SKATERS ARE NICE BOYS
AMY JENNIGES: It's good to see someone writing about the conspicuous absence of skateparks in Seattle ["Shut Out," May 5]. I'm also with a group called Boarders for Parks in Northeast Seattle. We have been trying to get a small skatepark built in Dahl Playfield.

I am the mother of a 14-year-old skater who is a very nice boy, as are all of his skater friends. One of the things that skateboarders have to deal with is the commonly held belief that they are somehow criminals. To combat this impression, Boarders for Parks will be performing community service in the vicinity of Dahl Playfield on June 11. We'll wear matching T-shirts and will be picking up garbage, doing some gardening, and painting over graffiti at nearby businesses.

Teresa Sumearll

ANOTHER SKATER FOR SKATEPARKS
AMY: I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you and congratulate you on your fantastic skatepark article this week. I am a 41-year-old skateboard activist, a member of the skate-activist band the Fakies, a member of both PSSA and SPAC, and close friends with everyone mentioned in the article. I'd also like to thank The Stranger for all of the great PR and support they have given the skate community over the last couple of years, but your article is, by far, the best written and most comprehensive to date.

Mike Shaughnessy

ANOTHER LIBERAL AGAINST SHARKANSKY
EDITOR: Why in the world have you been giving this nasty specimen Stefan Sharkansky any exposure? Do you think his screeds are funny, or is it your idea of "fair and balanced" reporting? I suppose having this crap in The Stranger does your readers the favor of keeping an eye on the enemy. I gotta say, I am mystified about your motivations.

E. Philbin

YOUR ATHEISM IS COOL (SO IS SHARKANSKY)
EDITOR: Most of The Stranger drives me crazy, but I continue to read it because of Larry Mizell Jr.'s hiphop column and Stefan Sharkansky's surprisingly well-written conservative politics column. I made the poor mistake today of reading Dan Savage's rant on the evils of Christianity ["Thank God," May 5]. Most of it concerns the cast of a musical called Miss Saigon. Apparently in the program, many of the staff thanked God for the blessings He'd given them. This riled Savage like no one's business. Apparently actors thanking God in a little space in a pamphlet meant for their messages was "forcing Christianity down people's throats." I'm sorry, Dan, but that's not what shoving religion down people's throats looks like. If you want a good idea of what that actually looks like, maybe you should read about the Islamic government in Iran or the Taliban where women are forced to wear veils and made devoid of any basic human rights. If someone thanking God is so offensive, need I remind you no one forced you to read the program?

I swear something happened in the minds of some liberals (especially those in Seattle) when Bush won on November 2, and that's that they finally snapped and decided there was no need for that tolerance they had been screaming about for the last four decades. They continue to say Bush is a racist even though he has the most diverse cabinet in the history of the country and now they write crap like this about how Christians are stupid.

The Stranger flaunts homosexuality all over the place, which is cool. You have a right to do that. But apparently an actor has no right to thank God for blessing them and their families for their support. That last part seems to not only insult Christians, but anyone who believes in God, or gods for that matter. Well, news flash: THAT IS THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE WORLD.

If you feel that religious people are shoving everything down your throat simply by including God when they thank their family, you might want to find another planet to live on. If you want to be an atheist, that's cool. I have no problem with it. But you can't go screaming at people about being intolerant when you're not willing to be tolerant of them.

Mike

WHAT BLOGS ARE FOR
DEAR MR. SAVAGE: As a bio- editing maven, I just want to give you gigantic thumbs-up for your stand on program biographies. "Just the facts, ma'am," is my motto. Keep it short. Keep it dignified. (I don't cast my editor's eye too harshly at fringe-theater bios--there's gotta be some payoff when working for peanuts.) If actors have some burning message for their "public"--cryptic or overt--I say, "start a website!"

