With help she went from one to the other: Rebecca Wakefield did a great job with her article about my daughter Laurie Lichtman ("Tow Head," January 6). She truly captured the real Laurie.
Laurie and I are not proud of her drug years, but I am proud of how she turned her life around. It took years of hard work to earn back respect. I thank all the people who gave her a chance.
Joane Tufano
Pembroke Pines
When you talk trash, I sell more CDs: Brett Sokol's January 6 article bashing Pitbull was wrong ("Miami's Most Incredible, Fantastic, Amazing Year in Music!"). Have I bought a Pitbull CD? No. But after reading this "Kulchur" column, I will.
If Pitbull is smart, he'll send Brett a thank-you note.
Alfred Montaner
Cutler Ridge
Heartless free weekly gloats over rival's demise: Miami New Times and Street Weekly may have been in direct competition, but for Tristram Korten and New Times to call Street a "faux alt weekly" was both weak and callous ("Faux Alt Weekly Street Folds," www.miaminewtimes.com). Street and New Times were two totally different papers. In my opinion, New Times should get props for its investigative journalism while Street gets its own props as an arts and entertainment weekly.
The bottom line is this: Because bigwig bastards at Knight Ridder and the Miami Herald abandoned their baby, young readers in Miami suffer by having fewer choices. Newspaper readers are a dwindling breed, but those who love to read will continue to do so. They deserve as many voices as possible. The more papers the better. Miami is big enough for more than one alternative weekly.
I've written for Street as a freelancer, and I happened to respect and like the staff. I feel bad because their hands were tied. They have been reshuffled through the Herald, where their loyalties must lie. Well, my loyalties lie with no one (except readers), so I can say fuck the Herald for doing this. And shame on New Times for calling Street a fake paper. For Christ's sake, show some class. You won. There's no need to kick the opposition when they're down.
John Colagrande, Jr.
Miami
And I know a cesspool when I see one: In response to Adam Baum's story about the Transportation Security Administration at Miami International Airport ("Your Safety, Their Punch Line," December 16), I was a baggage screener at MIA for one year, and I have never seen such a Third World cesspool of corruption and cronyism. Good article!
Name Withheld by Request
South Miami
And in return we get smeared? I am writing regarding the article by Forrest Norman implicating Chris Goldberg in a payment scandal at Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. ("Kicked While Down," December 9). I too worked for the campaign this summer and resent implications that he was responsible for missing pay. He was an employee and is no longer on payroll and thus no longer responsible for outstanding wages.
I agree that Grassroots Campaigns was slow to pay a few workers, but to my knowledge these gaps were explainable and not intentional. Chris Goldberg does not and did not work on payroll and thus the article slanders his hard work and mine.
The e-mail Chris Goldberg sent to employees was personal in nature, from one campaign worker to another. Whoever got hold of that and quoted it did so without permission. And that's not to mention the fact that I worked with Chris for the entire length of his campaign in Miami and never met anyone by the name of Cynthia Trewin, who seems to have instigated the article.
We worked hard to get John Kerry elected, sacrificed time and money, and gave more than was expected of us. It is wrong and offensive for New Times to shine a bad light on the work I am so proud of.
Anne Cameron
Miami
