Mail

Great piece on hip-hop (Reverberations, "Fact checkin'," Feb. 17-23). I always look forward to the music pieces in Pitch; they are usually the first things I turn to every week.

I totally disagree with Star columnist Jason Whitlock, and I believe that hip-hop culture has created more good than harm, but sometimes I wonder if music could be more positive without having to resort to censorship or blame. I think that those two options are far worse than anything we are dealing with now.

This debate has gone on for years and years, and there are no good answers. When I was a kid, my grandparents just swore that the hard rock music I listened to was going to send me straight into a drug-induced hell. Well, it didn't. Some of my friends took that awful path, but it wasn't because of Ozzy Osbourne or Judas Priest. It was because no one listened, or no one cared, or no one took the time to talk to them and help them deal with the world.

I'm a dad now, and if my son wants to listen to Kid Rock, Korn, or RDV, it's fine by me, because we can talk about it. I love him, I let him know I love him, and I explain how the world is to him. I won't allow a song to do that, not by itself.

Thanks for your time, and keep up the great work.

-- Jason K. Gober
Overland Park, Kan.

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We at Phatahdat Records, an independent record label in KCK, think that Shawn Edwards' article, "Fact checkin'," is right on. Although we like to hear Jason Whitlock on AM 810 and read his sports articles in The Star, we thought he was way off base on what he wrote on the connection between hip-hop music and NFL players.

Mr. Whitlock and others should leave hip-hop reporting to those who eat, live, and breathe it daily. We think that Shawn Edwards touched on the good and bad about hip-hop culture. What culture doesn't have good or bad in it? We know that hip-hop and rap culture is not "pristine," but it should not be blamed for all of the ills in society, especially urban society.

We won't rehash everything you stated, because you did a good job, and everyone should read this article for themselves.

Phatahdat Records is in the trenches every day, preserving this art form. It is nice to know that people like Shawn Edwards are in there with us.

PEACE OUT!

-- John "JD" Daniels Jr.
Phatahdat Records
Kansas City, Kan.

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I enjoyed Bruce Rodgers' "The captain" (Pitchout, Feb. 17-23). I'm originally from Kansas City and now live in Houston. I'm enjoying Pitch online and especially enjoyed his article about the captain. I will be a regular reader from now on. Keep up the creative talent; it's appreciated by your readers.

-- Name withheld by request
Houston

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Thank you for publishing the column on the Union Station ripoff ("Science sham," Feb. 3-9). Patrick Dobson put in print what I have been telling everyone I talk to. The Union Station Science Museum? How could that cost $250 million? We have been ripped off again!

I went to the well-publicized grand opening of Union Station and the Science Museum. I was shocked. For the exorbitant entrance fee, I expected to see some science. I do not remember seeing any science at all. In fact, the fountain was probably the best exhibit of all. And you could see it for FREE. The rest looked like an oversized McDonald's playground. How can our civic leaders call this a science museum and keep a straight face?

I told my wife that it looked like someone had a great time spending a lot of money doing something "artsy." I was under the impression that the whole basement area was to be converted into the science museum. I remember how large the passenger loading dock area was. What a waste!

I think the Union Station is beautiful and should be used for something, but housing a playground is ridiculous. The interior of the Union Station was very nice; I missed the long bench seats that were in the main waiting areas, though.

I too was upset that the public was not allowed access to the whole main floor of the station.

-- Jerry Swaffar
Independence, Mo.

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As a longtime fan of Pitch and a former employee of The Daily Grind (yes, I was working the night we went up in flames) I wanted to write and say that Andrew Miller's article, "Access denied" (Feb. 3-9), is the best thing I have seen in Pitch in a long time.

The underage scene in Kansas City has been a mess for as long as I can remember. The city makes it almost impossible to keep an all-ages club open. Not that I'm placing the blame entirely on the city; the people who have owned these clubs have had the heart but not the business sense to make it work, and the kids themselves have been a problem. The patrons of any future all-ages clubs need to know that they MUST respect the rules of the club and the laws of the city. One of the best things I've seen was a sticker on the wall at The Fusebox (one of many failed venues) that said, "It's your scene, support it." But remember that in supporting it, you also must respect it.