Patricia Britton

Publications Manager

Seattle Repertory Theatre

CORRECTION: In a CD review last week, Charles Mudede guessed that the hidden track on DJ Jester the Filipino Fist's Table for One meshed 50 Cent's rap for "In Da Club" with a piece of music by Les Paul. Mudede was dead wrong; 50 Cent was meshed with Chet Atkins' "Country Gentleman." We regret the bad guess.

MORE LETTERS

SPD LOOSE CANNONS?

EDITOR: I was very disappointed when I read the article about Trey Lamont [“Police Test,” Amy Jenniges, May 5]. It's sad that an intelligent and dedicated "good guy" is now understandably discouraged about joining the Seattle police department.

What I find equally disappointing: I suspect a reasonable member of the Seattle police department allowed his loyalty to his jerk co-worker (the one who sprayed Trey) take priority over human decency because they have to work together. I wonder how often that happens? I hate that "loose cannons" on the force can put responsible co-workers in that position. I'm sure the Seattle police department would breath a sigh of relief if they had more level headed people like Trey on the force so they could do their job with out having to make unfair choices.

Drury May

PUSHING AND PUSHING BACK

AMY: Even though the pepper spray incident [“Police Test,” Amy Jenniges, May 5] was disturbing because I'm sure he'll get a settlement from the city that probably could have been used else, it wasn't as disturbing that out of 41 officers Mr. Lamont could only find one "black" officer at the scene?? You would think that a "supposedly" diverse and progressive city like Seattle would realize how it looks a group of white officers storming a R&B club? When are the citizens and the city of Seattle going to stop letting SPD continue to "push" minorities? When minorities start "pushing back"??? This has got to be great for SPD minority recruitment!!!!!

Dan Tanna

Federal Way

SKATERS DESERVE SPACE

AMY JENNIGES: My name is John Carr and I am a member of the Puget Sound Skateboarding Association and one of the organizers of this past weekend’s Ballard Bowl wake. I would like to give you belated thanks for your continued support of skateboarding in Seattle and – in particular – for your outstanding article on Grindline last week [“Shut Out,” May 5]. With concision, humor, and tremendous insight you got straight to the ironic heart of what has been a source of tremendous frustration among Seattle’s skaters.

On one hand, we are happy to have any media coverage of skateboarding issues that we can get. On the other, not all media are created alike and – as you well know – neither are journalists. Your continued ability to address both the subtleties and the broader issues implicated in such stories as the struggle to build skateparks in the Puget Sound places you at the top rank of Seattle journalists. Your unique ability to “tell it like it is” has incalculably helped an effort that is – at its core – a struggle over whether kids in Seattle who don’t want to wear a uniform or have a coach yell at them will nonetheless be able to claim a place in Seattle’s public spaces.

John Carr

FUCK YOU (P.S. WHAT TIME DO YOU GET OFF?)

MS. BARNETT: I do hope, now, the Stranger will stop gloating and praising Chuck D. and the gang for stealing and returning work (some not returned yet) months and months later [“Filistine’s No Show,” Erica C. Barnett, May 5]. I’m glad to have The Stranger around for certain things, but the last year, especially within the art department and staff writers trying to dig up anything they can on subjects that they do not understand, is crap.

Again, not understanding or really caring about the galleries that had to deal with this, I do hope it helped your ratings among the so called “hip” group of readers. Once that was hip, is no longer when it gets spread around like old mayonnaise on your pages.

I have an idea, how about posting the group’s face shots with phone numbers on the cover of one of your upcoming issues. That would be fun.

Dino Martini

(By the way, it was nice to have met you weeks ago at Greg Lundgren’s office!)

