A couple of months ago, I left a QFC with a bottle of wine that I had failed to pay for.

245 replies on “A Note to Our Readers”

  1. Spare us from responsibility queens who think they can lecture others about being responsible. Something must be lacking in you own lives. I’ll bet you go around saying such trite nonsense as “the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” Get the fuck over yourselves.

  3. so, I don’t have time to read all 50 or so comments here, so I apologize if this sentiment has been expressed already…

    See Erica, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

    Also, “failed to pay”??!!? WTF does that mean? As a “journalist”, would you accept that statement from the subject of a story?

    Finally, I too have shoplifted & got caught. I was 13. I “failed to pay” for a Metallica cassette (Ride The Lightning I think).

  4. We have to believe in holding bloggers to some level of journalistic ethics because like it or not, they *are* the news media now. Are the PI online writers that much different than Stranger editors, in terms of what they do and what they produce?

  5. This post is now in the “Most Commented” section.
    Check out how many other posts in that list were dedicated to THIS topic, rather than the actual headline.
    If an otherwise unengaged staff member (who no longer has to “moderate” the comments) took the time to cut-and-paste comments relevant to THIS topic, this comment would probably be comment #1,132.

  7. At the Ben Franklin in Libby, MT in the early 1980s I stuffed Snake-Eyes down my pants and walked out the door, back to my grandmother’s house. I still have that goddamm ninja too.

  8. I’m sorry you had to post this in response to some ridiculous troll. It really is none of our business. I’d rather see you delete trollspam than respond to it, but it’s your blog, not mine.

  10. Normally, I would say that this matter is between Erica, the QFC and the judicial system.

    But there have been so many over-the-top postings on this issue, that I am tempted to go steal (or fail to pay for, if you will) a bottle of wine myself, just to be in solidarity with Erica against all those who apparently have nothing better to do than to obsess over this truly stupid topic.

  12. Attention whiners of the “why so late” variety:

    Erica probably couldn’t comment on this until AFTER her plea thing.

    DURR!

  13. I steal babies and eat them. What’s the big deal?

    I don’t like Erica’s writing, and from what I get from her writing, I wouldn’t like her in person in the least (but I am not writing off being pleasantly suprised) but the recent witch hunt has been pretty fucking retarded, not something that a smal potatos “local celebrity” deserves in the least.

    She rides a high horse and her stances on certain topics are biased on Limbaugh/O’reilly levels, so feel free to crucify her there, but her personal life, which we know little about (and is frankly none of our business) should be left alone unless she gets to the point of infamy of the other two aforementioned blowhrds.

  14. I find it interesting that none of my favorite Slog editors have written “A Note to Our Readers” yet. I assume the stragglers just haven’t had a chance to write one, but it does make we wonder if these were editorially-mandated or simply done out of support.

  15. you’ve also written a number of stories w/o researching them, and left even more opinions in the same columns w/o noticing your own hypocrisy. glad you got caught; hope you find a way to learn how to be a journalist.

  17. I wish you guys had titled this series, “A Note to Some of Our Dumbass Readers Who Care About Such Meaningless Shit”

    meanwhile, the other 98% of us could care less.

    Also, it’s a bad precedent to feed the Sock Puppets…they’re like Gremlins and they are never satisfied.

  20. Erica,

    I’m sorry you had to post this and I don’t think it’s going to make the trolls go away.

    With that said, I loved the following “A Note To Our Readers” posts. Kudos to the staff of The Stranger for that.

    For the record, I’m the worst person of all. When I was in my early 20s and in the army as a Chaplain Assistant, I reallocated cheap ass communion wine (and various other snacks) so my friends and I could party. I also fucked a boy on the altar of the Four Chaplains’ Memorial Chapel in Fort Lewis, something I still brag about to this day (see?).

    Finally, I agree with Karla@48, you trolls are some sanctimonious butt clenching sphincters. How do you managed to do #2?

  21. I am amazed! I never understood why people spent so much time reading SLOG (or The Stranger, for that matter) and now I see why. It’s like reading a script for a really boring Springer episode.

    1. Every post on this subject seems to fit under the “troll” category, including this one (what the fuck does that mean? I was the last person to know what “lmao” meant.)

    2. If you want news written by decent writers who aren’t pushing personal agendas, stop reading blogs and local rags. That’s what they’re around for.

    3. Employed adults stealing ANYTHING is pathetic and sad. This woman has troubles far beyond her inability to “apologize” (no need) or truly own up to her crime (yes, it’s a crime.)

    Anyway, thanks for making my first trip to SLOG a super fun one!

  22. This has to be close to a SLOG record Erica! Congrats! What would you say? We’ve had around 200 posts today about YOU!

    I bet your ego has been satisfied for now?

    No rebuttal?

    The bigger question is… will you ever be able to post normal threads again? I tend to think not..

    Your credibility has been forever tarnished.

  23. How do you “fail to pay”? was it in your cart, or in your purse/messenger bag/backpack?

    Intent is different than oversight.

  24. @elenchos – It’s sad to me that I’d rather see something from Will than from you now. Your “credibility is tarnished” crap really only applies to the people who didn’t like her anyway and have an axe to grind. Those who don’t will be fine.

