NATURALLY IT'S OKAY

RE: "Not at All" [Letters, Feb 26], the latest in the ongoing banter over the pros, cons, and craziness of fluoridation.

DEAR MERCURY—Y'know, I have been anti-fluoride since 1982, but I am ONLY anti the manmade, chemical shit. If it occurs naturally, it's okay. It's in antidepressants as well. And those are horseshit, as well!

Jann Jones


YOU KNOW NOTHING

RE: Film Shorts [Feb 12], a two-sentence review of Ida, a Polish film screening as part of the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF).

DEAR MERCURY—The reviewer for Ida, which played in the Portland International Film Festival, was clearly over her head. Your reviewer clearly had no knowledge of the world beyond her rich, white, pierced nose. The review of Ida was an insult to PIFF, to the director, to the Polish people, and to the millions of people who died so your reviewer could stick her nose up in the air at their drab lives. If the reviewer for Ida is the best the Mercury can do, you should fold.

Robert Greene   


MEAN STREETS

RE: "The Secret Weapon" [News, Feb 26], revealing a police policy that cracks down on activities typically associated with homeless people.

If you can't see this as anything less than a tool for cops to harass anyone they don't like the look of—homeless or otherwise—then you are most likely a fucking snob yuppie douche, who just can't stand those pesky homeless people who beg for your change after you buy that $6 latte from Starbucks on the way to your soul-sucking corporate cubicle. If you also cannot see the massive rise in police brutality and the burgeoning police state, or are choosing to ignore it, then please make yourselves known, so we know whom to guillotine first when this shithole of a country finally implodes.

posted by David A. Pope

Hands down the most off-putting, offensive homeless "travelers" are the young white kids who flood into Portland each summer. Not all of them... but a number of them refuse to see that gathering in large groups outside various places and harassing passersby tends to come off as threatening, especially to women.... Think about what it's like for a petite young lady to have to walk through a crowd of stoned or drunken homeless men who may or may not be respectful. My point is simple. If these spoiled white "travelers" would grow up and face the fact they make life harder for others, maybe more people would advocate for them.

posted by Mr. Greener


TEAM ROMANO

RE: "Please No More" [Letters, Feb 26], in which reader Max Binet made the bold move of criticizing beloved One Day at a Time columnist Ann Romano.

DEAR MERC—Why do we love Ann Romano? Because she's funny, and not uptight, unlike SOME PEOPLE! And she's quite progressive, in case you haven't noticed. Also, wasn't there a rumor that Jake Gyllenhaal was gay? So much for that!

Isaac Hudson

DEAR MERCURY—It baffles me that a-holes like Max Binet exist in the world. The fact that you have no sense of humor or ability to care about others is not my problem, it is not Ann's problem, rather it is a problem for you and your therapist. Non-psychopaths actually read One Day because, unlike you, we do have the ability to care about Miley Cyrus and find it important to keep up with her latest antics. Ann's commitment to telling the truth about pop culture, even when it hurts (Justin Bieber) is commendable. She turns sometimes/always horrific news (Kim Kardashian) into hilarious tidbits for our progressive asses, and we need to appreciate that! Also, sometimes I laugh only once a week and it's when I'm reading One Day. So fuck you, Max Binet, and thank you Portland Mercury for continuing to dedicate paper space to Ann's lovely column. 

Peyton Priestman

CONGRATULATIONS to Peyton Priestman for the impassioned and borderline too-harsh defense of Mrs. Romano! You're like the scary older sibling we never had! You win this week's letter of the week, along with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where we hope you can also find something to laugh about.