Insider Baseball: Power to the People: Reregulate, don't deregulate. Editorial: Chiquita Calling: Decision nears on home for monster fed building. Living Out: Lesbian Tendencies: Could the Mystic Oracle have made a mistake? Letters: EW readers sound off. Power to the People Reregulate, don't deregulate. I was going to take you inside my Senate caucus this week, and introduce the diverse 14 from Venus and Mars -- but it will have to wait. Jeannie -- my impatient spouse, social director, and nurse practitioner in search of maladroit political behavior -- demands that I tell you about the current power dereg fight in Salem. Last week, Ron Eachus, a commissioner of the PUC, came to our Senate Democratic caucus to promote Oregon's 1999 experiment with deregulation, Senate Bill 1149. Next, I was invited to participate, along with Peter DeFazio and freshman House member Bob Ackerman, in a press conference Jan. 29 to discuss our opposition to power deregulation. Each of us has a bill in: Peter's would reverse deregulation on a federal level, Bob's would delay Oregon's implementation of a state dereg scheme, and mine would repeal all of SB1149 except the "public purposes" piece. This debate is fascinating because it has created some strange bedfellows. Ron Eachus and the Association of Oregon Industries (AOI) are both in support of deregulation. In fact, the bill was named after AOI's 1149 Court St. address across from the state Capitol. Most of the general public and a few of us elected officials are opposed. And then other significant players -- like CUB, the Greens, some investor-owned utilities, and public power (co-ops, municipals and PUDs) got what they wanted so they're also supporting Oregon's "restructuring" or "deregulation-lite" attempts. But they're not exactly jumping out of their seats happy at this very moment -- given the recent news out of the California catastrophe. It's really going to be an honor and, frankly, intimidating to be on the same dais with DeFazio and Ackerman, with their rich history in the public power wars. One of the most fascinating aspects of serving in the Legislature is the fortune of being exposed to the best and the brightest in any major public policy debate. It is a humbling experience. So I'm scared speechless! I gotta prepare my comments alongside these two -- what am I gonna say? I made the mistake of asking Jeannie. In order to clear my brain of a headcold, she forces me out on cross-country skis this weekend, over by Newberry Crater, in collusion with our friends, Ban and Jerri. All three proceed to punish me in a very politically correct aerobic fashion for the better part of two hours. Then they pumped me full of shredded ginger, lemon and honey boiled in water, threw me a bottle of salad dressing and told me to go graze the banks of the Little Deschutes. Cruel, heartless -- but I digress. Given my prep time, here are my bullets: * Sure, Oregon is not California; we didn't make the same mistakes. We had better protections built in. But fundamentally, the authors of SB1149 wanted to get to the same place California is, total deregulation. And we have the same danger of a shortage of generation currently, just like they do. We can even build generation plants faster than Californians can. But fairness in future dealings with consumers will only be as strong as the next PUC members, whomever they might be. * Consumers didn't ask for deregulation, it was large industrial users. The CUB and the Greens only agreed to support the scheme if there was 3 percent for public purposes. Public utilities only agreed if they could opt out of dereg. Less than a ringing endorsement. * The major argument in favor of dereg in 1999 -- that if we didn't deregulate the feds would do it for us -- is no longer an issue. The rest of the country is also watching California, and having second thoughts about changing a system that worked fine for the last 60 years. * Another argument -- that dereg would promote competition -- also seems to have floundered in California. After all, what good capital investor is going to risk building extra generation capacity that may not be used? * You don't have to have deregulation -- or restructuring, or privatization -- to have a 3 percent public purposes law. Conservation and alternative technologies should be even more significant when costs go up! Speaking of privatization-- can you say "Bonneville"? But that's a whole other topic. Gordon Smith, are you listening? Tony Corcoran of Cottage Grove is minority whip in the Senate and represents portions of Lane and Douglas counties in District 22. He can be reached in Salem at (503) 986-1722 or e-mail corcoran.sen@state.or.us Chiquita Calling Decision nears on home for monster fed building. The 800-pound gorilla is looking for a place to sit, and we'd like to offer him a seat in downtown Eugene. The old Chiquita/Agripac site is good for more than just bananas. The General Services Administration is ready to nail down the location of a new 265,000 sq. ft. federal building that would accommodate the present and future needs