    You are a tool, get over yourself, and move on. I hear the Weakly Reader needs viewers.

  25. As a professional adult, I would go out to lunch on occasion with my co-workers to the Red Robin by the old Seattle library (is that still there?)(the RR, not the library)(well, the library’s not there, either, I suppose.)(or at least not the same one.) Every time we went, I’d ask the wait staff if I could keep my basket. They’d look around, or stammer that they didn’t think so. I’d push. They’d inevitably respond that if I could get it out the door, it was mine. I’d hold it up or put it on my head while walking out the door. I was never stopped. I have a lovely collection of red baskets I have no idea what to do with now.

    Was that stealing?

  26. What is it about hypocrisy that is so entertaining AND predictable at the same time?

    A holier-than-thou attitude and deceit are forever intertwined. ECB and Rush Limbaugh are essentially the same person.

  27. I collect Rainier Beer paraphernalia, so a few weeks ago I noticed a nice collectible piece of neon ($395 starting bid on ebay) in the window of some house in the u-district. That weekend I came back and originally was just going to smash out the window and grab the neon, but realized more than likely I’d smash the neon also. So instead I broke the glass in the door and let myself in, unplugged the Rainier sign and walked back out. Sorry!

  29. “I did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky.”

    ECB’s non-statement is right up there with that little gem in the history of non-denials/non-apologies.

    PS – I think shoplifting is actually a much bigger disqualifying black mark in public life than having consensual sex with someone of legal age, but a lie is a lie is a lie is a lie.

    PPS – Most employers would fire someone in a similar situation, as this does go to the heart of ECB – and yes – the Stranger’s credibility (such as it was).

  31. I still say that no one owes anyone anything in the way of an apology. More fitting might be an actual defense of why it’s okay to write about private mishaps of folks from other local media but not okay when the person’s on your own staff.

    For once, my status as a total dork serves me well–I can comment on this topic, since my shoplifting experience amounts to this: At a deli with a friend and her mom when I was around 7 years old, I took a crouton from the salad bar even though I hadn’t gotten the salad bar entree! I felt so guilty that I borrowed a nickel from her mom and left it on the counter as a payment.

  35. Jegae@82 – I can’t help it, they’re both annoying and aggravating. Right now elenchos is worse because of his pure ECB hatred and loathing (he probably can’t help his comments either, poor dear), but as soon as the topic moves on Will will say something idiotic and misinformed and I’m sure it’ll flip again.

  36. I’m sorry you had to give in to the assbag pseudonym-using craven no-life trolls for the sake of Slog commenting, ECB. No matter what I might think about this issue, it’s a shame to see people acting like such fuckheads get their way.

  37. @81 – Bullshit that “most employers” would fire someone in a similar situation. Bullshit. In a professional environment, there is no way that someone would be fired for this or any other extremely minor crime (parking tickets? jaywalking? trespassing?).

  38. It’s an even greater shame when people adults act like fuckheads and steal private property… but most of you commie fags don’t like private property so you better give away your Prius and your skinnyleg black jeans to the next homeless shitass begging junkie you see on Cap Hill!

  40. Arg, fine, I’ll be that guy. What started this? It’s bugging me. Did someone eyeball ECB pilfering wine and demanded she ‘fess up? Or what?

  41. My guess is that over the last 48 hours something like 80% of the snippy little three-line comments that have come in were all written by at most two people. It’s really a lot of time sent bashing at the keyboard; their fingers must be sore. Hopefully when the economy recovers a little those one or two people will have jobs again, and SLOG will become readable again.

  42. #89 Comment deleted for “Sock Puppetry?”

    Are you serious?
    First, anybody who posts something poorly-received is a “troll.”
    Then they’re a “sock puppet.”
    What next? I still like “terrorist” because that term has a proven track-record for ad-hominem effectiveness.

    I could give a rat’s ass about a bottle of wine. It’s this peurile “moderating” that got my attention. Seriously, Slog, you’ve been reduced to the conspiratorial antics of a high-school yearbook committee. And by what?

    Ah yes, trolls, that’s right. They’re in league with the sock puppets.

  43. @94 But how did the wine theft come up in the first place? It’s mentioned in comments that were posted 24 hours before this one. I’m sick of looking around for the root cause. I feel like I’m deciphering the Moron Da Vinci Code here.

  44. @94: No — there’s a lot of different people — well, at the very least somewhere in the neighborhood of ten. People are upset by this.

    This is why we need commenter login — then no one on either side of a debate can start shouting “sock puppet.”

  45. Regarding my post #10: I’m not asking for an apology. Simply a less weaselly statement. This post was like Clinton’s “I didn’t inhale.”

  46. 100 Posts! Woo hoo!

    Congrats ECB! Now just imagine if you really would have posted 2 paragraphs worth of explanation for the “why” of your actions.

    Please humor us and give us the scoop?

    Just think.. a few more posts and this thread will be #1 most commented above Dan running for Mayor!

    Sweet.

  48. The most disturbing revelation here is that fnarf used to roll his own cigarettes.

    I wonder if he buys ready-mades now. If not, unfiltered cigarettes are the fast track to lung cancer.

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