WW welcomes letters to the editor via mail, e-mail or fax. Letters must be signed by the author and include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Preference will be given to letters of 250 words or less. Behind The Badge I was impressed with Willamette Week's objective reporting in "Strong-Arm Tactics" [WW, Oct. 27, 1999]. You reported on a specific event with little sensationalism and allowed both sides to give their perspectives. The article was not the cop-bashing rhetoric most law-enforcement professionals expect from the "liberal press." Then I read "Petal Extremities," a letter to the editor from Brett Hay [WW, Nov. 3, 1999]. In a few paragraphs Mr. Hay slanders, insults and demeans a profession that is filled with thousands of dedicated men and women representing all races, religions and cultures. He takes one incident, twists it to his agenda, then uses it as an excuse to voice every tired cop stereotype he can remember. Mr. Hay slings hate at an entire group of people he obviously knows little about. Give me a break! I guess it's easier to name-call and finger-point than it is to educate oneself and break ingrained prejudices. In his letter Mr. Hay challenges the Portland Police to take action against a minuscule population of urine-dumping truckers. I now issue a challenge to Mr. Hay. Come on a ride-along with a donut-eating, overpaid, moronic high-school graduate and learn what it's like to be on the other side of the badge. I promise to treat you with the dignity and respect you denied me and my fellow officers. What have you got to lose? Officer F.R. Gorgone North Precinct North Philadelphia Avenue He Who Laughs First Q: What made John Callahan's cartoon about "overly sensitive-to-slander" Jews so far off the mark [WW, Nov. 3, 1999]? A: Its complete lack of basis in any reality or logic. To wit: How many times have you heard expressions like someone "jewed" me down or up...about something? Now, how often have you heard the same expression using Catholic'd me down, or Mormoned me down,...etc.--you get the idea--and the answer is...never! Few other religions or cultures have suffered like the Jewish people, and yet, in reality, their sense of humor is deep and potent as a tool for survival and self-affirmation. Callahan's cartoon implies that Jews won't allow barbs or pokes at themselves by others, and anyone who knows anything about us knows that when there is a clear division between playful humor and bigotry, at the former we are the first to laugh, and heartily! Jay Harris, mensch Northeast 24th Avenue Gun Worship Promotes Violence Every day, gun-toting individuals such as Mr. Marcus W. Tempey ["My Gun Makes Me Safe," WW, Oct. 27, 1999] need to justify their fear-based, emotional, almost religious attachment to firearms by spouting their endless vacuous rhetoric, based on their constitutional and God-given right to bear arms. What gun-packing individuals such as Mr. Tempey do not realize is that there are literally enough guns in this country to supply every man, woman and child...twofold. What has ultimately been proven is that, if you take an emotionally unstable society, which resorts to anger at the slightest provocation, feed it a daily diet of violence, add automatic weapons in limitless amounts and make them easily accessible, you then end up with a society such as ours, which continues to kill our children in our schools. People like Mr. Tempey, who worship the gun, promote this kind of violent society. We will always have violence in our country as long as weapons are continually manufactured at astronomical rates and are made readily accessible. We will never be safe until we are taught to lose our anger and to lose our concept that adjusting the constitution for the future safety of our children is not so sacrilegious after all. Ronando Long Southwest 4th Avenue Justice, Not Payback I don't know why Steve Doell wanted to show a picture of his murdered daughter Lisa to Arwen Bird ["To Be Continued," Nov. 3, 1999], but I can hazard a guess. While masquerading as a defender of crime victims' rights, Arwen Bird has shown great sensitivity to violent criminals and complete callousness to victims. I have spoken to many, many victims who are incredulous and outraged at Ms. Bird's posturing. Ms. Bird has put out the smokescreen that what victims need most is restitution from rehabilitated criminals. This is revealed as the fraud that it is when exposed to the light of victims of murdered children, parents, siblings and spouses. No restitution can repay Steve Doell for the loss of his child. No restitution can repay my friend Debra Oyamada for the loss of her husband to a vicious violent criminal paroled after six months of a five-year sentence. No restitution can repay the Ferlitsch family in Tigard for the loss of their father and his granddaughter to a habitual intoxicated driver who had already killed two other people. No restitution can repay my friend Mona Simons for the loss of her brother, whose killer was set free by a judge after a jury voted unanimously to convict. These people want justice. Ms. Bird is attempting to steal that from them and replace it with an illusory restitution. This is a calculated fraud. Howard Rodstein Crime Victims United Getting With The Program I have some outstanding news for Daniel Duford, Willamette Week's new visual-arts writer. In the Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 editions, he bemoans Portland's "lack of a quality masters program" [Visual Arts listings]. Actually, Portland State University began offering an excellent mentor-based Masters of Fine Arts curriculum in 1970. Mr. Duford may remember last season's exhibit, Carrying On, honoring Mel Katz's 33 years of mentoring young artists at PSU. That show, at PSU's Autzen Gallery, also featured the works of 47 former students of Mel's, including Lucinda Parker, Bill Plympton, Rene Rickenbaugh, Ann Shiogi and Matthieu Gregoire. The quality of our students is the best argument for the quality of our program. MFA graduates include Laura Ross-Paul and Gwen Davidson, who exhibit at Froelick Adelhart Gallery; Gina Wilson and Margaret Shirley, who exhibit at Laura Russo Gallery; Elise Wagner, who exhibits at Quartersaw Gallery; and Kay Slusarenko, former chair of the Art Department at Marylhurst College. The School of Fine and Performing Art has reason to be proud of our MFA program, as does the community. The Autzen Gallery in Neuberger Hall at PSU is a frequent showcase for our MFA candidates. I hope that Mr. Duford will take the opportunity to see for himself the talent coming out of the Department of Art when we mount our next MFA Thesis Show. Robert Sylverster, Dean School of Fine and Performing Arts, Portland State University The Circle Of Trash Reporter Nick Budnick deserves compliments for showing the breadth and complexity of the solid waste and recycling field ["Rubbish: 10 Troubling Truths About Recycling," WW, Oct. 27, 1999; Nigel Jaquiss co-authored the story]. He accurately portrays Portland households as recycling far more than the national average. However, in the introduction to the article it was incorrectly implied that recyclables set out by residents could possibly be landfilled. Local recycling collectors do not landfill recyclables set out by residents and would face strong penalties for doing so. An independent study of commingled recyclables collected in the Portland area indicated over 99 percent of what is put in recycling bins gets recycled. The remaining material, less than 1 percent, consists primarily of things that shouldn't have been put into the recycling bin in the first place, such as non-recyclable plastics or food-contaminated paper. Recyclables are sent to a variety of industries and are used to replace virgin materials, thus saving natural resources, energy and water consumption in the manufacturing process. The U.S. EPA also concludes that the reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from industries using recycled materials is significant and recycling is one of the most positive environmental steps citizens can take in their everyday lives. It should also be noted that while the cost of collecting recyclables has increased over time, the change to commingled recycling collection will not bring haulers "extra profits." Clearly there are cost savings in the collection of commingled recyclables; containing costs is one reason to change our recycling program. The cost savings will be used to reduce rates or hold down potential rate increases for customers through Portland's public rate-review process. Bruce Walker Residential Manager, Solid Waste & Recycling Program City of Portland - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published November 10, 1999