Viewpoint: Put the Public Back: Oregonians short-changed at OPB. Natural Resistance: How do you see the world? How can I help? Living Out: No on 9: It's the good fight, baby, we're doing it again. Letters: EW readers sound off. Put the Public Back Oregonians short-changed at OPB. Almost everyone who watches television finds something they like on Oregon Public Broadcasting. Their programming is higher quality than you will find elsewhere on the TV wasteland. And OPB is nationally prominent for its proportion of income from viewers and its statewide audience penetration. So viewers tend to believe that OPB is doing its job well. However, to those concerned with the cultural, social and political impact of media, OPB's programming is a diversion of valuable public assets and a cultural smoke screen. Programming by, for or about Oregonians makes up less than 3 percent of OPB's prime time, while imported British drama, humor and history make up fully 25 percent of its schedule! The remainder is all those national programs we like so much, on politics, nature, business, arts and public affairs provided by PBS and underwritten by the Archer Daniels Midlands, the Mac Arthurs and the Mobile/Exxons. Local programs that do make it to air are socially safe, politically sanitized, mainstream perspectives calculated to offend no one. The real people, our communities and our concerns are still invisible on OPB. We have a right to expect more. The public television system was established on a bedrock of localism to stimulate, challenge and foster increased participation in public life, to represent a wide range of views and give expression to our dreams -- not to provide diverting programming or to provide an alternative to commercial television. Television is also the ultimate promotional medium influencing thought, identity and behavior; setting the tone and vision of society; and framing the public agenda everywhere it reaches. OPB, which was a publicly built and funded communication system, should be our own means of meeting, knowing and influencing each other. What is seen on public television is determined by money and by whom OPB must please to get it. On one hand, viewers provide 53 percent of OPB income through pledge donations. Oregon foundations, corporations and cultural patrons provide 11 percent of OPB income but provide most of its governing board, political connections and institutional credibility. Pledge drives essentially auction programming to the highest bidders: "If you want to see more of this on OPB, send money." Institutional and corporate interests lie in setting a hospitable public agenda and maintaining the social status quo. Issues such as homosexuality, minorities and corporate accountability are avoided, and the question of what other programming might be best for our communities is never asked. OPB is now a private, nonprofit corporation whose governing board is mostly self-electing, prominent professional figures, except for the 20 percent appointed by the governor. There is a separate mechanism intended for public input, the Community Advisory Board (CAB) but at OPB, that's mostly dysfunctional. The CAB is a federally mandated mechanism for the public, through diverse community representatives, to influence the programming and policies of their local public broadcasters. It did not exist at OPB until two years ago and has been dominated by station staff and their upper-crust appointments. After several members retired and two left to join the OPB governing board, the CAB is currently dead in the water, waiting for a new chair and more active members to be appointed by the OPB board chairman. The public has several immediate courses of action available. First, you can withhold your donations, or at least make them with the stipulation that they be used to fund local programming. Second, insist that the CAB be reconstituted with truly representative membership, strict independence from OPB management and respect from the governing board for its recommendations. Lobby board members and state legislators to raise funding for community relevant programming. Become involved with your own community's needs for public communications and lobby for those to be supported. Finally, nominate yourself or anyone else with true community involvement and an interest in public media to the CAB. You can attend a forum on this and other media action from 7 to 10 pm Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the Growers Market. Eugene Media Action is sponsoring a panel presentation around the question: What's wrong with the mainstream media and how can progressives use media more effectively? Videos, activist discussions, recruitment and desserts are included. For more information, visit www.efn.org/~fopb or e-mail fopb@efn.org. Call David Zupan at 