Letters

ARMEY FOR PEACE?

I HAVE BEEN A CONSTITUENT OF DICK Armey since he became a congressman, and I have known him to be close friends with Congressman Delay and also to be very admiring of Newt Gingrich.

By nature, what do you think Armey’s job is? Isn’t part of a leader’s job to be a moderator and a bridge-builder? If you look back to the newspapers on the first two days of the flap over the uprising of the freshman congressmen, you will see that Armey stated he was trying to bring the two sides together. He said that what he was being was a peace broker. His job description rather demands that action.

I considered your article [“How Dick Armey Screwed Up,” October] tacky and an insidious effort to further undermine Armey’s authority and influence. Does the writer of your article want to pervert the truth in order to further his own personal political goals? In other words, is the new reward for being a peace broker now having mud slung in your face?

SYLVIA HELLMAN

CARROLLTON

NUMBERS GAME

If nothing else, your article “Is Dal-las the Convention City It Claims To Be?” [Pulse of the City, November] points to the need for accurate interpretation of verifiable data regarding the numbers of conventioneers and economic impact. Apparently either The Economist researcher can’t read or Mr. Carollo dismisses his own study when the former omits Dallas altogether and the latter, who authorized the data, “concedes that Dallas is one of the top 10 convention sites.”

More puzzling to me. however, is why Mr. Witherspoon would miss the obvious in not reporting that several of our major convention customers are rapidly outgrowing us and have promised to move elsewhere after their current commitments play out. This information is widely available and is directly counter to his suggestion that “If Dallas is losing the convention wars, why increase capacity when the demand isn’t there in the first place?” Of equal concern is why Chicago should be canonized for their survey data and Dallas’ claims be dismissed because we include information regarding the Market Center, a longtime and substantial partner of the Bureau and an integral part of the convention and tourism industry in Dallas.

Our hotels, caterers, restaurants, attractions, public and private transit companies, airports, and several thousand others are going about the business of being the most important economic driver in the area. Isn’t that worth reporting as well?

WINFIELD PADGETT

Chairman, Dallas Convention and

Visitors Bureau

HISTORY MAKING

THANKS FOR THE KIND MENTION IN YOUR October “While We’re At It” piece on the Dallas Zoo’s giraffe statue.

Calling me “astute historian” was nice, but a little too fancy for the ink in my veins.

When I read the zoo’s press release claiming that our zoo would have the tallest statue in Texas, I did what all good reporters should do: I checked it out. Then, I asked the zoo about the giraffe coming up short to Hunts ville’s Sam Houston.

So you see, I’m not really a “historian,” but I sure like the way that sounded and 1 happily “encourage” my family and friends to read “my clipping” from D.

LARRY POWELL

Dallas Morning News Columnist



CHANGING CHANNELS

IN THE COVER STORY “CAN THE NEW MEDICINE Heal You?” [November!, you printed an erroneous definition of what Reiki is. Reiki practitioners do not transfer their own energy. To do so would deplete their own health. A Reiki Master is a channel for universal life force. This energy flows through the Reiki practitioner to the client. This universal life force is God and is unlimited, therefore Reiki practitioners can channel this energy and never deplete their own.

I am very pleased that you featured so-called new medicines. It is about time the public became aware of these methods that are thousands of years old.

MARVEENA WELLS

DALLAS