As mentioned in Good Morning, News!, today I am admittedly suffering from a case of SOUR GRAPES after last night's fluoridation defeat—but I swear I'm trying to be cool about it! Unfortunately today we're having to deal with readers who have a case of YUMMY GLOATING GRAPES. These are anti-fluoridation people for whom winning is not enough; not only do they have to be regarded as "right" (they're still not), they also want to exact the most vengeance per square inch by going into full "gloat mode." Here are a couple of examples, both received after the results were announced.

Subject: Fluoride IGNORANCE

Hey Portland Mercury,

Now that fluoride has been voted down, I thought I would take a moment to tell you how much I used to enjoy reading your paper. I have lived in Portland for three years, am an educated professional, and was a self-confessed junkie of both Ann Romano's and Dan Savage's columns. I will find Dan's column elsewhere and drop Ann's altogether after the outrageously biased MAINSTREAM pro-fluoride argument I have ever seen. Super blech!!!!

Signed a former love,

Patricia

Subject: Too bad so sad

Denis T:

I've been impressed by your burgeoning journalism skills since we met at the OccuPie Portland event and I actually looked for your articles in a newspaper I have little affection for. Sorry you all decided to ride with the assclowns from the pro-fluoride lobby. There's nothing stopping you from here on out to write about real methods to improve the dental health care of Portland kids if you indeed really care which I doubt. I won't be reading about it anyway even if you do. There's a reason we refer to your paper as the sMirkury.

Better luck next lifetime,

Christine

Nice people! (P.S. Gloating is a sign of insecurity, sooooooo....)