DEAR EDITOR: I appreciate that your publication was kind of enough to listen to the Girls Say Yes CD, though was disheartened by the reviewer, Mr. Busse [CD Review, April 5].

There were 27 musicians and technicians in all involved in making the album. With such a revolving cast of players, I could see one might make the comparison to the old sitcom, The Love Boat, however I would hardly say the songs are a simple morality play of love being the choice between "losers" and "loneliness." My review of Mr. Busse's review is that it is overly facile and dismissive. If he did not derive anything greater from the album, I would venture to say he did not bring anything greater to it.

Jim Huie

JUDE VS. BRAD: WHO'S SEXIER?

TO THE EDITOR: I'm afraid a terrible mistake was made in the Music section of your Benicio Del Toro Spectacular [CD Review rating system, April 5]. While Benicio Del Toro is certainly the #1 sauciest, enigmatic-est man in the world, you seem to have accidentally placed Brat Pitt before Jude Law. You know better that that. While Pitt is undeniably hunky, everyone knows Jude Law is a notch above him on the sexiness meter. I'm positive that this was merely a typographical error and not the work of a raving lunatic, so I just thought I should bring it up to ease the minds of (I'm sure) many concerned readers.

Toastboday McMuscle

SHHHHHHHH...

EDITOR: How do you spell incessant ennui? The first annual Mercury Spelling Bee [Saturday, April 7]! Shame on you for charging money at the door for your drawn out, bullshit excuse for a spelling bee. Not only did it seem to last for hours but you were determined to shush the crowd. I fucking HATE being shushed!!! Maybe you should take my hard-earned money I gave you and hire a bodyguard for that loser dressed up in the bee outfit. Cuz' if I see that fuckin' fucker I am going to inject bubonic plague in his eye and stuff a gerbil up his ass! Then I am going to tear up and eat every last word in your paper, shit it out, put it in a bag, light it on fire, put it at your doorstep, ring the bell, and punch you in the face when you answer! I fuckin' HATE being fucking shushed!!!!

Marcus Archambeaul

LEAVE TRE ALONE!

TO THE EDITOR: Concerning your recent vilification of Tre Arrow ["Anarchist Awards," March 29]: As a regular reader of the Mercury I trusted that you would not forget that police and security staff often make mistakes. Please do not report anyone's arrest as if they are unquestionably guilty. Furthermore, you seemed to imply that his candidacy for Congress was somehow inappropriate. If we grant legitimacy to only those candidates who can win, then the process would always be nondemocratic. I understand and can appreciate your paper's cynical sense of humor, but please tread lightly on the many folks in our community who have made personal sacrifices for true ideals, such as injustice, exploitation, and the environment.

Torrence

The Mercury responds: We reported that Tre Arrow denied the charges of shoplifting. And while the police sometimes do make mistakes, so do those who blindly follow a cause regardless of the truth that's staring them in the face. We have no qualms with Tre running for Congress. We have qualms with him not taking it seriously, and refusing to show up for interviews and speaking engagements. Hero worship is all fine and good, but the hero should at least be worthy of the worship.

LONDON GOOD, PORTLAND BAD!

TO THE EDITOR: Blah, I say! If the Mercury theater critic thinks ART's staging of The Weir is worth my $26 he's out of his mind [Justin Sanders, April 5]. I saw the London production and it was evocative, moody, and engaging, even if the piece doesn't really hold together as a play. I was enchanted and, frankly, bowled over by the final monologue. The ART version is a bad joke. Bad Irish accents are only the beginning. Seeing a bad version of a decent play is not good advice. Next you'll be telling me Beaverton Elementary is doing a kick-ass version of Chekhov.

Jeph Meyers

Dept. of Corrections: Actually, we have no corrections this week. We just wanted to say "hi," and thank you for reading the Mercury. Have a nice day.