A POLITE DISAGREEMENT

DEAR MERCURY—I’m writing in regards to Graham Barey’s
article, “Blame Canada” [Music, Nov 29]. I think the author may be
projecting some of his personal issues onto the music. I thought Buck
[65] justified his departure from hiphop pretty well when he stated
that there are Johnny Cash songs way harder than any gangster rap song.
Of course, I know where you’re coming from. I hate it when a perfectly
good underground act starts catering to the tastes of indie snobs and
becomes the property of dumbfuck arrogant hipsters like yourself.

Stephen F. Wood

NERD FIGHT!

DEAR MERCURY—In “A Bitter Pill” [News, Nov 29], Dr.
Printz makes the ignorant and incompetent statement “Clinical
trials are a good way for women to access the health care system…
through a research environment, we basically work to further the
services Planned Parenthood provides.” Not only does Printz
unethically present medical research as a suitable replacement for
affordable contraceptive health care, she fails to note that her
“doctorate” degree is a Ph.D. in health policy and politics and her B.A
is in history and literature. The ability to analyze Shelley’s Ode
to the West Wind for references to flatulence should not be
confused for an ability to properly determine contraceptive
health care. I recommend Printz limit her brain farts to
discussions pertaining to the global implications of Harry
Potter, and leave contraceptive health care decisions to
those who have actually attended medical school.

 Marcus Griffith

COPS HAVE IT TOUGH!

DEAR MERCURY—”Archaic recruitment system” aside, I
would hazard a guess that it might be difficult to fill an application
roster with high-caliber talent eager to endure the rigorous training
necessary to become polished professional officers, only to find
themselves viciously denigrated in the eyes of the public by
“progressive” rags like the Portland Mercury, that consistently
vilify and demonize the local police at every opportunity [“Where Are
the Cops?” News, Nov 29]. Add to that the insane, politically correct
constraints placed upon police by policies such as “racial profiling”
that seek to punish an officer for, say, a 70 percent minority arrest
rate even if he or she patrols an area that is, say, 70 percent
minority. Social engineers and their advocates who tinker in this and
many other ways, introduce a variety of sicknesses into the social body
and when the socio-political corpus is sufficiently ill, prescribe more
of the poison that made the patient sick in the first place.

Danny Darrell Duncan

DUI DRAMA

DEAR MERCURY—Thank you for printing the article “In
Security” in this week’s Mercury [News, Dec 6, depicting
downtown security officer Michael Anglin’s sketchy past]. After being
arrested and thrown in jail on my birthday for a DUI when I wasn’t even
driving my car, going through a year of tortuous depression and anxiety
awaiting a trial, sitting in court for two days listening to some
douchebag defile my name and try to make me look like a “criminal,”
LOSING, being sent back to jail, sitting on probation for two years,
and going about five grand in debt—it’s comforting to know that a
coward like Anglin, who didn’t even have the balls to show up to his
court date (after admitting ON RECORD that he is guilty) is allowed by
our state and our justice system to roam the streets with a FUCKING 9mm
handgun!! And this Anglin fellow, who has demonstrated that he is
irresponsible, reckless, angry, and potentially violent—is
allowed to go about his life with a fucking slap on the wrist and still
keep his job carrying a gun in OUR streets!!

M.D.

Has security officer Anglin finally been suspended? See News, pg.
8 for the full story. And… CONGRATULATIONS TO M.D. for reminding us
of all the injustices in the world—clearly our work here is not
done. M.D. gets two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, and lunch at No
Fish! Go Fish!, where you will (probably) not be accused of
alcoholism.

DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS

See those great Bishop’s Barbershop
photos on the back of our paper every week? They’re taken by Ray
Gordon, even though we incorrectly stated in our auction issue that
they are taken by Chris Ryan. Sorry for the mix-up!