EDITOR: I read the article about Pastor Hutcherson threatening to organize a boycott of Microsoft due to the company's support of House Bill 1515, which would protect homosexuals from being discriminated against in the workplace ["Microsoft Caves on Gay Rights," Sandeep Kaushik, April 21].
Shame on him! How can Pastor Hutcherson, as a Christian minister, rally against a law that is the embodiment of Jesus' teaching, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? The politics of bigotry and hate have no place in a Christian church. The very idea that this minister would organize his congregation to restrict the right to a safe workplace to a group of people based on their sexual orientation is despicable. Furthermore, as a black man, one would think that Pastor Hutcherson has experienced enough discrimination in his lifetime to want to help fight against it, not help it grow.
As for homosexuality being a sin according to the Bible, please note that the Bible also says quite a few other things that are obviously ridiculous. For instance: "If a woman grabs a man's privates during a fight, her hand is to be cut off" (Deut 25:11,12). Or how about: "The eating of fat is prohibited forever" (Lev 3:17) and "Anyone working on the Sabbath is to be killed" (Ex 35:2).
People pick and choose which parts of the Bible they want to follow, and unfortunately, Pastor Hutcherson has chosen those parts that back up his own personal prejudice and bigotry. Pastor Hutcherson should withdraw his threat. Furthermore, he should ask forgiveness from the gay community and his congregation for using his position as a teacher of the Gospel of Jesus to sow hate and intolerance.
Paul Barrett
P.S. And I'm an agnostic, for Christ Sakes!
BLAME LEGISLATORS, NOT CORPORATIONS
EDITOR: Microsoft is taking a lot of heat for withdrawing its support for an anti-gay-discrimination bill in Washington State, but in my opinion, Microsoft should never have given the bill its support to begin with. What people too easily forget is that Microsoft is beholden to its shareholders, and that as a matter of law, Microsoft must think of its bottom line before anything else. This is the institutional psychopathy of corporations: to increase shareholders' profits, without legal or moral obligation to the welfare of workers, the environment, or the well-being of society as a whole. If Christian crusaders can launch a successful boycott, then that is something to worry about. Likewise, if gays could galvanize into a powerful, impacting force, then their demands would be heard too. But in either case, I think that Microsoft should ignore both sides and avoid controversy altogether.
Ultimately, Microsoft is not responsible for the bill's failure. The senators who voted against the bill are solely responsible. Instead of scapegoating Microsoft (which should have been neutral), why not complain to the senators who represent you in congress?
Travis A. Martin
A SATISFIED CUSTOMER
EDITOR: So Microsoft withdrew its support for a bill supporting gay civil rights? Thank fuck I bought a Mac!
Anthony Callaway
SMALL, EVIL
DEAR MR. HUTCHERSON: I hesitate to call you "Reverend," as I've yet to hear the love of God in anything you've had to say. You and those who follow you are entitled to your beliefs. You are not entitled to force your beliefs on others. I, as a citizen, a taxpayer, and a member of a long-term relationship, am entitled to seek protection from my government from fascists like yourself and your attempts to change the way I live my life and how I interact in my relationship. I will not fear you. I will not be bullied by you. You are, despite your bellowing volume and hell-fire/brimstone approach, a small, evil man inside. One day, you will be your own undoing.
Lance Hubner MUSTACHE RIDES
EDITOR: What the fuck? Has Microsoft started believing their own bullshit about not being a monopoly? Do they really think that a nationwide Evangelical boycott would be successful? The Evangelicals' last serious attempt (if you can remember it) was Disney, and we've all seen how fruitful that's been, since at Disneyland, sucking cock gets you health benefits, but having a mustache gets you fired. Fuck Microsoft. Their cowardice in the face of one man with a congregation of 3,500 is pathetic. Thank you for bringing this bullshit into the light.
Gitai Ben-Ammi
HUTCHERSON: GET THE 60!
EDITOR: Thank you for your article on pussy-whipped Microsoft and the anti-discrimination bill. Tonight I am going to buy my first Apple computer and two iPods. I know I'll never be able to avoid Microsoft completely, but I'll try my hardest. I am completely embarrassed by their (in)action.
Michael Lent
OH, THE IRONY!
DEAR MICROSOFT: On behalf of Anti-Fascist Hackers everywhere, thank you for caving to the religious right, and refusing to endorse the anti-gay-discrimination bill! If Ken Hutcherson had actually organized a national boycott of Microsoft, then bigoted Christians everywhere might be forced to buy Macs or Linux systems! Then how would we destroy their computers with viruses? So thank you for your vulnerable operating system. People always tried to tell me that you weren't an evil malevolent corporation, and now I know that they were right.
David Stray Ney
Bellingham
ANOTHER REASON NOT TO READ SEATTLE TIMES
EDITOR: Instead of a proper headline like "Lawmakers Vote to Maintain and Encourage Discrimination in Our Society," the Seattle Times opted for "Gay-Rights Bill Falls 1 Vote Short." Nice Spin.
