Credit: Illustration by Suzette Smith
  • Illustration by Suzette Smith

MONEY GROWN ON TREES

RE: “Grass Sass,” a collection of letters in response to “Smoking the Grassroots” [News, July 12], in which commenter Blabby argues that legalizing and taxing marijuana would not generate any more revenue “than we would taxing apples.”

DEAR MERCURY—Not arguing whether pot should be legalized, cuz I don’t care. However the comment about it being a crop and the state not taxing things like “apples” is WRONG. Ever hear of the grape tax?? Yeah, we do make money off of crops.

-mttherapist

DEAR MERCURY—These letters about pot legalization are really off the mark, and I don’t know where to begin. It’s not about “cheap pot,” as one letter suggests, and it’s not even really about taxes. It’s about all the money and lives wasted in pursuing, arresting, and jailing pot users and growers nationwide.

-evnjmevanjm

FEMALE PRISON PEN PAL O’ THE WEEK

RE: Yes, we DO still have requests from women in area jails seeking pen pals—glad you asked! Make your new friend today!

Hi, my name is Rawnie. I am 33 years old, serving a life sentence, and enjoy writing and meeting new people. I am 5’5″, 150 pounds, and enjoy running and exercising, and sharing my love for God. If this sounds interesting, write to: Rawnie Henry, Madison County Jail, 15 North 2nd East, Rexburg, ID 83440.

YA HEARD?

RE: “Pump Up the Volume” [Feature, July 19], about the prevalence of local podcasts, including a list that in no way claimed to be comprehensive.

DEAR PORTLAND MERCURY AND ALISON HALLETT—First off, you made a big, bad booboo by forgetting to mention permatorium.com in your recent podcast issue. Our Permatorium podcast talks about human turduckens, tanned b-holes, The Bachelorette, and Judge Genital, and usually features an idiotic, homemade song at the end.

-Kayarrhea and Beth Willie

HYPER IN COLOR

RE: Cover art [July 12].

DEAR MERCURY—I couldn’t be happier that you featured a Boris Vallejo painting on your cover last week. I love Boris and Julie [Bell]’s paintings, and it’s been fun seeing those ridiculous proportions and hyper-masculinity around town all week.

-Dennis McMillan

BAR NONE

RE: “The Last Black Bar” [News, July 19], profiling LV’s Twelve-22’s efforts to adapt to a changing neighborhood.

My wife and I (we’re white) moved to the Fremont neighborhood last year, and while stumbling home from drinks on North Williams, we stopped in the Twelve-22 for one more cocktail. We knew nothing about its clientele or its reputation. We were low on cash, so when asked for a $10 cover at the door, we politely said “no thanks,” and proceeded to leave. That’s when a gentleman approached and told the doorman to let us in free of charge. He then thanked us for stopping in, led us to the bar, and personally introduced us to the super-nice gal bartending. We ordered a drink and danced to a set of fun ’80s and ’90s R&B classics for the next hour. We were welcomed and treated with respect by everyone. Check out Twelve-22—we want it to stay in the neighborhood.

 -Jason and Sami

THANKS FOR SHARING, Jason and Sami—indeed the Mercury staff’s experience at LV’s thus far has been similarly delightful. Speaking of delights, we offer you tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where you’ll find films depicting all walks of life.

10 replies on “Letters to the Editor”

  1. Seriously Mercury, you should really start vetting these prison penpals. How about some needless pot convictions?

    RAWNIE HANNA HENRY #82267

    Parole Eligibility Date: 01/08/2040

    Last Parole Activity: 07/01/2006

    Offense: Sentencing County: Case No: Sentence Satisfaction Date:

    ARSON-1ST DEGREE JEROME CR05-281 01/06/2030

    MURDER – 2ND DEGREE JEROME CR05-281 Life

  2. Again someone is assuming the staff has either the intelligence or a clue about the possible repercussions. For intelligent people they seem a little clueless. Or it is yet another dumb gimmick.

  3. Then again, you’re assuming that justice is perfect. A woman, with four kids, shoots her husband and then sets the house on fire to try and hide the murder. Eden, ID, where this happened is the middle of nowhere, and pretty poor to boot. I would not be surprised in the least if she was getting the hell beat out of her every day and finally had enough and shot him. Or maybe they were just cooking meth and a gun went off.

    In any case, good job. You’ve managed to sleuth out just enough information to judge somebody for something that happened, without knowing any real circumstances. You must be really proud of yourself for how good your internet skillz are!

  4. You are trying to create a story, System. I just posted the facts. She is a murderer, serving a life sentence. The fact, that she returned to the house a week later and burnt it down to destroy evidence doesn’t help her case.

    The Portland Mercury is being irresponsible. What’s next? Pen pal requests from sex offenders?

  5. I don’t think the Mercury is suggesting you offer up your social security number to your prison pen pal or marry them. Having volunteered in prisons and had a prison pen pal, I think it’s just nice for other human beings to have respectful, meaningful contact with other human beings. I mean, isn’t our extremely broken prison system supposed to be rehabilitating people? There are ways for the rest of us to participate and try to make it better.

  7. damosa, all i did was post the info of the prison pen pal. i didn’t fabricate a sympathetic backstory, i did not add commentary nor judgment until it was asked of me by the manufactured assumptions of SystemA. the charges are of public record, it is neither stalking nor snitching. go back to Tennessee if you don’t want to live in a state that uses open information to protect innocent people from manipulative and murderous individuals.

  9. “i did not add commentary nor judgment” – I think that saying “shes a murderer and an arsonist, and therefore ought not to be listed as a potential pen pal” is pretty loaded with judgement. I pointed out that you dont know her backstory in the least, you cant tell if she’s a deraged sociopath who would kill again, or what the circumstances were leading up to her crime. All you have to go on is what she’s been convicted of. Apparently there is some sort of category of prisoner that is deserving of letters from a pen pal, and another category who’s crimes are too heinous to deserve a letter.

  10. I’d much rather be an arsonist/murderer’s pen pal than the pen pal of a petty drug dealer or check kiter.

    What “possible repercussions” are people worried about here? SHE’S DOING LIFE IN PRISON.

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