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OVER THE BORDERLINE
As painful as it was to read, the cover article by Maureen O'Hagan about my sister, Sherri ("All Cracked Up...and no place to go," WW, Feb. 4, 1998), was written with sensitivity and insight. While treatment options for chronically suicidal borderline personality sufferers continues to be extensively researched, those diagnosed with this illness are subject to prevailing ignorance. Some would have us believe that Sherri, and others like her, are not "mentally ill" because they've been diagnosed as BPDs. Actually, borderline personalities often do have accompanying disorders. Prior to her arrest, Sherri's primary diagnosis was "schizoaffective disorder," referred to often in the 1,400 pages of documents on her mental condition. Recognition of this diagnosis by the court could have made a difference for her. However, the "schizoaffective" seemed to be ignored in favor of the "pain in the ass diagnosis." This tag colored the way doctors, nurses, jail staff and judges viewed her behavior. The assumption was that Sherri was "acting out" and could always assert control over her self-defeating behavior. The prescribed penalty was denial of care and imprisonment. States such as California and Washington have recognized the legal and moral imperative to treat, rather than merely incarcerate, the mentally ill. Colorado has constructed secure hospital environments as alternatives to prison for the ill. What will it cost Oregonians to continue locking-up, mistreating, and denying care to the mentally ill...and then releasing them as if "rehabilitated?" I can only continue to hope Sherri will survive this struggle, given the tools to tend her growth and reemergence. Scott Weber, Southeast 48th Avenue
PORTLAND'S POWER
Regarding the Buzz item "Where the Boys Aren't" [WW, Feb. 4, 1998], in which Jennifer Howard pisses all over Portland upon her return to Philadelphia.... I grew up in Philadelphia. My parents still live there and I returned to visit this past summer. So I think I can draw a fair comparison. I knew I was back in the city of Brotherly Love the moment I entered the rental car agency, where the agent at the desk was screaming at a customer, "Whatsa mattah!!?? Don't you read a contract when you sign it?!!" The culture in Philadelphia is a hostile, in-your-face aggressiveness that's a shocking contrast to the more mellow West Coast. Put simply, the people are RUDE. (That may explain Ms. Howard's inability to get a date in Portland.) As for tree-huggers, Philly could use a few more. The air is filthy, the streets pot-holed and much of the urban landscape is a sprawling wasteland of abandoned factories, toxic dumps and windowless row homes. A city wage tax and a notoriusly corrupt, inefficient city government have driven most of the middle class to the suburbs. The infrastructure is collapsing. The schools stink. Virtually every attempt to do something good in the way of urban planning become hopelessly mired in political infighting. The city's attempt to create something akin to Portland's transit mall has been a pathetic failure. You can get decent coffee, however. Starbucks has arrived in Philadelphia, so there should be an adequate supply now of "white guys who make coffee for a living." Want better weather? The weather here has Philadephia's beat by a long shot. During my summer visit, the temperatures hit 102 nearly every afternoon. The humid, smoggy air made it even more unbearable. Winters can be harsh, with snow and ice lingering for weeks, during which time the city snow usually turns black from traffic and the sooty air. Temperatures can plunge to zero, and a weeklong spell of temperatures in the teens or 20s is not unusual. Shopping in Philadelphia can't be THAT great. Two of the city's long-standing local department stores, Strawbridge & Clothier and John Wanamakers, were forced to close their doors in the last decade. (It would be like seeing Meier & Frank close here.) Ms. Howard didn't mention outdoor recreation. And Philadelphia has so much to offer. Whereas we're stuck with the stunning Oregon Coast, they've got Atlantic City and the congested Jersey shore. We've got the Cascades, they have the Poconos. We've got Waterfront Park, they've got...well, I-95 lines most of the river downtown. As one of the "10 perecent white and married" Portlanders, I can't comment personally on the dating action here. I do see young couples strolling hand-in-hand downtown on a Friday evening, and the Pilsner is always packed, so I'd bet somebody's dating someone. Some people don't know a good thing when they see it. I'm sorry Ms. Howard is so sour on Portland. For this former Phildelphian, this is a city that works. Jeffrey Lawton, Portland
SHOWDOWN IN THE SENATE
I was recently branded a "loser" in your "Winners and Losers" column [News Buzz, WW, Feb. 4, 1998]. You stated that in a showdown with Senate President Brady Adams over the siting of a new prison in Wilsonville that I had backed down and lost the battle. Someone forgot to provide you with the facts. Yes, I was upset that the Emergency Board effectively reversed the will of the Legislature regarding the siting of the women's prison and intake center. Both chambers of the Legislature passed bills that would prohibit prisons from being built in neighborhoods or next to schools. I still believe that is good public policy. Three-fourths of the Republican caucus also believes that the requested expenditure is excessive. Paying $133,000 per bed is an outrageous expense that taxpayers should not have to shoulder. Further, the Department of Corrections only valued the Dammasch property at $2.5 million, approximately 1/10th its real market value. The big loser is the Oregon taxpayer. With respect to my confrontation with Brady Adams, the battle has just begun. I encourage you to examine both the leadership roster and the Ways and Means Committee membership when we begin session in 1999 to determine whether I have lost the war. Sen. Randy Miller, Oregon Legislature
SHE'S NO ROLE MODEL
Regarding Lon Mabon's identifying with Queen Esther ["He's Back," WW, Feb. 11, 1998], the story of Esther's rise to power is overlooked by biblicists for good cause. This story shows the Bible to be the despicable book that it is. King Ahasuerus summoned his wife, Queen Vashti, presumably wearing only her crown, to display her beautiful body before his bawdy guests. Vashti refused to degrade herself, and he banished her for upholding her womanly honor. According to Esther, Chapter 2, it took Ahasuerus nearly three years to find a replacement for Vashti. "All the fair young virgins" in the land were brought to the palace. Each evening, a different woman was brought into the king's chamber and remained until the next morning. A thousand young women were sacrificed upon the king's altar of lust. Finally, "the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti." Mind you, no language in the Bible denounces Ahasuerus' actions. Why, then, would Mabon identify with Esther? Has he studied the story of her rise to power? And what is the nature of Mabon's rise to power? Did he prostitute himself to that contemptible group which eventually became the Oregon Citizens Alliance and the Christian Coalition, that he may "obtain favor in their sight"? Cliff Walker, editor, Critical Thinker
Center for Rational Thought, Southwest 13th Avenue |
