Feb. 27 Mail: Downtown Parking App, Atheists, Oscars and More

Breaking Your Own Policy
Folio Weekly’s Mail policy states that “no anonymous or pseudonymous mail will be printed.”

That rule apparently doesn’t apply, however, when the writer supports one of the editor’s pet causes.

Witness the three letters in the Feb. 20 issue advocating re-opening the wording of the city's Human Rights Ordinance. Those letters are signed “cityxtra,” “GeekyDutchGirl” and “CherylMeryl.”

(I suppose that "Cheryl Meryl" <> be a real person, but, if so, she is not known to directory assistance.)

Gary E. Eckstine
Jacksonville

Editor’s Note: You’re right. From now on, we will be contacting those who post comments on folioweekly.com for permission to use their full names in print. We wish everyone who posted comments on the website would use their real names publicly. However, the three letters we ran were simply three of the best — and only — comments on folioweekly.com that week; they were not selected to support a pet cause.


Downtown Parking App Is Worthwhile
I agree with everything except for the Downtown parking [online comment on “Whose Money Is It Anyway?” Feb. 20]. Most of us won’t take mass transit, so why not encourage us to park close to our destinations? This should be worth a try, and worth spending our money. Unlike the other examples, it doesn’t seem wasteful or inappropriate.

Joe Lowrey
Jacksonville


Tickled by ‘Thief’
Maybe it was the pitchers of Blue Moon at San Marco Theatre that left me pleased, but I enjoyed the flick and feel it was money and time well spent. Sure, it swung and missed a time or two, but I wasn’t prepared for a masterpiece, either. [Online comment on “What Did You Think of ‘Identity Thief’?”]

S. Carson Howell
Jacksonville


‘Atheists Are Moral People’
In a recent letter to the editor [“Tide Is Turning for Unreason,” Feb. 13], Jonathan MacDonald made the statement, “Without God, all things are acceptable, the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary included.” Clearly, he knows nothing about atheists.

As a rule, atheists are moral, compassionate people who contribute to our communities. We work for and sometimes run charitable organizations. We are doctors and scientists and teachers and responsible workers in virtually every field. Our lives are much the same as those who profess belief with one significant exception: We don’t need a church or a Bible or a “god” to tell us right from wrong.

A 2012 Pew poll showed that six percent of Americans identify themselves as atheists. That’s one in 16, so everyone knows at least a few. Many atheists do not reveal themselves because God-believers are so prejudiced against us, but we are everywhere, and our ranks are growing.

For those who fear an amoral atheistic future, take comfort in knowing that, in the U.S., atheists are better educated than the rest of the population and less likely to be charged with crimes. And countries with higher percentages of atheists — such as Canada and most of Europe — also have much lower crime rates, especially murder rates.
Thinking people do not need a god to explain the world, and good people do not need religion to be good.

Donald Caswell
Tallahassee


Racking Up Oscars
While it's true that Daniel Day-Lewis will almost certainly be the first person to win three Oscars for best actor [“Oscar Odds,” Feb. 20], he will still be behind Ms. Hepburn, who won four best actress Oscars. And, of course, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep and Walter Brennan have each won three acting Oscars, but one of Nicholson’s and Streep’s and all of Brennan’s were in the supporting categories. o

Richard Shafer
Jacksonville