YOUR ATHEISM IS COOL (DIRECTOR’S CUT)

EDITOR: Most of the Stranger drives me crazy, but I continue to read it because of Larry Mizell's hip hop column and Stefan Sharkansky's surprisingly well written conservative politics column. I made the poor mistake today of reading EIC Dan Savage's rant on the evils of Christianity. Most of it is on members of the cast of a musical called Miss Saigon. Apparently in the program, many of the staff thanked God for the blessings He'd given them. This riled Savage like no one's business. Apparently actors thanking God in a little space in a pamphlet meant for their messages was "forcing Christianity down people's throats". I'm sorry, Dan, but that's not what shoving religion down people's throats looks like. If you want a good idea of what that actually looks like, maybe you should read about the Islamic government in Iran or the Taliban where women are forced to wear veils and made devoid of any basic human rights. Or, in the case of Christianity, the history of the Dark Ages. If someone thanking God is so offensive, need I remind you no one forced you to read the program?

I swear something happened in the minds of some liberals (especially those in Seattle) when Bush won on November 2, and that's that they finally snapped and decided there was no need for that tolerance they had been screaming about for the last four decades. They continue to say Bush is a racist even though he has the most diverse cabinet in the history of the country and now they write crap like this about how Christians are stupid. I worked for the Democratic National Committee, marched in anti-war protests and was as liberal as they get but ever since the election I've seen hateful and opinions so uniquely bizarre and grotesque they'd be seen as radical in Vancouver, Brussels or Madrid. (People talk about Europe as a utopia but Europeans don't root for the "Iraqi resistance". They're as anti-terrorism as they are anti-Bush. What a concept!).

To point out how intolerant this writing is, I thought I would take an excerpt from it, replace two or three words, and show everyone how it miracuously sounds like a bigoted right winger.

ORIGINAL VERSION FROM DAN SAVAGE:

But the worst are the Christians.Apparently Christians just have to bear witness wherever the fuck they plop their asses down these days--no opportunity to shove their faith down our throats can be resisted. When we're no longer safe from proselytizing Christians at a musical--the original faggot art form!--something is deeply, deeply wrong.

NEW RIGHT WING VERSION:

But the worst are the GAYS.Apparently GAYS just have to bear witness wherever the fuck they plop their asses down these days--no opportunity to shove their SINFUL AGENDA TO DEGRADE AMERICA'S YOUTH down our throats can be resisted. When we're no longer safe from proselytizing FAGS at a musical--the original AMERICAN FAMILY art form!--something is deeply, deeply wrong.

This is absolutely sick. The Stranger flaunts homosexuality all over the place in their paper, which is cool, they have a right to do that. But apparently an actor has no right to thank God for blessing them and their families for their support. That last part seems to not only insult Christians, but anyone who believes in God, or gods for that matter. Well, news flash, THAT IS THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE WORLD.

Even the politically secular European Union is very, very Christian. That really cold, sparsely populated country north of the border that is on the verge of decriminalizing marijuana and allows gay marriage in the majority of provinces? They're Christian too! The Middle East and North Africa are Muslim. Latin and South America are Christian. Africa is Christian, Muslim and a variety of other religions. India is Hindu. Japan is Shinto. Australia is Christian. Is my point coming across?

If you feel that religious people are shoving everything down your throat simply by including God when they thank their family, you might want to find another planet to live on. If you want to be an atheist, that's cool. I have no problem with it. But you can't go screaming at people about being intolerant when you're not willing to be tolerant of them.

Mike

CHRISTIANITY AND FAGGOTRY: NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

EDITOR: I’m not a regular reader of The Stranger these days, and the Actors as Pharisees [“Thank God,” Dan Savage, May 5] article reminds me why. Can someone please tell me when exactly Dan Savage became a reactionary bigot? [Ed. Note: December 7, 1941.] The size of the bug that crawled up Mr. Savage's ass over the Miss Saigon program bios actually says more about him than anything else. First, the editorial's inaccuracies. “When we’re no longer safe from proselytizing Christians at a musical—the original faggot art form!—something is deeply, deeply wrong.” This presumes that faggotry and Christianity are mutually exclusive. In fact, they are not.

One of the examples of the Miss Saigon cast bios Mr. Savage provides insinuates that using the word “God” indicates that the writer is Christian. In fact, it does not. But enough with the misinformed comparisons.

