Skip to main contentThank you, WW, for bringing attention to this issue ["The Fight for Justice for Oregon's Transgender Inmates," WW, April 16, 2014]. We desperately need prison reform in this country.
Allowing institutionalized violence against transgender prisoners promotes institutionalized violence against all prisoners. Gay, straight, woman, man—whatever. No one is safe when society is allowed to treat prisoners as less than human.
When you stand up for transgender prisoners, you are standing up for yourself.
—"Melissa"
Just reading this article makes me sick to my stomach—how can these prison officials get away with this?
Our prison system needs to be changed to accommodate transgender people, and inhuman treatment of a prisoner should be punished by law.
That these officials are still in their jobs is unbelievable; they need to be removed.
—"Susi Rogler Lantz"
There is such a thing as "cruel and unusual" punishment, and it is forbidden under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Withholding necessary medical treatment has long been considered to meet the standard of "cruel and unusual."
Just because you're convicted of a crime doesn't mean you have no rights.
—"Smattering"
You're asking the least enlightened state government agency to deal with one of the most complex socio/medical/sexual issues possible. Good luck with that.
—"Irving Berliner"
LABELING OF GMO FOODS
GMO proponents think these crops can be a magic panacea that can solve the world's problems ["Put a Label on It," WW, April 16, 2014]. They don't understand the market forces that drive innovation in this field aren't pushing in those sorts of directions.
The tone of this article is incredibly condescending, just like most of the fluoride articles.
Don't believe in medicating the water supply? You're anti-science! Would like accuracy in food labeling? You're anti-science!
This is exactly what pushed many people to vote against fluoride, and it's what's going to push people to vote for GMO labeling.
—"BigJared"
GMO labeling is not about the science, it's very simple: give us the information so we can make our own decisions about what we buy and eat.
The big chemical companies that create genetically modified foods have been operating in secret for too long. Consumers want transparency—especially in food products.
—"worldly12"
DEPT. OF CONFUSION
Your paper edition should come with the warning: "Headlines not to be taken literally."
I nearly had a meltdown when I read the [front-page teaser] "The New Ziploc Ban." Thinking the Portland City Council had found a new environmental evil to outlaw, I was starting to make alternate plans for storing my lunch-bag snacks.
But then I read the article ["Cloudy Days," WW, April 16, 2014] and realized that WW was using "Ziploc" as a metonym for "marijuana storage and transport devices."
The question now is, what can I do with my stockpile of 527 boxes of Ziploc bags I rushed out to buy before this perceived "ban"?
—"Thin-ice"
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WWeek 2015