Letters

Tom Henry
via Internet

Goodman Good Man
I have always considered your publication to be a fun, informative periodical that presents its stories in a concise but impartial and balanced manner. But I was completely taken aback by "The Polo Wars," [by Randall Patterson, November 19].

Mr. Patterson's article was a poor, abject, worthless, nonsensical piece of garbage that should never have been published. It seems to many of us that his views, apart from being grossly distorted and flagrantly wrong, were presented in a way that seemed he was personally bitter with John Goodman, not to mention overly ardent towards Ralph Lauren.

It was Mr. Lauren who tried to buy the Polo name and image for his personal gain. Should you be sued because you have the word "Houston" in your paper's title, or because you most certainly share the same readers as, let's say, the Greensheet? No, I think not.

I do not socialize with members of the polo community. Mine is one of the later model Chevy trucks parked out in front of Goodman Manufacturing, yet I do not envy Goodman his good fortune as Mr. Patterson obviously does. In my two-year tenure with the company, I have come to view Goodman as a compassionate individual who is never too busy to stop in the hallway and offer a word of thanks or a kind hello.

Jaquie Carrol Shebellebon
Houston

Another Patrom Worker Reviles
Randall Patterson sounds more like a disgruntled employee than an objective reporter. This is the only reason I can think of for some of the outrageous and downright contemptible comments he made in his recent article. One gets the impression that Patterson has a personal grudge against John Goodman, not to mention yuppies in general. He sounds sad, envious, resentful and morose. Could it be that he was not hired to write for POLO Magazine?

I have known Goodman since he was ten years old, and I have been an employee at Goodman Manufacturing for more than eight years. In that time, Goodman has been an extremely kind and polite person who would never have a mean-spirited thing to say about anyone. What a shame Patterson clearly did not have the same type of upbringing.

Sally T. Pate
Houston

Charity Case
I am a regular reader of the Houston Press and enjoy the occasional political nugget you can find nowhere else. However, the November 19 Insider column by Tim Fleck was particularly odd and seemed to reflect an automatic tendency to question and undermine the motives of those individuals who over the years try to make a difference in Houston.

You go back to Jesse Jones, long deceased. Rather than praising the good works that he and his wife did by establishing Houston Endowment, Inc., you really reach by implying his generosity was simply an effort to "keep his name alive ..."

On Brother, Can You Spare a Billion, your reporter must have seen a different film. I found it highly informative about the most extraordinary citizens that Houston has produced. It appeared that you were hoping for a tabloid-type expose of Jones.

I would suggest that you just "chill out" and recognize there are some people who simply do good and support Houston because they are decent and caring individuals, without looking for ulterior motives.

Charles C. Foster
Houston

Saint Jesse?
Why is Tim Fleck so upset about the life and times of Jesse Jones? I found the film very informative and enlightening.

As for the fact that there were "quirky moments" in this piece, such as Jones's late marriage and his reign from his Lamar Hotel digs, well surprise, surprise -- as though there has been anything like that in Houston before or since! Come on, Fleck, we have all been around the block a few times. I really don't want to know as much about Jones as I now do about President Clinton.

At least I now know who the man was, that he used his power and wealth (well, duh!) to do what he thought would be good for Houston and made a fortune along the way. We're all better off for the fact that the Houston Endowment was his last act of benevolence to Houston's future.

Kent L. Smith
Houston

Shivers to Go
I'm from San Francisco but was visiting my sister in Houston recently when I picked up the Houston Press and began to read the "Making a Killing" article [by Steve McVicker, October 22] while waiting for a pizza. We were so wrapped up in your article, my sister and I had to read sections to each other so we could eat.

Fantastic reporting. Gives me the shivers to think this guy is out walking around and still making a living off of death.

Maid Marion
via Internet

Levin Lashes Out
I am appalled by Tim Fleck's misleading and malicious tirade against both myself and the Houston Review ["Vested Interests," November 19]. In an unconscionable and patently false personal attack, Fleck implies that the paper and I have something against minorities. Let me point out that I have been invited in each of the past two years to speak at the NAACP state convention.I would request that Fleck read the first issue of the Review, in which I wrote an editorial denouncing the Houston Police Department's handling of the Pedro Oregon case.