". . . you don't have to . . . hug each other and do an hour-long news special—but it might be time to pull the proverbial head out of the ground."

SOUND OF ROCK

I have never been a serious reader of your magazine. I glanced at the Bumbershoot coverage ["It's a Wrap," Sept. 6] and was sorely perturbed. It seemed to have a rock and roll biased edge. It states that the fans of hip-hop didn't know what to think of Mos Def and his "gasp" rock band. It also states that Jurassic 5 was bland. This is a double standard to state that hip-hop fans couldn't accept rock but [the writer] couldn't accept a band (J5) that put on an excellent show with influences as varied as soul, funk, and even barbershop quartet.

But I guess it isn't real music a.k.a. rock until you get bludgeoned to death with the high frequency, deafening, lack of subtlety rock and roll bands. Every Bumbershoot I try to go to a rock show. . . but I keep hearing the sound of the wailing electric guitar and it sounds like the sad, guttural wails of a dying race horse, who has lost its innovation to run.

Casey Schmidt
via e-mail

BEER!

Seattle Weekly wrote in the Bumbershoot "wrap up" ["It's a Wrap," Sept. 6]: "We heard Guided by Voices was woefully underattended, and we were part of the problem not the solution, so that's all we can say about that."

I reply: I know exactly why many, including yourselves, did not attend. Going to a Guided by Voices show where the audience ain't allowed to drink beer is like attending a gospel service where only the minister is permitted to testify before our almighty Bud, I mean, Lord.

James Kirchmer
Seattle

HOLDING THE LIGHTER HIGH

Sorry to expose my white-trash past, but "Free Bird" was recorded by Lynrd Skynrd, not the Allman Brothers as you stated in your review of Cat Power at Bumbershoot ["It's a Wrap," Sept. 6].

Larry Davenport
Seattle

HARSH REALITY

I have to agree with the article by Geov Parrish, "Leaping to Conclusions" [Sept. 6]. Seems the city as a whole has some sort of fantasy Peter Pan, "Never Never in our city" attitude, indulging some sort of farcical idealisms that leads them to believe they're curing the world of its problems by looking over the backyard fence, saying they don't like the color of the neighbors kid's sandbox—forming committees against red sandboxes, trying to get an innocuous law passed to ban them, and Channel 5 News doing a special report on "The Dangers of Red Sandboxes."

Ever see news from a city like St. Louis? It starts with three simple murder stories, extortion in the mayor's office, two more tragic death stories, and a drug bust—then it's time to see what the Cardinals are doing. Here, the news starts with who's pissing in the green belts and the rain out of the candlelight vigil for Hondo and Jerry Garcia.

When the harsh reality of the world comes a knockin' you don't have to point fingers, say we're all right, hug each other, and do an hour-long news special—but it might be time to pull the proverbial head out of the ground.

Tim Eversole
via e-mail

TRASH

I am writing because the article "Labor Pains," by Erica C. Barnett, Sept. 6, doesn't meet the minimum requirements of good journalism: "Confirm before you publish." If she had, she would have learned that the King County engineers she referred to were the Technical Employees Association (TEA), that we had investigated Local 17 and that what we learned about Local 17 caused us to form our own organization, and that it was TEA that went to Jim Cline for representation.

To quote Ray Goforth calling another labor organization "dupes" and "a front group" has little affect on TEA members or even Local 17's members—we all look for confirmation when Ray speaks.

The harm this letter causes is to an honorable man, Jim Cline, and to the voters of Seattle. Many of us will always wonder why the Weekly chose to publish this trash on the eve of an election.

Wyatt Wood
President, Technical Employees Association

TRUTH

I read your story about Cline ["Labor Pains," Sept. 6] and felt somewhat enlightened that the truth about this man may get out after all. I am a King County employee and officer/member of the Local 17 bargaining unit that was raided by Cline and his followers. The truth is, prior to the raid petitions being file with PERC, the leaders in our bargaining unit met with theirs in hopes of negotiating a peaceful solution to the issues they felt concern with.

Instead, we were given an ultimatum: Join them and abandon our 80-year-old history or they would raid us. So the raid petitions were filed. There was a freeze placed on anything and everything involved in negotiations—our contract and our COLA included—for about one and a half years. At last the petitions were thrown out by PERC for a variety of reasons. This incompetent man lost every PERC and court action he attempted against Local 17 and King County—yes, I mean incompetent. He lost all actions because there was always something he didn't do right. Wake up, Seattle—you at least want someone who knows how to win.