Chris Thomsen
CORRECTIONS: A story in Worn Out, The Stranger's Fashion Issue [April 7] erroneously stated that Platinum Plush was no longer in business. In fact, Platinum Plush is thriving at 6511 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, one block south of Graham. See Shop Right, page 97, for more details.
In a news story last week ["Face Off," April 21], The Stranger characterized the War Room as "a new hiphop club." The War Room is not a hiphop club. We regret the error.
MORE LETTERS
HUTCHERSON=CHARLATAN
EDITOR: Kudos to Sandeep Kaushik and The Strangerâs ongoing commitment to genuine investigative journalism [âMicrosoft Caves on Gay Rights,â April 21]. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Redmondâs Antioch Bible Church, is a coward hiding behind a cross.
His Senate testimony against the anti-gay-discrimination bill, HB 1515ââIâm dealing with Microsoft on that issue and will be dealing with Gates on that issueââexposes this âman of Godâ as a charlatan, drunk on power and brimming with hubris.
Did God tell Ken to viciously attack and demonize the Gay community and threaten Microsoft with economic blackmail? As a former Roman Catholic lector, my God is not vengeful, ignorant and hateful. He (or she) is compassionate and all-knowing, understanding and tolerant, loving and forgiving, welcoming all regardless of sexual orientation. Hutchersonâs actionsâthose of a deeply flawed, narrow-minded demagogueâare reprehensible. How dare this pathetic excuse for a âholy manâ claim to speak for God!
Microsoft senior vice president Bradford L. Smith is not merely pathetic but spineless, allowing himself and the $37 billion multinational corporation he represents to be bullied by a man of Hutchersonâs ilk. That goes double for Bill Gates, if he allows Smithâs misguided decision to stand.
This communityâsânot just the gay communityâsâresponse should be swift and twofold: Progressives, particularly those of faith, must âcall outâ Hutcherson and his suburban megachurch with intense public and private pressure, exposing and drawing attention to Antiochâs intolerance and zealotry. Second, a re-evaluation (not a boycott ... yet) of the real value and worth of Microsoftâs products and services, in light of Smithâs ill-conceived decision.
We must make Antioch and Microsoft feel the weight of real political pressure. These institutions must be held responsible for their words and actions and pay the price for their religious bigotry and corporate cowardice.
MP Mahoney
SCATALOGICALLY YOURS
DEAR EDITOR: So pastor Ken Hutchinson [ âMicrosoft Caves On Gay Rights,â Sandeep Kaushik, April 21] shit in Microsofts pool so gays could not swim their too. Just fish the turd out and move on. Or do as Microsoft did drain the pool and walk away.
Hutchinson is riding on the high generated by the religious right to be able to crap in everyoneâs pool like some out of control child when he wants to control a situation. He claims sole rights to civil rights then practices discrimination and blackmail and expects to be respected for it. Even if he Microsoft did not back down I do not think he could do much damage by boycotting their products. His followers would not get by without their computers. They have religious web sites that generate bags-o-cash, depend on computers for work and need their email to say nothing of all the sinnin they are doing behind each others back supporting a massive internet porn industry. There is no way it would hurt Microsoft. What are they all going to go buy an MAC in protest? (well that might hurt Microsoft). Then they would have to go crap in Steveâs pool. Gay people also drink water breath air and eat. Hutchinson and followers should do us all a favor and boycott eating, breathing and drinking water instead. You know I was going to stop sending letters to the editor for awhile but I just get so pissed off by some people. Could be all the coffee but I think it just a brain fart that needs to be written down.
Brian
Vancouver Canada
MICROSANTORUM?
EDITOR: In light of Microsoftâs corporate cowardism, I hope youâll consider giving Microsoft the Santorum treatment. Please, please invent a Santorum-like word so we can spread the schmear about Microsoft. As it is, Iâm thinking about enlisting tech friends to help my over-worked spouse to switch our home network and operating systems to Linux, Iâm so angry about MSâs shirking its previously progressive ways.
Debra Hyde
WEâLL TAKE OUR CHANCES
EDITOR: Microsoft: Synonymous with Chickenshit. Ken Hutcherson: Synonymous with Hate! I donât think Microsoft got taken to the cleaners as was stated in the article. Microsoft chose to be taken hostage and helped deliver the dirty laundry. When a company as large, powerful and at one time known for its diversity, caves into organized religion I am beginning to believe that we are in âthe last days!â
Bradford L. Smith, a man with no balls, allowed himself and a mega bucks corporation to be Hornswaggled by this Hate filled, greedy excuse of a human to pressure him with a bogus threat of a national boycott if Microsoft did not withdraw its support of house Bill 1515. What the Hell was Mr. Smith thnking? Microsoft is bigger and more powerfull than the Antoch Bible Church, or is it?
