THE SHAME GAME

RE: One Day at a Time [July 26], in which author Ann Romano comments on the recent reaffirmation of the Boy Scouts of America's decision to ban homosexuals from their organization.

I am an Eagle Scout and I wish to apologize for the Boy Scouts of America's decision. The decision was made by a few officials and not the group as a whole. The BSA gave me some of the best memories of my life. For a boy who lost his father at a young age, the BSA provided me with male role models who taught and inspired me. I think everyone should be able to take part in experiences like that. Please do not judge the whole program based on this one decision made by a few people.

-Casey Wang

FEMALE PRISON PEN PALS: OREGON EDITION

RE: Maybe you didn't know this, but the Portland Mercury enjoys a certain amount of popularity among incarcerated individuals. We don't remember how it happened, but at some point they started asking us to print their requests for pen pals, and we do, because rehabilitation is a little easier when you have positive contact with other humans—like you!

DEAR PORTLAND MERCURY—I am currently serving a sentence at Coffee Creek Correctional in Wilsonville, the only women's prison in all of Oregon, with 900 other women inmates that would love to have pen pals too. I receive the Mercury weekly and my only question is why are you guys running requests from other states?? Tabitha Wilson, Rexburg, ID? Really! How about supporting us? Here are a few female friends of mine. Please consider them to be a part of your "series."

Tuesday Littleton #12154608: 41 years old, looking for friendships to have as visitors. Shelly Uptain #11310062: 38 years old, pen pals and possible visits. Trudy Hernandez #10896753: 38 years old, phone conversations, friendships. That's all I have for now. Look forward to a response. CCCF, 24499 SW Grahams Ferry Road, Wilsonville, OR, 97070.

WINK, WINK

RE: Film Times [July 19], in which we purposely ran the wrong photo to represent a screening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom after having been called out for carelessly doing the same thing with Raiders of the Lost Ark ["Indiana Fail," Letters, July 12].

DEAR MERCURY—For shame, Mercury! Using a Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls still to promote Temple of Doom at the Burnside Brewing Co.?? I am shocked, horrified, and disgusted! If I represented Burnside Brewing I would sue for defamation!

-Nyssa

ENVIRONMENTAL STRUGGLE

RE: "The Lost Island" [Feature, July 26], regarding plans to transform West Hayden Island into an industrial port terminal.

Before the Bonneville Dam, Government Island was sandbars at low water levels and completely submerged at high. The dam is the primary reason for the collapse of wild salmon stocks on the Columbia and it needs to be removed. I know the environmentalists' hearts are in the right place, and I do agree with them about preserving wild areas, but Hayden Island isn't a truly wild place, it's an island park recently created by accident.

-posted by Erasmus

Considering Bonneville supplies a huge amount of power to not just Oregon but many neighboring states, I wouldn't expect Bonneville to go away any time soon. In the meantime, nature is nature, even if it's manmade or "by accident." That's something worth protecting.

-posted by Ghassan

HE-UPWARDLY MOBILE-MAN

RE: A cover art illustration by Boris Vallejo [July 12], featuring an exaggeratedly muscular fantasy character.

DEAR MERCURY—So He-Man is holding a bottle of white wine whilst opening it with a corkscrew and wearing a very smug expression on his face. HE-MAN HAS BECOME A YUPPIE!

 -Isaac Hudson

YES ISAAC, it does appear to be the case. In the end, most of us just become yuppies, though, wouldn't you say? You can observe some of them with your two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater where you can enjoy your film along with a carafe of white wine, which is just lovely.