Inbox

[November 28th, 2007]

Goodbye and Good Riddance

Remind me again why you are publishing the drivel of a transplant who lived in Portland for a whopping seven years [“Hotseat: X-tian Gunther, Nov. 21]? And while you’re at it, remind me why I should care. Because he lost miserably to Randy Leonard, of all people? Nope. Because he was involved with Imago? Nope. Because he’s “creative”? To be honest, he sounds more conflicted than creative.

And here’s a newsflash for him: Those of us who have lived in this city for the majority of our lives like it. Not only do we not want to be Seattle, or your idea of a “city,” as far as it being “a 1930s Paris,” not only do we feel that’s an impossibly stupid analogy, we don’t want it to be Paris. It’s Portland.

Sure, there are things we could change for the better, but if we have a problem in this town it’s “creative” out-of-towners who swoop in trying to construct it into their likenesses.

And this trash from a guy who was so unhappy with his own name he changed it: “You think you’re saving the world by buying Stumptown coffee? We have Stumptown in Seattle!”

Good. One less reason for you to visit.

Brodie Lewis
Southeast Caruthers Street

What’s best for Gabriel?

The central issue surrounding the permanent placement of Gabriel Allred [“Boys in the Media Bubble,” Nov. 21] is not one of culture, class, or color; it is one of attachment. Human attachment bonds form early, are enduring, and are life-shaping. They are the foundation from which children develop their sense of self and their ability to explore the world, and their disruption or severance brings not only grief but perhaps inestimable developmental consequence.

Gabriel’s foster parents are the primary attachment figures he has known since being removed from the custody of his biological parents. While it may be disappointing to hear political pundits wreak havoc with his situation for their own gain, it pales in comparison to the havoc the state would create for this young boy by ripping him from the attachment figures that provide him safety and security in the world.

Kristine Munholland
North Charleston Avenue

the black and blue line

Your brief article in Murmurs on Nov. 21 regarding the $150,000 settlement in a police case requires a somewhat fuller explanation. My client, Barbara Weich, did indeed curse officer Gregory Adrien before he followed her, pulled her over, punched her in the face and broke her arm. But she did not curse him because she was “angry about the $100 ticket” for a seatbelt violation. Rather, he invited the insult by belittling her after she had pleaded with him to consider giving her a break because of her financial burdens.

Ms. Weich is not the sort of woman who makes a practice of mouthing off to the police. She is instead an artist, a gentle soul who had her own modest coffee shop where she displayed her rather extraordinary paintings. As a result of being beaten and broken, she moved to rural Idaho where she rarely encounters police, and where she struggles to regain the artistic creativity that was knocked out of her.

Gregory Kafoury
Kafoury&McDougal
Southwest Stark Street

Welfare Monkeys

In the piece entitled “Monkey Ethics” [Nov. 21], you refer to existing “animal rights laws.” There currently exist no laws granting animals rights in the United States. Animal rights, as in the animal rights movement, refers to the complete abolition of animal exploitation and the status of animals as property. The laws you mean to refer to are animal welfare laws which maintain that animals are property and seek to merely regulate the welfare of the exploited animals. PETA tends to represent a welfarist position, not one of animal rights. They often use the term “animal rights” to give themselves street cred, so it’s easy to see how one could become confused.Sara Gore
Beaverton

Good as Gold

I read your article of Nov. 14 titled “Curtain Call” with some trepidation. David Gold is my landlord and I have nothing but admiration, affection and respect for him and the way he does business.

While your article was not totally negative, I did not feel it gave Dave enough credit for the generous support he gave to Portland Art Center. Eight months’ free rent for 10,000 square feet at 5th and Couch is no small contribution.

To run a successful nonprofit, you need a compelling mission, space to carry it out, visibility, press and organized fundraising.

Dave generously provided the space and visibility free for eight months. [Director Gavin’ Shettler] and PAC agreed to the terms of the lease. Why didn’t they use that time to raise the money to meet its terms?

D.R. Stussi
President, Gardner-Stussi Tool and Die
North Baltimore Avenue

Debs Drive

Regarding “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” [Nov. 21]: The one person Portland should be naming a street after is Eugene Debs, the socialist and successful lefty labor leader who spoke out against U.S. involvement in World War I and was subsequently convicted of sedition and put in prison, with the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the conviction. He put his freedom on the line and suffered for it. But, alas, Debs was a white male, and you know the rest of that story in lefty PC diversity driven Portland...and it took a conservative crook, Pres. Warren Harding, to free him for time served.

“Bear Bait”
Via wweek.com

We got some ‘splainin’ to do

It’s too bad that the City could not come to a consensus on naming a street after César Chávez. I think the problem was that not enough Anglos were passionate about the legacy of the farm labor leader. I agree that a street should have been named after a Latino, but it should be someone that everyone could agree upon, someone with a little more name recognition.

That is why I submit that North Interstate Avenue, or Southwest 4th, should be re-named Desi Arnaz Boulevard. I know Lucy would have been very proud.

Marshall J. Miller
Northwest Vaughn Street