Natural Resistance: Essential Values: As we abandon harmful activities, we take nature as our guide. Viewpoint: Victory & Shame: Transcending arrogance and ignorance from the anti-Bush whiners. Living Out: Ethel's Hideaway: Battling life's evil is exhausting. Letters: EW readers sound off. Essential Values As we abandon harmful activities, we take nature as our guide. When you're thinking about what's needed to support all Earth's beings and communities, how do you consider everything? Recently 20 of us found ourselves doing such thinking in a large, old, guest house in the Adirondacks, near the New York-Canadian border. The oldest and largest state park in the lower 48, the Adirondacks became our first legislated "wilderness" a century ago, just about the time its wolves were eliminated. Concomitantly, most of its trees had been taken, first for logs, and later to make charcoal for iron smelters. Legislators approved park designation because most of the land had reverted to the state when the timber industry failed to pay their taxes. Wealthy New Yorkers could preserve their vacation home inholdings, and the hotel industry could attract clients. Additionally, park status would save Adirondack water for the Erie Canal, a barge trail. Today, perhaps a thousand dams raise the water level of most Adirondack lakes, and many of the waterways are dug canals. Ironies continue. Twenty-two prisons, holding 38,000 humans, encircle the park, and employ almost three-quarters of Adirondack town residents. Environmentalists and one town's residents have recently been at odds: The residents favor expansion of a nearby prison, for the jobs; the environmentalists are working toward wolf reintroduction and oppose additional "developments." The house we were staying in had been the hotel of a railroad magnate; and later the guest house of an industrialist who "owned" copper mines in other peoples' countries. The son of this industrialist donated the house for use by writers, artists, and conferences working in the public interest. My room was in ex-servants' quarters. In this setting, we ended up writing a statement of values we believe are essential if humans are to cease threatening to end most forms of life on earth and diversity in communities, and most forms of hope. We didn't list these values because they are "nice"; we listed them because we think they are essential. The statement is remarkable for its simplicity and inclusion of both humans and other beings. Hence its utility as a standard to hold up to our elected officials, laws, industries, committee processes, workplace conditions, trade agreements, and personal lives. I hope you find it useful. (One side note: After a late night of working with others on the statement, I slept outdoors by the lake. In the morning, loon calls woke me and I laughed to hear them. I ran up to the guesthouse and said, "I think we forgot one value: humor." Everyone agreed.) The Blue Mountain Lake Statement of Essential Values Values become actions. Too many of our actions are killing our planet, our communities, and our spirit. Our actions are killing our loved ones. We are diminishing the future for everyone and everything. Particular values form the basis of our survival. When practiced, they help us live in reciprocity with nature and with each other. We are the relationships we share, and we are permeable -- physically, emotionally, spiritually -- to our surroundings. Therefore, we hold these values as essential: * gratitude, because our lives depend on air, water, soil, plants, humans, and other animals; * empathy, because we are connected with all of creation; * sympathy, because we all experience suffering and death, both necessarily in the course of life and unnecessarily when these values are not practiced; * compassion, because it moves us to attend to suffering and injustice; and * humility, because we cannot know all of the consequences of our actions. We belong to the community of the Earth. It is the source of our own life, and our actions affect its well-being. Therefore, we practice: * respect, because it is fundamental to good relationships; * restraint, because the Earth is finite, and good relationships honor limits; * simplicity, because we are only one species sharing Earth with many others; and * humor, because life is good, and humor disrobes tyranny and absurdity. Human beings need sustaining social and natural environments. No one by law or habit is entitled to rob others or future generations of a diverse world vibrant with hope and possibilities. We have an obligation to restore social and ecological fabrics that have been torn by violence or exploitation. We affirm that all being is sacred and has intrinsic value that is not monetary. People who hold these values outnumber those who do not. We draw strength from each other. As we abandon harmful activities, we take nature as our guide. We explicitly consider the effects of actions on individuals, families, communities, species, landscapes, regions, and future generations. It is through love for the particular -- a child, a neighborhood, a family of otters, a meandering river -- that we find our way to a sustaining relationship with our communities and the earth. Mary O'Brien