the future of its downtown and keep this a special place or whether it wants to defer that investment and risk losing everything we hold dear about this beautiful city.
Warren J. Gordon
Bloomin' shame
It is wonderful that Ann Sensenbrenner has brought locally grown flowers to the attention of the public ("Isthmus Indie Awards," 11/1/2013). While this is presented as a brand-new idea, some of us, including J. Kinney Florist, have been selling locally grown flowers year round for 25 years. Not exclusively, but consistently. It's unfortunate that Ms. Sensenbrenner feels the need to trash all other florists as selling "manufactured-looking flowers, which have never seen real dirt or sunshine." Is it really necessary to vilify an entire hard-working industry to make her point? And while there are warehouses in Holland that grow under artificial light, there are very few flowers grown this way here.
Jane Kinney, J. Kinney Florist
