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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2005)
TO THE EDITOR EDITOR’S NOTE: David Shellabarger tells us he is NOT the author of the letter “This Paper Sucks,” so we are editing out his name in this and other letters in response. ABSURD SUGGESTION I’d like to respond to the letter in last week’s EW (9/29). Comparing EW to The Portland Mercury is like comparing Time or Newsweek to the National Enquirer (neither are great periodicals of unbiased news, but some are more real than others). The Mercury being on the side with the Enquirer. The Mercury has been littering the streets of Portland for the past five years or so. It em- anated from a rather excellent weekly in Seattle called The Stranger. The Stranger started in the early ’90’s as a hipper weekly than the stodgy old Seattle Weekly. The edi- tors were radical and aptly represented the burgeoning youth scene happening in the streets and clubs of Seattle during the waning moments of the grunge scene. Their journal- ism and critiques of film, food, and music was usually cutting edge and generally accu- rate (and had the effect of sharpening the gal- ley’s at the Weekly). The Mercury, on the other hand, has been an embarrassment since it’s conception. They make up half of the paper, and their film, music, and food reviews generally suck! I often read the letters to the editor as the only truthful and intelligent part of the paper. The EW may not be as fun a read as the Mercury, but it is miles above in journalistic integrity and intelligent readership involve- ment. The usual letter to the editor in the Mercury is someone complaining about their band being less than gloriously reviewed, or some sick born-again Christian denouncing the whole of Portland’s alternative set to the depths of hell. At EW the letters are mostly from people who genuinely care about the world, Eugene, and the issues concerning all of us — in a rational, detailed, accurate, and intelligently written manner. I agree that the EW leaves much to be de- sired. So perhaps it may grow up and seize the opportunity to make itself a great weekly. But to encourage it to be like the Mercury is absurd. Jonathan Seraphim Eugene “Locally Grown, Locally Owned.” OCTOBER IS FAIR TRADE MONTH At Capella Market, we strongly support Fair Trade because we understand that the families who grow our food must make a fair price on their crops in order to ensure sustainability, variety, and stronger communities worldwide. We carry dozens of Fair Trade Certified products. Look for the logo (pictured at left). For more information, visit www.transfairusa.com. 25th & WILLAMETTE • EUGENE • OPEN DAILY 8AM-10PM (541) 345-1014 • www.capellamarket.com ANOTHER TRAVESTY Now that Bush has gotten John Roberts through the confirmation process with little more than a grunt from our new chief Supreme Court justice, Bush is now promot- ing another travesty on the American public with his nomination of Harriet Miers. Sounds to me like Bush is producing a re- make of that old classic, The Bride of Frankenstein. L. Michael Adler Creswell EX\VHOOWUDGH support EW, having to deal with every letter written by some malcontent who’s angry when things don’t go his way. Corrective crit- icism is far more effective than chronic whin- ing. Hey! The Portland Mercury is on the net. Read it! But this guy states he still reads the EW just to stay miserable. I may not agree with all of Lois Wadsworth’s film reviews but she is a very nice person and doesn’t deserve to be at- tacked for doing her job. I’d be interested in seeing how good a job the writer would do with Lois’s column. But then how many times can you write about Hedwig and The Angry Inch? I remember when you were the Observer, then What’s Happening. Things change. There is a bicycle bridge, in Eugene, named after a man who was scoffed at and ridiculed in the 40s and 50s because he rode a bicycle and he was an adult. If the writer is angry because he didn’t see his already well known local groups written up in EW, why not check out the musicians he complained about not knowing? Isn’t that what a newspaper is supposed to do? Expose. It’s called ... “an open mind.” Colin Campbell Eugene A Neighborhood Market With World-Class Variety! WDNH WKH FR W RXW RI\RXU FRVWXPH MARCH ON D.C. District Attorney Doug Harcleroad and Sheriff Russ Burger want more money, so they convened the Public Safety Task Force meetings in which I was invited to partici- pate. They couldn’t gather a super-majority, let alone unanimous support regarding a source of revenue. Let me repeat my revenue-generating suggestion I first made in August. To date, Bush’s vanity war has cost the U.S. over $197 billion, and has cost Oregon almost $11.6 bil- lion. The out of control power and money grabbing happening in Washington, D.C., can’t be reined in by the Legislature or the ju- diciary because they are in the pocket of the military industrial complex. It’s clear to me the only way to rein in the out of control executive branch is by dissent- ing actions by members of the executive branch. So, I once again propose a “DA’s March on Washington.” We should direct Harcleroad to contact every DA in the coun- try and coordinate them to march, en masse, demanding the White house quit it’s expen- sive war actions which are hobbling the DA’s efforts to provide public safety. Neil Friedman Westfir (WK$YH EHWZHHQ2DN 3HDUO %8))$/2(;&+$1*( &20 IT’S THE MUSIC I look forward to the Bravo section of the EW as a great way to inform Eugeneans of the many cultural events available in this town. Thanks and may there be more fre- quent coverage. OCTOBER 13, 2005 5
