OLD LADY RANTS

RE: Good Morning, News!, the Mercury’s daily roundup of national and local news—a column now under the august leadership of News Editor Alex Zielinski and News Reporter Kelly Kenoyer.

I turned 39 last weekend, so I guess you can file this under “old lady rants,” but enough with the inane GIFs in Good Morning, News! I love Good Morning, News! The satisfying combo of local and national tidbits with a twist of snark has long been a morning staple for me. But now I can’t avoid the seizure-inducing stupidness of all the damn four-frame cartoons on endless loop! Don’t even try to tell me that they constitute some kind of post-modern meta commentary. They’re lazy and they aren’t even funny. Please—please!—don’t outsource the news to GIPHY.

A fan

NEWSPAPER FIGHT!

RE: “‘Reversed His Position’ Is the New York Times’ Secret Code for ‘He LIED’” [Blogtown, May 3], Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphrey’s story about the Times’ use of the terms “reversed his decision” and “contradicts his earlier claims” in their coverage of Donald Trump’s alleged bribery of Stormy Daniels. “‘Contradicts earlier claims?’” Humphrey wrote. “That Trump is a serial liar is now beyond dispute—in fact, the president has lied OVER 3,000 TIMES since taking office, according to the Washington Post—so it’s getting increasingly suspicious that the New York Times still refuses to call what is clearly a lie, a goddamn LIE.”

Your problem is having any actual faith in the quality of the NYT’s reporting. It’s been shit for decades, mate.

The cat’s pajamas

Yes, the New York Times is a real newspaper, one that aspires to neutrality and integrity and decorum, even when dealing with those that the journalists as individuals find patently objectionable. It’s a thing that few places still do, and you can bet that the journalists use stronger language in private, but on the page they are professionals. If you want invective name-calling, check out MSNBC or Fox or social media or this weekly. [HEY!—Eds.] If you want the adults to be in charge again one day, as I do, consider appreciating and cultivating an adult voice.

DesperatelySeekingSubtlety

NO ONE CALLS HIM THAT

RE: Representation Matters: The Mercury Election Endorsements for May 15, 2018; [Feature, May 2], our rundown of who you should vote for and why. Of the race for Oregon’s 3rd congressional district, we wrote, “While some contenders in the primary race against US Congressman Earl Blumenauer bring youthful vigor to the table, none of them offer the kind of experience or backing that would get them to the Blum’s level.”

I, Eric Hafner, am running in the Third Congressional District challenging incumbent Earl Blumenauer in the Democratic Primary election. Incumbent Earl “Blood Money Bigot” Bluemenauer [Nobody calls him that.—Eds.] voted to federally ban gay marriage [This vote was in 1996; in a 2011 apology, Bluemenauer called it “the worst vote of my political career.”—Eds], supports the anti-worker, anti-union, anti-environment Trans-Pacific Partnership [Okay, he did support the original version of the TPP… which never went into effect.—Eds], and gets most of his money from Nike, which is infamous for their use of sweatshops overseas and now has a sexual harassment scandal right here in Oregon [Nike isn’t even among Bluemenauer’s top 10 2018 donors.—Eds]. I am a socialist Democrat who supports Legalizing All Drugs, Free Public Transportation for All, and Ending Gun Violence. While the groovy people at the Mercury didn’t talk to me for their endorsements, you can still visit my website http://www.EricHafner.com to get the info on my campaign. Vote HAFNER for Congress by May 15, 2018!

Eric Hafner for US Congress Portland

The election results have yet to be determined, Eric—but if nothing else, your intensity has won you the Mercury’s letter of the week, along with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater! Maybe you and Earl can go see a movie?

6 replies on “Letters to the Editor”

  1. I’m also running against Earl in the primary, and I’m more concerned about Earl’s campaign contributions from DaVita.

    DaVita has defrauded the US government in the past and has been forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. Now, Earl’s supporting a bill that directly benefits DaVita, and that non-profit organizations in that field oppose.

    I am committed to getting corporate money out of our political system, and you can learn more about me and my campaign at http://www.ben4oregon.com

    Ben Lavine

  2. Ben calls himself an “ardent proponent of capitalism” and has no political or legal experience whatsoever. If you are an “ardent proponent” of capitalism, surely you can’t be that serious about getting corporate money out of politics? Or perhaps Ben is so naive as a retail employee not to understand how politics really work? His lack of concern over the Nike sweatshop blood money is troubling. Either way, I am a better candidate.

    I, ERIC HAFNER, am a socialist who has been involved with politics for over 13 years, have significant experience in criminal law defending the poor from being railroaded by the corrupt police and courts, and want the economy to be governed democratically by the people, for the people. While there is no dispute between us over DaVita and it’s custom legislation for money being a bad thing, if you look at Blumenauer’s donors Nike has been his biggest single contributor since he was elected to office with a grand total of $113,750 coming from Nike over the course of his time in Congress. While DaVita at present level is a more recent involvement (last couple years), I am also very concerned about it as well, but in political messages, you can’t always discuss everything you’d like to given constraints on time and publication size. I talked about Nike because of the amount of money and length of time Blumenauer has been in their back pocket. It’s not an either or question for me, I will not work for DaVita or Nike, I will work for the working-class people of the Third Congressional District. EricHafner.com

  3. You do know that Hafner doesn’t even live in Oregon. Bad enough we gave away a senate seat to New York, do we need to give a congressional seat away to New Jersey? The man has never even been to Oregon. Maybe the tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater will entice him to come visit the state he wishes to represent.

  6. Eric Hafner meets all the relevant qualifications under the US Constitution to run in Portland and has a great deal of experience fighting for what matters for working-class people, in politics and the courts. Ben Lavine is a completely unqualified candidate. Ben’s Liberal Arts degree and unskilled job at Nordstorm Rack does not provide one with the necessary experience or qualifications to be a legislator. He is simply a parrot for DNC lines and has no legal or political background whatsoever. There is nothing wrong with trying to get a Republican nomination (Dennis Peron did the same thing once), when the Democratic incumbent in Hawai’i is a closet conservative with a history of anti-LGBT hate speech (google Tulsi Gabbard gay marriage hate speech) – there’s a reason the Hawai’i Democrats LGBT Caucus doesn’t support Gabbard. That campaign, just like this one was a SOCIALIST campaign and Hawai’i has open primaries. Eric Hafner is beholden to the WORKING-CLASS, NOT THE DNC! Ben Lavine is simply a younger version of the incumbent Earl Blumenauer, except without any qualifications. Ben’s silence on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (de facto support) and DISREGARD for the Nike sweatshop funding that Earl gets proves that. Also what about all the money American taxpayers are spending ARMING ISRAEL’S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS? Well Ben Lavine seems to support that. Do we want the Israel lobby getting ANOTHER seat in Congress to use to murder Palestinian children? Stand up for working-class Americans, VOTE HAFNER FOR CONGRESS! http://www.EricHafner.com

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