So Portland is allegedly one of the more patriotic cities, yet as a veteran I have experienced more anti-military hippie a-hole backlash than anywhere else I've lived ["Inside Starbase Portland," Feature, July 15]. I do not think this program is innocent of recruiting either, but there is at least some benefit for the kids. It is bullshit like that [that] at times almost makes me regret I served eight years as a Marine.
-posted by the Showstopper on portlandmercury.com
Starbase is recruitment budget money ["Inside Starbase Portland," Feature, July 15]. Do you think that comes without an agenda? Showstopper and others who immediately curse and label those who are opposed to recruiting elementary school children really make our case for us. We don't want our children to turn out like that. Those who would allow the military to take little kids out of school to get gee-whizzed by killing machines are products of the same culture, usually, and want even more. Military contact with grade school children is a sign of a rapidly deteriorating, militarized society, one that becomes more coarsened as it finds itself waging war after war, honoring the warriors and calling the nonviolent ones naïve. As for the military being the reason we are all free, tell that to all the peoples who were victorious with nonviolence, including women, who won their vote despite military members beating them in the streets of Washington, not because of the military. Yes, you can say that white males owe their freedom to a violent American Revolution, but that was before Gandhi showed a different way. Can we please start to REALLY educate our kids?
-posted by Tom H. Hastings on portlandmercury.com
Too "libertarian" for me ["Meet the Queer Patrol," News, July 15]. Who do you expect them to call when they apprehend the perpetrator of a hate crime? Or are you suggesting setting up a court system and prison in the back of the Red and Black [Café]? If you pay taxes you should be working WITH the police and FORCING them to do their jobs. The [police bureau] isn't going to disappear if people opt out of the feedback process. I've lived in Texas for more years than I care to remember and am VERY familiar with the "guvment is corrupt so less jus pretend it don't exist and/or quit payin' taxes" line of reasoning.
posted by Bed Time! on portlandmercury.com
As one who lived very, very close to the original Hawthorne "pod" from well before its inception throughout its first couple years, I feel obliged to point out that the pod did not develop around the potato cart ["PDX Pod Invasion," Last Supper, July 15]. The first cart in that lot was El Brasero, and it's still there. Then there were three or four carts/trailers [that] are no longer with us at that location—including a terrific soup trailer, one or two southern/BBQ carts, a simple sandwich cart—whose proprietor used to set up a nice little campfire from about 1 am to 3 am. So anyway, the scene was established—firmly established—before the Potato Champion (or the crêpe cart, etc.) arrived.
-posted by SEPDXAnon on portlandmercury.com
CONGRATS TO SEPDXAnon for the effort to preserve the historical background of Cartopia. For this he/she/it is entitled to two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!, which had a cart back when Potato Champion was in diapers.
