RE: "Occupy Portland Earns Right to Jury Trials, Now Will They Get Them?" [Blogtown, Oct 3], in which Nathan Gilles reports on Occupy's victory in securing jury trials.
DEAR NATHAN GILLES/PORTLAND MERCURY NEWS TEAM: I just wanted to thank you for the excellent coverage you've had of State v. Benoit and the fight of Occupy arrestees to obtain jury trials. I was one of the 27 people arrested at Jamison Square on October 30, 2011, and today I'm a law student who spent last summer interning for the National Lawyers Guild. So of course I'm rather passionate about the due process rights embodied in Article I, Section 11 of the Oregon Constitution. I thought you did a great job of breaking down the procedural history in your latest story—probably a better job than I would do.
Matthew S. Denney
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RE: "Dear Body Pride 'Feminist' Who Heckled Fiona Apple" [I, Anonymous Blog, Oct 4], in which a heckler is scolded for criticizing Fiona Apple's body shape during last week's Portland concert.
It wouldn't be Portland if we weren't constantly evaluating everyone around us and passive-aggressively suggesting that they're "doin' it wrong":
You're driving too slow. You're driving too fast. You're driving. You're bicycling through stop signs. You're not promoting diversity. This neighborhood isn't dense enough. You're eating gluten. Your children aren't getting enough fluoride. You're not doing enough to help the homeless. You're affecting my property value... KEEP PORTLAND JUDGMENTAL!
posted by Chunty McHutchence
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RE: "Run Down" [News, Oct 2], in which Dirk VanderHart recounts being hit on his bike by a careless cabbie, who was not ticketed by the cops.
Look at the shit that happens in NYC on a daily basis. Drivers "mistake" the brake pedal for the gas, jump the curb, and kill a bunch of kids waiting for the bus. The driver doesn't even get a ticket as there was (say it with me, kids) "No Criminality Suspected." Yet if you are riding your bike and some jackass steps out into the bike lane without looking and gets hit, you are definitely getting a ticket—and in some cases jail time. Granted it's nowhere near as bad as it is in NYC, but when it comes to car vs. cyclist collisions, the cyclist is still solidly the second-class citizen here.
Disastronaut
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RE: "It Always Comes as a Surprise" [Music, Oct 2], in which Dave Depper lays out the six best Pet Shop Boys songs.
This is a great list, but Pet Shop Boys were not one-hit wonders in the US. "Opportunities," "It's a Sin," "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," and their version of "Always on My Mind" all made the top 10 here in addition to "West End Girls." Yes, they are much more popular overseas, but it just bugs me when the term "one-hit wonder" is thrown around incorrectly.
posted by SarahBearrah
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RE: Letters [Oct 2], in which reader catsunicorns speaks of the best places to panhandle, and those who complain about them.
There really are only a few hotspots for panhandlers that aren't in roadways. Besides Powell's/North Park Blocks and Pioneer Square area, what other ones are there?
If you work in or around one of the hotspots, of course you think it's a big issue, but few others see it much. I got tired of it too, when I worked near Pioneer Square, but I hated the path-blocking, aggressively friendly canvasser kids far, far more.
posted by Commenty Colin
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RE: "How About We Just Stop Calling them 'Republicans'?" [Oct 4, Blogtown], in which Republican Oregon Representative Greg Walden admits the GOP is giving the Tea Party a vigorous blowie.
I've had to stop watching/listening to the news in the last few days, because there were too many GOP lawmakers being allowed to say stuff like, "the Democrats forced this shutdown," without the journalists completely calling them out. It's infuriating. What a demented reality these people live in—just deceiving people at every step—with too many lazy, "balanced" journalists abetting them.
posted by ROM
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DEAR PORTLAND MERCURY: If you can't say anything nice...
David Massie
HMMM... SOUNDS LIKE DAVE MASSIE is choosing to say nothing at all rather than say something nice about the Mercury. So we guess that means he wins letter of the week, and other than that? Nothing at all. Two can play at that game, dick.