We knock Dubya for creating policy that discriminates against those of Persian descent. We rant and rail against Microsoft for its lapse in judgment over gay-rights legislation. We don’t like it when the Klan persecutes non-Aryan non-heterosexuals as evil abominations. Why, then, is it OK to prejudge all Christians as rabid witness-bearer bible-thumpers? Oh, I remember: because we’re in Seattle, and our (predominantly white, predominantly straight) little town has to be the most “liberal” of them all.

Graham Jackson

GOD FATIGUE

EDITOR: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank God for leading you to write your article on the ever-present over-thanking of the Lord, Our Savior, Jesus Christ, in theatre (and in all fields narcissistic... including athletics, the practice of law, and all things entertaining with perhaps the exception of Fankick! and Streetbeat performances). I had the opportunity to attend a small college (and participate in theatre there) with one of the named offenders—Eric Ankrim. While he's certainly talented, if I recall correctly, he sure knows it. He can thank "God" all he wants, but the only person he worships is himself. And wasn't it Jesus who said that pride is a sin?

I would appreciate anonymity based on the fact that I'd rather not walk out of my apartment one morning to find my old Volvo adorned with Jesus fish... that is, if these "Christians" still exist on Capitol Hill.

Name Withheld

COME CLEAN, SHELDON

EDITOR: My request of Senator and County Commissioner Tim Sheldon is that he come clean with the voters of his district and county.Sheldon is a one-man political trifecta—a Democrat in the State Senate, an Independent on the Mason County Board of Commissioners, and a Republican in reality.

Like many voters, I find it embarrassing that every time people hear I live in the 35th, they ask when we are going to elect a State Senator who has the guts to call himself what he is. Unfortunately, my response is always the same: a wry smile and a “maybe next time.”

As a State Senator, Sheldon represents Mason County and parts of Thurston, Grays Harbor, and Kitsap Counties. In Reality, he represents only Tim Sheldon. He proved this once again by voting for prejudice and against equal protection under the law.

It’s time for Tim Sheldon to come out of the political closet and proudly declare to the world that he is a Republican. He owes it himself and he owes it to the 35th LD.

John D. Pearce

STREETBEAT VS. FANKICK: CHAPTER BAZILLION

EDITOR: THANK YOU Stranger for putting on the fabulous Dance-off between FanKick and Street Beat at Westlake Center! If you do anything like this again, I'd like to suggest the following improvements:

1) Get a better/louder sound system so we can really FEEL the music

2) Make periodic announcements to encourage more people to sit down so more of the crowd can see.

3) After the winner is announced, crank up the music and invite EVERYONE to dance to Flashdance, Footloose or Fame soundtracks. The crowd was PUMPED and while it was a beautiful thing to see the socializing and then great exodus back up to Capitol Hill all a-jitter, it would've been so awesome if it had erupted into a spontaneous dance party. Especially to one of the aforementioned '80s anthems.

Ginchy Purplecakes

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER, NOW WE FEEL SO MUCH BETTER

DEAR ANNIE WAGNER: I am responding to the article entitled "Body Issues: Several Artists Look in the Mirror, Find Nothing" printed in the January 13 issue. I am a frequent visitor to the bodyBODY website and am very impressed with the efforts of Vanessa McGrady and Amanda Koster. Both men and women can benefit from the bodyBODY project. Please feel free to print this composition:

“Real Women, Real Lives”

