Marijuana and methamphetamine are both Schedule I drugs. One destroys synapses in the brain, destroys liver and kidney cells and makes people crazy much faster than whiskey. The other one does less damage than beer. Do you know which one is which? Does this DEA policy confuse teenagers? Why confuse them more than necessary when lifelong health of the brain is at stake? Could it possibly be time for Congress to override the DEA and pharmaceutical interests and finally make marijuana a Schedule III drug?

– John Scatchard

Like most Bendites, I love the summer street fairs and concerts. Thank you Sterling Savings Bank, and all the other sponsors, for The Bite of Bend. The quality of the food and music continues to improve in our fair city. I have one bit of constructive criticism, however: Fire the sound guys!

My wife and I had to leave Ivan Nevilles’s funk band because it hurt our ears. I noticed dozens of others streaming out also. The next day I watched them botch the job on two bands. One had to start ten minutes late because of technical problems, and Anastacia’s set was riddled with feedback. I talked with several musician friends who all seemed to have a horror story of bad stage monitors and poor sound quality.

In fact, one prominent local band refuses to play with them and plans on bringing their own sound system to a festival later this summer. I know that times are hard and budgets are low, but when you hire the low bidder you get what you pay for. The secondhand equipment these guys use is older than some of the sound techs! Please hire a more professional outfit next year so that we can enjoy an otherwise great festival.

Going deaf in Bend,

– Tom Freedman

Just writing in regards to the Boot article about vaccinations.

Very sad and disappointed to read that article. Disappointed in the author and the Source for even printing it. Complete garbage. People have come along [sic] way in the fight against pharmaceutical companys [sic]. It takes a lot of courage to take a stand like that, [only to be] to be slapped in the face by someone so ignorant and uninformed. You guys should really do some research and you will see it’s not just one dude in Europe claiming this stuff. Vaccinations are a big business, so of course the guy would be discredited.

I really don’t think your [sic] adding to the community by downing the people that actually have the courage to keep the poisons out of their bodies and the bodies of their beautiful pure babies and children.

– Bee Line

Last month, the school district announced that they cut eight administrative positions. What they didn’t announce was that a year ago, one of the individuals took a position in Portland and they never filled the position. Other administrators absorbed that workload. Also, three of the positions were elementary assistant principal positions, but in reality they had never been filled. In other words, there wasn’t another human being tied to those positions.

Dear Aaron Kirkpatrick, in response to your public slander of me (people have sued for less, by the way), I choose to support you in your cause to save the misunderstood carrot. While I personally prefer to focus on defending animals—in this case, objecting to school programs that teach 5th graders how to kill animals for fun—if your calling is The Vegetable, then clearly you have read The Secret Life of Plants, a superb book that shows us the extraordinary sentience of the world around us. I might not be joining you in a peace vigil for the carrot, but I’ll gladly honk on my way by.

– Vanessa Schulz