of Eugene is the ecosystem projects director of Science and Environmental Health Network, which convened the gathering described above. Victory & Shame Transcending arrogance and ignorance from the anti-Bush whiners. Disgruntled Democrats and the anti-Bush legions on the left need to grow up. They need to stop whining about how Nader tipped the election. Of course Nader helped tip the election, of course Bush shouldn't be president. Neither should Gore. And all Nader voters should be proud of their courageous vote in the wake of rampant cowardice and ego, as well genuine dilemma and fear (manufactured by Gore's propaganda). But here's the news flash: Nader didn't cause a loss, Gore defeated himself. Look at Florida. Very bad news for Democrats: Nader only drew 24,000 Democrats to his cause, yet 308,000 Democrats voted for Bush! It gets worse: Gore lost 191,000 self-described liberals to Bush, compared to less than 34,000 who voted for Nader. Was it the "Clinton Factor"? As if that's not embarrassing enough, there's more: Gore lost the white women vote, normally voting Democratic in Florida, to Bush by 53-44 percent. (That might be as bad as losing his home state.) If Gore earned even half of these votes, he would've added 65,000 votes to his total. But, wait, there's even more humiliation: in spite of his terrorizing Social Security spin, Gore also lost the senior vote (over 65) to Bush 51-47 percent. As of this writing, both Buchanan and the Socialist's Worker's Party received enough votes -- each -- to make a difference in Florida. The national Libertarian vote would tip the scale. And on and on -- if, if, if. So, if malcontents need to assign blame, they should thoroughly clean their glass house (especially the mirrors) before throwing stones. Unless they throw them at Gore. Let's consider something wild: if Gore had the record, vision and integrity to earn votes, he would have gotten them -- and by more than a minuscule margin over a centrist puppet governor with an easily dismissed record. Gore's campaign has been a nightmare. Harsh reality: in spite of a booming economy (actually a house of cards now partially collapsing), in spite of incumbency and in spite of a half billion dollars (our tax money, donations, soft money) to sell himself, Gore failed to earn even a remote mandate from the electorate (he -- and Bush -- barely earned 24 percent of all eligible voters). The question shouldn't be, why did Nader run? It should be, why would Gore, with all his political power and half billion dollars, need Nader's votes (earned with barely over $5 million) to beat Bush? Of course Nader's votes contributed to Gore's plight. Good. Bush should win. Gore and the so-called New Democrats ("vital view from the center") need to lose. We should not be fooled by the ruse of Democrats being "liberal" or "progressive" and Republicans being "big bad business." The last eight years have shattered that myth, big time. The charge to the right (masked as the center) has been stampeded by the Democratic Leadership Council, led by Clinton/Gore. With few exceptions, the vast majority of Democrat and Republican politicians have merged into one Corporate Party. Consider the millions of votes Gore stole based on investing in fear by demonizing Bush. Beginning last July, all venues of national media, mainstream and alternative, carried one of the most common mantras of the 2000 Election: "I like what Nader stands for and what he says -- but I'm afraid of Bush." How many times did you hear that? Again, do the math: if you project that sentiment with an exit poll model, Gore stole at least 10 to 20 million votes from Nader! In five months on Nader's campaign, I met more Republicans and seniors than Democrats who were converting to Nader. By far. That's because Nader reached across party lines for a reason: He articulated a truth that most of us, left or right, feel in our gut and harbor in our mind -- our ability to flourish as workers, businesses, communities and citizens is being systematically dismantled by the global elite. Under Clinton/Gore, with more mega-mergers, less prosecution of environmental and consumer fraud, increased logging on public lands, increased lack of health insurance, increased poverty among women and children (now at 20 percent for children), hugely increased multinational corporate power, and dramatically increased accumulation of wealth by fewer people, voters need to rethink how the parties are identified. Rather than bickering, we should unite for a substantial cause to stop the erosion of our personal sovereignty by the tidal wave of global corporate sovereignty. We need to end all private money in elections. Public representatives should be under the control of citizens. We own the broadcast airwaves, not the wealthy media moguls. We own our democracy, not the lobbyists and donors. We can all fight, right now, for publicly funded elections. Ending the obscene influence of big money on our political process would be an enormous step toward reclaiming our democracy, a message successfully delivered to all voters by Nader. It's at the heart of his victory this year. In 2004, if we begin now, it should be our victory. Ken Grimsley was co-chair, Lane Victory 2000, a PAC supporting Nader/LaDuke. He's also a West Coast marketing/media consultant. 