Mail Call

Shame on you! Did you really find it necessary to put Doug Supernaw's mug shot on the cover of your paper ["Doug Supernaw," by John Nova Lomax, May 10]? Did the person who made this decision even read the article inside the paper? I'm very disappointed in you and your paper. Mental health illness is a very sad disease, and my sympathy goes out to all who had to be subjected to your insensitivity.

Name withheld by
request
Houston

Sad and heartless: I was very disappointed and saddened to see your blatant disregard for the mentally ill. The article written by John Nova Lomax was certainly informative. It documented the rise and free-falling of country singer Doug Supernaw. I appreciated the eventual discussion of mental illness, which was evident after three paragraphs. I did not appreciate, however, the picture of Doug in a Montgomery County mug shot. This goes well beyond callous journalism. And that a free-spirited, usually bleeding-heart newspaper would use that picture blew my mind. I am open-minded enough to enjoy the Houston Press, but I was outraged by the front-page picture. I bet the bubbas that like to arrest him in the small towns would really appreciate this edition of the Press, but not readers who are enlightened about mental heath. It was a sad and heartless display.

Michele Tormm
Houston

Fall of a golden boy: I graduated from Eisenhower High School with Doug Supernaw. I saw his picture on the cover of the Pressand thought to myself, well, well, the popular golden boy of high school has fallen. This proves that karma is there for the not-so-popular kids in high school.

However, as I was reading the article, I was saddened by the fact Doug obviously has some serious mental health and personal accountability issues that only he can address. I worked briefly in 1999 with Yvette Tisdale and, like the rest of us, she was looking for a boyfriend or a husband. Her heart may be in the right place, but based on Doug's previous relationships with women, maybe it is a good thing for Yvette that Doug is not so sure about the "boyfriend" thing.

Susie Mimnaugh
Houston

Wasted talent: The article you wrote about Doug Supernaw is a sad one. I met him in Playa Del Carmen about five years ago when he was there. Doug befriended my dad, and my dad helped him out a bit in Mexico. When Doug is sober, he's a nice guy. But when he's drunk, it's not a pretty sight. It's so sad how he has wasted such a talent. I hope that Doug is able to realize that he needs help before it is too late. I know that someday I will read that he has died from an overdose or alcohol- or drug-related accident. My dad still has a black cowboy hat that Doug gave him one night.

Misti (last name withheld by request)
Houston

Medical opinion: It is obvious from reading your article that Doug Supernaw sustained a traumatic brain injury, either during the surfing accident or the head-on car crash — or perhaps both. This is serious. He is self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. He can be helped, but it will take a while, and he needs a lot of support. I hope someone like you will intervene and get him some help. ER doctors almost always miss traumatic brain injuries, especially those TBIs classified as "mild," but there is never a mild TBI when it comes to a person's ability to function in life. You could write books on the effects of mild TBIs missed by doctors on people's lives. Doug Supernaw exhibits all the characteristics of TBI.

Kay S. Watson
Lake Charles, Louisiana

Better than Balls

Build crosswalks: The May 3 BayouSphere [by Daniel Kramer] highlights the absolute waste of money that is happening within the State of Texas. The money invested in these "balls" would have been better spent on the safety of the public just a couple of blocks west. It should have gone to building crosswalks at the Galleria, connecting the Dillard's parking area to the outside of Neiman Marcus (along Post Oak) and connecting the shopping center just north of the Galleria over Westheimer to the mall, so that pedestrians are not darting within the traffic (mainly due to Metro's placement of their bus stops midway in the block). I'm shocked no one has come up with a suitable plan to make this happen — they sure did it along Alabama Street to connect Galleria phase 3 with phase 4.

E.V.
Houston

Rock the Kasra Partial to Persian: Thanks for your very detailed description of Kasra ["Persian Gem," by Robb Walsh, May 10]. Having lived in Iran nearly eight years, I'm always looking for new Iranian (Persian) restaurants. I love the food; I learned to cook many dishes for my family and continue to prepare them when time allows, which is not too often. The dishes you sampled are very time-consuming and require great care. A lot of their ingredients must be bought at a Middle Eastern grocery. For example, the barberries in the tart zereshk are seldom found in U.S. grocery stores. Next time I'm in Houston, I'll definitely try Kasra.