The mayor of Vancouver, Wash., went on a violent rampage Tuesday.

Lest anyone be alarmed, Mayor Royce E. Pollard's anger was directed at two Starbucks coffee mugs that had the audacity to have — horrors! — "Portland" printed on them.

Pollard's made an issue of promoting his fair city, which both languishes in the shadow of much larger Portland, Ore., just across the Columbia River, and gets confused with even larger Vancouver, British Columbia, far to the north.

"Vancouver is the fourth-largest city in Washington" — after Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma — "and people better start showing a little respect," he told The Columbian of Vancouver (Wash.).

So when Starbucks started selling its "Portland" coffee mugs, part of its "Destination" series of 23 locally branded mugs, in his town, Pollard went ballistic.

Posted by: Jonathan Singer / 4:04 PM | Basie! Home