Inbox: Finding Lies In Our Truths

It turned out that your lead story, ["Lies My Newspaper Told Me," WW, March 14, 2012], wasn't about lies other papers told me. It was an article of lies, or at best lame quarter-truths, being told me by WW. In an attempt to be contrarian, cynical and snarky, WW strayed deep into shoddy journalism and pants-on-fire territory. The part that ticked me off most is where WW twisted the truth to try to convince the good citizens of Portland not to do the right thing. 

Take buying local and organic veggies. Your writer started his attack by referring to "$9 tomatoes," as if that's what buying local involves. Balderdash! I've never seen anything approaching a $9 local tomato; $1 and $2, yes. I buy lots of local and organic tomatoes each year, primarily at the farmers market. Typically they cost only marginally more than supermarket tomatoes that are not worth buying at any price.

Or take driving a fuel-efficient hybrid. Your writer's line of attack is that hybrids burn so little gas that surely their drivers are tempted to drive so many additional miles they end up burning more gas than a Hummer. If that's true, it doesn't prove the point. Most American homes, like mine, have more than one car. In the eight years since we bought a hybrid, we have significantly reduced our overall miles driven, increasing the commuting we do by MAX and bike. We do put a lot of miles on our hybrid, but not because we drive more, but because we use the hybrid instead of the other car whenever possible. We have drastically cut our gas consumption and CO2 output, while also saving money on gas.

Steve Cook
Southwest Portland

MORE GOOD THAN BAD AT L.O.

Every school has its ups and downs, and this year Lake Oswego High School has felt those ups and downs in the strongest way possible ["State Champs' Personal Fouls," WW, March 7, 2012]. In late November, a beloved fellow Laker lost her life in a tragic and sudden manner. Three weeks later, we won our first football state championship. Finally, in the past two weeks, we have faced something no one expected: cyberbullying on the popular social networking site Twitter.

Two "LO Rumors" Twitter pages were created, as well as one impersonating our vice principal. The pages targeted a number of students, many of whom were extremely hurt and offended by the comments. The story doesn't end there, however. A number of students aided the administration in trying to find the culprit behind these hurtful tweets. They quickly ended their activity when it was apparent the student body would not tolerate this behavior.

Lake Oswego High is a community. I have never been to a school with a more supportive environment. As a member of the Associated Student Body, I see the support and love members of our school feel for each other. To stereotype us a group of spoiled, racist teenagers based on a handful of students who made unwise choices is not appropriate.

—Hannah Williams, 18
ASB director of assemblies, Lake Oswego H.S.

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