Mr. Smith could not have brought this to a head without the support of many other Microsoft types. Is Smith one of the 700 Microsoft employees attending Antioch Church? What does Smith get out of this anyway? At least he did not fire McCarthy and McCurdy. I guess he did not want to face a law suit and further wrath of the gay employees of Microsoft. Sadly, Mr. Smith blew it! Microsoft Blew it! Now the religious right has one more feather in its cap and the gay community has one more bruise to heal.
Maybe another Stonewall is needed, only this time at the Microsoft campus or maybe at the steps of the Antioch Church will make the point that Gays and Lesbians are in need of equal rights. We shall overcome too! The day will come that gays and their families will be able walk the streets and hold their heads up high knowing they donât have to ride in the front of the bus because it is too dangerous in the back of the bus for them.
I have an idea for a new bumper sticker, âWelcome to Washington, the state where you can still discriminate.â Print this in the letters to the editor if you think the religious right wonât come after you.
Donald Campbell
MS RACE CARD
EDITOR: Why is the race of the minister who apparently âbulliedâ Microsoft into a neutral position on the recently-defeated gay-rights bill a matter of such relevance that it becomes part of your cover teaser? If the conservative minister was white, would you have written, âWhite Minister Bullies Microsoft...?â Of course not, but this is where the irony begins.
Perhaps Mr. Kaushik and The Stranger arenât really interested in the deeper implications of the story that was reported. Perhaps you underestimated the ability of your readers to sift through the racial undertones and get to the heart of the matter. Perhaps The Stranger isnât as progressive as it thinks itself to be. Perhaps such simplistic reporting should be exposed, so that we can all learn something from this sad episode.
Iâve been reading Mr. Kaushik for years, and I would not expect him to be so co-opted by his Microsoft sources as to lay the blame for their unconscionable position at the feet of a black conservative minister. Mr. Kaushik has proven himself to be much more intelligent than that; he has covered national elections, so of course he would know that Microsoft is now a top-five corporate political donor and that its officers -- as opposed to many of its employees -- are largely supportive of the Republican Party.
Even the Seattle Times (4/23) refused to be so co-opted and simplistic in its coverage of the story; in fact, Ken Hutchersonâs race was not even mentioned in their article. Alas, they did manage to credit The Stranger with breaking the story -- a sensitive topic for you in the past -- but does the irony end here? No.
Did you or Mr. Kaushik ever consider the plausibility of Hutchersonâs reported bargaining chip -- a ânationalâ boycott of Microsoft -- when affording him so much influence in this scenario? Organizing rallies is one thing, but how are a bunch of end-users going to revolt against Microsoft? Would these fundamentalists rush out to install Linux operating systems en masse, or would they perhaps delay replacing their computers indefinitely? Mr. Kaushik should know by now that most of the people who make the decisions about who uses Microsoft run in the same political circles as Gates, Ballmer, Connors, Smith -- theyâre looking for the same corporate welfare breaks (served up by the Republicans) as the next guy. Gimme a break.
Ok, so maybe that was going to be Mr. Kaushikâs lead-in question, had he been able to make contact with Hutcherson before press time. Right. Iâm sure the follow-up would have been, âKen, how could you -- as an African-American -- let yourself be so co-opted by Christian ideology/mythology as to make yourself a pawn of the right wing?â
Go ahead, Mr. Kaushik and The Stranger, I dare you: publish this letter; pursue the Ken Hutcherson interview; ask the tougher questions, to get at some of the religious hypocrisy inherent to the struggle for human rights. Just donât forget to delve into an expose of the co-optation of the Microsoft board by the Republican Party. Thatâs where you should have started for this story.
Robert Wilhite
ANOTHER ANTI-HUTCHERSON CHRISTIAN
EDITOR: âGod so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,â etc. (John 3:16). It does not say, âGod so loved the ConservativesâŠâ
Ken Hutcherson is a disgrace not only to People of Color but to all Christians who believe that they should âlove thy neighborâ. Bigotry is not dead in America. It may be a little more subtle but it is definitely there. Does Rev. Hutherson believe that all of the doors to an education or to a home in a community are open to him or for that matter, many persons of color. Does he believe that a person of color can achieve âall he can beâ when seeking employment. Is there equal opportunity for people of color in the work place. Be real !! He is no less than a Toady for the âRight White Christian Zealots of Americaâ. I am 75 years old and it has been a lot of years since I have called anyone an Uncle Tom, but⊠He presumes that all church going Christians are Conservatives. He should take a good look at his congegation. I believe that he would be amazed at the number of Christian Liberal Democrats that are members. I am proud to be a Liberal Democrat. Our tent is open to all, not just a those who agree with us. I would also like to remind him that Microsoft has devoted millions of dollars to fight AIDs in the African Countries. Rev. Hutcherson, what have you done to aleviate the pain fo persons around the world? Jesus tells us to love all people. He never condemned them. He went out of his way to embrace the least of us. Unless I am mistaken, only God can pass judgement on man and the last time I looked, there was no God in your name. Please note: Martin Niemoller 1892-1984 Pres., World Council of Churches 1961-1968 âIn Germany they first came for the Communists and I didnât speak up. Because I wasnât a Communist.Then they came for the Jews but I wasnât a Jew. Then they came for the Trade Unionists but I was no Unionist so I didnât speak up. Then they came for the Catholics and I didnât speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time no was left to speak for me.â
Rev. Robert (Bob) Carter
TIMES ARE CHANGING BACK
DEAR EDITOR: I was so saddened to read the Microsoft story. I can understand people having different opinions. I cannot understand a behemoth company like Microsoft caving into the threat from one minister in Seattle. And I believe, due to Microsoftâs actions, house bill 1515 failed in the State legislature. Shame on you Microsoft. First, the idea that our nation or any nation would boycott Microsoft is absurd. What is everybody going to doâŠbuy a Mac? (Not a bad idea by the way).