of U.S. courts and related agencies. It's a monster building and we can debate its scale, its necessity, its aesthetics, the displacement of established businesses, even whether the project will be funded -- but we can't just sit by and let Springfield wrestle it away. The fed building belongs in downtown Eugene for many good, logical reasons. Eugene is the region's urban center and our downtown is already home to federal, state, county and city government. These agencies interact constantly with each other and with private law offices downtown. Separating them by several miles would increase traffic and decrease efficiency. Likewise, the constant transporting of prisoners between Eugene and Springfield would compound security issues. Nature lovers should note that the Chiquita site has 18 trees and little wildlife, while the Springfield site next to Riverside Park has 69 trees, riparian vegetation, waterfowl and mammals. Two years of construction dirt and noise would also be more disruptive to businesses and neighbors at the Springfield sites. Eugene has seen major planning blunders in the past, to the detriment of downtown. But Eugene officials today are working to revitalize the heart of our city and a new federal building at the Chiquita site would be healthy for all of Eugene. * * * So, our nation has a new leader, and suddenly we find George W. Bush has learned to speak in complete sentences. Has he gotten a new speech writer? Not likely. What does it say about a country where the most successful campaign strategies are playing dumb and stalling? We're starting to get a taste of what we're in for these next four years. If you read the mainstream press this week, you get the impression that Bush is winning over Democrats with his "outreach" and "good will," but some of us are not dismissing Bush's outrageous nominations and his attacks on reproductive rights . Planned Parenthood in Eugene this week gave Bush a "report card" on his first week in office. Bush got "needs improvement" marks in every category, including "Listening" and "Plays well with others." In the space reserved for teacher remarks, it is written: "George W. entered office treating everyone in a friendly manner. In the first week, he has become divisive, is hanging out with bullies and interfering with the rights of others. It is our hope there will be significant improvement by the next reporting period." * * * Welcome to the new "large print" edition of Eugene Weekly. What is it with Eugene eyeballs? Do we need more and better optometrists in town? It can't be that we are getting older and less flexible in our vision. We've tried to print a smaller paper and save trees, but our readers keep complaining about our "more compact" text. Last month we boosted the size of the print in our Calendar section, people seemed to like it, and it's cheaper than inserting 31,000 pair of reading glasses in our paper. So we have been doing the same elsewhere in our paper starting last week. News stories, commentaries, letters, cover stories, art reviews and columns are all half a point larger. A few less words, but no more squinting. * * * Our website (www.eugeneweekly.com) has gone through a major upgrade recently and deserves a revisit. Thanks to webmaster Charles Overbeck for his inspired work. The site is much friendlier, easier to navigate and nicer to look at. You might notice that photos that are in dreary black & white in the paper are often in spectacular color on the web. The complete contents of each weekly edition are now available on our website by 2 p.m. Thursday, including news stories, movie reviews, calendar items, personals, etc., along with a "Virtual Eugene" weblink directory, EW's Annual Manual, our CHOW! restaurant guide, an archive of previous editions and more. Eventually we will add a searchable database, interactive features, and even expanded content. Suggestions? Send an e-mail to charles@eugeneweekly.com -- TJT Lesbian Tendencies Could the Mystic Oracle have made a mistake? Helen and I sat cross-legged on my bedroom rug, the Ouija board balanced on our knees. She wouldn't be called home for hours, and my parents were out at my brother's Little League game. Now that the two of us were alone, I could get serious. I had a question I couldn't trust with my eighth-grade crowd. At Teri's slumber party the night before, my new Ouija board had been a big hit. Since it was my board, I told them it would only work if I summoned the Ouija spirit. They took turns sitting across from me and followed the instructions I read from the accompanying booklet: Place your fingertips on the planchette and empty your mind of everything but your question. They obediently set their fingers on the flat, heart-shaped little table and stared at its quarter-sized window. The others leaned in. Candle shadows danced on their gullible faces. Each asked some version of the predictable "Who will I marry?" I pretended to slip into a trance, then spelled out names of the dorkiest boys in school. Helen wasn't in junior high yet and would probably never join the slumber