Conscious Choice Seattle:

December 2005 | Letters to the Editor

The Sexy Side of Farming

Dear Evergreen Monthly

I just finished Ritzy Ryciak’s “Sexy and Sustainable” story (EM, November) about farmers markets and the new group of organic farmers who are, let me just say it, easy on the eyes.

Hey, what’s wrong with enjoying the scenery while you shop? Kudos to Evergreen Monthly for having some fun while still connecting to the message that we must support local farmers and growers as part of building sustainable community.

—Carol Secord, Internet

Clearing Up the Smoke Vote

Dear Editor,
There are many things I love about the Seattle area, the mountains, the water, the people, the consciousness, the coffee, There are some cons, of course, such as traffic.

But now I get to switch one item from the cons to the pros. Thanks to Washington voters for saying yes to Initiative 901 (see Evergreen News, page x) and thanks to your magazine for supporting the referendum (EM, “Getting Out the Smoke Vote,” October). Hello, fresher indoor air—and around the outside of my office building.

I am a big defender of personal privacy and rights. But smoking in public places is exactly that, public. I, for one, will be celebrating with a cold microbrew in a smoke-free tavern.

Cheers,

—Dan Levin, Seattle

Norm Stamper’s Second Life

Dear Editor,
I continue to love Silja Talvi’s columns for your magazine (The EM Column). Her last column on Norm Stamper (“Clear and Present Chutzpah,” November) was the best yet. I felt like I was right there in the room when Silja interviewed Stamper.

I haven’t had the time yet to read our former police chief’s new book (“Breaking Rank”) and I’m not sure I want to read it. There is a lot of disturbing material in there if Silja’s column is any barometer.

Yet we all have to appreciate an ex-cop like Stamper stepping out of his comfort zone—literally, he’s living in the San Juans—to admit to mistakes. It doesn’t take back the human rights violations that occurred during his tenure in Seattle, but it does give us hope that there’s a better of enforcing the law.

I particularly appreciated Silja’s writing about how “most folks in uniform are not speaking as individuals; they are speaking as members of a force far greater than them.” She makes the point that those uniformed people are part of a force that has “the power to revoke their livelihood in a real way.”

That is compassionate thinking from Silja, which is, gladly, par for her course.

—Gina Lapata, Internet

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