HAIL TO INSPECTORS

Hasan Jafri’s article “Ground-Beef Zero” [Dec. 31] is just one of the many news stories in the local, national, and international media that portray the state of Washington as the finest producer of deadly beef in the world. Why do we find deadly food-borne illnesses in Washington that become national and international news? Because we have a sophisticated, well- connected public health infrastructure that looks for and tracks the outbreak of food-borne diseases. Hospitals, epidemiologists, and public health food-inspection programs work closely together to monitor our food supply, and when variations occur that are not normal (example: the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in the early ’90s), our state Department of Health works with all its partnersprivate citizens, hospitals, food-service establishments, food suppliers, and local public health departments to get the problem under control and prevent the spread of more illness. Simply stated: We find and identify a lot more food-borne outbreaks in this state because we look for them. I worked for a small-town health department in New Hampshire that was staffed by unpaid political appointees not trained in the science of environmental health. New Hampshire and many other states have poor public health programs that will probably never “find” any problems, but that doesn’t mean that there are no health hazards associated with their food supplies.

Our Department of Health doesn’t just look at diseases that commonly occur in this country; it looks at emerging diseases around the world that will eventually hit us. The department has only one person who investigates diseases that are transferred to humans by animals, such as Lyme disease and mad cow disease: Dr. John Grendon, a public health veterinarian who educates the public, farmers, and environmental health scientists about diseases that potentially could occur in this state. Dr. Grendon began educating anyone who would listen about mad cow almost a decade ago. His tireless efforts to prevent disease through education and to show people how to recognize diseases like mad cow gave Washingtonians the tools to know how to spot and stop the spread of a disease that could have devastating effects on the health of this nation. We need more Dr. Grendons out there to protect us.

James P. Lockey

Seattle

The writer is a former environmental health specialist for Public Health-Seattle & King County and worked in the department’s Food Inspection Program.

VARIANT VAGARIES

In the Buzz column item on mad cow disease [Dec. 31], Roger Downey mentions “variant Kreuzfeld-Barr syndrome.” Now he’s got every Seattle Weekly reader who’s ever been diagnosed with Epstein-Barr syndrome or mononucleosis or even simple depression thinking they’re going to go wacko along with the cows. Dorland’s Medical Dictionary has an entry for “Creutzfeldt-Jakob” disease, so I suggest that the Weekly invest in a volume of Dorland’s to avoid general panic in the future. Downey is indeed correct in naming the outbreak of disease in Great Britain (and elsewhere) as “variant” CJD. That is an important distinction to make, and I commend Downey for it.

Julia Bent, DVM

Seattle

DON’T BLAME CLEAR CHANNEL

An inaccuracy of fact occurred in Michaelangelo Matos’ article “The Year of the Nonalbum” [Dec. 31]. In it, he references the Dixie Chicks as having been somehow reprimanded by Clear Channel.

The corporate offices of Clear Channel Communications did not issue a corporate mandate to discontinue playing Dixie Chicks music. Nor did the company destroy the group’s CDs. In fact, according to Mediabase’s Airplay Monitor service, Clear Channel played Dixie Chicks songs more often10,069 timesthan any other major radio broadcaster in the two weeks following the statement by Natalie Maines. It was Cumulus Media, not Clear Channel, that issued the companywide ban and destroyed Dixie Chicks CDs in a public demonstration. Cumulus is not a unit of Clear Channel.

Additionally, according to media trade publication Communications Daily, Simon Renshaw, the Dixie Chicks’ manager and a representative of the Recording Artists Coalition, told Senate Commerce Committee members at a hearing in July that Clear Channel was very proactive at the local level in the aftermath of Maines’ statement against President Bush. He said the company had received a “bad rap” on its handling of the Dixie Chicks. Renshaw noted: “The people who acted, acted at the local level. Nothing was done at the corporate level.”

Lisa Dollinger Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications,

Clear Channel San Antonio, TX

UNEMPLOYED HELP BOEING

Regarding “Boeing Wins,” Dec. 24: The day before Christmas, I received a letter from the Washington State Employment Security Department stating that my temporary extended benefits would be terminated as of Jan. 10, 2004, regardless of the balance left in this account.

After eight months of diligent searching, there are precious few jobs. With education cuts resulting in fewer openings for community and four-year-plus college instructors, this means that the advanced degrees I earned and paid for are worthless, that I have no employment security, that I will be subsidizing not only the 1,000 rehires, who will earn approximately $100,000 per year, but that I also will subsidize Boeing without getting any benefits. Thanks to sock-it-to-them Locke. How about that for a hit-and-run job!

Virginia M. Paulsen

Seattle

SURPRISE: NO LEFTY POLEMIC

When I saw the Weekly cover with its blurb about Jews who oppose Israel, I expected to read the usual pro-leftist polemic about how Israel is the aggressor and how the poor, repressed Palestinians want peace. I was surprised by the even-handedness and objectivity of Mark D. Fefer’s writing [“De-Zionification,” Dec. 24].

While Israel might push the Palestinians around, the fields of Palestine are not soaked with Arab blood. Every year more Palestinians die from smoking-related diseases than from Israeli military action. Just to add balance and perspective, more Israelis die from traffic accidents every year than from terrorist attacks.

Mark Bloome

Seattle

APOLOGY FOR BEING WHITE

After viewing the one-sided story of Comrade Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai (flashbacks of innocent Indian women and children being shot in the back by the U.S. Army), I had this overwhelming urge to go outside the theater and apologize to everyone I saw for being white [“Tom vs. Nicole,” Dec. 24]. Putting aside the left-wing message that Hollywood is noted for these days, the movie wasn’t that bad. I think the question that was posed by actor Tony Goldwyn (Col. Bagley) to Cruise could be asked of Cruise even while passing him on the street: “What is it about your people that you hate so much?”

Randy Miehls

Seattle

MESSAGE TO TROOPS: GO AWOL

Thank you for your Dec. 17 “Facing Our Losses” cover story. Your Dec. 24 Holiday Film Guide issue suggests a better solution than suicide, going insane, multiple amputations, and ignominious death in a bad (and illegitimate and, by international law, illegal) cause. Brave and honorable U.S. troops are doing the same thing as the Inman character in the film Cold Mountain: going AWOL. (In his day, called “desertion.”) Brave and honorable Americans have always opted to follow their consciences, disobey civil orders, and become conscientious objectors to war and violence. No matter what the consequences to themselves. We must honor them, always.

Support our troopshelp ’em go AWOL!

Barbara Tomlinson

Seattle

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