caRtoon BY BREnt BRoWn
coRREction The correct number for Asheville Community Theatre, referenced in the Sept. 18 story, “Traveling Constellation,” is 254-1320.
Cowboys don’t wait for the cavalry! Mother always told us to put our toys away. “Look what happens when you don’t,” she’d admonish. The real story about the one-time one hour and 46 minute police delay was that the offended party brought the situation entirely upon himself “[Waiting for the Cavalry,” Sept. 11 Xpress]. First off, what is a grown man doing with a BB gun sitting out on his front porch? I cannot be the only person thinking this. Next off, if Andrew Fletcher had simply called the police from the getgo instead of playing vigilante, none of this ever would have happened to him or his housemate. There are times when we bite off more than we can chew. In his haste to smear the Asheville Police Department, the offended party managed to make himself look like a crybaby vigilante. If it’s OK to hunt a
criminal down and attempt to reclaim your property, then don’t come a cryin’ when you find yourself in the exact situation that requires human habitats to have police. Next time, when your toy gets stolen, think it through, weigh the risks and rewards, and make the smart choice. Call the people you were busy tweeting about while your housemate lay pistol-whipped in your living room. — Ted Apy-Tuhiso Asheville
Strawberry the brave one has passed On March 15, 2000, Mountain Xpress printed my letter describing the cruel shooting in the chest of one of three "woods" cats I fed that winter near Cruso. The letter told of one of the cats, Strawberry, and his struggle over five days to get back to the safety of my porch, with only his two back legs to propel him forward. Thanks to the Asheville emergency hospital, a Waynesville vet and the kindness of several Xpress readers, Strawberry healed well after much rehab and pain. His shattered leg bones fused into a peg any pirate would envy.
He and I moved away from that mountain cottage soon after. My search for solid working opportunities took us to four or five cities and towns along the Southeast coast. For these past 13 years, among other cats in the household, Strawberry has been my rock, a handsome green-eyed orange tabby who allowed me to bask in the warmth of his brightly burning ember. Through all the tough times, I could look at him and know there had to be another way. Drive on. Now, strangely, work is better than it has ever been, and my life has become more stable and safe. I send this letter today to let you all at Mountain Xpress know that your publishing my letter
back then gave me hope that good humans exist, and we are there to counter the bad ones. I send this letter to say, "Hold the line!" As Lt. Gen. "Chesty" Puller, my favorite Marine, said when informed that he and his troops were boxed in by the North Korean army: "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." Thank you and your readers for responding so humanely to the story of a small life who had a giant will to live. — Wayne Holbert St. Augustine, Fla.
We want to hear from you Please send your letters to: Editor, Mountain Xpress, 2 Wall Street Asheville, NC 28801 or by e-mail to letters@mountainx.com.
mountainx.com
SEPtEmBER 25 - octoBER 1, 2013
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