Niagara Falls Reporter
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JULY 15 - JULY 23, 2014

Letters to the Editor

July 15, 2014

Cut Tree at Park Brings Mucho $$  

     Interesting article about the cutting of trees at the Niagara Falls State Park. Looking at the picture of the cut Black Walnut Trees on a truck, makes me wonder who got the money for that lumber. Black Walnut is a 'money" tree...a tree of that size would bring in mucho bucks. Black Walnut is in demand for furniture, ball bats, gun stocks, etc. How many Black Walnut trees were taken?

Fred Kinbaum

N Tonawanda, NY

 

Megadeth I love you

If you read more into what half of their lyrics meant, maybe you'd make some sense out of yourself. Megadeth doesn't promote killing. Your post is a complete joke. They will play at Artpark Tuesday and will pack the place whether you like it or not. I will be there and supporting my favorite band. Go listen to something soft if you can't handle it. Megadeth forever. 

Marc Barone

Article Was Slanderous and Libelous

James Hufnagel's piece about the band Megadeth is slanderous in every legal sense of the word, and I can't believe it passed editorial scrutiny.  Megadeth, despite their name, is founded by a devout Christian man who has done more for charity and goodwill than your author understands and has been lauded for his positive songs and generosity.  The author of the article clearly doesn't understand, and clearly hasn't listened to the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of Megadeth, and he has slanderously portrayed the band as something they're not in his obvious project to attack whomever he feels in the local government has misused taxpayer dollars. In his quest to attack the local government, he has knowingly misrepresented the band and what it stands for, for political purposes. 

 The band should have nothing to do with his personal crusade, and especially for the fact that the reporter's libelous editorial remarks are simply unfounded and can easily be demonstrated to be such.  Megadeth is and always has been pro-God, anti-suicide, anti-war, pro-charity etc.  And for your writer to take lyrics of the band out of context to then use as a pretext for his own personal attack on the local elected representatives, is a course of action that misleads the public and could very well expose your publication to legal action based upon the libel and slander laws of the state of New York.

Michael Hatfield

Officer in the U.S. Navy

Megadeth Fan

Ohio Man Disagrees with Megadeth Article

I read your article about the subsidizing of the Megadeth concert at Artpark which I am traveling all the way from Ohio to see. I wanted to tell you that I agree partially about the subsidizing of the concert. I believe it is not reasonable to use taxpayer money to fund entertainment and should rather be used as use for public projects and infrastructure. That is what I feel as far as that goes.

There is something, however, that I disagreed about in your article. While you did do a great job of presenting quotes from the band, you failed to take into consideration of what the band and it's fans say and what they think.

I have been a Megadeth fan for several years, since I was about sixteen. Now I am 18 and a proud metal head. Regardless, what you say about Megadeth is false. Dave Mustaine has said in many interviews that the lyrics to "In my Darkest Hour" were about former Metallica bassist, Cliff Burton who was killed in a bus accident and the thoughts that were possibly going on in both Cliff's and Dave's mind. Dave is by no means endorsing suicide, but rather, he is writing an emotional song about a friend he once had.(by the way, Mustaine was once in Metallica.)

The next song you discredited was "A tou le monde."(ATLM for short.) According to Mustaine the song was written after he received word that his mother died, a death that was unexpected. He said that the lyrics were supposed to show that, when someone dies, their last words should be something meaningful, not "I'm sorry", or "I wasted my life." Rather they should be only about the positive things, "smile when you think of me", "as you read this, know my friends, I'd love to stay with you all" and "my bodies gone, that's all." These are the words he wants to say on his death bed.

Your remarks regarding some of their older work, especially "killing is my business...and business is good" are inaccurate to say the least. It seems that you believe that bands like Megadeth lead to moral decay. This is similar to saying that violent video games, which I enjoy, lead to violence. For me and many others this is an inaccurate claim. When a band writes a song, I don't feel the urge to go out and start slaughtering people or "sacrificing virgins" as one Megadeth song says. Rather, I imagine the scenery, the mood, and the overall ambience being created. Music is an art, not a call to arms so that we can kill each other.

