DEAR EDITOR: I was delighted to see the lovely and thoughtful review of my recent book, Soul of a Citizen ["What Really Matters," Stacey Levine, March 30] -- but not the snide caption [under] the accompanying photo: "Paul Loeb is a better person than you are." Obviously whoever wrote the caption never even glanced at the book (or even the review), since my core theme is that social activism is not about our having to meet the "perfect standard" of becoming some kind of morally superior saints, but about acting on our beliefs as best we can, and learning as we go.

I assume whoever created the caption was trying to be cute. But it's precisely that kind of reflex sniping that drives so many good people away from political involvement, and lets slimeballs like our own Senator Slade Gorton get elected and re-elected because we're too cool or too cynical even to vote. Yet, as we showed the world during the WTO protests, we have a hell of a lot of power when we actually take a stand.

Paul Loeb, West Seattle

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: I wrote the caption. If you are unable to see how your writing a brave, impassioned, intelligent book about the importance of social activism makes you a more admirable person than the 10 zillion people who will never write a brave, impassioned, intelligent book about the importance of ANYTHING, I don't know what to tell you. But it is precisely this kind of reflex sniping that drives so many good people to dismiss all well-meaning lefties as humorless dolts.

TO THE STRANGER: David Schmader just had to go and throw an impassioned anti-Dr. Laura blurb into his highly enjoyable Last Days [March 30]. His indicting the "questionable wisdom" of Paramount and KING 5 was especially a hoot! Working for a rag that bends over backwards for attention (in TV Land, we call 'em "ratings"), one would think he'd at least have gained a glimmer of insight into the dark underbelly of the entertainment biz. I think it's time Schmader gets out the Vaseline and takes it like man. Hello! This is America, for Godsakes!

Henry Harold, Web TV, via e-mail

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: Should the time come for Dr. Laura and Paramount and KING 5 to fuck me up the ass, I will most certainly "take it like a man." But until that time I will exercise my God-given rights as an American and complain, complain, complain.

CHARLES MUDEDE: In your recent sorry review of the new film Rules of Engagement ["Roman Entertainment," April 6], you wrote, "I won't reveal the specific plot details that turn the movie into a laughingstock." Maybe that's because there were none, you slacker! You also rambled, and I quote, that the film's "plausibility is contingent on audiences' utter ignorance of both the constructs of political power and the most basic media technology."

Bullshit.

As someone who has worked for a U.S. congressman who serves on the House National Security Committee, and as someone whose roommate is a U.S. Marine, I found the movie to be not only credible, but also entertaining. You, on the other hand, are a bush league hack who clearly has no understanding of how the U.S. Marine Corps and the American government operate. If you think a film sucks, give me tangible examples, such as specific technical, performance, and accuracy flaws that support your opinion.

Chris Mergerson, Renton

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: Charles' original review explicitly named the "specific plot details that turned the movie into a laughingstock." These were excised from the published version to preserve those stupid plot twists for gullible dingbat moviegoers, particularly those with sexy Marine roommates.

TO THE EDITOR: Thanks very much for Bret Fetzer's article ["Dominatrix Redux," April 6]. It provides a welcome counterpoint to the inaccurate "Top to Bottom," by Kiku Shuji [Seattle Weekly, March 23]. Mistress Matisse's concern for safety and competence in the practice of S&M and her respect for her clients are much more in keeping with the attitude of the serious members of the S&M/leather/fetish community. By showing your readers the ethical side of professional domination, you have helped correct the damage done by Shuji's piece.

Simon James, Portland, OR

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: I had nothing to do with this piece. Still, I'm glad you liked it.

Dear STRANGER: So, Mistress Matisse "has little patience for psychoanalysis...." Well, shit, sure. If her clients actually gave some thought as to why they need to be trussed up and flogged on a regular basis, if they actually worked through their conflicts and control issues, then Mistress Matisse would be out of business.

M. B., Seattle

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: You know what would be great? If therapists and professional dominatrixes formed opposing softball teams. Fifty bucks says the pro doms whup ass.

ERIN FRANZMAN: I just read your review of Black and White ["Racial Injustice #1," April 6], and in true typical Stranger fashion, you missed the point. I took offense with your use of the word "wigger," as it was NOT used in the film; so that itself is a racial slur against white kids who like hiphop. You want so badly [for] this film to sum up race relations for everyone everywhere, [but] that was not this film's intent. It was simply showing how SOME people choose to live. And what is a stereotype if the stereotype exists? Truth. Seattle is very resistant to anything having to do with BLACKNESS, and your review only proves my point.

Lyn Monique Rae, via e-mail

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: I haven't seen Black and White, so I can't say who's right between you and Erin. However, I did recently rent The Godfather, and boy was it good. It doesn't feature any "wiggers," but there are a lot of Italians running around blasting the shit out of each other. Plus, the acting's really good, especially Al Pacino, who, when he was young, was sexier than 10,000 Marine roommates.

DEAR STRANGER: Erin Franzman's review of the movie Black and White could not be further off-base. The review is so unbelievably bad that I wonder if we even saw the same movie. Franzman misses most of all the points the movie was trying to make. The only injustice is telling moviegoers to stay away. "We're supposed to accept wealthy, Manhattan private-school kids as a microcosm of white America...." We are? Was that on the [movie] poster or something? I thought those characters represented what they were supposed to be -- wealthy, Manhattan private-school kids; or is that not a big enough scale for Franzman's "this movie is a big stereotype" review?

"Bijou Phillips... stands out for being worse than the material... her attempted "street" accent comes out as Southern belle." Maybe that's because she's white, playing a "wigger"! They are white kids talking like black and it doesn't sound right. That's the point. This is far from a perfect movie, but you didn't even give it a chance. If anything, the movie was the most realistic view [to date] of white suburban kids mixing with today's popular gangsta culture.

Travis Shields, via e-mail

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: You say that Black and White is "far from a perfect movie." The Godfather, on the other hand, is very close to a perfect movie -- except for one thing: Diane Keaton. I mean, I fucking love Diane Keaton, but her performance in The Godfather sucks far worse than anything Bijou Phillips may or may not do in Black and White. If you wanna see Diane Keaton kick ass, though, check out her performance in Love and Death.

EDITORS: Trisha Ready captured the essence of our happy, homicidal republic ["Jesus Is Out," April 6]. For many years, the inability to be wreathed in cretinous wall-to-wall grins made me feel like a moral monster. Homilies were fired at me as though they were cannonballs. None took effect. My life has been, in effect, a retreat from the "concerned" and solid citizens. Surely there is a little [place in] Heaven, administered by a sober God, for those who are happily UN-happy.

Anonymous

DAVID SCHMADER RESPONDS: You seem smart and nice. Would you like to get together and watch a movie? Maybe The Godfather, Part 2?