Letters

Dump Dopehead

It was an intriguing cover today (March 5) with the headline “Waste time. Save money. Ride the bus!” and the accompanying photo.

As someone who chooses to often leave my car at home and ride the bus/trolley, I figured it would be an interesting read. Alas, I gave up on the article shortly after the writer, Ollie, shared that “I’d inundated myself with an alphabet of drugs along with every color and composition of alcohol” before he began his transit-story research.

Spare me your loser writers and their illegal-drug habits.

Does he or do his editors ever contemplate whether those drugs are being supplied by the Mexican narcoterrorists spilling the blood of any and everyone who gets in their way as they supply their American dopehead customers?

Paul M. Clarke
via email

Time

My old 15-minute commute from Encinitas to Carlsbad became a 45-minute to 1-hour and 15-minute bus ride when my car broke down (“Waste time. Save money. Ride the bus!” Cover Story, March 5). In North County, there is NCTD. I believe it means Never Comes on Time Dammit or No Connection to Destination.

Jay Spencer
Cardiff

Leftover Ollie?

How disappointing to read this week’s feature story (“Waste time. Save money. Ride the bus!” Cover Story, March 5).

Don’t get me wrong. Seeing Ollie on the cover was a thrill. My immediate thought was that the previous letters to the editor had an impact on getting Ollie rehired. Thus the idea that “Remote Control King” would be back caused me to flip to its usual column space.

Instead, I found that there was no “King” column, only, and I’m guessing here, a leftover story that had been submitted by Ollie but not published. That is, until all the uproar about his termination.

Like so many of the recent feature stories, I found it trite with no ironies, a foregone conclusion, and that it was overly groomed. Just like the bug girl (“Please Let Me Sell Them Pest Control,” February 12) and the abortion lady (“Bertha Bugarin Heads to Jail,” February 19), it was easy to figure where the story was headed in the first couple paragraphs.

I liked other features that Ollie submitted, the bicycle ride for instance was a hoot, but I had the real impression that this was hastily formatted and printed to appease those of us who are saddened to see Ollie go. This is like learning that a favorite movie star has passed away, then finding the worst film the star ever made by chance when flipping through the channels.

I do hope that the Reader is reconsidering Ollie as a full-time staff writer and that he will consider reinstituting his former regular column.

Thom Hogan
College Area

Down With Duncan

Duncan Shepherd got game. Amazing. Has he published any books? Does he do lists of best, worst? Does he provide lists by subject, genre, foreign, etc.?

Name Withheld
via email

Duncan Shepherd’s reviews can be sorted by star rating on the Reader website. — Editor

High On Plates

I’m calling regarding the article about the license plates (“How Much Can You Say in 7 Letters?” Cover Story, February 26). I thought it was really interesting. I’m a license-plate collector, and I have them from all over the world, and I have all 50 states. My most unusual personalized license plate is one from the ’80s — they wouldn’t even make it today — and it says “ecstasy” on it.

David Ford
Normal Heights
via phone call