"Contract Killing," November 14
So do they qualify for subsidies? Your article exploited the kindness of the Amish man who allowed you access to his operation. Obviously, you gained access under some premise of writing a fair piece of literature.
Why don't you take your closed-mindedness away from a farm-raised animal that gets to live for two to five years before he is harvested, and take up the cause of his wild counterpart, who is lucky to live to the ripe old age of a year and a half? Many wild deer are shot long before they reach even one year of age. Farm-raised deer are well fed and cared for in their lifetimes; during tough winters, many wild deer starve to death or die from disease.
Better yet, why not attack the commercial beef or turkey enterprises, who pump their animals full of growth hormones so they grow quickly enough to be harvested in less than a year?
Most commercially grown turkeys have been genetically bred to the point that they can no longer breed naturally, because that good old white breast meat gets in the way. Most beef cows spend their nine-month lives in small pens that inhibit exercise, because exercise burns calories and slows growth. Then they are trucked to a butcher shop, where the butcher waits with a bolt gun that sends a piece of steel through the animal's skull.
While you are busy attacking someone who is preserving farmland by less-than-conventional methods, another 50 conventional farms have been sold and divided into lots, because conventional farming methods no longer produce income large enough to sustain a farming family.
Shame on you and your uneducated perspective. You owe an apology to the deer farmer for your exploitation.
Toby Stoner
Mifflintown, Pennsylvania
Pesticidal Tendencies
Save a bee — go chemical-free: As with most articles being written on this subject, the key piece to solving this mystery has been overlooked, most certainly due to the sources you went to.
Organic beekeepers the world over are not experiencing losses. Period. In the entire state of Vermont, where most agriculture is organic, there have been no cases of colony-collapse disorder.
I encourage you to investigate the reasons for this. I can tell you it will lead you down a trail of big business, big money, and greed. In China, bees died and never returned to the area you are referencing, when pesticides were introduced in agriculture.
We own Meadowlake Farm, a 100-acre certified organic honeybee farm. The other side of this dispute must reach the minds of the public if change is to occur. If the problem is not solved, all bees will be gone by the year 2035, and we will be right behind them. We can't exist without them.
Sally Leachko
Hiram, Ohio
Truth and Consequences
Fortunately, we're part of the "blame Scene last" crowd: Your Steven Colbert article was such a joke; I can't believe it. I was excited to think that Scene was bringing interesting or exciting news regarding Colbert. Luckily, it only wasted five minutes of my time.
Robert Wilson
Akron
"Actually, Crime Does Pay," December 19
Local Hacktivists
Clevelanders diddle data with the best: It's good to see local tech gurus getting profiled to remind people that the Cleveland area has some impressive tech talent. So I'm glad to see an article about Rick Deacon and his skillful security profiling in Scene.
I was disappointed, however, to see so much focus on his presentation at Def Con, when Cleveland features its own hacker conference every April: Notacon.
In April, Rick was one of many excellent presenters at our fourth annual Notacon in downtown Cleveland, which featured more than just the typical "hacker" stereotype. We hope that Rick was able to inspire more great tech talent locally and hope that our many speakers at our upcoming event will be able to do the same.
Jim Eastman
Cleveland
"The Ghost of Lester Russaw," December 19
Spirit of Charity
Haunting story leads to compassionate response: I read the story of Lester Russaw. It's so sad. There was help he could have gotten and maybe still can get from the R&B Foundation, the Society of Singers, and MusiCares. I hope that he will be able to be healed and will be able to get out. He and his group were a great inspiration to me and so many other artists standing on his shoulders. I will pray for him.
John "Sly" Wilson
(of Sly, Slick and Wicked)
Los Angeles, California
"'Tis the Season," November 28
No Wild Oates
John seems grounded, but is he ready to grow? It is really amazing that Daryl Hall would be so cocky, but I guess he feels like he is the star of the best-selling duo of all time.
It is obvious that Daryl Hall has a problem with being part of Hall & Oates and that he would much rather be on his own. But like John stated, Daryl has tried and he has never made it on his own.
John has such a grounded personality and seems to be very content with his contribution to the band. I wish he were a lot more assertive than he is, because I think a lot of the fans would love to see him be more vocal and shake it up a little, especially onstage.
Maybe he is afraid of how Daryl would react, but screw him. John, get out there and be the star that you are.
Robert Boutot
Wolcott, Connecticut
