Letters to the Editor
2Wookies
Published Letters: 16 Editor's Choice: 2
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Seinfeldian
[Read the article: My boyfriend's ex puts me down in public]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I bet "Fed Up" has had tons of George Kastanza moments trying to come up with something witty to say after ex-GF makes a dig at her. An hour later you think of the perfect response, which happens to me all the time. If (like me) you're not used to confrontation, even a subtle back off/fuck off attempt that you've practiced in your head a million times can come out sounding like you have stage fright. Good luck.
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Innocent or not, this was a shoddy investigation and an unfair trial
[Read the article: Drugged or drunk?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]While this article is certainly sympathetic to Ms. Dowdy, the author includes plenty of actual, real facts to support the idea that Ms. Dowdy could be innocent, or at least that she got pretty well screwed by the system. No blood test or urine test for GHB? No rape exam and her clothes were destroyed? No evidence was collected from her car? What about the fact that the initial report of the responding paramedic "shows she was comatose and makes no mention of alcohol", but when that same paramedic testified under oath, s/he "portrayed Emily as uncooperative, hostile and reeking of alcohol." It also sounds like she had inadequate defense, either because her lawyer felt "'bullied and intimidated" by the prosecutors' misconduct" or maybe he just plain sucked. These things (aside from her lawyer maybe sucking) seem to raise a lot of questions about the integrity of the justice system in Oklahoma. It sounds like she was presumed guilty from the start, instead of the other way around. Due process? I don't think so.
Some people keep mentioning her high blood alcohol content at the scene of the accident and that she must have deliberatly gotten drunk before getting into her car. If she had been drugged at the club and disappeared with the bug-eyed man, he would have likely given her more to drink in the 3.5 hours between leaving the club and the accident, thus explaining the high BAC. Did anyone read this sentence in the article - "But GHB drugging victims commonly test positive for alcohol. "Rapists know that if they can get a high enough level of alcohol in someone, the cops won't look any further," says Trinka Porrata, a former Los Angeles police detective who educates law enforcement nationwide on GHB."?
Finally, I am fairly certain that I was drugged at a bar in Chicago 10 years ago. I am (and was) a casual drinker, not prone to getting wasted or blacking out. A friend was with me and says I only had 1 or 2 beers before getting violently ill. My one fuzzy memory of the entire night is lying on the floor of a disgusting bar bathroom stall and not being able to move. It was the only ladies' toilet, so my near-comatose presence in the locked stall apparently caused quite a stir. I don't remember leaving, the taxi ride home, or anything else, and I'm lucky that my friend was able to get me home safely. I've never experienced anything like that before or since.
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CSAs and Farmers Markets - YUM!
[Read the article: Arugula for everyone]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I live in Chicago and am fortunate to have a wonderful organic farmers market in my neighborhood. Most of the farms are 50-75 miles outside of the city, and these dedicated folks load their trucks and tents up and make the trek here 2 times a week - in time for the market to open at 7:30 am. In my experience, the produce is much, much cheaper than at my local chain grocery store, and of course much tastier. I also love that I can ask questions like how to select the best melon or the best way to prepare a veggie I've never tried. I joined a CSA this year and get a huge muddy box of produce every week for what comes out to $30/box. I can't imagine why people would have the idea that orgainc produce is "elite". I would think that the pretty shined and waxed produce you pay lots of $$ for at the grocery store would be considered way more elite than the homely produce you get from local organic farms. Mis-shapen carrots, greens that are a tiny bit bug eaten and muddy potatoes are par for the course in my CSA box, but the taste is out of this world. Having a full box of wonderful produce has also forced me out of a cooking rut. I never know what I'll get, and there's usually a lot of it, so I'm cooking more often and trying a lot of new things.
p.s. - I also think Starbucks coffee sucks, but they do make a mean chai tea latte.