THEATER SUCKS

DEAR MR. SCHMADER: What a great article. ["The Intermission Escape Artist," David Schmader, August 4.] I am sure you will get a lot of angry letters, but I have to say this is the way I have been feeling for years now. I got to the point where I had to have a few drinks before I went to a show. Now, I just openly admit that most theater is not worth leaving my dog home alone for.

SS, Seattle

BOOKS BLOW, TOO

TO DAVID SCHMADER RE: "The Intermission Escape Artist." I agree, and want to add that the psycho-cultural movement that is bringing down theater is doing the same to books. Literature, like theater, has become so entrenched as a form that the quality of recent work often goes more or less unquestioned. As a demanding reader, a writer, and a sometime bookseller, I see this happening, and on bad days it makes me feel like I don't belong in the world.

Brian Conn

YOU ASKED, HE LIED?

TO THE STRANGER: By definition, wouldn't a closeted gay politician say that he/she is straight if asked? ["We Asked, He Told," Eli Sanders, July 28.] What did you think he would say? "You got me, you wily political reporter! I cannot tell a lie"?

Apparently, Woodward and Bern-stein could've saved a lot of time if they'd simply picked up the phone and asked Nixon about that burglary down the street at DNC HQ.

Or am I missing something?

Mitch Price

STOP REV. BUDDY

TO THE EDITOR: Today at the barbershop I had the misfortune to resort to reading The Stranger. I came across a cartoon with faux-advice from a preacher in a feeble attempt to satirize the religious fanatics of America. The content of this cartoon is truly disgusting, mocking the death of Pat Tillman. Support the Iraq war or not; support Bush or not: Tillman's death was a tragedy, and he is a hero. Yes, his death should have been prevented, and yes, the army's handling of the matter was despicable. But—what kind of low-life son of a bitch do you have to be to poke fun at someone's death? The religious nuts make themselves look foolish enough on their own; there's no point in making yourselves look worse than them.

Pete Morisseau

bad BIKers

TO THE EDS: I sympathize with cyclists who've been on the business end of a distracted motorist responsible for an acciden. ["Crash Course," Amy Jenniges, August 4.]

But every time I see the issue of cyclists (bike messengers in particular) brought up in print it's always from their perspective. Every accident cited is, of course, the fault of the motorist, never the cyclist. The cyclist is portrayed as this innocent, law-abiding victim and the motorist is made to be the villain. My daily experience paints a completely different picture.

As I drive south on Second Avenue on my way home from work I see a very different cyclist from the ones idealized in print. I see these pedalers running red lights, cutting off cars, threading the needle between lanes, buzzing pedestrians on the sidewalks, and disregarding every traffic law on the books. And I see very little common sense being exhibited by these bikers.

I would love to see a more balanced approach to covering this topic in the future. I don't feel bike-riders take nearly enough responsibility for their own safety.

Rick Hines

FROM THE FORUMS

POSTED BY MASON-BRYANT: Fuck the Blue Angels! Isn't Seattle too liberal to be hosting what amounts to a goddamn Soviet-era military parade complete with fighter jets and boats? All we need is a missile truck to complete the look.

POSTED BY BRODEO: I like the Blue Angels. It's a tradition. Every year a chorus of whiners comes out to complain. It's one weekend a year.

POSTED BY MASON-BRYANT: "It's a tradition in Seattle" seems to be the best reason anyone can come up with for bringing these jackasses here year after year.

Hey, [this is from] the Blue Angels' FAQ: "What is the mission of the Blue Angels? The mission of the Blue Angels is to enhance Navy recruiting..." If you want to call me a whiner for not being happy about a four-day military-recruiting commercial taking place over my house, be my guest.

POSTED BY BRODEO: They are fun to watch and no more of a recruiting tool for the military than the Pride Parade is for homosexuals. When was the last time the Blue Angels knocked on your door or called you at home trying to get you to enlist?

To discuss, debate, or rant about The Stranger, the city, the Blue Angels, or the voices in your head, go to forums.thestranger.com.

CORRECTIONS: While editing Jonathan Raban's essay "Our Secret Sharers" [Aug 4], Amy Kate Horn accidentally typed "17th" in place of "7th" in a phrase about how Sayyid Qtub adroitly collapsed the 20th into the 7th century. Also, in "Lowered Expectations," [Eli Sanders, Aug 4] we wrote that Republican King County Councilman David Irons, who is trying to unseat King County Executive Ron Sims, is a one-term council member. Irons is now in his second term. We also wrote that Ron Sims, questioning Irons's leadership experience, said that Irons has never chaired a council committee. In fact, Irons chaired the county's Utilities and Technology Committee from 2000 to 2001.