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 Guts are Wrenching The outcome is ... uncertain! This agonizing pause is full of hopeful promise and ruinous despair. Fame and fortune awaits the winner, the agony of defeat will forever shroud the loser. Moments flow like molasses down a glacier. Entire careers hang precariously in the balance. Guts are wrenching as the whole world waits with baited breath. Finally, the word comes down from on high. Upon further review, the receiver's knee is ruled down at the one-yard line. No touch down, time expires, and the St. Louis Rams defeat the Tennessee Titans to win this year's Super Bowl. Who can argue with instant replay? It's anachronistic to depend solely on the call made on the field. The referee is only human, the eyeball prone to misperception, and opportunities for obstruction abound. Too much hinges on outcomes today to not refer to instant replay with its indisputable, digital re-creations. We should do everything within our power to ensure that the right call is made. Anything less is, well, uncivilized. Of course the losers will inevitably howl, "Let the referee's call stand, it's part of the game." Some may even go to court, or use their power and influence, to block the use of replay. Such bores are a snore! I teach my children that cheating diminishes the quality of victory. What a hollow piece of hardware had the Super Bowl trophy been incorrectly awarded to the Titans. Isn't is curious that the Super Bowl in January portended the election in November? Perhaps not, since sports are a microcosm of life. Biting my nails, I wonder; even though Tennessee is Gore's home state, since Bush won the popular vote there, doesn't Bush have to represent the Titans in this metaphor? Donald B. T. Derlacki, MD, PhD Springfield Trigger Words In the 11/22 issue, there was a short article entitled "Heroin Fix," by Alan Pittman. The article referred to a new three-year grant Lane County recently obtained to expand treatment for heroin addiction. I appreciate your paper's coverage of this new grant. I would like to offer a correction and an opinion about the article. The grant will allow six local programs to expand treatment capacity. Those are ACES, Willamette Family Treatment Services, El Centro Latino-Americano, White Bird, Looking Glass, and the Lane County Methadone Treatment Program. The article stated that the grant is "... for the county's methadone program," which is only one of the six programs to be funded by the grant. I would like to take issue with the title, "Heroin Fix," chosen for this article. The title may have been intended as a play on words, i.e., "fixing" the heroin problem in this community, as opposed to a heroin addict "getting his fix." However, some of us who work in the drug treatment field found this to be a distasteful choice of language. Heroin dependence is a serious health and social problem in our community, with painful consequences for those who are addicted and their families. Also, for many recovering drug addicts, images and phrases associated with drug use ("heroin fix") are a "trigger" for relapse. I wish a more positive, hopeful tone was chosen for the title of this article, in keeping with the grant, which will expand treatment in the community and bring greater opportunities for recovery and a better quality of life. Linda Eaton, program manager Lane County Methadone Treatment Program Eugene Welcome Back, Lance I want to commend EW for the cover article on the Oregon tailgaters (11/22). It was wonderful, and Lance Sparks managed to capture the flavor and fun of the tailgaters in a very refreshing manner. What is amazing to me is the overall idea he used of an anthropological study of the well known party. At first glance, it is hard to see that there is anything new to write about for something that has been going on as long as tailgating parties, but Lance managed it easily. And his insight and keen wit provided us with humor and fun as we went along to Autzen. This is not unusual for Lance, as I have eagerly followed his columns for the EW for a long time, and I am glad to see him back in EW in rare form. Ann Marie Prengaman Eugene Virtuous & Broke Where to begin? I will try to make this short and sweet, but so many things are piling up around here, and the smell is not pleasing. I will try to "sound bite" my thoughts, as I do not have time to adequately research what is going on, but what I am seeing through the media. 1. Can't blame Naderites for 19,000 misvotes in Florida. Don't you think those votes would have put Gore into the Oval Office? 2. Gotta fire that Russell character running the schools. We gave him the money he demanded, and still he wants to gut the schools. Fire him or the school board. 3. Spend the money and drive a car that does not say "pull me over." Is there anyone who can data track police records to ascertain if racial, or other group (we already know about anarchists on tape) profiling is being conducted? I feel for the lady, I owned a "pull me over car" once, got pulled over 14 times in six months. No tickets, just annoyed. 