Props to the Uptight Seattleite

Self-Righteous in Seattle

Thank you, thank you for putting this attitude into words [Ask an Uptight Seattleite]. I'm a Midwestern boy (raised in Chicagoland, schooled in Minneapolis/St. Paul) who's been here since May. My girlfriend (a Seattle native, but just returned from Minnesota) and I have been trying to put our finger on just what it is that crawled up this city's ass and died. Passive-aggression? I like the word snotty; my girlfriend says bitchy.

Uptight and self-righteous, your NPR tote–ing, organic-drinking ghost-columnist is a perfect rendition.

Jeff Zethmayr
Shoreline

A helpful Hit

Oh, this column ["Ask an Uptight Seattleite"] is bound to be a hit. And it will help (in a therapeutic sense, of course) uptight, PC Seattle lefties understand why they are so frequently the target of ridicule.

John Carlson
KOMO/KVI radio

Problems with Party

There are some of us with a libertarian mind-set that feel that a Libertarian Party is counter to libertarian ideals ["The L-Word," Oct. 25]. How does one get elected, not to mention govern, without serious compromise of values? Election is a quid pro quo game and the hell with the Constitution, not to mention the Declaration and its ideals. Bruce Guthrie's run at least shows that it's not just a two-dimensional world.

Jim Ewins
Seattle

Democracy for Sale

Philip Dawdy lauds Libertarian candidate Bruce Guthrie's appearance in the televised Senate debate, purchased for a mere $1.2 million ["The L-Word," Oct. 25]. Barely mentioned is Green Party candidate Aaron Dixon, who was shut out because—unlike Guthrie, Maria Cantwell, and Mike McGavick—he couldn't buy his way in.

Dawdy misses what should be the main story: the fact that democracy is for sale, with the system rigged to exclude nonmillionaires. Because Dixon is not wealthy and represents people who can't afford huge campaign donations, the public was denied the opportunity to hear him speak. Why should corporate executives at KING 5 TV and The Seattle Times (the debate sponsors) get to censor legitimate candidates?

Not only is Dixon great on the issues—against torture, war, drug prohibition, and runaway corporate power, and for universal health care, education funding, abortion rights, and marriage equality—but he's willing to put himself on the line for his beliefs. Told he couldn't debate, Dixon showed up anyway and demanded to be included. He was shackled and hustled away in a police car for his pains, suffering a sprained wrist in the process. Would that anyone currently in Congress had half as much guts!

While it's good that Guthrie was in the debate, he shouldn't have had to buy his way in. Dixon deserves props for directly challenging a system where only ultra-wealthy candidates get a public hearing.

Jean Fallow
Seattle

Biodiesel On Board

It seems like the renewable energy industry is now getting nearly constant media coverage, such as Seattle Weekly's recent article on music groups using biodiesel to fuel their tour buses [Barrstool Blues, "The Dr. of Rock," Oct. 25]. This kind of positive exposure has been a tremendous contributor to the success of Dr. Dan's and the industry as a whole, and we are grateful for the sincere efforts of those who promote more sustainable lifestyles. Dr. Dan's would like to clarify a few points in response to the article on bands and biodiesel. In the article, our relationship with Dave Matthews may have been misconstrued. We are aware that the band has used biodiesel, though we have not worked with them directly. In fact, the Dave Matthews Band has taken the extra step of offsetting their carbon emissions dating back to 1991. Dr. Dan's is appreciative of Dave Matthews' commitment to renewable fuels, and we frequently enjoy his music at our shop in Ballard and at Farm Aid. Finally, the success of biodiesel in Seattle comes from the thousands of users and advocates who work tirelessly to increase infrastructure and awareness. Especially notable are the efforts of the Breathable Bus Coalition, the Northwest Biodiesel Network, and the Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition.

Dan Freeman
Owner, Dr. Dan's Alternative Fuel Werks
Seattle

What's the Point?

Pretty good article ["Hazard Lights," Oct. 18], but why mention that cult that four or five people out of 48 go to? Why not say "many Mosquitoes are Irish Republicans"? Oh! I know why! It's irrelevant to the story.

If Brian Miller was trying to balance out the "Hells Angels" line, that is kinda weird, as most of us are more like the Hells Angels than Mars Hill. At least the Hells Angels are honest about who they are and aren't hiding behind the mask of "liberal Christians." The Angels are mostly good people I'm proud to associate with; Mars Hill are not.

I resent the mentioning of the church. Please be careful about relevance in future stories. Thanks.

Brian Brady Kelly (aka CHUNK)
Seattle

Angelo's Influence

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Seattle Weekly for its vision in keeping the spirit and teachings of Seattle son Angelo Pellegrini alive with an annual Angelo Pellegrini Award, and to the judges for honoring me with the inaugural award ["Honoring Jon Rowley," Oct. 18]. This is a huge honor, especially since this writer on food, wine, gardening, mushroom picking, the table, families, and the good life was one of my heroes. His books on my shelf are dog-eared from use, full of notes in the margins, and much underlined. Pellegrini has been a major influence on how I think about food, the table, and life. I have been impressed with how many chefs and other friends in the food business, in and out of Seattle, have been similarly influenced. I have been chagrined to see this great and gentle, sometimes mischievous, teacher's books go out of print one by one over the years since his death in 1991, and I am delighted that The Unprejudiced Palate was recently republished. I urge anyone who has not read Pellegrini to pick up a copy. His message of quality ingredients, of eating local, seasonal, preferably homegrown or foraged foods, simply but well prepared and shared with friends and family, is timeless.