Here's a funny Letter to the Editor that was published in the PI-

Sympathy for oppressed neighbors in North End

It's heartening to read about the unrelenting watchdog vigilance from Woodland Park Zoo neighbors ("Zoo garage numbers assailed," Tuesday) who refuse to be bowled over by powerful zoo planners and administrators. As a southeast Seattle resident, my heart goes out to my oppressed neighbors north of the Ship Canal.

First, tasteless yuppies took over Fremont and Ballard, turning those quaint neighborhoods into amusement parks for conspicuous consumption. Then the evildoers at the parks department had the gall to try and impose nationally known music acts upon your lovely Gas Works Park with its picture-perfect stage backdrop. And now your world-class zoo neighbor has the gall to expand its facilities in the name of convenience for stroller pushers, toddlers, summertime concert-goers and the elderly.

As those of us in the South End cram onto the most crowded buses in the city with our immigrant friends, our heart goes out to you. As we watch our empty lots overgrown with blackberries become new treatment facilities for sex offenders, the homeless, mentally ill and drug addicted, we sympathize with your plight.

As we listen to plans for a new strip-club district, new waste transfer stations and more daily jet traffic, we feel your pain. We're here for you.

Bruce Gray
Seattle