484-9167 for more information on the EMA forum. The authors are members of Eugene Media Action. Loren Sears is on the OPB CAB and editor of the Friends of Public Broadcasting web site. Back to Top Ask a Question How do you see the world? How can I help? One time, after watching my son experience a 30-day bout of convulsions, paralysis, and partial recovery in Yugoslavia from some unknown brain virus or toxic chemical, everything seemed sad. Trees seemed sad; the sky seemed sad; I was sad. Then one morning I awoke crying, and my husband, O'B, asked me what my sadness LOOKED like. His question startled me, because I had never been asked a question like that. I thought a moment, and realized it looked like broken shards scattered on the ground, with a red thread running through the middle. Almost as instantly, I realized this thread, my center core, was just fine. The broken pieces would gradually coalesce. My sadness began to disappear. I admire people who ask thoughtful questions and cast themselves loose from all moorings to hear the answers. I love people who are willing to place every habit or perception they ever had at risk of being changed because of the answers. Some questions seem almost universally useful: 1. How do you see the world? This question is perhaps our main route out of ourselves and into learning from and appreciating our infinitely diverse world. But we have to be careful how we approach the one we are questioning. I have a quote I think I copied from Byrd Baylor, though now I can't find it in her exquisite writings that masquerade as children's books: Take a horned toad for example. / If you think you're BETTER / than a horned toad, / You'll never hear its voice / even if you sit there in the sun / forever. So "How do you see the world?" isn't just a spoken question, as when a seeing child asks her blind friend about how she "sees" the world; or when a corporate executive asks a factory worker in another country how she/he feels about working in his corporation. It is also the soul of natural science, as when a person watches and feels how horned toads negotiate this world. 2. I think I don't understand [whatever]. Can you tell me more? For this question to be respectful, we have to be listening closely to what someone else is saying. But if we still don't understand, we honor the one who is "talking" to us by waiting through silence; asking for their help; and refraining from covering our ignorance by asserting some knowledge we think we have. 3. What are alternatives to this action that causes harm? Alternatives to harm ALWAYS exist, so the question need never be, "ARE there alternatives to this action?" Alternatives range from pure rescue, as when certain Germans hid Jewish people at the risk of their lives; to longterm prevention of harm, as in elimination of the conditions that favor the origin of war. Speaking at a recent gathering, the industrial engineer William McDonough, said, "Regulation is a design failure." In other words, if we're doing an activity (e.g., energy production) that requires constant, complex regulations (e.g., of the nuclear power industry), then we have designed energy production poorly, and we need alternatives like solar power. 4. How can I help? This is the question that can move us from being a political analyst (e.g., watching TV news and having an opinion), to political change agent. It can lead us from working to provide for our families to providing for families of all kinds. It's also a question that has an infinity of answers. Our responses are limited only by our level of courage; the 24-hour day; or our unwillingness to control or harm others by our response (e.g., by neglecting family or co-workers because we are absorbed in "larger" helping; or by neglecting the larger world because we are absorbed in helping our own nuclear family). 5. Am I being respectful of the whole world? One of the worst features of humans is our ability to be satisfied with being "good" to only a small portion of the world, e.g., our own children, the organization we work for, other people like us, our nation, or only humans. I remember reading how one Pol Pot organizer, who tortured and killed Cambodian residents by day, went home each night to his family, whom he treated kindly. I took this person as a symbol of all of us, at one or another level: politically, economically, ecologically. Because the world is linked; because the consequences of even our tiniest acts may contribute to ecological disasters and social degradation, this last question is a good one to ask every time we ask any other question. Mary O'Brien has worked as a public interest scientist for the past 18 years. Her new book, Making Better Environmental Decisions: An Alternative to Risk Assessment, has been published by The MIT Press. She can be