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© St. Petersburg Times, published August 14, 2001
My husband and I just returned from a local restaurant. Fine food, great service. There was also a cigar bar outside for smoking, drinking and listening to live music. I thought I was going to enjoy an adult activity, but I felt I was in Romper Room.
On the floor in front of the one-man band were four little girls. They were no older than 6. One of the moms had a drink in her hand and was shaking her booty right along with her little girl, who probably was in her own booties not too very long ago. Then Dad got into the act, dancing with his preschooler and twirling her around upside down.
Come on, parents. These children should have been tired enough by 7 p.m. from all the activities and play they were involved in during the day to be fed, bathed and sent to bed. They shouldn't have been out at 9 p.m. dancing for the enjoyment of drinking, smoking adults.
There is no way on God's green earth anyone will convince me that this is quality time for children. I do believe our restaurants need to look at what they are providing for their customers and who those customers are.
-- Agnes J. Schaeffer, Palm Harbor
Re: Library puts commissioners in uncomfortable role, Diane Steinle column, July 22.
Thank you for a column that captured the library situation perfectly. I do applaud our Clearwater city commissioners for listening carefully to their constituents and communicating those concerns to the architects. That is their role. But what now?
It is time for something really wonderful to happen in Clearwater. Time for some positive energy, called faith. From what I have seen this architect do in the past, I'd put my faith in the architects.
There are too many voices, bitter from previous disappointments and those who think too small, trying to discourage us in this present challenge. They want guarantees. They want to know at the beginning how it is all going to end. But that is not faith; and if we only do projects that require no faith, we will never fulfill our potential for being a great city.
The city chose Robert Stern as architect. Now let's be brave and go for it.
-- Jill Rommel, Clearwater
Re: For now, callers may talk and drive in Largo, story, Aug. 7.
Sad that the proposed Largo ordinance prohibiting hand-held cell phone conversations inside a moving auto was shot down and sadder still some of the explanations.
Take the Largo City Commission member who said her constituents asked if they would be arrested for talking on the phone in their cars. She should have simply explained that the ordinance did not prohibit phone calls, just hand-held conversations, and that the penalty would be a citation, not incarceration.
And how about the law enforcement officer who claimed they would have to look inside every car to enforce the law? There's a law prohibiting open alcohol containers. Does he check every car on the road for that?
And finally, for the letter writer who labeled supporters of the ordinance "control freaks," driving with one hand is certainly dangerous. That ordinance would simply have joined thousands of other federal, state and local laws protecting citizens against careless, negligent or criminal acts by others. If you can't control yourself, you need control freaks like us.
-- John Royse, St. Petersburg
Re: Writers got carried away, letter, Aug. 8.
Thank you so much, Mickey Davis of Palm Harbor, for your response to the St. Petersburg Times series "When I think of . . ."
You really gave me quite a chuckle. I wish I had time, as you must, to sit around and count the words.
I happened to enjoy all the responses. And guess what? I didn't even think of counting the number of words used. Get a life.
-- Ann Roselle, Palm Harbor