out
ianuar yl2^2ûû3*
Pe ruvia n Vessel
Vicus Period
a more vigorous courting an d acknow ledgm ent of lesbian fan s have helped save the
jUSthHNIil:l Would
P ortland F ire from fin an cial failu re? A lso, w hat w ill dyke sports nuts do for ath letic
entertainm ent now th at the W N BA team h as folded?
and bonuses for felonies. They could have cut
costs on the Blazers uniforms— get them
orange coveralls that say “Property of Mult
nomah County” on the back o f them. Way to
go, Whitless!
K elli R ussell
Cascade Locks
• • •
PHOTO BV MAHTY DAVIS
I
C
ourting lesbian fans couldn’t have hurt.
There was a lot of family at the games. We
were season ticket holders.
1 am so saddened and angry hy the team fold
ing. My first thoughts were to Paul Allen and
the Blazers organization: Why did they not pick
them up?
Yes, they lost money. But you could take your
family to a W NBA game and have a great time
for a fourth of the price of a Blazers game. The
Blazers should have spent the money on the Fire
instead of overpaid felons.
As for what us sports nuts are to do, maybe
support the Seattle Storm, or wherever in
Washington they end up.
E va H offman
Milwaukie
• • •
I
t would be nice to think so, but in reality
it would appear that Paul A llen and Bob
W hitsitt just were waiting for an opportunity
to put out the Fire. A s an article in The Ore
gonian pointed out, the decision wasn’t about
financial loss. (It stated $100 million is
expected to be lost on the Blazers compared
to $1 million anticipated with the Fire.)
Maybe they just weren’t keeping their end of
the deal up. I mean, what could be fun about
watching a team who could play a game and
play it well, provide quality family entertain
ment and provide kids a picture of what
sportswomanship is all about?
I think the only thing that would have
saved the Fire were a couple of misdemeanors
expedience— instead, the solution is found in I of evidence linking him to al-Qaeda.
budget decisions based on equality, fairness and
If Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction pro
long-term results with the interests of every cit gram were the issue, then successive Republican
izen in mind.
administrations would not have supported him
after he already had employed poison gas and
D avid M. B aker
attempted to produce bomb-grade uranium, nor
Survivors Advocating for an Effective System
would Vice Fresident Dick Cheney have con
Outreach Director
tinued to conduct business with him as late as
1998.
Hussein fits the standard pattern of brutal
dictators whom the United States backs until
they become too independent and too grasping.
To th e E ditor .-
Once they outlive their usefulness, the U.S.
am disgusted with our Legislature! How can
news media belatedly begin reporting on their
they possibly believe the choices they have
human rights abuses and beating the drum for
made are responsible?
war, just as they have in the past for Trujillo,
The failure to fund programs like general
assistance and Medicaid show a contempt for Noriega, etc.
The real danger is George W. Bush, the
the most vulnerable and needy. The funding
cuts as they are now, even if we pass Measure 28,
most powerful (unelected) president in U .S.
history. The threat stems from multiple fac
will be the death of many.
tors: obsessive secrecy, contempt for dem o
This budget cutting was not an even-handed
attempt at removing waste or cutting the fat; it cratic process, secret trials, the Guantanam o
more closely resembles the climate in Nazi G er concentration camp, domestic political and
religious spying, perpetual warfare, trampling
many in the 1930s— the ultimate solution to
the Bill of Rights, cynical media manipula
the sick,-p<x)r and mentally ill. Hopefully
enough of us will survive to ensure no incum tion, rule by executive order and politiciza
tion of routine government services. Had it
bents are re-elected.
not been for 9/11, Bush probably would be
facing impeachment today for securities fraud
C huck D u it
committed while he was head of Harken
Portland
Energy.
If you believe we can ’t lose our democracy,
then you’d better think again. Several histor
ical democracies have failed, a fact of which
To th e E ditor :
the framers of our Constitution were well
\ merica is in grave danger today, but not
aware.
A
from Saddam Hussein. There is not a shred
Cut it out
Fight the real enemy
t takes more than ass-kissing (and that is
what you mean by “acknowledgment”) a par
ticular group of people to keep something as
complex as a professional sports team together.
If you look at the history of professional sports,
you will discover the demise of not only numer
ous teams but of entire leagues. They come and
they go. The Fire is no different just because it
was an all-female team.
As for what “dyke sports nuts” will do for
athletic entertainment, I’m sure plenty of them
will be in front of a big screen Jan. 26 to watch
the Raiders kick ass at the Super Bowl. Maybe
they prefer all-male sports just like they seem to
prefer all-male pom.
P.S. I hope someday our “community” will
aspire to be something other than a desirable
marketing demographic.
TTc
D avid L ee B allard
Portland
next m z rm Critics
and m ainstream audiences are
raving about two queer-them ed film s,
The Hours and Far from Heaven.
W hich do you feel is better an d why?
Respond a t ww w .justout.conu (D on’t
forget to include your nam e, city and
daytime telephone num ber.)
The Federalist Papers make it plain that the
framers especially were concerned about the
runaway expansion of federal power at the
expense of the states, a condition that prevails
ttxlay and has sparked several civil wars in the
i past. They were also keen to limit the power of
i the executive to start wars, since one of the chief
| complaints made against kings was that they
dragged their unwilling people into ruinous wars
that destroyed lives, ravaged the countryside
and bankrupted the treasury.
|
As things stand today, the war on terrorism is
j the only issue Bush has. Since peace means trou
ble for him, he will drag us into one conflict
after another just to save his own political skin.
He wants us to occupy Iraq even though the war
in Afghanistan is far from over.
Bush appears not to care how many inno
cents die in his wars. His hubris and lust for
power are limitless, and he brooks no opposi
tion. He must be stopped, and only the Ameri
can people can stop him.
It sometimes is said that our generation has
lacked the opportunity to prove itself. That
opportunity now has arrived. If you care about
this country and the freedoms that past genera
tions of Americans fought for and died to pre
serve, then you must not remain silent while
right-wing fundamentalists undermine our
democracy.
The future of the world is at stake. Take a
stand at the next demonstration 12:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 in the South Park Blocks.
_______ Baking Company
4727 NE Fremont • 503-282-2253
B
eyond
W
th e
C
l o se t
o r k sh o p
“ C o m i n g O u t P o w e r f u l l y ”
This 2 day workshop is a safe, supportive
and nurturing environm ent designed for
men who are ready to begin the journey of
coming out. Enhance your feelings of self
w o rth a n d self esteem . Im p ro ve y o u r
re la tio n s h ip s w ith fa m ily frien d s &
coworkers. Function powerfully as a whole
and complete human being.
Choose from two weekend workshops:
M a r c h 1 s t & 2 n d
A p r il 5 t h & 6 t h
for details contoct:
E r i c P a u l
- Life Coach
5 0 3 -2 8 8 -6 0 4 9
ericmpaul @ earthlink.net
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