A selection of letters and story commetns online:
Re: "The Lunatic is on the Drums" by Mike Seely (April 16)
Great article! Thanks for highlighting the importance of musical diversity in Seattle. I am grateful that Seattle is on the cutting edge of indie rock, but there are many other scenes in this town that deserve to be recognized! —Billy Joe
Is it me or does Fred look like the love child of Keith Richards and Janet Reno? I love watching Fred, but he scares my children. —UK
That was a great article, and truly captured the essence of Fred, and the good-time bar scene. —Roger Ingalls
Re: "Generational Warfare" by Nina Shapiro (April 16)
My heart breaks both ways reading this article. I so very much admire those who are trying to pull together a supportive organization for today's returning vets! On the flip side, I'm saddened that the younger generation feels the necessity to do so. Sure, there will be codgers who try to "one-up" on the experiences, pooh-poohing the current war as not as significant as "theirs" were. But there will also be an abundance of knowledge, empathy, welcome, warmth, and love from some of them ol' crusties, too. —Cookie
I'm a Vietnam-era vet, and when I came back, I was told I didn't really serve in a war, so I could join [existing veterans' groups], but wasn't really going to "fit in." I had visited both my hometown VFW and the Legion. Both organizations still embody the worst of the old mind-set. Instead of helping our returning vets, they continue to wave the flag for the wars, and back an administration that cuts veterans' benefits and continues to screw veterans at every turn. They have forgotten that the original mission was to advocate for veterans, not pander to politicians that refuse to support us that served. —Rick Stelter
Re: "Evicting the Arts" by John Longenbaugh (April 16)
We've seen this before. During the dot-com boom in San Francisco, all of the city's dance companies were evicted from the Mission District because the dot-commers loved the large open spaces. Rents doubled, then tripled, and the dance community went bust and still hasn't fully recovered. Of course, eventually the dot-commers went bust and the buildings are now empty. In the end, everyone lost. My advice to the developers is to think about what attracted them to the area in the first place. By destroying the fabric of the neighborhood, they will fundamentally change what drew people there, making it much less attractive over time. Sensible development requires more flexibility. —Kent Nicholson
Re: "In Defense of Sandler" by Mike Seely (April 9)
There are no fart jokes in Billy Madison. —Tim
MIKE SEELY RESPONDS: Bull. He makes a giant fart noise in Ms. Lippy's first-grade classroom.
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