reached at mob@efn.org Back to Top No on 9 It's the good fight, Baby, we're doing it again. Excitement rolled over me when the news flashed on my computer screen. I rolled my chair back from my desk and right over my bare toe. Oregon's latest anti-gay initiative had just made it onto the ballot and was assigned, supposedly at random, the same number as the measure defeated back in 1992: number 9. We may never know if that stroke of luck was a cosmic coincidence, divine intervention, or the sly maneuver of a mild-mannered state government clerk. I relished the thought of Oregon Citizens Alliance homophobes fuming over this early advantage for their opponents. My big toe throbbed in unison with my escalating pulse. "Honey, honey, it's nine, it's nine!" I hopped into the den where she had dozed off in front of "Jeopardy." "Already?" She blinked herself awake and squinted at the clock. "I must've ... what's wrong with your foot?" "It's the good fight, Baby, we're doing it again." I lunged into the back storage closet and promptly banged my shin into the tool box. I rummaged through eight years' accumulation and emerged with our old No on 9 lawn sign. It was in perfect shape, except for the missing stake which is out in the back yard propping up my delphiniums. "No on 9! No on 9!" I chanted, waving the corrugated plastic sign over my head. It was a good omen. We'd be energized, reaffirmed, vindicated. We'd smash the OCA with a resounding defeat of their evil little measure. We'd be done with the OCA's Lon Mabon once and for all. He'd melt like the wicked witch. The lifeblood of money from the Christian Coalition would dry up. His legislative attacks on our sexual orientation would stop forever. We'd put him out of a job. Maybe then we'd have the time to attempt even a fraction of the "immoral behaviors" on Lon's list. But for now, amorous urges throughout the state will be quelled by, "Not tonight, dear, I have a rally/a meeting/a canvass/a shift on the phone bank." "Sit down, let me put some ice on that." My beloved scowled at the bump rising on my leg. For months we've known this next OCA initiative was coming. They've been gathering signatures at shopping malls and grocery stores, and convincing the ignorant that gay people are using public schools to teach children how to accessorize. I had already zoomed past the denial, anger, bargaining and depression about having to face another campaign, and leaped joyfully into acceptance. We wouldn't have to memorize a new slogan. We could wear our old No on 9 buttons. And we could recycle my song! "Ballot Measure Number 9" had been a love potion that raised spirits and got out the vote to defeat the OCA in '92. It could do it again. This time around I'd record it and make a CD. People all over the state would be singing along before the OCA could say "pedophilia." I slipped into a reverie, imagined angelic harmonies admonishing us to beware 'cause your rights are on the line, and you'd better vote no on: ballot measure number nine. "Ow!" "Sorry." My sweetheart rearranged the bag of frozen peas on my swollen shin. The toaster oven beeped and she went to fix our baked potatoes. I hobbled to the book case and pulled out the gallon jar that holds all our collection of political buttons. Question Authority, Workers Control, Mobilize for Women's Lives, I'm Pro-Choice and I Vote, Lesbian Rights are Women's Rights, March to Fight the Right. These treasures are the modern-day petroglyphs of our eternal struggle for equality and justice. Celebrate Diversity, Lift the Ban, This is What a Lesbian Looks Like, Out Is In , There's A Whole Lot More Of Us Than You Think, We Are Everywhere. I spread the loot out on the floor like a kid examining her Halloween candy haul. A subtle pattern emerged. Stop the OCA, Oregon Said Stop the OCA, Pro-Choice/Stop the OCA, Stop the OCA Again, No on 51, No on 8, No on 20-08, No on 13, Victory Over Bigotry, No on 9, No on 9, No on 9. I sifted the clattering badges through my fingers like pirates' gold and jabbed my palm with the pin of a vintage What Do Gay People Want, Ask Me button. How about a Band-Aide? Of course, my little injuries caused by clumsy excitement are nothing compared to the damage caused by anti-gay campaigns. We are already seeing increased taunting, harassment, and general hostility. The recent history of anti-gay burnings, beatings and shootings threatens to repeat itself. More teens questioning their sexual identity will contemplate suicide. People will fear for their lives. After dinner my lover and I write big fat donation checks. I lick the envelope closed with a flourish. Ouch! My commitment to No on 9 is sealed with a paper cut. Sally Sheklow has been a part of the Eugene community since 1972 and is a member of the WYMPROV! comedy troupe. Her column, which began at EW, is