Editorial: Be Thankful Already: Election 2000; pro-marijuana vote. Living Out: Ethel's Hideaway: Battling life's evil is exhausting. Letters: EW readers sound off. Be Thankful, Already Another Thanksgiving has sneaked up on us and it's time for picking our teeth and scratching our heads. We know what sort of bird will be on our Thanksgiving tables, but we don't know what sort of bird will roost in the White House come January. There's not much we can do about the election at this point, other than cringe at future scenarios and look for reasons to be thankful -- things we naturally do this time of year. We can be thankful that George W. Bush got less than half the votes cast, and has lost the popular vote. Not much of a mandate for change if he ends up victorious in the end. Likewise, we are fortunate that Congress is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Even with Republicans setting agendas and heading committees, it will be difficult for them to push through partisan legislation. A string of unpopular new laws would lead to a voter revolt in 2002, a likely turnover of both houses, and certain doom for Republicans in 2004. A little bottleneck in the kitchen is not such a bad thing when progressive agendas don't even make it on the menu. We can be thankful that the American people appear to be leaning slightly to the left these days, even after eight years of Bill Clinton. When we combine the votes for Ralph Nader and Al Gore, we see a clear preference for more progressive stands on the environment, labor, social justice and women's rights. We can also take some pride in the American people who are showing remarkable restraint and patience as the election drama unfolds in Florida. In some other countries, such a predicament would lead to rioting and anarchy. But the week's not over yet. Nader's popularity in this election (despite his spoiler role) reflects a growing concern for the excesses of corporations, money in politics, and the state of the environment. The mainstream media keep judging Nader's popularity by the votes he got, a silly exercise at best. He would have gotten far more votes, perhaps double the number, under a different mix of candidates. We hope all the organizing behind Nader will lead to Green Party folks running for more school boards, councils, commissions and state offices. To be an effective force in government, the Greens need to embrace a broad agenda and build credibility and a power base from the bottom up. ***** Closer to home, we can be thankful that some decent state initiatives passed this election, including Measure 3, which curtails permanent property forfeitures without convictions. There was a time in Oregon when people and the courts figured anything was fair game, even sidestepping our Constitution, to get drugs off the street. The two-to-one support for Measure 3 indicates citizens are weary of the "war on drugs" that stomps our basic rights, swamps our courts and prisons, and devours countless millions of dollars that could be used more effectively -- for drug education, intervention and treatment. Oregon is not alone in this revolt. Utah voters passed a similar measure this month regarding forfeitures, and California voters favored an initiative that will shuffle thousands of drug users to community treatment programs instead of jail. Colorado and Nevada have now legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. Local tax measures for county jail beds and Eugene police facilities failed again at the polls Nov. 7, and local public safety officials are blaming everything but the obvious. Investing in punishment and fancy office buildings are not the ultimate solutions to drug abuse and the serious criminal activities that surround it. We need adequate mental health services, drug treatment centers and true community policing programs to make our community safer. We are pleased to see that Lane County is getting a $1.5 million federal grant to fund local heroin treatment programs (see News story, p. 7). The grant will provide health education, outreach, outpatient treatment for adolescent and adult heroin users, and an expanded methadone program. Such an investment is likely to pay for itself many times over in long-range savings to taxpayers. ***** Will we ever know exactly how many write-in votes Michael Glownia got in his campaign for Eugene mayor? This week we hear that county election officials have tallied more than 5,400 write-ins, but they don't plan to break down the numbers by name since it's obvious Jim Torrey won reelection. Regardless of the rules, Glownia has a right to know, Mickey Mouse has a right to know. Send those ballots over to Eugene Weekly and we'll hold 'em up to the light, poke 'em and prod 'em, and evaluate voters' intentions as we finish off our leftovers. -- TJT Back to Top Ethel's Hideaway Battling life's evil is exhausting. On the opening night of my mother's play, our house buzzed with actors, directors, movie producers -- exciting and mysterious people. It was cool to see my ordinary mom magically transformed into a glamorous playwright, but I was late for a phone date with my best friend. Luckily, an 