I find it bizarre that Barry Scott is being prosecuted for allegedly telling Provincetown partygoers that he hates the police — as you detail in “P-Town’s Not-So-Secret Vice” — while the acting chief there is treating the throwing of projectiles at gay men as something less than a crime. It is all too apparent that the Provincetown Police Department is in crisis; without significant improvements by next summer, at the latest, there will be more victims who don’t get justice.
Don Gorton
Chairperson of the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project
Boston
It’s fine and dandy to suggest that we “boycott” Provincetown. However, you must remember that many of us live year-round in this great town. Yes, there are some serious issues with law enforcement and the protection of our rights. But are we going to run away from the problem, or are we going to get spines and stand up for what is right? (I do agree, however, that loud music at all hours of the morning is annoying.) I say: have a wonderful time in Provincetown. It is a great place, despite its flaws.
Mark K. Riordan
Provincetown
System failure
It’s laughable that President Bush remains in office despite the lies continually uncovered. We are being deceived as a nation on a daily basis. We are told that Operation Iraqi Freedom is justifiable in part by Saddam’s noncompliance, and that the 9/11 tragedy is our motivator. Granted, we did create the madman and let him grow a little too tall for his own good. But how black and white does it need to be before we Americans say: “That’s it”? We need to wake up as a nation and exert our power to dethrone the incontinent caveman we have permitted to take over. I am disgusted at times when I look at our flag and think what our forefathers went through to establish justice, only to have us let those who rule do what they will with an almost total disregard for the future of the American people. This is about corporatism and the rise of empire. It has nothing to do with terrorism. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can repair our system, which has failed us miserably.
Timothy S. Jones
Phoenix, Arizona
In the nick of time
In regard to “In Praise of Four-Letter Words," the acronyms SNAFU (Situation Normal, All Fucked Up) and FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition or, more politely, Fouled Up Beyond All Repair) are now commonplace. We, and our language, are richer for them. While I expect you object to the FCC banning the F-word, you have absolutely no objection to the FCC and everybody else banning the N-word. Do I smell a double standard?
John Krogstad
Burlington
Just the facts
There’s a short shelf life to the Obama campaign, and it should be sobering to those who romance American politics. A quick glance at this man’s political life in Illinois would awaken the reader. As for those who opt to write about politics, stop walking in front of your own stories. The “us” and “we” used in “Damn You, Barack Obama” would be best left from such endeavors.
Jeffery McNary
Cambridge