currently running in newspapers in Palm Springs., Cincinatti, Duluth, Seattle, Chicago and Denver. Back to Top A Little Whiteaker History Thank you for your informative look at the preservation of the Whiteaker neighborhood ("Blair Necessities," 9/21). I want to give you a little more history of Sam Bond's Garage because saving the derelict, abandoned building was a labor of hard work and sacrifice. In 1989 Barbara Kelley, director of Save Our ecoSystems (SOS), went looking for a new home for the SOS organization and its environmental work: continuous effort to stop a major highway through our largest wetland, efforts to list the Western Pond Turtle as endangered, non-toxic flea control, educating to save forests by using recycled and unbleached paper, efforts to stop steel leg-hold-trapping in Lane County and more. She found the building and the neighborhood perfect as a place of lively community from which we could work for the environment and run the recycled paper and copying business that funded it. However, there was no foundation, the clapboards were rotting on the ground, and the plumbing, electric and roof were in disrepair. In an offer to help SOS, Dr. Renee Stringham bought the building provided that we bring it up to code. SOS agreed to pay for the renovation work. (This money would later be reimbursed with the sale of the building.) In stepped Steve Gab and Rainbow Valley Design. As a contribution to the community and to support their philosophical convictions toward the environment, Rainbow Valley Design took thousands of dollars off the cost of renovation in the months that followed. Steve worked diligently satisfying the city code requirements all the while adhering to Barbara's equally vigilant need to keep the remodel as "green" as possible. Mr. Gab gives an example: To avoid using pressure-treated wood they found a regulation that allowed the use of hardwood cedar for the sill-plates. And so they did. In addition to their expertise and generosity, Mr. Gab and Rainbow Valley Design proved to be patient as well. SOS paid them slowly from our earnings and fundraising over a five-year period. Board member Milena Thompson and Barbara Kelley both made loans to SOS for the renovation. Key in the Whiteaker neighborhood is Doug Ebbitt, who, along with SOS and many residents, worked to establish historic preservation status for this interesting, old district. In addition to holding meetings in his home, Mr. Ebbitt and others raised the money needed to hire an historic preservation specialist, John Pincus, who was instrumental in working with the city and the state in this lengthy process. Also involved were two UO Department of Architecture interns who were hired by SOS to help establish historic status for our building with the State of Oregon. The current owners of Sam Bond's Garage continued to upgrade the building with loving care. They recreated their space by reusing the building's original materials. Whiteaker is unique because it is a neighborhood of beauty and because it is a neighborhood where people work together and find joy in this kind of community. Thank you to everyone who has worked to keep the big trees, the old buildings, and the warmth of its community atmosphere alive and thriving. Kim Kauffman SOS Board Member Risk for Change How can Eugene Weekly endorse "Not Bush" as it's presidential stand? While I entirely share the fears of many at the prospect of a Dubya administration (not to mention disgust, embarrassment, and overall nausea), to promote watching East Coast exit polls before casting a vote is reprehensible and highly irresponsible. Polls in general, and exit polls in particular, are the lowest common denominator feeding an apathetic voting populace. To suggest that a vote should be made only when safe, and based upon the trends currently in broadcast, is like informing voters to not be informed, but rather to cynically check in with the outcomes projected by the corporate media before coming to a decision. EW is a wonderfully progressive entity. Yet the open promotion of a "lesser-of-two-evils" approach by EW is exactly why a progressive third party must be nurtured and promoted. And the only way to accomplish that is by being a proponent of that party's growth. Following the EW's advice, a third party's chances of growing into a credible and influential force is further delayed. Yet EW must realize how important it is for the Green Party to achieve a credible percentage in a national election in order to eventually be in a position to challenge the two major political parties. This must happen in order to effect change. Does EW think the current system works? I don't advocate an "I-will-destroy-this-village-in-order-to-save-it" mentality, and additionally, I fear another Bush administration. But making progressive