WHO THE HELL IS GUS HALL?

EDITORS: Thank you for this reassuring person-on-the-street interview ["History Now," Dec 20]. With all the knee-jerk flag-waving taking place, it is reassuring to see that the newest batch of young adults are capable of independent thinking reflecting social conscience.

Those who voted for Gore, anyway.

The biggest tragedy is that the terrorists didn't take out 3,000 homeless people and their social workers. Then maybe those millions of dollars being diverted from local charities to middle-class New Yorkers would have gone to help people and organizations who most desperately need the money.

Phil Kouse, voted for Gus Hall in 1972, via e-mail


SEATTLE IS NOT JUST AN EMPTY ABSTRACTION

THE STRANGER: Here I am, nearly two weeks after Emily White's article and still mad about it, or more generally, the attitude it represents ["The Disappearing Rich People," Dec 13]. I sincerely hope that the next time she sees a "For Rent" sign, she thinks of the people and reasons behind the sign, rather than just some kind of empty abstraction called "Seattle."

Ivan Wood, Fremont


CHARLES MUDEDE: LOST?

TO THE EDITOR: Charles Mudede's Green River Killer story in the most recent issue contains some inaccurate information pertaining to the geography ["Negative Land," Dec 20]. He keeps referring to people finding things near Interstate 90, such as, "On February 14, 1984, a man looking for moss found skeletal remains in a park near I-90." I believe this should have been I-5, since I-5 is what runs south through SeaTac.

K. Mithoug, via e-mail


CHARLES MUDEDE: UNREADABLE?

EDITORS: It takes far less than a simple typesetting error to make an article unreadable; adding "by Charles Mudede" to the top of a column does it every time ["Negative Land," Dec 20].

James, via e-mail


ATTENTION MOVIE STUDIOS: THIS GUY'S STAYING HOME FROM NOW ON!

DEAR EDITOR: This is an open letter to big chain movie theater managers: Knock it off with the commercials ["Reel Cash," Pat Kearney, Dec 27]. We're paying $8-plus to watch your lousy movies. And for the most part, they have been pretty stinky lately. Now you have to annoy us even more with commercials? Talk about one more reason not to go to your theaters.

Do you know why it's free to watch TV? Because advertisers pay for it, and I'm free to leave the room without tripping over a dozen people to avoid the ads. So here's the deal: You want us to watch your movies with the commercials that can't be muted or fast-forwarded over, you subsidize the show. Charge me $4. Or give me free junk food. Or maybe tell the studios to quit boring us with all that Vanilla Sky crap they've been dishing out, so actually showing up is worth our while. And please, please, please don't put the hurt on us just because you were too stupid to realize that you'd never fill the 30-plexes out in the 'burbs.

If I really wanted to watch commercials, I'd save myself the $8 and stay home to watch TV. And that's what I'm gonna do.

Joel, via e-mail

Let them eat cake

EDITORS: A program that has a two-thirds success rate doesn't seem like a waste of city money to me, and is certainly less of a waste than city money spent on jail ["Therapy for Bullies," Amy Jenniges, Dec 27].

And Amy, guess what? If half of DV offenders "don't make it to the first session," then (duh!) the city doesn't incur the $3,700 annual cost of treatment for them. While journalists in general seem to be incapable of understanding mathematics, let alone rudimentary financial analysis, you take the cake.

Anonymous, via e-mail


AFTER THREE TRIES HE FINALLY GETS HIS LETTER PUBLISHED

(AND ALL HE GETS IS THIS SNIDE HEADLINE)

DEAR SEAN NELSON: While I was reading your heartfelt tribute to George Harrison ["For You Blue," Dec 6], I was just about to forgive you for all of your crappy, self-righteous film reviews of the past. Thankfully, I held my tongue and finished the article. What's your deal bro? Do you really think George would have wanted the N30 protesters to have stayed home to mourn his death, and not ventured out in the street to speak out for what they believed? If you do, you don't know the first friggin' thing about the man, so go back and listen to his albums again, pay attention to the lyrics, and then come back and talk to us. Incidentally, I was out there with a sign paying tribute to George--"I don't know how someone controlled you, they bought and sold you" (from "While My Guitar Gently Weeps")--and I got arrested for not giving that sign up to a little piggie. So let me ask you something, Sean: Are you one of them?

Jason, Capitol Hill

P.S. Just so you know, "little piggie" and "Are you one of them?" are references to Harrison songs ["Piggies" (White Album) and "Within You, Without You" (Sgt. Pepper's)].


A SPARK OF RATIONAL THOUGHT

Dear Mr. Savage: I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed and appreciated your piece deconstructing the ludicrous claim by the right wing that John Walker is representative of Marin County as a whole ["Stop Picking on Marin," Dan Savage, Dec 27]. Using the Columbine perps was a particularly poignant way of making your point, since that event evokes the same kind of emotion as 9-11, albeit on a smaller scale. While most of the media is riddled with unprecedented right-wing bias these days (despite what Bernard Goldberg thinks), it's refreshing to see a spark of rational thought. Keep up the good work.

Steve Smugar, via e-mail


THE I.D. HAS NO HEART

To whom it concerns: It's been a while since I've done any shopping in the International District and I was planning on heading there soon to spend some money, but since reading Amy Jenniges' article "Scrooged" [Dec 27], I've changed my mind. It seems that May Wan and the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce are blaming their troubles on an easy target, and as a result have shelved their social conscience.

I do agree that the business people in the International District deserve the respect of being asked for their opinion in any and all community matters, but now that we have Wan's and the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce['s opinions], I think it's safe to say they need the public's feedback. The reality is that since the September 11 attack, most of Seattle's business community is suffering, but it pales in comparison to the suffering that members of the homeless community experience on a continual basis. I'm also sorry to inform Wan and her entourage that public parking "sucks" in the entire downtown area, and it isn't caused by any of those wandering souls. I urge everyone with a conscience to save some money on parking costs and frequent businesses outside of the International District, especially those with heart.

I think Wan and the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce need to reconsider their stance. Any business that blames its economic woes on a very small minority, with little influence, is a business that deserves to suffer, fail, and "die." It can thereby be replaced by one with a compassionate nature. Or maybe the business could be "reborn" with greater understanding and an open heart.

Michael, via e-mail

DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS: Now that 2002 has officially arrived, we here at The Stranger are already looking forward to (and regretting) the mistakes we are sure to make during the year. Mistakes such as:

路 Calling Carissa's Wierd "Carissa's Weird."

路 Confusing Pike St. and Pine St.

路 Saying that Bottle Rocket was Wes Anderson's first feature film.

路 Calling the Elevated Transportation Company the Elevated Transportation Corporation (and vice versa).

路 Neglecting to hyphenate the word "vice-versa."

路 Attributing a photo by Adam L. Weintraub to Annie Marie Musselman.

We will, of course, regret these errors.