A composition by Shane Alan Swaim

Dedicated to the women of the bodyBODY project

To the brave courageous women who bare their bodies and their souls

Shedding clothes and inhibitions standing graceful, proud, and bold

So much laughter, so much bonding, dancing naked without shame

Beauty graces every body for no two are quite the same

Bodies dance with honest passion moving freely to the beat

Diverse emotions show to make the photo shoot complete

Soothing nerves and calming fears, the women cheer each other on

Comparing scars and body flaws, one can't tell by looks alone

Flat abs and firm legs show conditioned athletes

Stretch marks tell of babies, labor pains, and swollen feet

Imperfect breasts, cellulite, and hysterectomy scars

Tell true body stories of the way real women are

Sexual orientation, bodyweight, and cup size

Are parts of one's identity that should never be disguised

Imagine life without diets as natural beauty prevails

In Playboy, Vogue, and Mademoiselle

Our culture yearns for freedom from our weight loss obsession

bodyBODY liberates without apology or repression

The women of "This is Beautiful" show poise and dignity

A healthy body image sets our hearts and minds free

Women are the daughters, sisters, moms, and wives

They all deserve respect for their bodies and their lives

Shane Alan Swaim

LOVING THE ADVERTISERS

EDITOR: Just wanted to thank you for thanking those that make a weekly free [Best of Our Advertisers Issue, July 25, 2002]. A bit late but… praise where praise is due. Thanks for having the balls to fight the "consumption hypocrites" and stand up for the businesses that make The Stranger free.

steve

DON’T CLOSE THE SCHOOLS

EDITOR: I'm writing you today in dismay over the Superintendent's proposal to the School Board addressing the school budget deficit. I've read this proposal now several times and I see the negative impacts that this implementing this proposal would have far outweighing the savings.

Personally, this will have dramatic impact on my family as the restructuring of the clusters would separate my two grade-schoolers. My oldest daughter went to a private school but because of the wonderful program the Seattle school district offered in school-choice we happily elected to send our next two children to public schools. After much research and many school visits we found a very satisfying and fullfilling choice at Adams elementary. My youngest daughter is to start Kindergarden there in the fall. If this proposal passes, she will be yanked out of a comforting enviroment, separeted from her sibling and sent to an unfamiliar school. We don't see this as an acceptable solution. We've read studies that children typically lose half a year of achievement when they change schools. Why must this effect students already enrolled? Why the financial and emotional trauma? I understand the need to save money, but I don't see how this is doing so. If it's the transportation issue, then make the parents responsible for transportation. I have no problem getting my children to and from school. That's what private schools require. If parents choose to send their kids to schools of some distance away then make it a stipulation that they will be responsible for getting them there and back. That's what carpools are all about. It's about choice. Then there is the diversity issue. One of the reasons we chose the school we did was because it was more diverse then our reference school. To some people this is not an issue, but for us it was. Following are other impacts hat we see as relevent to the passing of this proposal: --young families move out of the city --families considering Seattle decide elsewhere; reduction in tax base --fewer people buying houses, cars, and spending in Seattle --affects house buying patterns, altering composition of neighborhoods --more families choose private school, affecting overall public school enrollment and state funding that is granted on a per capita basis; loss of district market share; greater gap between public and private education --negative effects on business community; less business --negative attitude about Seattle and living in Seattle --loss of thriving, diverse culture; less kids in city means fewer kids at playgrounds, museums, etc. --loss of active historic school buildings which provide identity and anchors to communities as well as a bridge between generations; currently schools help define the urban villages --shuttered buildings easy targets for vandalism --concern about neighborhood safety because of unmonitored school lots --combined with the overspending crisis of previous years and the superintendent search problems of 2004; this budget crisis and the district's handling of it will likely exacerbate lack of trust and loss of faith in its effectiveness; may result in voters reversing the levy approval trend Seattle enjoys.

This proposal has far reaching effects on all of us and I plead with all involved to weigh in with our district leaders for some help in finding solutions other than the ones proposed.

Debra Russell and Karl Olson

JOURNALISM 201

EDITOR: Please increase coverage of the Seattle school district's restructing plans. There is a high level of stress and anger among the thousands of parents who have been active in the schools -- it is all people are talking about, and no one can understand the minimal coverage the story has received in the local media.

*Talk to the real estate agents whose phones are ringing off the hook, from parents planning to leave the city because of it

· Talk to the heads of the PTAs, not just in the schools to be closed, but all over -- who are seeing all their years of work destroyed.