Second, I have watched the religious right turn into the Third Reight over the past few years. They have so many things that they are against, Iâm not sure what they are for. What I want to know is why boasting about influencing 20,000 people to show up at Safeco Field to rally against a segment of our society is something to be proud of? Is it really a hard to incite a gang mentality?
What I would like to see is Reverend Hutcherson be FOR something and rally 20,000 like-minded individuals to create positive change. For instance, everyday in Seattle I am approached by one or two homeless people who have a carefully rehearsed story that I know they tell a hundred times a day in order to ask for some change or a dollar from a stranger. I know that there are tens of thousands of children across this country sitting in orphanages that do not have a family, or worse they are in abusive situations and need help. Why doesnât the Reverend use his incredible persuasive powers to rally 20,000 in Seattle or 140,000 in Washington, DC to end homelessness? Instead of fighting against abortion, why doesnât he rally thousands to adopt these needy children? Reverend Hutcherson, you are a grand stander. You believe your own press and miss the canyon that is right in front of you.
I was âBorn Gay in the USAâ in 1959. My home was in the Deep South where the struggle was very real for Rev. Hutchersonâs race. I was taught the ignorance that was passed down to every white child in the South. I watch our black and white TV and saw Blacks being man handled, sprayed with fire hoses, denied entry to white establishments, the execution of President Kennedy and his brother and the murder of Martin Luther King. I saw many things that in my heart, I knew were wrong. I heard many things that I knew were wrong. I never bought into idea that Blacks were inferior and not deserving to be fully accepted citizens. I was right, and things changed.
In 2005 I find myself in an oddly familiar place, and I know what it is to be Gay. Just so the Rev. Hutcherson understands, my sexuality is no more of a choice for me as is his skin color. It is who I Am. It is how I was created. We are not going away. We will not be shamed because we are different. We will become fully recognized citizens in our country. And I hope, when that day comes, that we remember this time in our history, and not use our newly found political power and acceptance to rally thousands against another group of citizens.
A.D. Dupree
THANKS A LOT, DAD
DEAR EDITOR: I just finished reading âMicrosoft Caves On Gay Rightsâ by Sandeep Kaushik. Good article. More follow-through would have made it an excellent article. Thereâs a bigger picture here and there is more at stake than just whatâs happening at Microsoft. This could be the beginning of a steady erosion of corporate support for the bill. Whatâs next on Ken Hutchersonâs agenda? Did you contact the list of whoâs who in the Pacific Northwest corporate world (Boeing Company, Nike, Coors Brewing, Qwest Communications, Washington Mutual, Hewlett-Packard, Corbis, Battelle Memorial Institute, Microsoft cofounder Paul Allenâs Vulcan Inc.) to find out what, if anything, is happening to change their stance on the bill? How easy would it be for Hutcherson to go to Coors Brewing and say âMicrosoft went neutral and I suggest you do, tooâ? Microsoft is probably just the tip of a big neutral iceberg. This is an important issue to your readersâdo them right by going beyond reporting what falls in your lap.
Jennifer Brastad
LETâS HOPE THIS IS AN OPEN LETTER
MR. BALLMER: Over the past week, I, like millions of others, have been following the developing story of how Microsoft initially supported anti-discrimination legislation in Washington State, and then reversed its position earlier this year. The mail you sent out last Friday to all US Microsoft employees did nothing but increase the feelings of betrayal and company-wide hypocrisy, and increase the negative public perception.
Even as Microsoft has so feebly struggled in its failed PR campaign to diffuse the reaction, there are a number of questions that you and your spokespeople have failed to answer and that the media has failed to ask:
1) Why do you continue to play a game of semantics by saying that it is not the case that âMicrosoft changed its position on an anti-discrimination bill, HB 1515â when the truth is that Microsoft has in fact changed its position on anti-discrimination in Washington State? Just because you did not get behind this particular bill, Microsoft has reversed its position on the issue.