party circuit anyway. She was different. She was still a tomboy and she didn't gossip. She was the star pitcher of our neighborhood, always first-picked for the games we played in the vacant lot between our houses. Little League was stupid not to allow girls on their teams. One time behind her house, we'd solemnly nicked our pinkies with a fishhook, pressed our fingers together and vowed to be blood sisters forever. I trusted Helen. She wasn't silly or boy crazy. Tonight I had a serious question and she agreed to help me get the answer. "Do you swear you won't move it on purpose?" Helen dragged her finger in the shape of an X over where her breast bud made a tiny swell in her T-shirt. She held up her palm and looked straight at me, "Cross my heart and hope to die stick a needle in my eye." "Me, too," I swore. Helen rested her slender fingers opposite my chubby ones and lowered her eyes. Sweet smoke ribboned from a sandalwood incense stick. Our breathing made the only sound in the room. I emptied my mind of everything except my question. My knees felt warm where they pressed against Helen's worn jeans, but I tried not to focus on that. "Ouija, are you with us?" The planchette quivered under our fingers, then slowly made a tiny circle. Another few circles and it glided across the board to YES. I knew I wasn't directing it and Helen was good for her word. It must really be working. "Ouija, who else is here?" The little table slid to the H and circled there, then zeroed in on the S. "Go ahead and ask your question," Helen coaxed. She probably didn't have as much faith in the Ouija board as I did, but she was willing and trustworthy. She didn't know yet what was bothering me. Had she heard the talk from older kids, too? I'd even overheard my mom's psychiatrist friend mention it. I was determined to find out if it applied to me. The words of my question paraded like ticker tape behind my eyes. It was now or never. "Do I have lesbian tendencies?" I stared at the glossy surface of the Ouija board to avoid seeing any reaction Helen might have had. The plastic ledge where my fingers rested felt warm and smooth. Then Ouija jerked into action. It pulled our hands into rhythmic circles at the center of the board. The circles got bigger and faster. We rocked forward and back in time with our circling hands. The planchette spiraled round and round, its widening orbit brushing equally close to YES and NO. I glanced up to make sure Helen wasn't messing with me. Her head was bowed in deep concentration. What exactly were Lesbian Tendencies? My mom's friend had said a lot of people had them, but I didn't know anyone who went around saying so. I was pretty sure it had to do with the teasing remarks about tomboys, and girls' obsession with being feminine. It had something to do with boys too, and how we weren't supposed to hate them any more, now that we were teenagers. Having brothers made that tough, though. Suddenly the planchette stopped circling and shot directly over to YES. I waited for it to move again but it just stayed there. A jumble of feelings spilled over me. I was shocked, embarrassed, relieved. I realized that I had hoped to rule out the possibility, not prove it. Yet I felt elevated somehow, lifted above "boys play ball, girls like boys." Helen's calm face showed no signs of disapproval. Her knees pressed hotly into mine. My head swirled. Could the Mystic Oracle have made a mistake? "Are you sure?" Immediately, Ouija swept our hands to the bottom of the board. "Good-Bye." 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 in EW, also runs in several other newspapers around the country. Back to Top Clemency Denied On Jan. 20, the day on which William Clinton left the United States Presidency, we learned that he had denied executive clemency to Leonard Peltier. It is heart-wrenching news for the thousands of people around the world who know that this great Native American leader is not guilty of the murder of two FBI agents, or of any murder or desire to kill. I have just finished reading Leonard Peltier's book, Prison Writings: My Life is My Sun Dance, which should be required reading for all of us, in schools, colleges and in our homes. The Preface is by Ramsey Clark, former attorney general of the U.S., who serves as one of Peltier's lawyers. In it we learn the true story of the horrors of the FBI occupation of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota between 1973 and '75, with the arming of "Goons," a paramilitary group. At least 60 Indians, and some say up to 300, were murdered during that period. Nothing has been done about those murders. And we learn of the intimidation of a poor Indian woman in Canada, which led to her testimony that she was Peltier's girlfriend and that she had seen the murders. She had in fact never met him. Peltier's description of his treatment in prison is another horror story. He, and so many others, have been beaten, placed in inhumane conditions and denied appropriate health care over 25 years. We in the U.S. decry torture and the violation of human rights around the world, yet