Bullshit.

I remember back in the '80s when the number passed around with shock and dismay was 1 in 5, then 1 in 4, now 1 in 3! ["1 in 3," WW, Feb. 6, 2013.] Hell, one of the charts in this story alleges that 55 percent of women [in Oregon] are victims of sexual assault. More than 1 in 2!

Feminist domestic-violence propaganda has been jumping the shark for 30 years, and once the shark is jumped, the only way to make headlines the next year is to jump it again, but even bigger and more hysterically.

These numbers are fraudulent. They don't reflect actual victims of violence, whom I have nothing but compassion for, but an endless expansion of the definition of victimhood to include nearly everyone with a vagina who has an unpleasant experience....

Shame on WW for propagating this dishonest, dogmatically driven hate-mongering long after its sell-by date.

—"William McGair"

The 1-in-3 figure comes from the World Health Organization, hardly a faction of the "feminist domestic-violence propaganda" machine. The study interviewed 20,000 individual women in rural and urban demographics from 10 different countries. It was released in 2005 and reflects the global scope of intimate-partner violence against women.

—"jaimeroth"

Thank you for this article ["Talking With the Enemy," WW, Feb. 6, 2013]. Certainly, it will give hope and help in a way that appears to meet a need that has not been met. Society could use more [people like] Carrie Outhier Banks.

—"Geo Levieer"

COMPRESSION AND PROPERTY TAX

Our property-tax system is inherently unfair ["Compression Bandage," WW, Feb. 6, 2013]. Two houses with exactly the same real market value (RMV) can pay vastly different amounts.

People in compression are already paying more than $15 per $1,000 in RMV, while others pay much less. So what do Jules Bailey and Sara Gelser propose? [They want] to make an unfair system even more so to those who are already paying more than their fair share. These proposals stink. Go after those who are paying less than the compression limits and bring some equity to our property-tax system.

—"Stuart"

CHEF CATCHES SOME HEAT

[Morgan Brownlow] abuses people in his professional and personal life ["Knives Out," WW, Feb. 6, 2013]. I don't care how big in my britches I got, I would never treat people badly.

He uses fame as an excuse and, really, it's always someone else's fault. Why should someone like that get more chances? Do you choose to use your powers for good or evil? I wish John [Gorham] luck, but sooner or later Brownlow is going to step over the line, and that will be that.

—"rye"

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words.
Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210.
Fax: 503-243-1115. Email: mzusman@wweek.com.