2) If Microsoft is âhard-core about diversityâ why does Microsoft now take a neutral position on the reality that a Microsoft employee (and that employeeâs dependant children) can lose his or her home solely because of being gay? (Yes, the rules for King County are more inclusive than HB 1515, but not every gay and lesbian employee of Microsoft lives on Capital Hill.) Do you really think your employees, or the public at large, are not smart enough to recognize the hypocrisy in these mutually exclusive positions?
3) Why did Brad Smith tell GLEAM that Rev. Hutcherson was a deciding factor in the position reverse, if that was not the case? Was he lying to GLEAM and claiming personal responsibility to cover up for a larger Microsoft shift against its gay and lesbian employees and stockholders? Or is Microsoft now lying to cover up for Mr. Smithâs political faux pas? And if Brad Smith has nothing to hide, why is he refusing to speak with the New York Times and others?
4) Who were the senior executives Rev. Hutcherson met with in February? If Microsoft had already changed its position when Rev. Hutcherson visited senior executives, why wasnât he told at the time? Why does Rev. Hutcherson believe that his actions were responsible for the reversal?
5) If you have a âduty first and foremost to a broad group of shareholdersâ why were the stockholders not included in discussion of this issue? Or do you suggest that a majority of your stockholders were against HB 1515 and can you provide the numbers? Why were your thousands of gay and lesbian stockholders excluded from that broad group?
6) Why is the broad group of Microsoft stockholders so opposed to anti-discrimination legislation when the broad group of stockholders at Boeing, Nike, Coors, Qwest, Washington Mutual, Hewlett-Packard, Corbis, and Battelle Memorial Institute are not?
7) If you or Mr. Gates had a gay or lesbian child, would the Microsoft position on HB 1515 been different? If you or Mr. Gates had a gay or lesbian child who had been evicted from their home or fired from their job or refused the right to parent a child, would Microsoft still remain neutral on this anti-discrimination bill?
8) And finally, why is Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, being paid $20,000 a month by Microsoft â or 250,000 a year, which is three times what your average working employee is being paid â and does your broad group of stockholders endorse Mr. Reedâs participation in the shaping of Microsoft policy? Can you provide numbers in support of Mr. Reed?
You wrote ââŠwhen should a public company take a position on a broader social issue, and when should it not? What message does the company taking a position send to its employees who have strongly-held beliefs on the opposite side of the issue?â I can answer those questions for you. Whenever there is institutionalized discrimination against the basic human rights of your employees and their children and your stockholders and their children and your customers and their children, you have a responsibility to take a position.
But then, Microsoft has taken a position â neutral is a position â and that position, which now extends across the whole of Microsoft and makes guilty every Microsoft employee and stockholder, is that discrimination is of no concern to Microsoft, that the basic human rights of your employees and their children and your stockholders and their children and your customers and their children are of no concern to Microsoft.
Given your admission that basic human rights mean nothing when held against Microsoftâs bottom line earnings and threats by religious extremists, Iâm sure you can understand why there has been such negative fallout. I look forward to your answers to these basic questions on this issue.
David M. White.
Microsoft Customer and Washington State Resident
FEWER COPS, FEWER HASSLES
EDITOR: Thanks for covering the story of the SPDâs brutal handling of Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes and his friends [âFace Off,â Darrin Burgess, April 21]. A similar incident happened to me in December 2003, also on Capitol Hill and also on a Tuesday night. Anecdotally, it appears that the cops in the East Precinct have a penchant for picking fights with citizens on weeknights. Perhaps they donât have enough to do.
It is for this reason that I find it disheartening that even Seattleâs super-left (yes, I mean you, Nick Licata) insist that we need even MORE police on the streets. I suppose it is political suicide to suggest otherwise, but the truth is if the officers we do have focused more on actual crime and less on antagonizing the citizenry, we could probably get by with fewer!
Doug Nellis
SPD HAS US BY THE BALLS
EDITOR: [RE: âFace Off,â Darrin Burgess, April 21.] As a middle aged, upper middle class, respectable, professional, straight white guy you would think that I might tend to believe the Seattle Policeâs version of events rather than a story given by a bunch of young men leaving a club. But no, from my own experiences I will tend to believe anyone who complains about the SPD.
Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes claims to have been grabbed by the crotch and beaten. From what I know this is a standard SPD intimidation technique. A SPD officer put his hands right down into my pants, grabbed me by the balls and squeezed, accosting me as I was walking calmly from my $2 million home in one of Seattleâs most prestigious neighborhoods. When I complained in writing it was explained that he was only frisking me. What could I be hiding in my thin nylon jogging pants?! He was looking for someone else and released me.
What justified this sexual assault? I had been raped outside my own home. I am a big, strong, athletic guy and few others would attempt to sexually assault me, but the SPD got away with it without so much as an apology, like: âIâm sorry. It was dark and we thought you were black.â
A year later I made the mistake to point out, in a polite non-threatening manner, that a SPD officer was doing something illegal. For my trouble I was detained, verbally abused, and charged with a number of fictional offenses.
