MAKING CONNECTIONS

DEAR MERCURY—Thanks to Sarah Mirk for her article about Project Homeless Connect ["Dis-Connected," News, Aug 28], which received disgustingly little coverage from the Oregonian while multiple articles were written about the Evangelical Luis Palau CityFest event, which was held in Waterfront Park at the same time. These two events, one religious and one city-funded, occurred alongside each other as if they were one and the same. The fundamental separation between church and state was certainly blurred by this melding of civic events, and it reeks of financial convenience (Luis Palau's "corporation" was a major funder of Homeless Connect). Sarah did well in calling attention to the problem, but the role of churches in the event's future is an important issue for people to be aware of.

Johanna

GET ON THE BUS

DEAR MERCURY—I read with interest Amy Ruiz's story ["Fare Check," Feature, Aug 28] about the need for better service by TriMet. Our campus-community transit organizing project, TriMet Oversight Project, agrees! Currently, 80 percent of TriMet revenue comes from taxes, and we need to get the state legislature in Salem to lift the "cap" so that TriMet is fully funded by taxes, not transit fares. The next organizing meeting of TriMet Oversight Project is set for Saturday, Sept 6 at 8 pm at Laughing Horse Books, 12 NE 10th, by Doug Fir (on #12, 19 and 20 TriMet lines).

Lew Church, Coordinator, PSU Progressive Student Union/TriMet Oversight Project

YOU'RE WELCOME!

DEAR MERCURY—I have to say thank you to the Mercury for the Jack Johnson article and for printing the letters about it ["A Celebration of Mediocrity," Music, Aug 14; Letters, Aug 28]. You see I was so afraid that I was supposed to like Jack Johnson. But, after reading the article, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that it was okay not to like him and have my feelings validated in print. 

Bryce Shotwell

STAY TUNED

DARLING ANN [ROMANO]—Do you even KNOW what the past three days have been like without your witty comments regarding Klondike Britney [See One Day at a Time, pg. 3]? Oh, how I long for the pithy way only YOU can make a mockery of McCrabby's painfully unfortunate (for the Republinazis, I mean, not us and Barack!) VP lady pick. BTW, I love how all her family values and abstinence-only ideals are falling all around her.

Melinda Piette

RESPECTING ELDERS

DEAR MR. WM™ STEVEN HUMPHREY—I, too, am in a veritable state of ecstasy over the debut of 90210 ["9021—Oh HELL No!," I Love Television™, Aug 28]. And yet, how dare you claim there were no noteworthy adult figures on the monumental teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210? Have you forgotten the introduction of Iris McKay (Season 3, Episode 20), in which the new age monarch was cabbed in to find that her pride and joy was not with the scorpion Brenda Walsh, but instead the disheveled Kelly Taylor, who had missed a button or two? And Dylan's father, Jack McKay, well, we all remember him and his infamy: Making numerous appearances throughout Season 3, and finally meeting his doom at the hand of a mob-implanted car bomb, until Season 10, when we discover that he is still alive!!! We all felt betrayed with this knowledge, especially after Dylan had dated the mob boss' daughter Toni Marchette in Season 6 (whom we all knew as the Noxzema girl), in an attempt to discover who had killed his father. Any true fan remembers the tearjerker episode, "One Wedding and a Funeral," when Toni was accidentally murdered and Dylan had to "jump the shark," leaving the show. In addition to the McKays, you may also remember the saga of Kelly Taylor's mother Jackie. A BH90210 constant, ex-model Jackie made her first major appearance in Season 1, tormenting Kelly with her embarrassing drug habit. After kicking the pills, she fell in love with David Silver's father Mel, and the two married and had little sister Erin. Lest we forget the drama that ensued between Steve Sanders and his father Rush, after learning that Steve was actually an adopted bastard son from a former affair. And of course Donna's parents, socialites Dr. John and Felice Martin. Felice despised David Silver for most of the series, and her disapproval of her daughter's affairs often ended in sabotage. But our grudge against Felice ended with redemption, as she spearheaded Donna and David's reunion and later marriage. It would seem rather impossible for a successful teen drama to hold any depth or dimension (and yes, I am claiming 90210 possesses both these traits) without the sleazy generation of yore. I beg you reconsider your major malfunction, and welcome this aging cast of Hollywood's lost with open arms as they answer the clarion call.

Evangeline Nichols

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVANGELINE for her heroic defense of 90210's most senior cast members. We are rewarding her encyclopedic knowledge of the most brilliant televised teen drama series EVER with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!, where drama is served on the side.