CAUTION

DEAR MERCURY—I’m a year-round bike commuter and
recreational rider, and I’ve frequented every intersection that you
mention in your article [“Failure to Yield,” Feature, Nov 1]. What is
not being said in this discussion of the so-called “right hook” problem
is the difference between what the law says you can do on a bike and
reality. The best solution to this problem is for bicyclists to be more
careful. Your life depends on it.

Cory

NERVOUS NAVIGATION

DEAR MERCURY—I don’t obey all traffic laws on my
bike. This is partially because they are written for cars, and
it’s safe for a bike rider who can see and hear his or her surroundings
to run a stop sign if it’s clear nobody’s coming, for instance. The
rest of the reason? It keeps y’all hermetic motherfuckers in cars
nervous. If you’re nervous, twitchy, always checking your blind spots
(like I am on my bike), you’re more likely to see me.

Robby Kunkle

“FUCK YOU” DAY

DEAR MERCURY—Riding my bike for the last couple of
years in this city has me thinking about the mental state of this city.
The conclusion I inevitably come to is there is an underlying loathing
for our fellow Portlanders and despite our outward laidback demeanor
there is nothing but contempt under the surface. Maybe it is time that
we become more honest with each other and have a “fuck you” day. On
this day we can greet each other with a “fuck you” with total amnesty
and then the rest of the year we might just be able to have respect for
each other.

A Rosa Font

NOT HAVING A BALL

DEAR MERCURY—It seems that, like most public sex
events, the organizers of the Portland Erotic Ball might have some
difficulty attracting the interest of female participants. And it is no
wonder, considering their offerings, [which include] a grand prize free
trip to the Bunny Ranch. My question is, why is the Portland
Mercury, a supposedly progressive newspaper, cosponsor of this
prize? The problem is that sex work will always be shaped by the type
of men that support it, generally men with unhealthy and/or plain ugly
sexual interests that want their gratification at the expense of a
woman’s pleasure or human dignity. We can never be equal in a society
when half of us are compelled to take our clothes off for the other
half so we can be on the same economic footing.

 Call Me Crazy

THE UNDERGROUND

DEAR MERCURY—So you’d say that Rakim, Brother Ali, and
Ghostface all deserve an ENTIRE write up, but then you would restrict
each of them to a third of one, so that you can make space for one of
your writers to write about their friend’s band [My, What A Busy Week!,
Nov 1; “Hollywood Ending,” Music, Nov 1]. That amazingly billed show is
probably going to undersell based on the way you treated it. What, is
Wu-Tang too corporate for you guys? Now back to the “Portland is a
cultural melting pot” commercial known as your paper.

Shawn Fleek

TAXING THE POOR

DEAR MERCURY—I have to say something here. Measure 50
is nothing but a sneaky way to continue taxing the poor [“How You
Should Vote!” News, Oct 25]. If Oregon cared about health care, we
would have strengthened OHP, not stripped it dry. The amount of money
wasted on useless programs could work miracles. Oh, and don’t forget to
emphasize that it’s for the kids. Smokers: bad. Kids: good.

Jay

WHITE GUILTY

DEAR MERCURY—Fucking “white guilt.” I am sooooo sick of
hearing that phrase every time I want to talk about race [“One Day at a
Time,” Nov 1]. Not having to talk about race is a part of white
privilege. This creates a hurdle for people of color to be
heard—the need to speak to a listener from a different community,
the white community—and when white people are the overwhelming
majority, as in Portland, this means most people seldom or never hear a
person of color’s perspective.

Robby Kunkle

CONGRATULATIONS TO ROBBY for writing two whole separate letters
to us this week on separate issues, and thereby snagging the Mercury letter(s) of the week based on sheer quantity. Robby gets
two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!,
where you’ll dine on large quantities of fish-shaped
sandwiches.