YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

DEAR MERCURY—Although the public blood sacrifice of your interns was a bit harsh, it did seem to satisfy the weather gods, and bring about spring as promised. Let me know if a memorial fund is being established, I'll gladly contribute.

Heat Miser

UP 'TIL NOW

HELLO—I just read Matt Davis' article entitled "Blacklisted" [News, April 24] and would like to reframe the history of the program currently known as the Service Coordination Team (SCT), whose concept he attributed to Officer Jeff Myers. This program, if I'm not mistaken, was known originally as the ACCESS Program, which was a partnership between the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), social service agencies, law enforcement, and the judicial system. The ONI program coordinator who came up with the concept became very concerned about people with mental health and addiction issues falling through the cracks and being placed in the revolving door of the jail-to-street-and-back-again. She designed a response to assist the top 30 recidivists with mental health and addiction concerns to receive personalized services, which ultimately allowed them to move off the streets into housing and care. That program and the coordinator position was later cut from the ONI budget and morphed into what it is now.

 Teri Poppino, Crime Prevention/East Portland

NOBODY IS PERFECT

DEAR EDITOR—Shame on you for endorsing a presidential candidate whose website doesn't list abortion as a health care issue, or same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue.

 Ethan Beckley

IT SHOULDA BEEN ME

DEAR MERCURY—So... your food guy is pretty weak. "Piquant" ["Cholesterol Cadillac," Last Supper, April 10]? Take your shit to the Oregonian, hack. You should have hired me when you were looking for honest, intelligent restaurant reviews.

Don Chile Ortega

YOUR TEMPER TANTRUM IS MAKING ME HUNGRY

DEAR MERCURY—I don't know what country or planet you came from, because if you were a real Mexican or if you have ever been in Mexico, then you'll know that Taste of Mexico is real Mexican food prepared with real ingredients just as we prepare it in Mexico, and it is not the stupid "Mexican food" that you are used to eating in AMER-XICAN restaurants that advertise "authentic" and serve you "frijoses [sic] refritos" (refried beans)—cooked without oil—with the nasty cheddar cheese melted in it, or the famous "chile relleno" that is nothing else than a strip of boiled Hungarian pepper—or any canned chile—with cheddar cheese, and a big list of dishes American style ["Taste of Mediocrity," Last Supper, April 12, 2007]. For your information, that is not Mexican food, that is American food based on Mexican recipes, and I will tell you why: Enchilada: means [corn tortilla] coated with chile sauce. Have you ever seen chile sauce in the enchiladas you ate at other "Mexican" restaurants? Relleno: means stuffed, that's what Taste of Mexico makes—real chile relleno, grilled in charcoal, peeled then stuffed with meat or cheese. Refritos: means refried with oil—or pork lard—(it doesn't mean mashed with no grease). I don't care if you don't like Mexican food, but you should investigate what something means and what the culture is before writing your stupid ideas and your ignorance to the public in a local paper or online. Because with all that you are telling us one thing: YOU ARE AN [sic] STUPID (probably racist) PERSON that believes that just because you can, you will write negative things about a place or person, or race or culture (exactly like Bush and the war in Iraq for weapons that never existed), and I believe you should not be working for the Mercury. Ah, and next time you want to write negative things about a restaurant, get a dictionary before guessing what something means or what it should look or taste like. 

 Daniel Franco

INEDIBLE

DEAR PATRICK ALAN COLEMAN—I am going to assume you plan an apology to Nosh, not because of your review of the food ["Working Lunch," Last Supper, April 24], but for erasing any shred of the readers' appetites by planting the phrase "hairy bottom of a long-haul trucker" before any talk of food even began.

 David Krough

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID for pointing out that hairy trucker bottom has no place near one's plate. That is pretty gross. David wins two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!, where no such thing will be served.