11-year-old kid can slip out of a party unnoticed. I escaped the commotion in the living room and closed my door. Debbie and I needed to concoct a plan to get permission to go to the movies by ourselves. I picked up the extension phone in my bedroom. My mom was on the line talking to a woman I didn't recognize. I swiveled the receiver away from my mouth so they couldn't hear me breathe. A strange, husky voice oozed from the phone, "... then after the show tonight we'll see you at Ethel's Hideaway." "Yes, dahling, see you there." My mom sure didn't sound like her regular self. I waited for her to hang up first. Something was up. I knew all about dastardly plots from watching Sky King and Penny and "My Friend Flicka." I was pretty sure my mother and this mystery woman were in cahoots. Was my mom really some kind of bandit, living a wild and rugged secret life away from her normal job and family? I leaned back and rubbed my bare feet along the rows of chenille on my Annie Oakley bedspread. Ethel's Hideaway had to be somewhere out in the desert. Probably an old mining shack with tumbleweeds blowing past the weathered timbers of the entrance. Ethel must be the leader of the gang. I could picture her: a hard-living leathery woman in jeans and a sweat-stained Western shirt with pearly snaps. She'd sit backwards on her chair, toss back a shot of whisky and wipe her mouth on her sleeve. Then she'd smack her glass down on the table and make the dust jump. Ethel and her outlaw gals could be planning to hold up a stage coach and make off with the payroll. I'd bet these women did whatever they pleased and didn't have to get anybody's permission for anything. They wore their favorite jeans every single day if they wanted to. And they took a bath only when they felt like it. My mother was involved in something so adventurous and so secret that not only could I never mention it to anyone else, I couldn't even let on to her that I knew. From then on, whenever she claimed to be going for groceries, I knew she was out there in her pointy-toed cowboy boots, kicking up dust in the starry night as she rode her palomino across the desert to Ethel's Hideaway. About the time I figured out that The Borrowers weren't living in our walls, I learned that Ethel's Hideaway was nothing but a restaurant with a husky-voiced hostess. It was OK, that small disillusionment paled in comparison to the realities of puberty. I suspect that my fantasy of my mother's secret life planted the outlaw seed in my own life and directed me toward my quest for freedom and justice. I have plenty of adventure and limelight. My own play (about lesbian sexuality) enjoyed at least underground success. I have the glamour of performing comedy improv for cheering audiences. I get to do battle with the Snidely Whiplash of homophobia. I don't need anyone's permission to wear whatever I want. And I bathe only when I feel like it. But fighting for equality and civil rights all the time is stressful. Society's constant questioning of the morality of your sexual orientation wears you out. Rising hate crimes and gay suicides weigh heavy on the soul. Battling evil is exhausting. From time to time I just want to hide away. When my mother died a few years ago, I bought a small cabin in the woods, a couple hour's drive from where we live. I named it in honor of her and the secret life she never had. Our Ethel's Hideaway sleeps eight. Every year we have a gang of women out for a long weekend. We let down our vigilance and determination and take it easy. No TV, no newspaper, no answering machine, no e-mail. About once a month my sweetheart and I steal away to Ethel's Hideaway all by ourselves. We magically become peaceful, calm and relaxed with nothing more to do than walk on the beach, read novels under the cedar trees and keep the wood stove going on cold nights. That's where we live our secret life as normal people. 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, also runs in several other newspapers around the country. Back to Top Offensive Word The 11/2 issue of Eugene Weekly contained an article by Alan Pittman that refers to a candidate for president as a "moral retard." While that quote is attributed to Tim Hermach, Mr. Pittman's choice to use the phrase "retard" in a printed quote is outrageous and inappropriate. If the quote contained biased language denigrating an ethnic/cultural group or a group of people with a specific sexual orientation, would that have been printed? I think not. Our country and the rest of the world struggles with the inclusion of people with diverse ability levels, with biased words like "retard" often being used to "put down" people with disabilities. It is all of our responsibility to change that and create a world where people with all levels of ability are welcome. The choice of EW, a publication that strives to be inclusive and free of bias otherwise, to use the term "retard" tells people that it is OK to use this type of language. I think I speak for people everywhere who care about disability rights in saying shame on you for using the word "retard." EW obviously cares about acceptance of other diverse groups. Why doesn't EW care