our prison system is full of them. But I found myself inspired by this man, whose spirituality has carried him through. Will his fate be that his health will continue to fail, and that he will die in prison? Peg Morton Eugene Bulk Discounts Alan Pittman's article "Power Piggies" (1/18) is either false or irrelevant in every respect. Mr. Pittman reveals that industry uses large amounts of energy. Wow! The problem for Mr. Pittman is that industry gets a price break for buying in bulk and, according to a government report (the "omniscient" government) they are wasting energy. If Mr. Pittman has problems with bulk discounts I suggest he forgo them himself. As for wasting energy, I think individual companies know how much energy they need. Eugene Weekly usually refers to this as "corporate bean-counting," but somehow it doesn't apply to electricity inputs, only labor inputs. Mr. Pittman's objection that the higher demand created by industry leads to higher prices is absurd. Even if this is sometimes true in the short-run, what does he suggest: eliminating industry? In the long-run, increased demand leads to lower prices. Think computers, Mr. Pittman. Dan Meek is completely wrong when he claims aluminum smelters are being given "a gigantic corporate welfare handout." Aluminum smelters use tremendous amounts of electricity and are in a strong position to negotiate the price. Again, the buying-in-bulk principle you can observe at your local natural foods store. Finally, Mr. Pittman, corporate "greed" did not cause the current crisis. Government regulators, who prevent utilities from charging customers what the power actually costs, and environmentalists, who prevent more generating capacity from being built which would lower prices for everyone, caused the crisis. Peter Wilson Corvallis Front-Row Seat I wonder if Dan O'Gorman (1-11) and I were living on the same planet during the Reagan years? He writes that the Great Prevaricator put people back to work and reduced abuse in nursing homes and hospitals. I have distinctly different memories of that time. Sure, after causing a recession that put millions out of work and sent our industries to Japan, Reagan led something of an economic "recovery" that led to lower-paying jobs and the necessity of double-income families. The military build-up took money from domestic concerns like health care. I ought to know: I was successively director of a homeless shelter, a drug treatment program and, finally, a social worker in a psychiatric hospital during those years. If there was less abuse in nursing homes and hospitals, it was because there were fewer of them. That didn't prevent the executives in the health care industry from making unprecedented salaries due to cutting essential services. As a program director, I had a front-row seat for the feeding frenzy made possible by the Reagan regime. Hospitals closed, homeless shelters went begging, drug treatment centers had to close because the money they depended on was going to build "Peacemaker" missiles and the useless "Star Wars" missile defense (anybody give any thought to nuclear fallout in the jet stream?). Reagan declared catsup a vegetable in order to cut expenses for school lunches! Remember "trickle down" economics? Oh, we got trickled down on all right! I agree with the writer that practical measures should be taken to cut waste and provide improved services. But that means real reform instead of retrenchment the Reagan way. Pete Giberson Eugene Between the Lines I have to admit I only read the first and last paragraphs of Lois Wadsworth's reviews (so the whole movie isn't given away); perhaps if I had read her whole review of State and Main (1/11), I would have realized I shouldn't have seen it, despite her positive recommendation. She only touches on the way women are used in the movie, but I think I would have read between the lines. If you haven't seen the movie, here's my review so you don't have to. One of the running jokes is that "the broad," i.e. the female lead in the movie that is being filmed, is having an "ethical crisis" about taking off her shirt on film, so they have to figure out how to manipulate her into "showing her tits." But the film does not actually credit a woman to truly have such questions; instead it belittles such concerns by having her demand an additional $800,000 to take off her shirt. But the movie's budget is blown from moving locations because the male lead can't keep his hands off of teenage girls. But big surprise, there is a beautiful teenage girl who catches his eye in this town, too. However, State and Main portrays her as deliberately seducing him; then she calls the whole thing rape the minute she sees him with another woman. Wadsworth called the movie a biting satire, but the plot and the script aren't clever enough to convince me that State and Main is critical of the events it portrays. Instead, in the best tradition of Hollywood, it asks us to pass the degradation of women off as comedy. Emily Sinoradzki Eugene Unfair Response Humble Bagel recently closed its doors to South Eugene