Reptile Rambling
Liars, liars: In regard to Kyle Swenson's January 17 story, "Snake Charmers," there has never been an attack on a human by a python in the wild. All we need are beer-drinking hicks who have no education, staging "bites" to make it look like these animals are dangerous and tramping around doing more damage than any snake could ever do! This is obviously not about finding out if there really are a huge number of pythons in the Everglades, but making so-called reality (read: fake) TV shows. The guy admits to even irresponsibly "losing" a Burmese python three years ago. Perhaps the one he shoots or knifes to death will be his pet snake! Here are the facts: The majority of Burms recovered in the Everglades were from one breeding facility destroyed by Hurricane Andrew — not pet owners, not pet stores. There hasn't been a large number of snakes found since the freeze a couple of years ago. The decline in small mammals that the USGS blamed on Burms was in fact retracted as an error; they found other reasons for the decline. If the media actually garnered facts instead of BS, maybe the general public would be less fearful. If you want to see the real culprit in the decline of the Everglades, just look to the drunks running amok and all the feral cats that new homeowners released — and, oh, those houses that were built where there once was land. MegF
Turn on the skepticism: There are 100,000 pythons out there, and 800 people can find only 11 in three days? Yet no news agency even questions that "estimate"? Come on, guys — you're reporters; you're supposed to dig. Do your job. Wingedwolfpsion
Putting a Spike in It
Say you're sorry!: Why did Luther Campbell have to bash Spike Lee like that ("Screw Spike Lee," January 17)? Why is Luke talking about him like he's Tyler Perry? Calling Spike Lee a house nigga while defending Quentin Tarantino? Man, I expected better. Real talk. Django Unchained is a great movie, but Luke didn't have to bash Spike Lee for giving his opinion. Spike Lee makes great films. Luke used to make great albums. They should be peers. Luke shouldn't be writing articles like every other journalist in America bashing Spike Lee. I never loved the Knicks either, but Luke lost stripes calling Spike a house nigga and then standing up for Tarantino as if Spike Lee hadn't been making classic films for as long as Luke has been making music. I'm disappointed. I hope Luke retracts or clears up some of these statements. He has one of the biggest columns a black man has ever had in Miami, and he uses it to bash Spike Lee!? rdeal
Quiet down, Spike: Tarantino is a wonderful filmmaker. I have enjoyed Spike's films over the years. I wish Spike would stick to what he does best and create the films that reflect his voice and what affects him and all of us as a people. I believe that is what he was conveying early on. I also believe that Spike creates an unnecessary distraction to draw attention to himself. I respect Luther Campbell's views on the film Django Unchained, but I do not agree with his shunning Spike's work as a filmmaker. My problem with Spike's earlier work was his casting of himself in his own films, which seemed like a take on Woody Allen. I have not seen Django yet, but I look forward to it. Teddy Harrell Jr.
News flash: Luke is right: I don't always agree with Uncle Luke and sometimes find his rants to be one-sided and baseless, but this article is on point. Quentin Tarantino is a talented producer with a wide range of films. Spike Lee sticks to one genre and can't handle someone else creating a film regarding blacks, especially someone who isn't black. SMH. Chanelle Artiles
News flash 2: Django was good: Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee make totally different types of movies. They are both intelligent and clever in their own right. Spike is entitled to his opinion and, like it or not, people expect him to share his opinion because there are so few black directors in Hollywood and because he has made a major contribution to creating a dialogue about race relations in this country through film. I understand Spike's point about slavery not being a Western. In fairness to Tarantino, he created a ridiculous twist on the Jewish Holocaust in Inglourious Basterds; that's what he does. Did anyone ask Steven Spielberg what he thought about that Tarantino movie? jsolar6461