about acceptance of people with disabilities? The message you gave in printing that quote says that you do not care, whether you meant to give that message or not. I have spoken with both Alan Pittman and the EW Editor, Ted Taylor, requesting that the EW print an apology for the use of the word "retard," and was told that EW chooses not to do so. In the absence of an official retraction and explanation for such an offensive statement, the EW's editorial celebration; of diversity and support of human rights seems like little more than hollow rhetoric. Dan Baker, Ph.D. Rick Blumberg, Ph.D. Christina DeCristo EDITOR'S NOTE: We agree that the word "retard" is insensitive, and we avoid using such words gratuitously or lightly. However, we also avoid censoring the words of prominent people making political statements, even if those statements are inappropriate. The Cost of Money The goal of the Nader campaign is to get 5 percent of the national popular vote in order to receive federal funds in the next election. In other words, the real purpose of Nader's run is not to get elected -- it's MONEY. But what will that money cost us? Let's look at some specifics. Bush has made it clear that he will work to open up mining in the Arctic Wildlife Preserve. Al Gore has insisted that, if he is president, the Refuge will remain untouched. How much federal money is Ralph Nader willing to accept in exchange for the Alaskan wilderness? While Oregonians know the failings of the Clinton Forest Plan, there is little question that Bush will undermine even that provisional agreement, cutting old growth faster than it's being cut now. How many ancient trees is campaign funding worth? George Bush has pledged not to breach dams, even if it could help save salmon species. How many salmon will Nader sacrifice for his federal money? I could go on but can't bear to. Think global warming -- Bush believes it doesn't exist. Think a woman's right to choose, think ... Nader's campaign, in the crucial states of Oregon, Washington, and others, is simply helping George Bush get elected. Even if the Green Party gets national funds (which is looking less and less likely), the cost is too great. Personally, I wouldn't trade those trees, those salmon, those rights for any amount of money. Ken Zimmerman Greens For Gore Coalition www.greensforgore.org Creswell Behind the Issues The 10/26 issue of EW told us, in the editorial titled "Hold That Ballot," that we should vote for Gore because the "enemy" doesn't want us to. The editorial goes on to say that the enemy is the collective of the forces behind the issues of "corporate greed, environmental destruction and social injustice." Let's think about this, shall we? Who are the individual entities behind these issues? Environmental destruction is the easy one. You've got the timber and oil corporations. Atlantic Richfield, Exxon Mobile, Chevron, Georgia-Pacific, and Sunoco all contributed at least $50,000 to Gore's campaign.* Corporate greed is a cause of social injustice; therefore, I think we can look at these two issues together. The list of corporate greed/social injustice issues and violators is a long one, so I will try to stick to the most important ones. Our government has written legislation allowing for tax dollars to be used by pharmaceutical corporations to completely offset the cost of research and development of new drugs. These same corporations then charge Americans the highest prices in the world to use these drugs. Upjohn, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Rite Aid, and Schering-Plough all contributed at least $50,000 to Gore's campaign.* The AMA, funded by the insurance giants, fights every attempt we make toward health care reform with lobbyist dollars. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, AFLAC, Prudential Insurance, New York Life Insurance, and United HealthCare all contributed at least $50,000 to Gore's campaign.* We are spending $100 billion more per year now on military hardware (i.e. jets, bombs, missiles, etc) than we did during the arms race. For this we can thank mainly Lockheed Martin who contributed more than $50,000 to Gore's Campaign.* Agribuisness ( ie. Monsanto, AMD) contributed $273,000 to Gore's campaign. They are the main entities behind the genetic engineering of crops. Every conceivable entity behind the three issues mentioned contributed to both Bush and Gore's campaigns. How could the "enemy" have not wanted us to vote for the man if they paid for him to run? * see www.billionairesforbushorgore.com and www.opensecrets.org Dan Headings Eugene Bushisms Stand-up comics and web sites have fun with what they call "Bushisms." Bushisms are examples of how Gov. George W. Bush mangles the English language. "Bushisms" should include examples of how he mangles morality. During the election a common Bushism was, "I trust the people." Now Bush defames the bi-partisan teams of people who are hand counting the vote of the people of Florida. A Bushism translation: "I trust machines." Another election Bushism was his preference for local empowerment. Now he becomes the first to run to the federal courts to try to suppress local hand