change in our country, and in the world, can only occur if we are willing to risk our energies on steps toward progressive change. Gerry Morgan Eugene Morse Protectionism "Dressed in a red power dress suit, McGinty tells the group..." ("Gore, Bush or Neither?" EW, 10/12). Now if Gore environmental advisor Katy McGinty had met naked with environmental activists, it might have been news. Otherwise, commenting on a woman's professional attire is manifestly sexist. By the way, former Oregon Senator Wayne Morse earned the support of Oregon's timber companies by restricting competition for federal timber sales, thus subsidizing small domestic timber processors (EW Editorial, 10/12). Oregon's counties and schools, which received 25 percent of timber sale receipts, were the big financial losers of Morse's protectionism. Reduced competition meant that federal timber sold for much less than it otherwise would have, generating less money to educate our children and maintain county roads. Andy Stahl Eugene Citizen Outcry At the joint meeting of the Lane Council of Governments on TransPlan [Oct. 18], members of the Eugene City Council were accused by a county commissioner of acting like "a child that's thrown a tantrum." It was also stated by another county commissioner that the City Council had "a constituency to appease." Officials, when elected, are asked to "serve" their constituents. Wow! What a concept! The Eugene City Council did not settle for consensus but decided instead to support citizen outcry. They did indeed serve the concerned citizens of Eugene. Now is the time to forge a new future for TransPlan. One with long-term visionary ideas, not short-sighted immediate gratifications. We need a plan designed around pedestrian, bicycle, and transit-friendly concepts. Foremost, a plan that significantly reduces motorized traffic over the next 20 years. Richard J. Suter Eugene Praise be to Stalin Back in colonial times a group of people came to America in order to escape a ruthless tyrant called the Scolding Prig. These immigrants blended in with their fellow Americans and worshipped life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They helped to build this nation and fought in its defense. You may be living next door to one of these people without even knowing it. They are called the Bingo-bar-barians. Once in America, this group branched into two separate sects. One sect meditated over numbers at the bingo parlor; the other sect meditated over beer bubbles in the bar. Both sects continued to partake in their common ritual: the inhalation of secondhand tobacco smoke. They were extremely careful, however, not to expose their children to this ritual. Alas, the Scolding Prig rose up from the rubble of the Berlin Wall and followed the Bingo-barbarians to America, vowing to eradicate them. The Scolding Prig found an enthusiastically in the Eugene "Big Brother" City Council. Praise be to Stalin, we have found a new way to harass and fine the common citizenry! The Eugene City Council would rather have you sit at home drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in front of your children than to engage in such activity in a bar among freely assembled adults. Committees are forming and a simultaneous eight-councilor recall may be in the offing. Tom Tracey Eugene Mass Murderers I am responding to Steven Estey's smoking debate challenge (10/26). Two facts: 1) Cigarette smoke contains carcinogens/nicotine which cause it to be the #1 source of drug deaths/addictions in the world. 2) In some areas of the world, cigarette smoke kills more people than all other drugs combined. These two facts make cigarette corporate executives and their bought whore politicians mass murderers. They also make it clear that banning cigarette smoking in all public places is a no-brainer for every decent unaddicted person. There are only three classes of opponents to a public-place smoking ban: cigarette addicts; people who are so brainwashed that they cannot believe the scope of the death toll, and owners/employees of cigarette corporations, tobacco farms and smoke-filled public places (including the whore politicians) who profit from this grisly death/disease/addiction machine. There is no hope of resurrecting the conscience or the health of anyone who fits into all three classes unless he/she is suddenly struck with the lightning of real truth and actually believes the real truth. And the one most deserving of the lightning bolt is George W. Bush. Bob Saxton Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows. Please limit length to 250 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number. E-mail to editor@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. Back to Top Table of Contents | News & Views | Arts & Entertainment Classifieds | Personals | EW Archive