TREATIN’ WOMEN PROPER

DEAR EDITORS—To the cowardly little storm troopers profiled in
your August 9 issue [“Day Labor Debate Heats Up,” News, Aug 9]: I am a
member of Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR). Rather than gang up
to harass female OFIR members, pick on me instead. At that time, I
shall be pleased to discuss with you civil public behavior, respect for
others’ free speech, and the proper treatment of women.

Richard F. LaMountain

YOU DECIDE!

DEAR MERCURY—Who the fuck do you think you
are, Mr. Berg [“I’ll Sign Anything,” Letters, Aug 30], to say that
you or anyone else should be allowed to vote whether I have civil
rights? If it were up to you, I suppose we could just scrap the
whole legislature-judiciary-executive concept and go with American
Idol-style voting to decide important issues of justice
and democracy. So, Mercury readers, if you think Paul Berg is
an asshole but still deserves equal protection under the
law, send a text message to 38258 (FUCKU). If you think Paul Berg is
such an asshole that he should be denied due process and sodomized by a
torch-wielding mob, text 66279 (MOBSX).

Christopher D. Cuttone

THE HURTFUL TRUTH

DEAR MERCURY—I just learned about the new website,
knowthyneighbororegon.com [“Know Thy Anti-Gay Neighbor,” News, Aug 23]. This website has me
wondering who among the many folks I encounter would like to limit my
rights and legal protections. How painful it would be to find signers
who smile at you at the water cooler, when they drop their child off at
your home for a play date, or when they hand you your receipt for
your business?

Bonnie Roseman

BIBBIDI-BOBBIDI-BOO

DEAR MERCURY—Thank God for presenting the opportunity
for Amy Ruiz and the news staff to attend Sunday services at five
Portland area churches [“Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!” Feature, Aug 23].
There is an intimacy with Jesus Christ that transcends our knowledge
of, and surpasses our experience and our expectation of, what an
intimate relationship is. Perhaps Grant Cogswell’s comments regarding
the City Bible Church best summarizes the relationship Jesus Christ
would like to have with each and everyone of us, “But I am impressed by
CBC’s good fellowship—the warmest welcomes are given to the
sketchiest-looking…” and “she introduces me to an intense pastor who
I can tell knows immediately I am lying.”

Thomas Travers

ZONE OUT

MERCURY EDITOR—As always, it is nice to see good
coverage of the exclusion zone issue in the press “Twilight Zones,”
News, Aug 30]. The exclusion zones are meant as a way for the city to
avoid those pesky constitutional rights otherwise enjoyed by city
residents. My fear is that despite the council mandated oversight
committee being disbanded, despite the deadline for the committee
report and the police chief’s report being past due, and despite the
district attorney’s failure to prosecute cases brought under this
ordinance, the city council will once again extend the ordinance on an
“emergency basis” as they did last time. Mayor Potter, his staff, and
the Portland Police Bureau and their allies at the district attorney’s
office have failed time and time again to respond adequately to even
the most basic council inquiries for data. I encourage Commissioners
Sten, Leonard, and Adams to stand up not only for basic constitutional
rights and liberties but to also send a message to the bureaucrats
involved that a complete failure of city employees to do their jobs by
adequately responding to the elected city council will not be
tolerated.

Christopher J. O’Connor

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISTOPHER for telling those bureaucrats to
start earning those tax-funded paychecks. For winning this week’s Mercury letter of the week, he gets two tickets to the Laurelhurst
Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!, located deep inside the
Suck-Free Zone.

HEY READERS!If you love all that is
“artsy,” do yourself a favor and check out the Mercury‘s new
TBA:07 Blog—your online home for everything awesome about this
week’s Time-Based Art Festival! Check out daily festival updates,
reviews and performance descriptions, videos, interviews, as well as
the most accurate TBA calendar around! It’s all at portlandmercury.com/tba and for
more info, check out pg. 11!