Luckily the police report did not stand up in court as the officers were simple minded and incapable of writing fiction that made sense. The officers even admitted that they were fabricating charges against me to teach me a lesson, while I was recording them through my cell phone. But donât you know that it is illegal to record police officers in Washington State without their consent, even though they record us all of the time?
The SPD is the worst out-of-control gang in Seattle. If you happen to be a good cop reading this, take note. When someone like me is sitting on a jury some day, weighing police testimony against that of the accused, guess who Iâll believe. Will I ever risk having to meet with the SPD if I see a crime being committed? I stay clear of the SPD although I must admit that I will not even risk jay-walking in Seattle. Better yet, I have moved and left the city entirely. I donât want any of my money supporting those goons.
Please withhold my name from publication. I donât trust the Seattle Police!
Name Withheld
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS MATTER
DEAR EDITOR: Every morning I get my kids up and ready for school and we walk the less than half mile to Daniel Bagley elementary. On the way we are joined by many of the 18 other students whose houses we pass, and we greet neighbors and catch up on each otherâs lives and what is going on in our community.
We chose Daniel Bagley for many reasons, because of the excellent education, because of the emphasis on the arts, and because of the principal. Mostly we chose Bagley because every other kid in our neighborhood (who is not in private school) goes there. EVERY SINGLE ONE.
Walking to school allows me face to face contact with my neighbors daily, it lets me smile at my childrensâ teachers every day and say thanks for doing such a great job, it means the principal and office staff know me, it means Iâm available to volunteer some time in the classroom. It means I know what goes on in my kidsâ school, and the staff at school know me too.
We built our strong neighborhood and school community by daily contact and communication, and it shows in the strong family feeling and community at Daniel Bagley. We know each other and we care about each other, and that makes it a great place for my kids to learn. You donât build that kind of community overnight and you sure donât close it down once you have it. Splitting the Daniel Bagley family up and putting us on buses to 4 different schools is a mistake.
The recent announcement of school closures by the Seattle School Board has left me scratching my head. Apparently itâs the age of the building that matters to the board, not what goes on inside of it. Daniel Bagley was the second most requested school in the North Cluster and has grown more than 76% over the last 5 years. We have full enrollment in Kindergarten for next year as well as a waitlist of more than 30 families. We have successfully integrated both a contemporary/best practices program and a Montessori program and have very involved and active parents that sponsor family fun nights, afterschool programs, funding for additonal arts instruction, 4th & 5th grade camps, and many other programs. There are partnerships with Pacific Northwest Ballet, local businesses, private schools and the neighboring church. We are a model of a successful small school that has totally re-invented itself from the last threat of closure 5 years ago.
Yet the district wants to punish us for our success, divide up our programs, and send us off in bits and pieces to other schools, at least one of which has such poor leadership that parents have been pulling their kids out in droves. The budget needs to be trimmed, yes. School closures may need to happen, yes. But the quality of the school (academics, support services and enrichment, community support as proven by enrollment choice, parental involvement and leadership) needs to be a consideration in what schools are closed, and which are allowed to stay open.
Jan Collver
UP WITH READINGS
STRANGER: Thank you so very much for putting on the Jonathan Safran Foer reading and dance party last night at Chop Suey. I really enjoyed hearing from both authors (and now I have to go to the book store...), but even more I thought the venue and format was incredibly original and fun. It was so refreshing to see books being celebrated in a modern and exciting way. I was really blown away at both the number (a lot) and the demographics (young, smart, and typical Seattle) of the people who attended. I hope The Stranger continues to create these types of opportunities for our community; I would love to continue attending them!
Tamarind Keating
DOWN WITH CHOW
EDITOR: Sara Dickerman is one of the better food critique reviewers Iâve ever read. Funny but not too funny, you know? I want my food critics to be slightly mathematical in their reviews, but not so dry Iâm reading a cookbook. She made me want to eat the monitor I was reading the review on. But maybe Iâm just hungry.
Kristin Loehrmann
FOOD FOOD FOOD!
MS. CLEMENT: Your piece on Youssef Noussa was beautiful and perfect.
Todd Arkley
STREET FOOD: PDX>SEATTLE
EDITOR: Loved your articles on street eats.
But its not necessary to travel to Bangkok or Barcelona or even New York to find terrific food vending on the sidewalks. Rather, there is a city just three hours away that offers an astonishing array of street vendors. Downtown Portland has scores of tiny carts and stands lining its sidewalks. Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, Cuban, Indonesian...the variety of smells and tastes and textures boogles the mind.
In sharp contrast to the overly vigilant regulators in King County and Seattle, the City of Portland actually encourages such street vending by minimizing ridiculous requirements like on-site three-compartment sinks and waiving license fees as well. According to the department that issues vending permits, three public purposes are served:
1. Downtown workers -- many of whom cannot afford to dine in pricey places -- have access to a good, homemade meal. Most street vendors sell their lunches for less than $5. Try finding a good lunch for that amount in downtown Seattle.