4. So is Bill Sizemore the anarchists' best friend or what? If his measures had passed, we would not be able to afford government. Maybe Measure 7 has already effectively achieved this status. Can't wait to see what the suddenly rich landowners are going to do living in school-less, crime ridden, poverty stricken neighborhoods. 5. I still think we can live with the electoral college. Perhaps the college can be modified, but I kind of liked seeing candidates show up in Oregon. 6. Which do you prefer, a university that is imperfect and funded, or one that is perfectly virtuous and dead broke? Jay VanOrman Eugene Freedom From Fear The trauma of the Thurston High School shooting is still a recent memory for Eugene and Springfield children. Parents and school staff have worked hard to re-establish school as a "safe place." The choice of the Lane County Sheriff's Department to enact a surprise drill with drawn guns near an elementary school and playground re-traumatized and re-installed fear for a number of children. It was an insensitive thing to do -- especially in a time when assaults at school loom as a large, serious and real problem. In order to be free to learn, children must be able to be free from fear -- especially in their school. Debra McGee School Counselor, Fern Ridge School District Patterson/Family School Parent Admitting Mistakes I found the letter in last week's (11/30) EW regarding the sheriff's office training disrupting activities at Patterson School interesting, not so much for the incident itself, which was obviously the result of poor judgment, but for the response of Lt. Keedle of the Sheriff's Office. By stating that, "We blew it," he acknowledged what we all know: that human beings make mistakes. Except, of course, if you work for or are an apologist for the Eugene Police, who have never acknowledged making the slightest mistake. Contrast the response of the Sheriff's Office with the response of EPD every time they are criticized. The next day they trot out the mayor, city manager, and a platoon of police hierarchy to discuss how they operated with restraint and followed policy. They then promise an investigation, as if the results haven't already been decided. Maybe EPD has some things to learn from their county counterparts. Ron Chase Eugene Tasty Fact In his diatribe against the traditional Thanksgiving turkey meal (11/30), Fred Arbenz neglected one important fact: Turkey is delicious! Jim Johnson Eugene Biased Language In Eugene Weekly 11/2, Alan Pittman compared the presidential qualifications of Al Gore and Ralph Nader. At one point, Alan refers to Al Gore as a "moral retard." I welcome Alan's perspective and defend his right to express his opinions. However, his choice of words is most inappropriate. He is insensitive to people in this community who have a long history of being taunted with the label "retard." Alan Pittman does not need to use biased language to make a point, which he could make without demeaning others. I hope that Alan Pittman and EW clarify to readers their position on using language that is insulting to individuals with developmental disabilities. Thank you for your help in creating a respectful community for all. Carla Orcutt Executive Director Alvord-Taylor, Inc., Springfield EDITOR'S NOTE: The reference was neither Alan Pittman's perspective nor his opinion. He was actually quoting environmentalist Tim Hermach (see "Offensive Word" letter, 11/22). Trust & Empathy In this increasingly impersonal "business only" marketplace, a far cry from yesteryear's friendly corner grocer where everyone knew your name, I was frankly amazed and heartened by a recent experience at a Eugene business. To meet a deadline, I rushed to Willamette Stationers for a legal document, just before closing, to realize that in haste I'd forgotten my purse. I asked the manager if she might allow me to take the document on faith I'd return the next day with payment. I fully expected a refusal along with a look from her that I'd just stepped off a UFO. We had never met before, why should she trust me? Instead she smiled, went to the legal forms drawer and said, "Yes, we'll be glad to help you in this, payment tomorrow will be fine." I returned that next morning to pay. I left with the thought that although Eugene isn't a small town anymore, there certainly is one business (I know there are others) that has kept that very special "small town" spirit of trust and empathy. To be treated with trust, by a stranger, was refreshing. It's not a common experience, sadly -- and I won't forget it. It hadn't occurred to me to do my holiday shopping at a stationery store, but now I plan to. It's one way I can express my appreciation that the "friendly corner grocer" still exists. Carol Berg Eugene Gore is Stalling It is interesting to read all the editorials questioning Al Gore's actions in this election year when it is fairly obvious what he is doing; he is stalling. And here is why: Most newspapers have reported, but hardly any TV news, about a simple case in Seminole County, Florida. When the judge in this county hears how Republican supervisors tampered with absentee ballots before and after the polls closed, he will have no choice but to throw all 15,000 of them out of this year's election. It is amazing what one loyal Democrat