counts. Throughout the election we heard Bushisms about honor, integrity, trust, character and truth. What became of those values during this crisis? Bush tries to derail what is widely accepted as the best way to reach the truest tally at this point -- hand counting. In Texas, Bush supported hand counting. Now in Florida -- where his own brother is governor -- Bush imagines that hand counting would contaminate the process. Republicans have become the party of Bushisms. For years, many Republican national leaders have exploited trivial disputes and paralyzed the federal government for weeks or months at a time. Now many Republicans have suddenly gotten "attention deficit disorder" simply because a statewide hand count that has an impact on our entire nation might take about a week. Would any of these Republicans act the same way if they discovered, say, that their multi-million dollar stock market trades had been handled as sloppily as the Florida election? David Oaks Eugene Election Lessons Things I recently learned from Vice President Gore that I wish I knew in school. 1. If I take a test and I don't like my grade, I can ask "them" to re-grade my test. 2. If "they" re-grade my test and I still don't like the results, I can ask "them" to grade my test by hand. 3. If "they" still don't give me the grade I want I can retain the services of a lawyer and he or she can make "them" re-grade just the parts where I think I should have done better. I wish I had this information in school; it would have really improved my GPA. Of course, if I tried that in school, "BIG-insert scapegoat here" would prevent me from doing so. So thanks to Al Gore, instead of preparing for a test to make sure I get a good grade I now know I only need to wait for the outcome and then blame someone or something else if I don't like the results. I think we should teach kids this lesson in school. Tom Markham Eugene Ralph Says Thanks The election is over and the Green Party's permanent reform movement has broken through the tape on Nov. 7, 2000 to become the third largest party in America, the fastest growing and the first in its determination, in Lincoln's words, to work toward a "new birth of freedom" that participates in power and pursues justice. For all of you who worked so hard, raised your expectation levels for politics to be subject to the will of an informed citizenry, in place of being subjugated by the power of giant corporations, I thank you. For all our voters who stayed the course and lifted all our horizons higher, you are the main reason why the Green Party and the long-range permanent reform movement it represents can now go from the present take-off stage to a party with many more candidates for local, state and federal office. The many causes you believe in and are urged here in Washington, D.C., by the national citizen groups will be enhanced by the Nader/LaDuke 2000 campaign next year when Congress convenes. Our appreciation for your stand up and stand for vote of conscience and public interest is unbounded. Ralph Nader campaign@votenader.org Fooling America Do the networks answer to anyone? The folly of the election night predictions brings to mind the seriousness of the role of the networks to inform; instead they are meddling in the democratic process. In Robert Parry's book, Fooling America -- How Washington insiders Twist the Truth and Manufacture Conventional Wisdom, he says "today's Washington has become home to a kind of information cartel, where only CW (conventional wisdom)-approved ideas and information reach the general public." The ultra right wing political and religious "think tanks" churn out much of what we see on the networks. There are six major media corporations, Time-Warner (CNN), Viacom (CBS), Disney (ABC), Rupert Murdoch's New Corporation (FOX), Seagram, Sony, and General Electric (NBC). Wealthy corporations looking out for wealthy corporations at the expense and demoralization of democracy. Robert McChesney explores this subject and how it leads to voter apathy in his book, Rich Media, Poor Democracy. Besides papers like Eugene Weekly and a few magazines, I've found universities and the Internet to be the last bastions of free political thought. Robert Parry is an investigative journalist who left Newsweek. His work is found on the web at www.consortiumnews.com. Fooling America was written in 1992, and it was Parry's hope the American people would not be fooled again. But, alas the networks and their benefactors have only honed their skills. A Republican congressman says the election night coverage may have hurt Bush. He neglects the fact that Vice President Gore nearly conceded the election because of the misinformation. Ann Warner Eugene Kids Are Fair Game Having just returned from the School Board meeting in which policy 7700 was passed to allow certain forms of advertising in our high schools, I am astounded by the short-sightedness and lack of integrity that permeates the bureaucracy intended to protect the students in our schools. The new policy, motivated by a tantalizing contract with Pepsi and Coke to not only enter into, but to monopolize the selling of beverages at high schools by setting