High School students. We are allowed to buy food, but then must leave. We cannot sit down in the atrium or the cafe. This has happened because one or more students have vandalized the Humble Bagel cafe; someone was even injured because of this. It was NOT right for the student(s) to do this, but it was also not right for Humble Bagel to single out an entire student body. If an African-American committed these crimes, would they ban all African-Americans? No! It would not be acceptable, and this is not acceptable! We are initiating a Humble Bagel boycott, and we hope that you will join us to protest this injustice. Nesa Levy Freshman at SEHS Ask a Librarian I was surprised to read Patricia Robinett's (1/18) letter complaining that she can't find the books she wants at the Eugene Library, because I find it a rich and varied collection. I have a few suggestions for her and other users who are frustrated when they can't find what they want on the shelves. First, if something is supposed to be in but not found on the shelves, it's usually worthwhile to ask a librarian for help. It's possible that the book was just checked in and has not yet time to be put in place. Librarians can usually find the book when this happens. Sometimes another library user is carrying the book around or has replaced it on the wrong shelf, and then it probably can't be found right away. It's true that not all lost books are replaced. In such a busy, high volume-setting, librarians may not find out that a book has indeed been lost unless a patron calls it to their attention. Besides, books often go out of print and aren't available anymore. Library users can also ask that the library purchase books that they think should be in the collection. There are forms at the reference desk and librarians will be glad to consider requests. I think that librarians do try to maintain a diverse, balanced collection. For example, although Ms. Robinett states that, "For the 12 years I've lived here, we have had the same four or five astrology books," I searched by subject and found 72 books on astrology, some published in the '90s. The important point here is that it is a good idea to talk to librarians about problems. There is a limited budget, and a city library like ours cannot contain every book for every interest, but I find its collection remarkably rich. Paulette Thompson Eugene Taking Power Alan Pittman's article about our corporate "Power Piggies" (1/18) was another well-researched and informative effort that I greatly appreciate. While I agree with Alan's analysis of corporate consumption, his characterization that Kitzhaber wants us to "shiver in the dark" is unfair to the governor, and denigrates and dismisses the importance of minimizing personal consumption of electricity. To imply we should ignore our personal energy consumption because industrial consumption is so much worse is like saying we should ignore vandalism because felonies are worse. We need to deal with both. Encouraging people to restrict personal consumption is important for several reasons. First, every watt conserved lessens the harm done to the environment by energy generation. Second, personal conservation immediately empowers a person. I just got up and turned off the light in my kitchen. I can take actions right now to make a difference, and immediately join the community of responsible people who are protecting our planet's health. Third, a community's rising awareness about personal conservation will help lead to stronger corporate controls. When people have an unconcerned attitude about their own consumption, they have a more unconcerned attitude towards industrial consumption. When people realize the importance of conservation, and take steps in their own homes to conserve, they will feel much more strongly that corporations should be made to conserve, and they'll make their voices heard politically. Jack Van Dusen Eugene Horrible Site The Springfield Island Park site is a horrible and destructive place to build the federal courthouse. Several large, beautiful trees would have to be cut down and more wildlife habitat destroyed. At least half of the site is now an attractive office complex, which is beautifully landscaped and fits in well with the natural environment of the river and creates and extends the habitat for a wide variety of birds, which I have personally seen there. I urge everyone who cares at all about the environment, trees and/or wildlife habitat to take a look at this site and see what would be destroyed. And if this is not enough, the lives of the human residents in the area would also be severely disrupted by such a large construction project. Carol Stern Springfield Not Even Close Who on Earth wrote the film summary in 1/11/01 "Clips" for the movie Pay It Forward?! Quote: "... about a boy whose class project turns into phenomenon (sic) taken up by lots of people." That's not even close to the movie I saw! (Or the book I had read previously.) I offer instead this sketch for your readers: "The film brings to life the vision of random acts of kindness, of