Deleted Scenes
I loved Tim Gihring’s article on Minnesota in the movies (“Screen Test,” February). However, I can’t believe that he did not include The Personals, the 1982 movie about personal ads, skating around Lake of the Isles, and singles in Minneapolis. Great shots of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Karen Landry was one of the stars.
ROBIN L. MCDOUGAL
St. Louis Park
The Wonk, The Body, and Bias
I’m writing to you to voice my concern with regard to the irresponsible journalism in the December 2005 edition of Minnesota Monthly, particularly the article on Peter Hutchinson’s campaign for governor (“The People’s Wonk”). I felt that Kevin Featherly’s article detailing Hutchinson’s campaign came out like a smear campaign and a hatchet job. It was as if Featherly was trying to turn next year’s gubernatorial campaign into a soap opera, which I find not only unfair but also offensive.
As a supporter of the Minnesota Independence Party, I don’t find it particularly surprising that the mainstream media outlets in the Twin Cities still won’t give the party any credit in order to compensate for whatever insecurities that these outlets might have. Featherly loved pointing out how the Independence Party was “underfunded and struggling,” which I doubt, because I give at least $10 at a time to the party. Featherly might not believe in the IP platform, but there are a lot of us out there who do.
As for the magazine’s “unloonlike behavior” awards (“The 3rd Annual Uncommon Loon Awards,” by Tim Gihring), I find it incredulous that Jesse Ventura’s appearance at St. Olaf College would even qualify for that award. I guess old habits die hard among the Twin Cities media in that they have to try and destroy not only Ventura’s reputation, but other people’s reputations as well, falsely accusing Ventura of being “infantile” and “thin-skinned,” when in fact he only objects when criticism of him and his family gets personal. They crossed the line in reporting about some alleged party that Tyrel Ventura had held when Jesse and his wife, Terry, were away. Your magazine owes Peter Hutchinson, Jesse Ventura, and their supporters an apology.
CAROL CARLSON
Via e-mail
Oh Fer Cute!
A relative let me take her copy of your Pet Issue (December), because I couldn’t put it down when I started reading it at her home. I really liked this issue of your magazine—enough so that I have decided to subscribe. Although I frequently listen to both Minnesota and Wisconsin public radio, for some reason I just haven’t thought about subscribing before.
Thanks for the article about the Animal Humane Society’s efforts to rescue animals in the wake of hurricanes Rita and Katrina (“Fetch”). I would like to adopt the Pomeranian shown in the article!
ROSE HOENE-LAURICH
Duluth
Big Deal
I had to write after reading all the letters to the editor in your January issue. Not only that, I also had to go back to the November issue to see what the deal was. I still don’t know. Were all those people who wrote just in really bad moods? Immeasurably disappointed, offensive, shocked, disgusted, sensationalistic, distasteful, disturbing, appalled. Granted, your readers have decent vocabularies.
I didn’t much like “The Turtle Catcher,” so I didn’t read the whole thing. This is what I do when I don’t like something I’m reading. Seems simple enough. I felt readers were given adequate warning. Anything “Faulkner-like” is enough to scare me off. It’s true we don’t have children in our household, but we’d be lucky if a teenager would pick up a magazine such as this one and actually read something.
As for the picture of the dead deer (“Game Show,” November), these folks don’t get out much, do they? You can see a lot worse just about anywhere up north during hunting season and just about anywhere on the side of the road at any time.
As for the comment about the corrections column in the Star Tribune, one thing I must take exception to is the idea that anyone working for a newspaper is overpaid. The writer has got to be kidding.
You folks do a great job with this magazine. Great feature articles—in-depth and well-written. The article on Art Rolnick (“Of Human Capital,” January) was really good. Thanks, and keep up the nice work.
MIRIAM G. SIMMONS
Stillwater
Editor’s Note
The photograph of the Runestone Rockettes that appeared on page 114 of our October 2005 issue was taken by Peter C. Gandrud.