I was extremely saddened to see the article written by your paper on the accident that occurred on April 20th which resulted in the loss of two lives.   While I understand the feelings of the residents and how invasive these visitors must be, I also understand the loss that I am feeling of a very dear, young, mother of two - Amanda.    The article disrespectfully states, "The two people who died have only themselves to blame but the Tiki Bar stamps on their cold dead hands speak for themselves."

 I find it inexcusable that your paper would print such a hateful, crass summary of such a tragic event.   While I did not know the man involved, I did know Amanda well.   She was a loving young mother two who did not deserve to be dishonored in this way by your paper.  Amanda was an excellent teacher and who worked extremely hard.

 While I am shocked and disappointed that she made the decision to drive after being out, I am mortified by your reporting and the hateful comments that were made within the article.

Janet A. Radcliffe
Principal
Steuart Weller Elementary School

Ashburn, Virginia 
(Editors Note: Your grief for your co-worker is understandable and her decision to go out on the town instead of caring for her children is the kind of decision that simply is unexplainable, but the end result is that her children are now orphans.  There was clearly no "hateful" summary in our reporting, you just don't like the cold hard facts presented in a way that makes it clear that living in a dangerous manner has deadly results. For our part, we have printed the names of more than 55,000 DWI arrests in this area in an effort to convince people to make better decisions about what to after they have been drinking. Don't be an idiot, reporting on yet another late night double fatal does not "dishonor" this teacher, but it may make another young teacher use her brain for something other than placing a motorcycle helmet after leaving a bar...like saying...why don't we get a ride.... we have had many teachers in the DWI Hit Parade over the years and a few school principals too. Please make the right decision yourself and don't drink and drive.)

READER FEEDBACK:
Dear St. Mary's Today,
      I went online today after passing a newspaper stand yesterday that had the front page article on the Tiki Bar double death. I was shocked myself to hear that deaths took place at the Tiki Bar opening this year, not the usual bar brawls and things of that nature.
Anyway, I would like to say that your article was very well written and serves to remind people of the dangers of drinking and driving. One would think that after going through Driver's Education, people would have half the decency to remember the lessons they have learned. Unfortunately, it is their decision and results such as the two deaths occurred. Let the deluded say what they want to say about your article being too harsh. If anything, their comments and astounding ignorance only serve to amuse me and get me a good laugh for the day.
Wonderful article. On a different note, am I the only one disturbed that the one place St. Mary's gets hyped up for is in another county?
Matt
(Editor's Note: No one wants anyone to die and visitors to the area, whether in Calvert or St. Mary's should be able to share the beauty of Solomon's and Southern Maryland without making their visit their last day on earth.  Unfortunately, officials have not done their jobs in the past and cracked down when some of those in attendance have committed crimes, urinated in yards, defecated on lawns, destroyed property and otherwise committed mayhem at the annual Redneck Mardi Gras, all in the name of having fun. But the boozedroids think that all others must get out of their way so they can 'rock' with DC 101 at the Tiki Bar opening. Its a mindset that is unbelievable and unacceptable.)

READER FEEDBACK:

Dear Editor,
Your statements about the couple’s drunkenness in your responses, or allusions to their drunkenness in the article itself are based solely on speculation and circumstantial evidence.  There was no mention of driving under the influence playing a role in this accident in the police report that you reference.  You mentioned in your article that hundreds of individuals pledged to be designated drivers.  How do you know that the driver of the motorcycle was not the designated driver for his passenger, and as the report stated, “failed to negotiate a turn.”  I am not making these statements out of ignorance, but simply out of our American value to protect the innocent, until proven guilty.  I am quite sure that as more information becomes available through the police investigation, much of this will be cleared up, but until that happens, you should exhibit some restraint in your wording and not convict this couple of irresponsibility without knowing all the facts.  If in fact, evidence reveals that these individuals were driving under the influence, I hope you and your community can find the courage to forgive them, be thankful that others were not killed or injured as a result of their choices and we can all consider this to be a very hard and painful lesson learned, but please don’t judge their character without all the facts.  It sounds as though your biggest concern is with the nature of the Tiki Bar opening, the crowd it draws, and the way it is managed (or not) by officials.  I fully appreciate your disgust with some of the antics of the weekend that you describe, but again, you must separate your (and your community’s) opinions about the event and the stated facts of this incident.
Heather Cox
Sterling, VA
(Editor's Note: Heather, it would be nice to be able to afford the luxury of your dispassionate view however our concern is our readers, their families and friends who must use our roads as they come and go to work, even at all hours as our nurses and other staff of local hospitals and others work at night and it is not fair for them to face speeding kids drag racing and ending the lives of four people as took place on this same road just a mile away not long ago or at night or wild operators of motorcycles at 1 am. 
Whether speed is the only at-fault factor or if booze is also the cause of the crash of the couple last week will be revealed in time, but the facts are clear, the operator of the motorcycle had been at the bar at which the specialty drink is a huge rum concoction famous for being so powerful that most people cannot drink more than two. 
The other fact is that the motorcycle was operated at a speed greater than reasonable and driver error was in play as the bike failed to stay on the road.
You are right, this community is disgusted by the local bar owners hosting this boozefest for every problem drinker in the DC area swarming over the town and making our roads more dangerous than they otherwise are with our local boozers out on the roadways. 
Those who make these decisions to speed and or drive drunk never take anyone else into consideration with their self-centered behavior.  Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, left this "event" without killing anyone, using designated drivers, cabs or limos and some simply stayed in the area hotels.  While those who are family and friends of the couple who died grieve their loss, they need to remember who it was who decided it was a great time to fly down the road.
It is not a matter of judging their character as most people who drive drunk, speed or drive aggressively are otherwise of good character. It is their reckless behavior that is killing us, not their character.  It is the decisions of people like you that is important, not the character of a dead person. Therefore, no one need forgive this couple for anything, but those who may otherwise kill others this coming year through their possible stupid acts of speeding and boozing could make other decisions. We pray they will.)

READER FEEDBACK:

Wow.. I just read the article about the two individuals who died after leaving from the Tiki Party. That article could have been written with a lot more class. Here's some guy that thinks that they know it all. You know nothing about those two people who left but can be paid to write an article that is insensitive and possibly inaccurate. You have no idea what made them crash on the night of that party. Who made you God that you can pass judgement on people? Report the facts.. that's it. There's no need to smear these deceased people's names in the mud. It's one thing to write the article after you received all of the facts, but you don't have them. This is the first time that I've read an article from this "so-called" paper and it definitely will be the last. It's obvious why you work where you work.  You can't take any criticism for what you write. You call the readers "idiots." What a great way to keep readers... you are the idiot and a jerk on top of that. You're not perfect and you shouldn't be pretending that you are.. If you want to educate the public about drunk driving and how dangerous it is.. simply say it. Don't mock these people's death for your own sake.. You know what they say about karma..
Shannon Bedits
(Editor's Note: Okay, Shannon, go out and drink and drive all you want, kill others and kill yourself and they will bury your cold carcass six feet under with your karma wrapped around your dead neck. We promise not to be judgmental in your case.)