THE DULLEST LETTER YOU'LL EVER READ IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE

EDITORS: Okay, so the court has decided Microsoft is a destructive monopoly, and is trying to create a remedy ["Is God Dead?" by Glenn B. Manishin, May 11]. I offer the following option for consideration: Tell Microsoft it has made quite enough moolah from its unethical dominance of the Windows OS, and require it to put its OS maintenance and development in the hands of a quasi-public consensus organization, modeled on ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials], in which application developers, users, manufacturers, and others can participate equally in decisions about the design of the operating environment. The OS is then maintained as an open field, upon which developers compete to create the best application products.

Eric Nelson, Fremont


YOUR SUGGESTION HAS BEEN DULY NOTED, AND FORWARDED TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT HANDLES THESE ISSUES

EDITORS: I'm a regular reader of The Stranger and I just had to write and say how much I enjoyed the two substitute columns written by Tamara Paris [Last Days, May 4 and May 11]. She's fantastic! PLEASE give her a column of her own--you could use more talent like her.

Gina, via e-mail


GIVE COPS MONEY, GET SOMETHING IN RETURN: SOUNDS LIKE A BRIBE TO US

DEAR EDITORS: I just had to respond to Phil Campbell's assertion that tying police pay increases to stricter [police] accountability is akin to extortion ["Accountability--At What Price?" May 18], writing that "Compton essentially wants the city to bribe officers into accepting more accountability reforms." With that attitude, you might as well say that the city "bribes" our police officers to show up to work in the morning! When you give someone a raise, usually it is because you are expecting better work out of them; and better police accountability is something this city desperately needs.

Larry Powelson, Seattle


SEATTLE'S MOST NOTORIOUS PASTRY PIMP NEEDS TO DETACH

DEAR EDITOR: Charles Mudede inadvertently reiterates the contempt for the pimps he despises ["Pimp Role," May 18] as he wonders why and how [prostitutes eventually] give up "120%" of their income to the men who treat them with "affectionate contempt." The pimp's contempt is not even affectionate! His place near the top of the corporate pyramid is built on sexual exploitation, which is the whip held over women in the Third World as they work the 16-hour shifts that keep America going--which in turn keeps Charles in espresso and pastries.

Charles needs to detach himself from the benefits of sexual repression before he can denounce other pimps.

"C.L.P," via e-mail


ART BREAKS OUT

DEAR EDITORS: It's about fucking time you did a piece on Art Chantry ["'Tis Pity She's a Whore," May 18]. Thanks Evan Sult!

Brian Leroy Taylor, owner, BLT screenprinting, Seattle


KATHLEEN WILSON GETS ALL SENTIMENTAL

EDITOR: After reading Kathleen Wilson's sentimental but irritatingly elitist assessment of [Internet] music and Napster [It's My Party, May 18], I feel compelled to point out why the site is beneficial for both listeners and band members alike. If I'm going to drop $16-$20 on a CD that cost less than $1 to produce--with full knowledge that a majority of the profit from the sale is put into the pockets of the record label and not the band--I will need to hear the music in advance instead of blindly gambling on a new release.

Buried in Wilson's comment that "Metallica would be nowhere if it weren't for bootleggers trading tapes early in the band's career" is the obvious fact that putting music into the hands of as many listeners as possible increases a band's fan base (whether the group is new or well-established), and, ultimately, improves album sales. Some people may acquire full-length albums free of charge, but I'm willing to bet that far more people use Napster for the above purposes. Thus, the website seems more like an ally than an enemy of the music-buying public and bands.

Joel Hanson, via e-mail


BOOGERS AND HOTEL SEX AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH MADE THE STRANGER GREAT

"YEAH, UM, my name is Bill, and I've been reading The Stranger since its inception... it's great to see the corporate power chart ["The Stranger 10: Our First Annual Corporate Power Chart," May 11], to see you guys returning to news. It's been awhile; it's great that you write about who picks boogers in restaurants, and about how you hate every movie in town, blah, blah, blah... but it's good to see you returning to your roots, like the exposé you did on the Pacific Place parking garage awhile ago. Corporate-power-chart stuff is cool. I could give a rat's ass about people having sex in hotels ["First-Class Perversion!" by Adrian Ryan, May 11]--golly what a scoop. Anyway, let's have some more news; I know it don't sell papers--I guess cigarette ads and trashy sex stuff does. You were a newspaper once, maybe you can be that again. Keep up the fine work."

Bill, via voicemail

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Stranger didn't have a news section until almost our third year of publication. Stories about people having sex in hotels, Leslie Miller's boogers, and bad movies more accurately reflect The Stranger's roots than any news exposé. And, really, can't a paper have both? If we had to chose between boogers and news, well, let's just say we'd really have to think long and hard before making that particular call.


HOLLY-GOTTLIEB: NEITHER NAIVE NOR EMBARRASSING

DEAR EDITOR: I just wanted to say that I think Allie Holly-Gottlieb's reporting is great, and I hope you hang on to her as long as you can. After seeing the letters about Garfield High School [Letters to the Editor, "Garfield Gobfest," May 11], I went back and read the article, which I had missed. Unlike many of The Stranger's features addressing race issues, this one was straightforward and right on target--not naive and embarrassing to read. Keep up the good work, Allie!

Eric Worden, via e-mail



WHAT BLACK LEADERS ARE REALLY TALKING ABOUT

DEAR PHIL CAMPBELL: What the hell was the point of your article, "Waves in a Fish Bowl"? [May 25] Yes, sir, oh heavens--there are people inside of a movement who disagree! Holy moly, some even use harsher words than others! And, get this, some even have DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW!

Big stinkin' deal.

You speak of the black Seattle community as being "in a fish bowl." You speak of a group of people with little political power, [living with] internal strife. Over which issues? I know our local black activists and community leaders care about, discuss, agree, and disagree over much more than the police brutality you pay an emaciated and brief mention to in your article. What are these issues? What has been agreed on? What are the obstacles to reaching their goals? You don't even get into detail with the police brutality and accountability issues that you DO happen to mention, but simply use a couple of nice sound bites to keep your readers' attention.

If black citizens of Seattle are so marginalized (which I agree is a problem), how can you expect your readers to know the background of issues which concern this group of people? Are we just to assume that they're just the same everywhere? Do another article! Tell us what local black leaders are really talking about, not just what they have to say about one another (or who that coward Schell is using as his "kitchen cabinet of black leaders")! I look to certain kick-ass Stranger writers for entertaining shit pieces, but news features should be the teensy bit of protein in my steady diet of nothing.

J. Macrigeanis, Amazon.com, Seattle


WHAT BLACK LEADERS DON'T EVEN WANNA THINK ABOUT

HI: I need a suggestion. I am a 30-ish, pro-minded white guy. I'm interested in meting black chic's [sic]. I know there's ads and services. Don't like them. Any clubs here in Seattle that would be a good place to hang? Thanks.

Todd via e-mail