DAN SAVAGE: First off, I've tried every drug under the sun, so I'm not some prude. But I think it's laughable for Aaron Palmer to expect his son to apologize for turning him in ["Truth or D.A.R.E.," Sept 26]!
Yes, I think that laws involving pot are far too strict and laws for alcohol are far too lenient, but (and listen well here) THE LAWS ARE NOT UP FOR PERSONAL INTERPRETATION. For him to basically tell his son, "Hey, we'll abide by this law but not that one, and that one but not this one" is absurd. What if his son chooses to do the same thing--but instead, he decides that driving after drinking a few beers isn't that big a deal? It may be after just two or three, but those two or three have a way of turning into eight or 10.
I'm not saying that his son turned him in for the right reasons--evidently, he did it for spite and personal gain. BUT, he's a kid! I was left scratching my head and wondering who was the adult and who was the child after reading the interview.
It's really a shame that some people become parents.
Matt DeMazza, via e-mail
EDITOR: I was very happy to read that The Stranger is organizing a benefit to help pay for Palmer's legal expenses. Being an occasional pot smoker myself, I feel that it is important to educate our children truthfully. Also, I was raised around pot smoking, and my mother has a respectable job as a nurse and is raising my seven-year-old brother, in my opinion, a little too prudently. Even though I am a full-time student and am financially tattered, I would be happy to contribute some hard-earned gratuity. Please keep me informed.
Nicole Starr, via e-mail
EDITOR: If I were Mr. Palmer, I'd be talking to a lawyer about a defamation suit or two. It's about time someone shook up the shitty media in this town.
It astounds me that any adult with half a brain believes anything they see on television news or read in the fuckin' P-I or Times. Unfortunately, most seem to. I learned rather young that the media is corporate, corporate is conservative, and corporate conservatives will show you exactly what they want to show you and nothing more.
I say get 'em if you can, get 'em as publicly as you can, and get as much money from them as you can. There's GOT to be a lawyer (or a LINE of them) who'd be willing to take this case for deferred payment once it's won. Mr. Palmer, please don't let this one lie. Get reimbursed for the hell they've caused you and your family.
Anonymous, via e-mail
SAVAGE: I agree that Trever Palmer is a horrible little punk who deserves every moment of bug-life his bad karma will buy him.
Having said that, however, I have to play devil's advocate and point out an inconsistency. You wisely wrote two weeks ago that HIV is no longer a surprise to anyone, and people must begin taking responsibility for their own behavior. I would argue that Aaron Palmer, as much as I sympathize with him, also should expect to take some responsibility. After all, I don't think the fact that growing pot is illegal and could land him in an expensive legal mess could possibly have been unknown to him. So why is The Stranger openly critical of fundraising events for AIDS, in this we-should-know-better age, while at the same time organizing a benefit to help pay for Aaron Palmer's legal fees? I agree that drug laws are stupid, but as long as they continue to exist, isn't ignoring them a calculated risk that can be taken or declined by choice?
Karina Gronnvoll, via e-mail
EDITOR: "I Love Febreze by Tariq Aziz" [New Column!, Sept 26]? You crazy kids have outdone yourselves. But why comb far-flung countries for your "guest columnists" with such a wealth of talent to be found right there at The Stranger? I suggest:
"Bombast Has a Heyday Thanks to Charles Mudede,"
"You Nader Voters Have the IQ of a Cabbage by Dan Savage,"
and "Heck, I Feel Compelled to Insert 'Heck' At Least Twice in Anything I Write by Josh Feit."
Leslie Daugaard, via e-mail
AMY JENNIGES: Thanks so much for bringing the electronic music scene's problems some exposure in The Stranger ["Fighting for Your Right to Party," Sept 26]. These things may begin with Ecstasy witch-hunting, but can easily mean eventual applications to other types of music as well. Having moved to Seattle from Houston (one of the "test cities" for the so-called crack house laws, the other of course being New Orleans), I have been watching firsthand what these issues have done to virtually wipe out raves in Houston. It would be a shame for Seattle's exceptionally open-minded and diverse music scene to end up suffocating the same way.
Jessica Browning, via e-mail
STRANGER: I am writing to point out a few misconceptions in Emily Hall's ConWorks article "Resistance and Heat" [Sept 12]. The Grand Illusion is cited for not having a lecture with the Cremaster film, when indeed we did have a lecture (by former Stranger writer Eric Fredericksen!). Also, both films (we played Cremaster 2 and 5) were co-presented by the Henry Art Gallery and brought in considerable crowds. The audience was largely the visual art crowd because the program was promoted via the Henry's newsletter and other outreach efforts coordinated with the education curator, Tamara Moats.
It is too bad that this was the example brought up for why there needed to be a ConWorks. Of course we need ConWorks in Seattle, and they do amazing things conceptually. However, I feel that in this case the Northwest Film Forum's proven success at comprehending how to present and integrate contemporary art and film [in] our community was overlooked. What about our "In the Gallery" program curated by Bevin Keely to exhibit local artists in conjunction with the films and videos at the Little Theater; the "Artists Make Movies" program commissioning film work from Seattle's comic artists, writers, and puppeteers; and an ongoing co-presentation of contemporary works by visual artists, such as Cindy Sherman and Matthew Barney, with the Henry?
Deborah Girdwood, former program director, Northwest Film Forum
SEAN NELSON: You are my new god! Thank you for "How to Talk Good" [Sept 26]. You hit almost every one of my grammatical pet peeves. Now if the people who are guilty of the crimes you detailed only had some chance in hell of reading (not to mention understanding) your article, we'd all be better off.
Sarah Bright, via e-mail
STRANGER: As someone who spends 40 hours a week dealing with the myths and misconceptions surrounding the herpes simplex virus, it was a relief to read such accurate information in your Back to School Issue's "How to Explain That Sore" article [Sept 26]. However, there is one thing that's a bit off: The majority of people who have genital herpes DON'T KNOW THEY HAVE IT, even if they've been having outbreaks for years. One in four people in the United States have genital herpes, and the percentage of people unaware of their infection is as high as 80 percent. It is also possible to have live virus on the surface of the skin just waiting to be passed along, even if someone is NOT having any symptoms. The best way to know if you're clear or not is to GET TESTED. The best way to keep yourself and/or your loved ones clear is to GET EDUCATED. These can be accomplished by calling the UW Virology Research Clinic at 720-4340, or the Harborview STD Clinic at 731-3590. Thanks for helping to keep the creepy-crawlies at bay.
Selin Caka, UW Virology Research Clinic, via e-mail
DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS: In that same "Explain that Sore" article mentioned above, it was stated that a vaccine exists for Hepatitis C when, in fact, there isn't one. We regret the error, of course. Actually, we more than regret the error. We regret run-of-the-mill errors, but this error mortified us. The editor of The Stranger, Dan Savage, is a friggin' sex writer, after all. Why didn't he spot the error? Because he didn't READ THE PIECE! Can you believe it? Sean Nelson edited the Back to School Issue, and Savage figured he didn't even have to give it glance. God, what a dumb asshole.