2. Food vending is a low-cost way of nurturing small, local, family-owned businesses, many of which are minorities. Some go on to open permanent restaurants. This is part of the Cityâs home-grown economic development strategy.
3. The presence of sidewalk food vendors makes the downtown a more interesting sociable place. Indeed, walking around downtown Portland is a far livelier experience than traversing the oh-so-tidy, vendor-free streets of Seattle.
Portland has allowed sidewalk food vending for years and there have been no massive outbreaks of e-coli or other illnesses. Health inspections are regularly conducted and there are a handful of simple rules regarding size and location that must be followed. But having a supportive city attitude makes a huge difference.
It is unfortunate that the agencies and policy-makers in our city refuse to learn from our neighbor to the south. We all are much poorer as a result.
Mark Hinshaw
FALSE SMILE
DEAR STRANGER WRITERS: I enjoyed your âEatinâ Outdoorsâ guide [April 21] and might check some of them out. What caught my attention is your photo of the smiling employee at Seattle Deli. In all my visits there I was never smiled at. It is hard to talk to the staff in english. The only friendly person in there is the guy. Watch out for other customers to push past you in line and place orders in their native language. My wife was ignored so much that she vowed never to go back. I recommend Saigon Deli on the south side of Jackson east of 12th Ave.
Robert Herzog
TACO COUNSEL
EDITOR: Can you tell Chrissy Loader, in her quest for the perfect taco truck [âLoco For Tacos,â April 21], that I would highly recommend the one at the Casa Latina Day Workerâs Center? I donât know if they have al pastor tacos, but oh my, what they do have is quite marvelous. Western and Battery, in Downtown/Belltown. Thanks for the recommendation of the one in Ballard. Iâll have to try it out. Enjoy!
Freya
MUDEDE=RACIST
EDITOR: I have this vision of the future. In it, I see The Interpreter being reviewed by resident racist Charles Mudede. I wonder if I have the âsightâ!
Robert Traylor
DUDE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
DEAR EDITOR: I read with dissapointment the predictable diatribe against U2 [Up & Coming, Kerri Harrop, April 21]. Obviously, thereâs no way The Stranger would give U2 a âthumbs upâ; leave that to the Weekly. However, I at least expected the more creative âignore the headlining band by profiling the openerâ technique. No word about the Kings of Leon? Câmon! They have to be on the Stranger Hip List as well as every other band opening for U2 this summerâFranz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Interpol, Ash, and the Killers. Why waste time bashing when you can at least promote the more talented opening band. Of course, who the hell would want to spend $50 to see an opening band? A lot of people did shell out $30 to see Sleater-Kinney open for Pearl Jam though. Another technique you can use in the future is the âdo the exact opposite of what was expectedâ review, by giving the (U2 in this case) show a thumbs up. I can see all the hipsters rushing out of Red Light Clothing to Sonic Boom in an attempt to get U2 tickets because The Stranger gave it the thumbs up. âWow, so unexpected! I wonder what changed over there? Did they release something on colored vinyl?â You could get U2 Management to give The Stranger a kickback for the increase in ticket sales and maybe hire more aspiring writers/journalists like yourself. That canât be too bad. Like Holly Golightly said in Breakfast At Tiffanyâs, âitâs only a means to an end.â Everybody has to eventually give in; learn to love the man.
David K.
DIGITAL KITTEN CONTROVERSY RAGES ON
EDITOR: Pretty disgusting ad with the drowning kitten. [April 14]. Iâm sure it will encourage several people to try it with their kittens. Congratulations on your poor taste. Widmer is off my list of beer to buy and we did buy it. Why are so many people in corporations (including newspapers) willing to minimize the very real suffering that is becoming more and more apparent as we become more and more fearful and violent and desensitized. America, Land of the Consumer and home of the Violent. Way to go Widmer...and congratulations to The Stranger for promoting it.
Jane Martin
Burien
VEGAN VOICE OF REASON
DEAR EDITOR: Iâm sorry. I feel the need to apologize for last weekâs letter to you, although I didnât write it. It was from a well-meaning woman who was offended by the Widmer beer ad [Letters To The Editor, April 21]. I just want to say that not all of us who are animal lovers, animal rights activists, kitten protectors and/or vegans are so thin-skinned and digitally-challenged. As a vegan and animal rights activist (as well as gay rights activist and feminist, among other designations), I can say that while I thought the ad was stupid and ineffective, I didnât find the ad offensive because I knew immediately it was digitally created. Not only that, it doesnât even hint at animal cruelty. Your offended reader, Ms. Gibbons, likens it to gay bashing and rape, and indeed, had the photo represented actual animal torture such as forcing beer down a kittenâs throat, it would be offensive. But it doesnât - itâs just a silly photo. Allow me to add a personal note to Ms. Gibbons: Mary Jane, pick your battles. Thereâs enough real cruelty going on that making an issue out of dumb ads belittles our cause and wastes our limited energies.