· Talk to Stuart Sloan, who has given money to the T.T. Minor School, but who was not consulted about plans to close it!

· Inform people about the elimination of school choice, and the advanced placement program, including Garfield High.

· Talk to school superintendents in other cities -- like NYC -- where the school boards have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations -- rather than kicking donors in the teeth!

There are tens of thousands of parents and other concerned citizens in Seattle who are passionate about this issue -- this is what we want to hear about! Please, give this story the coverage it deserves!

Henry Kautz

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DESK

STRANGER: I am asking you to provide the necessary and appropriate coverage of the recently revealed secret British intelligence memo. This memo, first reported by the Telegraph UK, exposed in black-letter language the fact that the Bush and Blair administrations colluded to manufacture a pretext in order to justify the decision to invade Iraq. Appallingly, this memo and its implications have received scant media coverage. This deserves to be a huge story. Please help make it happen.

James Butzberger

IA DESK, PART II

EDITOR: I ask that your newspaper give proper coverage to its readers of the leaked Downing Street Memo revealing the U.S. preplanning of the Iraq invasion one year before the actual invasion. The media has ignored this over and over and over...many sources have earlier releasedthis shocking story, but the mainstream media has seemingly decided to ignore the turth about this matter. Surely, now that this memo has been released resulting with Congressman John Conyers and 88 other House members demanding an answer from the Bush administration, your newspaper will feel a moral and ethical obligation to cover this story.

Why would you ignore one of the biggest stories of the year? I would be horrified to believe that there might be some type of media cover-up or reluctance to reveal such a prominent sotry. The American people have a right to know the truth. You have the obligation to tell them. I have faith that you will meet this obligation.

John Thomas

NEWS FLASH: BUSH LIES

EDITOR: President Bush's risky privatization scheme cuts benefits 46 percent. A 20 year old who enters the workforce this year would lose $152,000 in Social Security benefits under President Bush's privatization scheme. By hiding behind talk of 're-indexing' benefits, President Bush failed to level with the American people.

Daniel R. Lahey

DOES THIS COUNT AS COVERAGE?

EDITOR: This week a story about Marty Tankleff will be featured on Northwest Afternoon. The air date is May 12, 2005. This story needs additional media attention. This case is one of the biggest injustices of our time and currently in our court system. The Stranger Weekly Newspaper is the perfect venue to feature a story on this. Marty's family is willing to do interviews to help overturn this conviction and bring attention to this issue. I am one of the many advocates who work to bring this case to the media's attention. Any coverage you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact myself or Marty's team for more information.

JR O'Neil

A MAN AND HIS TOOLS

EDITOR: i met Don many years ago. he was the janitor at ingraham high school. an unlikely looking old man for such an interesting story. he has a collection of old gardening tools that he is so very proud of that he brags about them in a such innocent way... it causes you to wonder why a man such as him would keep a collection of old tools....

as a very young child in the early 1930's Don, the son of a very promInent doctor, was a young boy of 8 that had deafness and then had an epileptic seizure. after Don's seizure Don's father immediately placed Don in the "Rainer school" in Buckley Washington. The rainer school was for mentally incompetent persons and usually housed the most severe cases. After the war WWII the laws were changed to force a review of permanently committed individuals upon their age of majority (21).

During the next 16 years Don was not given any education or training and had only monthly contact with his family, but while in Rainer the grounds keepers allowed young Don to assist them in their duties. Don learned how to mow the lawns. Don without assistance or education was given only one chance to ask for his freedom. he said he'd like to try to secure a job mowing lawns and live on his own.

i think this could be a facinating story that has timeless impact especially on the the young and disinfranchised that think that they are having a uniquely difficult life.

jim

DON’T BE SO SURE

EDITOR: Please don't perpetuate the fiction that those children seen with Michael Jackson are his. They are not half-black. You can't bleach sperm. Robert Carlberg