can discover. Isn't it? Although Kathryn Harris believes her position as Secretary of State will finalize the certification of the electoral votes, she will not be able to escape the inevitable. The court case is Dec. 6. Remember when Republicans cried "foul" that Democrats wanted to fly an absentee voter overseas. Well, who is going to change their shorts after this judgment is handed down? Oh yeah, I almost forgot, of the reported 15,000 ballots, nearly 10,000 of them are for George W. Bush. P.S. Please disregard those CNN/ABC/USA Today/TIME polls. If 50 percent of America voted for Bush then it is fairly obvious that 50 percent of America would want Gore to give up the goat and concede. Paul Horsell Eugene None of the Above Spruce Houser (11/30) misses the point of the Nader campaign. For many it was our best available choice for a none-of-the-above vote against corporate domination of our democracy, which both candidates support. To this end, it was more effective than simply not voting. The chance of my individual vote actually affecting this election was insignificant. If I thought only in terms of winning this election, my vote would automatically be wasted. But I can have a small effect on the political status of my choice of candidate. If you check the popular vote for Nader in Oregon, that last digit represents my vote, and it didn't hurt Gore in the least. Looking beyond winning this election is taking the long-term view. As far as who "spoiled" the election, it turns out the electoral system spoiled it for Gore (since he did get the popular vote), which is one of the things Nader supporters are trying to change, not to mention general corruption in the established system. It's the goal of each candidate to spoil it for all the others. Nobody's entitled to votes they didn't earn. Otherwise, how else will we get real change? The illusion that a vote for Nader was a vote for Bush is part of the corruption. No, Nader might not be the best politician, but I think we need to back people who support a new kind of politics. Dan Robinson Eugene Stupid & Archaic The basic premise of Spruce Hauser's Viewpoint "Squandered Power" 11/30 is in error. If George W. Bush becomes the next president, it will be because of five primary factors, the most important of them being the Republican Party Apparatus' fraudulent rigging of the election outcome in Florida. The second most important factor is the really stupid and archaic electoral college (Karen Rikhoff, 11/30 letters, is SO right on this issue). The third most important factor is the really stupid and archaic punchcard system of recording and counting votes. The fourth most important factor is the lack of real campaign finance reform for federal elections. The fifth most important factor is the campaigns of Bush, Gore and Nader. Blaming the election result primarily on the noble efforts of Ralph Nader and other Greens is like blaming a battered wife for the brutality of her husband. U.S. voters are victims of the above five factors and more (make your own list and weep over the casket holding the last remains of democracy). Bob Saxton Eugene Poisoning the Press I have lived in Eugene for 51 years and have always regarded The Register Guard as a notch above any other daily paper with which I am familiar. Its news coverage, the diversity of views among its columnists and op-ed contributors, and its editorial stands (though I have sometimes sharply disagreed with them) all struck me as well above average. The few R-G employees I have known have, until now, seemed to be satisfied with their jobs and working conditions, and so far as I was aware, were able to bargain directly with the management under negotiating conditions which were apparently reasonably fair. The hiring of Michael Zinser, a lawyer well known for his successes in strike breaking and defeating unions, as chief negotiator for management in dealing with the Newspaper Guild, since February, at once poisoned the whole process both from the union's point of view and that of the community at large. I believe that in the long run it will contribute to a diminished quality of the R-G and poorer service to the community. It immediately changed the relationship from one of honest negotiation between employer and employees, in which all parties seek solutions acceptable to everyone, to an adversarial relationship in which the management is seen as trying to dominate and break the power of the union. This is not negotiation in good faith but a ruthless unjustified power play. The health of any organization employing labor depends in large part on the loyalty and commitment of the employees -- not on the ability of management to impose whatever conditions it might wish. I also note the recent increase in the efforts of the R-G to swell profits by investing in real estate and rental properties and by massive increases in advertising. The advertising inserts now frequently outweigh the rest of the paper by a wide margin. The hiring of Zinser looks like an attempt to increase profits at the expense of employees. I am very disappointed and have lost most of my respect for the management of the Guard. Bayard H. McConnaughey 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