Listener Letters: Fish Rights, Steely Dan and Electroshock Therapy
AUGUST 11, 2007 Listen to this Story
- The Human Brain
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This week, we hear from listeners made sick to their stomachs after hearing our story on killing carp. Listener John Peaslee questions our reading of the Steely Dan song "Time Out of Mind." And finally, so many people sent us letters lambasting John Moe's description of electroshock therapy that we decided to talk to one of them about it. Host Bill Radke speaks with Dr. Richard Boshes, associate professor of psychiatric medicine at Harvard, about the risks and the benefits
Listeners Wrote:
I listened to your piece about the woman who loves "Time Out of Mind" by Steely Dan. I love the song as well, and I don't want to ruin her enjoyment of it, but I'm pretty sure it is not an upbeat tune about that free time you have on the weekend. I'd always understood it was about shooting heroin (something the "Dan" knew quite a bit about) -- Is there any way to check that out?
John Peaslee
Los Angeles, Calif.
Last weekend, Michael May did the story on business classes in a Texas prison, where convicts are allowed tremendous access to successful business people (trainers), practices and investors. That's just swell.
Me, I'm just the second-most biased-against person in America. (I used to be first but I got married to get off that list.) I'm caucasian, born in US of A, no kids, never been in trouble with the law, worked myself into middle-class income, pay my share of taxes for all the creative ways our politicians find ways to take middle class money and give it to the richer and poorer, etc.
I put myself through Aviation Maintenance Technician school in upstate New York, then found out years later the state bought that school and used it to give educations to criminals—from New York City prisons—to become airplane mechanics. Yeah, I paid for it, criminals got it free. (Technically I paid for THEM ALSO.)
Now I hear those lucky few in that Texas hoosegow are receiving a working business education compliments of...well not sure, am I paying for this one too.
Not that I'm bitter, but after paying for my education, then paying for some criminals education to replace me in the work force (since I was "downsized" by the post-9/11 Draconian cutbacks, then replaced by less expensive (read: less senior, less experienced workers), and now struggling with my lack of business experience to try and make it "on my own", you bring to me word that once again, criminals are being given hand-outs to give them a distinct advantage in the business world.
I'd prefer to not pay taxes for everyone in this country that can't "make it on their own" for some reason or another. I really dislike paying taxes that go to criminals to get the same or better training that I had to pay for. And I think it's morally wrong to give such advantage to criminals, when hard-working middle-class people who are paying for all this, are finding once again that their tax dollars are coming around to bite them on the ass. I don't want "free" business training and I certainly don't want to go to prison to try to qualify for it. But let's take a look at the math. All I get is farther behind trying to pay for my life AND the lives and education of people who've proven their personal value system is considerably less than the morals it takes to live and work within the social standards in place. I guess that is unless they are offered positions say, from general manager up to and including a vice president.
Sounds like everything here is SNAFU. Pardon my rantings of a borderline logical person. Good day.
MJ Montanaro
Cornelius, N.C.
I enjoy "Weekend America" and usually listen every Saturday on KNPR 88.9 FM in Las Vegas. But the story on the carp in the Illinois River broadcast August 4 was very upsetting to me. I love animals, and it made me sick to my stomach to hear the sound of these carp being beaten by hammers and baseball bats after they jump into boats. Not only was this disgusting practice played up in the story, the reporter, Kelly McEvers, was screaming and laughing as these self-described rednecks beat these fish to death. I was stunned by her callous and unprofessional behavior. I almost felt like I was listening to something Fox News would produce rather than public radio. I understand that this river is overrun by these fish, and people (especially rednecks) are going to do what they're going to do, as sad as that is. But the story could have been presented with more sensitivity. Why didn't she include anything about the animal cruelty angle?
Jennifer Lawson
Las Vegas, Nev.
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