up vending machines, is sending a very powerful message to students: Schools can be bought. You may have thought that schools were intended to educate, you may still believe that academia is the focus of our educational system, but the fact is that children and young adults are now fair game even at the institutions that we value and trust. Don't be fooled; Coke and Pepsi will use this contract as a means to justify their contribution to education (but come election time, they will finance whoever can promise them the lowest taxes, income which can be used to truly improve education). They not only have exclusive rights to build their brand identity for young consumers, but they also have bragging rights as to their "public-mindedness" and concern for our youth. Far from being shortsighted, these two beverage firms have essentially invested in a long-term market. The market for teenagers is estimated nationally at $57 billion a year of their own money and about $36 billion more from their families. But we as conscientious citizens and taxpayers must inquire as to the repercussions of such actions. So please, write a member of the school board and tell them that this is an outrage, that we are encouraging our children to think critically rather than concede passively. David Toumajian UO doctoral student Search & Destroy I would like to address an open statement to all Oregon trappers and all who voted against Measure 97. Measure 97 would have, among other things, outlawed the use of steel-jawed leghold animal traps, making them illegal. I helped gather signatures to qualify it for the ballot and also helped to campaign for its passage. Unfortunately, it was defeated 61 percent to 39 percent statewide. My work, however, remains unfinished. Legal or illegal, I will continue to search out and thoroughly destroy as many of these barbaric devices of animal torture as I can find, as I have always done, whenever and wherever I find them. I work alone, though I suspect I am only one of many. Catch me, if you can. Henry Hutto Eugene A Simple Solution I read the Viewpoint by Loren Sears and Cynthia Harding (11/9) about OPB. Their suggestions are, in my opinion, short-sighted and lack a true understanding of life. The real solution with OPB and the other programming problems is simply: throw the TV away. People who have a life don't need TV. I could list thousands of things a person could do that would be better than wasting away in front of the boob tube. There is a direct correlation to quality of life and quality of people and TV. The lower the quality of life and person, the higher the amount of TV is watched. OPB is not the problem. The problem is our sick society. Loren and Cynthia, members of Eugene Media Action, are the problem, not the solution. They should throw their OPB mentality and take a hike! Gary Cook Eugene Fifth Novel? Reading the first sentence of Michael Kroetch's review of Mark Salzman's latest novel, Lying Awake, in the 11/16 Eugene Weekly, I had to wonder if I was losing my mind or perhaps there was another novelist named Mark Salzman. But no, a moment at the bookshelf confirmed that Lying Awake was Salzman's fifth novel, not his second. I do not expect that local journalists or anyone else, for that matter, never make mistakes, but this is the sort of blunder that I seem to notice whenever the local media writes about a topic that I know anything about. If we cannot expect EW to get something like this right, how can we trust their reporting on, say, the UO and the WRC? Tim Rogers Cottage Grove EDITOR'S NOTE: Michael Kroetch checked and says Lying Awake is in fact Salzman's third novel. He has two non-fiction memoirs previously published as well, but not five novels. Seven Out of Nine Thanks for bringing Mendocino County voters' passage of Measure G (decriminalizing cannabis possession and cultivation of up to 25 female plants) to light in EW. There were nine drug/ganja-related issues nationwide and seven of them passed. Consistently, among the states now allowing legal medical cannabis, the voters have given pot overwhelming support. In Nevada's re-vote (required by their constitution is a second vote to confirm and implement citizen initiatives) on medical cannabis, their Question 9 passed with 69 percent of the vote. Pot it seems is more popular than either of the two major presidential candidates (duh). Lets see, if Al "Bonghit" Gore had said, "I support medical marijuana" rather than his lame perpetuation of the "there is no proven medical use" shtick, he would have shown me and others among the 70 million folks in the U.S., who do or have smoked pot, that he deserved our vote. Oh well, sorry Al, don't blame Ralph, blame your own lame self. If EW staffers or readers are interested in the cannabis issue, or the war on (some) drugs, I suggest going to www.mapinc.org on the Internet for the world's largest library (almost 50,000 articles archived from around the globe) of drug news. Available are links for news, facts, organizations, and information on how to get involved in stopping the war being waged here at home. Allan Erickson 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