Anita Ashburn
WHAT MORE CAN ONE SAY?
DEAR SIRS: You recently published a letter from a Ms. Mary Jane M. Gibbons, entitled âDIGITAL ANIMAL RIGHTS.â The letter was written by a over-sensitive individual, and a typical knee-jerk reaction, she stated: âGay bashing isnât funny. Child abuse isnât funny. Rape isnât funny. And animal cruelty isnât funny, either.â
While most of these observations are correct, she overlooks the fact that raping a clown is quite funny. I suggest that you print more ads with allusions to clown rape to help her clarify her definitions of funny/unfunny.
Unsigned (Unsurprisingly)
YOUâRE HIRED
EDITOR: You should realy have a celebrity birthday section. For instance, famous birthdays today...Queen Elizabeth II, Charles Grodin, Tony Danza, Iggy Pop and Catherine the Great!
Jerome Richmond
HANDS OFF KELLY
ADRIAN RYAN: Being female, I dont think itâs funny to joke about women being brutalized, as in Ozzyâs daughter [Celebrity I Saw U, April 21] or anybody, it just aint funny!
Unsigned
ALL-AGES ACTION ACTION
MEGAN SELING: Thank you very, very much for the story on our new performance space, The L.A.B. [All-Ages Action, April 14.] Weâve already gotten many booking inquiries do to the wonderful exposure your paper has afforded us!
Steve Smith
Seattle Drum School
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW REAL
BRENDAN: Fankick and Streetbeat are real? Oh my God! That is hilarious!
James
UH, YOUâRE WELCOME?
EDITOR: I wonât read The Stranger again because 1) some of the very best concerts featuring high music quality, uniqueness, and listenabilty (not to mention some bands with stunning female vocals) are not even highlighted, much less reviewed, 2) the slamming of Seattle poets, many of whom are the most conscientious and good-hearted people this side of the Rockies, 3) for over-booking advance movie screenings not by a couple dozen but by a couple hundred people! (thanks for wasting my time and money).
Unsigned
DONâT MESS WITH COLD KILLER
EDITOR: I recently moved to Austin, Texas after being in Seattle for 15 years. I remember an edition months back were you highlighted the tagging art of the Cold Killer [âFading Glory,â Nate Lippens, Sept. 16, 2004] , and it was fun to drive arond town and spot his mark. So Iâm driving down Congress Ave. here in Austin and look over and notice a unmistakable mark of the cold killer. Maybe he was down for the South by Southwest thing a few weeks ago. Anyway it was like getting a hello from an old friend or something. Thought Iâd share this with you. My regards to all of you in Seattle.
Robert Kotrola
WEâLL BE SURE TO PASS IT ALONG
EDITOR: Iâll keep this short.I am so tired of watching Courtney prance around in her âdesigner gownsâ and threatning some poor fucking hair and make up person to make that drug ravaged skinn of hers look ready for the big day,and I mean a casket.when is hollywood going to focus on artist with actual talent.Instead of fucking leaches like that worthless piece of shit! ( oh make me over,thats all I wanna be) ok bitch your over,now moove back to Seatlle and waist the rest of his fortune. I secretly want to be in acroud when she falls out of some rentet lemo and smack her between the eyes with a 2x4! Who knows I âll get a standing ovation!!!!MMMMMMMMMMMM doesnt that sound like fun!
not a fan
WEâRE CONSIDERING THE PRIESTHOOD
EDITOR: Defiance isnât the whole story with masculinity. But to your young self, it may have seemed like it. Listen, ex-gay science, therapy, and politics will be the standard in a few years. If I were you Iâd start building a career that didnât depend on being gay.
Sharon Kass
Washington, D.C.
DRIVE SAFELY!
EDITOR: Unbelivable Danger on our Roads ! Flat screen TVs under sun visors or stuck all over vehicles. I teach Defensive Driving and I was shocked at the TV commerical with the new van. It had a Flat Screen TV up by the driver. So everyone in the vehicle could watch sports or movies. I was thinking that is just a fluke or fad . Until I saw a company advertising to put Flat Screen TVs anywhere in your auto. And last week someone taking Defensive Driving says they worked for a company that does that and they DO put Flat Screen TVs under sun visors. And while going home from teaching Defensive Driving no less than TWO vehicles passed me and they were watching a Flat Screen TV under the sun visor! Unbelivable ! A LOT of people on our roads across the USA are going to die. Because of a few who donât have ANY sense! Protect yourself and your family. Become a Defensive Driver. To become a Defensive Driver take a Defensive Driving Class. How many Deaths will it take before we wake up that watching a movie while going 70 MPH is STUPID ?
Billy Durham
