SO GODDAMN SENSITIVE

DEAR MERCURY—I was shocked when I opened the June [9] issue and saw the headline "Goddamn Kids!" [I Love Television]. I had to look twice because I couldn't believe it. I am not a religious fanatic, but I am a Christian, and there are plenty of us in this area. In case [Wm. Steven Humphrey] doesn't know, the Third Commandment is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain." If he wants to do that on his own time, that's his business, but I don't believe it should be used in a publication for all to see.

-Vicky Colbert

YOU ARE WELCOME

DEAR MERCURY—RE: "It Gets Better" [Feature, June 16]. Straight dude in a fairly crowded coffee shop all teary-eyed with the Portland Mercury in my hand. Thanks a fuckin' lot.

-AK

TRANS PLANS

[Gender reassignment is] a medical issue... medical care should be available ["It Gets Better," Feature, June 16]. Personally I don't want my tax dollars going toward a medical plan that would not include treatment for people who need it.

-posted by taxpayer81

BE SPOKEN

Fact: Hundreds of people bike up [N Williams] every day ["Concrete Change," News, June 16]. I know several people who have had serious injuries along that stretch. The more the city delays, the more likely a fatality happens along that stretch.

-posted by Ruckus

Increased biking infrastructure and gentrification go hand in hand ["Concrete Change," News, June 16]. Studies have shown that African Americans bike far, far less than their Caucasian counterparts, so it makes perfect sense that leaders in the black community would be against this.

posted by Chuck Garabedian

BURDEN BRIDGES

[The Columbia River Crossing is] a jobs program ["Leap of Faith," News, June 16]? No, it's a burden of debt to me, and future generations. The largest amount of money is supposed to come from tolling, over $1 billion. They're going to charge around $2.25 to cross the bridge. At that price the interest on the bonds is going to grow faster than the money that is collected. It's $6 to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, that's what this should cost too. I bet if you set up the tolls today, you would see a lot less support for this total waste of money. How about fixing the four-lane choke point at the Rose Quarter before you fix a six-lane bridge that seems to work fine?

-posted by Jeff

DON'T BLAME THE COMICS

I'm 87 percent sure I'll see [Green Lantern], but will probably do so at a cheap theater where beer can be had ["Dorkiest Knight," Film, June 16]. What's frustrating is that silly comic book characters can be done well. Thor is a stupidly bombastic space viking who fights aliens and speaks as if he were a Shakespeare character. Yet, the movie totally embraced the sparkly bombast and really kind of worked. The Green Lanterns are nearly as ridiculous. They're magical space cops who all dress alike and use jewelry to punch evil in the face with giant fists. Yet, that shouldn't be an impediment to making a perfectly neat-o, kickass movie. I hope that viewers who see it and don't like it have presence of mind enough to blame the style and execution, not the source material or source medium.

-posted by The Right Reverend Rocktimus Prime

HERE HERE, TRRRP, you're speaking our language. And it just so happens we've got two tickets to the cheap, beer-need-accommodating Laurelhurst Theater for you, plus lunch at No Fish! Go Fish! which we hear is frequented by bombastic space vikings and magical space cops.