The people that are in the news for posting lyrics to their are insane; and I mean clinically insane. These people already had mental issues and them putting lyrics onto a blog is by no means justification for crime. Furthermore, the lyrics that were posted, from "Hook in Mouth", have literally nothing to do with committing crimes. The song is about the PMRC, a music censorship committee that was created by Al Gore in the mid 1980s. Dave was outraged by this and wrote a song about his distaste with the censorship and the suppression of thoughts and beliefs.

Megadeth is a band who has excellent musicianship and writes songs that they want to and are by no means influenced by the music industry. As a law abiding citizen who enjoys listening to heavy and thrash metal I find it almost offensive that you accuse Megadeth of being a band of decadence. Is it a crime to write songs that criticize society and write a song creating satire over an issue. For me Megadeth is a band that has made me second guess my views. They made me realize that you need to think for yourself and not to rely on a political figure to tell you what is right. They have inspired me to have this perspective on life and their lyrics have helped me through particular events in life. Take for instance, "I thought I knew it all." The song helped me get past the unrealistic view i had of life and enlightened me to see the true reality of our world.

I hope this rather long email has made you see Megadeth as more than just a band about death and destruction. Their songs have real substance and are about more than the songs you cherry picked. 

Brandon Conn

 

Never Read Reporter Again

  First off, let me say that this is the first - and last - time I will read your "publication".

Now, regarding Megadeth, let's get some facts straight.

"In my darkest hour" does not promote suicide. It is about the time in Dave Mustaine's life when he was kicked out of Metallica and his good (now deceased) friend Cliff Burton (bassist for Metallica at the time) wasn't there for him. Basically turned his back on him. Dave is saying, "stay true to your friends, no matter what".

"A tout le monde" was only briefly banned from MTV as they, much like you, didn't have the facts. It is a song written by Dave after having a dream about his dead mother coming to him saying, "I love you, miss you, but you have to move on". This song is not about suicide ... in fact it is the opposite - it is about moving on. Dave has said that in many interviews - if you would picture a loved one that has passed away coming to you and saying, "move on - I am happier now - now it is time for you to be too". The video (which I'm sure you've never seen) actually had a message at the end stating "suicide is not the answer".

I could go on and on, but it seems  - much like the PMRC when they first started with their campaign - you've already made up your mind by skewing the facts to meet your agenda.

Just know this: it pains me to know that you will be gaining more publicity than you and your paper deserve, but you are being ridiculed all over the Web for your baseless article. Skewing the facts to "enlighten" the few ignorant readers you actually do have surely has made you feel like you're "Captain Anti-heavy metal", but in reality, it shows the rest of us - those who actually know what Dave Mustaine is about (he's a born-again Christian, for one) - that the reason for your ignorant stance is just because you don't care for a certain style of music.

Put in your earplugs, James, because Tuesday's going to get loud!!! 

Chris Elardo

 

Disturbed Man Upset By Horrible Bad Reporter

Being new to the area I have had occasion to pick up 3 of your papers. Rest assured that I will validate them in no such manner anymore. It reveals a group of men with the mindset of a gnat seriously in need of squashing when it comes to women, who for the most part I find refreshing, and intelligent partners in many ways, and you hide behind this "RAG" (should I say for male menopause?) when it came to a particular officer who found one of you in the wrong and you found fit to hide behind 1/2 sheet of newsprint and spew your ever so obvious lack of morals, and attacked the very person who may save your life one day, or one of your loved ones, if anyone could love you. This last piece of male stupidity with your "Buckle up for safety" offence, showing your fear of women will be my last foray into your pit of complete and total lack of any redeeming qualities. Your other articles are not anywhere good enough to raise the standard of even a possibly acceptable magazine. I am so glad I have the right to not even entertain the thought of you fools ever again, and God bless your families if anyone is sad enough to put up with you, Dr? Chitra Selvaraj, Tony Farina, and any and all other employees. May you all be judged by your deeds Niagara Falls is shamed by you all.
Sadly,

Bob De Tamble

 

 

 

 

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Letters to the Editor
Megadeth Jokes or We are so sorry Megadeth Fans
More Cheap Laughs With Dyster Beer Jokes

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Phone: (716) 284-5595

Publisher and Editor in Chief: Frank Parlato
Managing Editor: Dr. Chitra Selvaraj
Senior Editor: Tony Farina