LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

[May 5th, 2004] WW FOR ROGUE

I was surprised to read last week's issue and find I was chosen as a "Rogue of the Week." While this may be a great honor in some circles, I would rather attain this distinction based on facts.

Your article stated I did not properly report alleged in-kind donations on my Contribution and Expenditure reports (C&E)--in particular, you point to work from "Merc contributors," inferring there was more than one. While a Mercury contributing artist did provide illustrations for our campaign, that illustrator was paid for his work. This was covered in my C&E, a fact Willamette Week did not bother to check.

I respect your curiosity about the volunteers contributing to my campaign, many whom I've met through my work with the Mercury. When you asked during our interview whether I had reported these contributions, my response was completely honest. I was unsure that I needed to, and said, "Perhaps I should."

I have made every effort to run a clean and ethical campaign. After leaving the interview, I immediately called my treasurer, a seasoned campaign veteran. He told me our C&E [reports] are shipshape and that, indeed, we do not need to report work from volunteers as in-kind donations.

I believe I responded appropriately to your concerns. By failing to fact-check your accusations, or simply call the election board for a confirmation, I feel your response was roguishly inappropriate.

Phil Busse
Mayoral Candidate
North Mississippi Avenue

WE'RE NOT ALL SLUMLORDS

After reading "Home Sweet Home" [WW, April 14, 2004], readers may get the impression that all of the so-called slum motels are populated by the "dregs of our society." As a motel operator, I know that many transients rely on these motels as a bridge between homes/apartments because they do not meet the qualifications for renting an apartment.

The article utilizes the deplorable condition of All States to paint all motel operators in broad strokes and does not tell the other side of the story. For example, the authors' charge that the motels' weekly rates are "not cheap" when compared with apartments is an unfair comparison. The authors [Dan Cook and Michael Nicoloff] do not point out that the weekly rates often include daily housekeeping services, free local calls, free cable and utilities. While these services may not be applicable to all motels, they are not uncommon. The authors' choice to present the story solely from the point of view of the tenants leaves me to conclude that they are either blind to the other facts or are purposely slanting the story to make it more compelling to readers.

I'm also appalled that the authors would disclose the street location of the All States owner's residence. What possible journalistic value does this disclosure add to the piece? Moreover, the article's line that "these places" are often run by "recent immigrants" has definite racial overtones.

In the future, please either do a little more research or at least attempt to present a more balanced story.

Mike Wang
Unicorn Inn Motel
Southeast 82nd Avenue

Dan Cook responds: Not all motels are as bad as All States. But few of the motels we visited, including the Unicorn, offered more than basic services to tenants. Safety is an issue at nearly all the motels, particularly for the children. I wouldn't put the blame on most landlords; our society hands them their clientele. It's simply a fact of life in these aging motels.

As for the "extras," everything a motel or apartment owner pays for is reflected in what they charge tenants--and there are many "extras" that aren't charged directly to most apartment tenants.

STROKES NOT WORTHY OF DICK

Providing the millionth answer to a question nobody asked, hipstercrat Mark Baumgarten takes his posturing to a new low in the April 14 issue ["Do Strokes Dream of Electric Groupies?"]. He exploits the genius of Philip K. Dick to analyze...how subversive, how radical...the Strokes?

"In [Philip K.] Dick's story, distinguishing androids--or 'replicants,' as they are known in the film--from humans is paramount to survival. In the world of rock 'n' roll, the stakes are just as high--the trueness of the trumpeted 'return of rock' hinges on it. The honest music fan will admit that this trueness took a hit with the release of the Strokes' sophomore album." Huh.

"The stakes are just as high." You being ironic, Mark? Dude, I don't even know anymore. Probably yes, which is a testament to your pitifully unoriginal mind. Can't think of what to write? You've got an answer: just write whatever you don't mean. Tried and true, a preemptive Just Kidding. It's the trustiest arrow in the quiver of an alt-music alt-writing lightweight. Not coincidentally, it's the type of gimmickry Dick would have killed himself--and boy, did he try--before resorting to.

"The stakes are just as high." Yeah. I can almost hear the nervous, self-effacing chuckle in your keypad.

If that line's not ironic, though, it means you think Dick's dystopic vision of post-apocalyptic society is the same as...deciding which bands to like. Which would be the most pathetic way possible to belittle Dick's greatness--and that's saying something, given the pathos standards of the WW.

So which is it, Mark? I'd really like to know. Really, I would.

Justin Henderson
Southeast Tibbetts Street

Mark Baumgarten responds: My intent with the article was neither to invoke a sense of irony nor to draw a parallel between Dick's dystopia and the Strokes. The article simply asks how we discern the real from the fake, and why the quest for an answer is, itself, so intriguing.

I believe the high-minded assertion that a work of fiction is more important than a living, breathing band is suspect. Some would say the band is more important, because it is actually real. Those people would be music fans. Whether Mr. Henderson is a "real" music fan is open for debate.