bumper-sticker fame, when a middle schooler meets his teacher's challenge to come up with an idea to change the world. On his journey to do so, he changes the lives of the people he cherishes most, and he might even change yours. The novel upon which the screenplay is based has unleashed a movement. One might also mention the stunning performance by the young Haley Joel Osment and the open treatment of these timely themes: disability, child abuse, and alcoholism, with which the film deals in sensitive ways. I urge you to see the film, read the book, and try on its message for size in your own life. Then, 'pay it forward.'" P.S. The book was given to me by a friend who had the book given to her. I believe that there IS a movement for soul-healing afoot! Julie Rogers Eugene Skewed Values I am finding it increasingly difficult to live in a world in which values to me seem upside down -- a world in which people trying to make things better are reviled and persecuted by governments. Dorothy Granada, an American nurse who worked in a health clinic in Nicaragua, is fleeing for her life. Lori Berenson, another American, has already spent five years in prison in Peru for investigating human rights there. Leonard Peltier, an AIM leader, has been rotting in an American prison for 24 years for trying to help his people. David Chain, trying to save the trees, was killed by one, felled by a logger in California. Judi Bari was blown up in her car for fighting to save the California redwoods. Josh Harper, who believes that all living creatures have a right to life, is going on trial in Portland. Twelve people of conscience from Eugene went to Ft. Benning, Georgia to protest the School of the Americas, a school that teaches torture and murder to the military of Central America. The list is endless, and there are many more brave people of conscience whose names and fates are unknown to us. It doesn't make sense to me that killing of any kind is all right, but trying to stop the killing is illegal. I can't understand how people can object to the banning of Christmas trees but don't object to the ongoing bombing of Iraq. What has happened to our sense of right and wrong? Is it because our comfort and safety are more important to us than trying to make things better in this world? Juliane Keiser Junction City A Special Feeling I would like to write a thank you to Sally Sheklow who wrote the article on the Women's Basketball team (1/25). When I read the article I was very happy to see that the columnist was able to capture how awesome it is to be a part of the program and to show how well-supported and appreciated the fans are at the Women's games. My name is Angelina Wolvert. I play for the women Ducks, and while reading this article, I was able to feel all the excitement and the appreciation that the fans have for me and for the program. It truly is a special feeling, knowing that so many people can be so excited about what we do, and support us so strongly. The atmosphere at the games is very intense and I want to thank the columnist for doing such a wonderful job capturing so well a feeling that is so hard to describe unless you have been there. Angelina Wolvert UO Gore Greenwash The Viewpoint from the "Greens for Gore" (1/18) recycled the myth that Clinton's legacy is one of environmental protection. Their claim that the Clinton administration has "severely restrict[ed] all logging in the remaining roadless areas of the country's national forests ... [and] will protect over 49 million acres of forestland" was not true. I recommend Counterpunch magazine's cogent description (www.counterpunch.org): "Consider, for example, Bill Clinton's exit order, banning roads and logging on national forest 'roadless' lands. Then look at the exceptions -- Clinton's ban excludes timber sales now in the pipeline, which can be grandfathered in over the next six years. Other huge loopholes include an OK for logging for 'ecological reasons,' such as fire-breaks and habitat for deer. It's amazing how much timber you can harvest out of these so-called 'fire-breaks.' In the California Sierra they make the breaks up to quarter of a mile wide. ... In all, the order envisages a 2.5 percent reduction of total timber sales in the national forests, which isn't much." Clinton and Gore were masters at psychology, crafting policies that appeased the liberal factions of the Democratic Party while the embedded loopholes ensured that business as usual would prevail for their corporate backers. During their term, "greenwash" (the false claim of environmentalism) was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Most Dems in Congress seem content to collude with Dubya, even though Gore got more votes than Bush (even in Florida), and are staying silent about this blatant vote fraud. I will be surprised if more than a few Dems vote "no" on Shrub's illegitimate nominees, most of whom are attracting no controversy from the corporate media or the inside-the-beltway liberal groups who campaigned hard for Gore. Mark Robinowitz 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