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Editorial:
Mosquitoes & Money Bags: Two thumbs down on parkway project.
Viewpoint:
Whip the WEP! West Eugene Parkway "Cliff Notes."
Living Out: No Labels: We don't have any ladies in this house.
Letters:
EW readers sound off.
Mosquitoes &
Money Bags
Two thumbs down
on parkway project.
Two contrasting transportation questions are on the ballot
in the mail to Eugene residents this week. It's time for us all to get educated and
weigh in on issues that will effect the future livability of Eugene.
Ballot Measure 20-53 would direct the city to work with
other government agencies to "pursue comprehensive transportation and land use
strategies and projects for west Eugene." The city would work on both long-
and short-term solutions to the area's transportation: better street connections,
bikepaths, improved intersections, public transit, etc. West 11th needs help and
20-53 addresses the major issues. We support it.
Ballot Measure 20-54 would direct the city to pursue "funding
and transportation and land use approvals to facilitate construction of the West
Eugene Parkway" (WEP). Two thumbs down on 20-54.
In short, reviving WEP would be environmentally and economically
irresponsible. The WEP is a project left over from previous decades when the prevailing
wisdom was that we could build our way out of traffic jams, and wetlands were just
mosquito-breeding swamps that stand in the way of progress. We've learned a lot in
20 years, but old ideas drag on, particularly when they have bags of money attached
to them.
Organizers of the No on 20-54 campaign tell us that going door
to door in Eugene is disconcerting because so few people have a grasp of the issues.
Jan Spencer found 50 people to talk to; two were pro-WEP, five were anti-WEP and
the rest were clueless. Fortunately, he says, a few facts go a long way toward showing
voters the fallacies of WEP. Volunteers are handing out leaflets this weekend, gathering
at 10 am both days at 1192 Lawrence St., rain or shine.
Why oppose the building of WEP? Here are a few of the many arguments:
-- The WEP would destroy an estimated 50 acres of protected wetland
habitat, parklands that provide homes for rare fauna and flora and educational opportunities
for local residents. Mitigation, or creating new wetlands to replace filled wetlands,
has a high failure rate.
-- With inflation, WEP is likely to cost more than $100 million.
Is the money available? Only $17.3 million at this point, maybe more if we abandon
other repairs and improvements in TransPlan for the next 20 years. Or we could raise
local taxes, not a popular option.
-- Amending TransPlan in order to apply for additional funding
would mean a major overhaul of a regional process that has dragged on for 10 years
and is nearing completion. Sacred Heart's move to north Springfield will add to the
pressure to fast track highway projects already in TransPlan.
-- Building the WEP is not likely to provide much relief to traffic
on West 11th. Many independent studies have shown that building highways and parkways
encourages development on the outskirts and actually increases congestion.
-- Businesses along West 11th that rely on visibility are expected
to suffer. Meanwhile, the "big box" developments popping up around west
11th and Beltline are expected to prosper -- at taxpayer expense.
-- The price of gasoline is expected to double or triple in the
next few years. We are better off investing in public transit than more highways.
All things considered, WEP is an inefficient and obsolete idea
that should be put to rest permanently.
***
In a peculiar response to our new Annual Manual magazine
published last week, our red boxes were vandalized downtown and in front of our offices
with stickers proclaiming "Smut" and "Sleaze." At issue, apparently,
is the inside back cover, full-page Fantasyland ad which shows a woman in a revealing
cocktail dress -- nothing you wouldn't see on prime time TV or in department store
lingerie ads in the mainstream press.
We find the vandalism a thousand times more offensive than the
ad, which promotes a legitimate business that caters to both men and women. Is the
property damage an attempt at censorship, trying to force us to restrict our content
based on someone's narrow moral judgment? Lighten up. Buy a dildo. Have some fun.
--TJT
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Whip the WEP!
West Eugene Parkway
"Cliff Notes."
Q: What is the best reason to vote "No" on Measure
20-54, the West
Eugene Parkway (WEP)?
a) $88-100 million -- it's too expensive. b) It won't fix traffic
congestion.
c) It causes sprawl and harms the environment. d) There are better
transportation
solutions. e) All the above.
If you answered "All the above," you get an A+.
Here are the "Cliff Notes" for the WEP test, which is
on the Eugene ballot that you will receive this week. Share these notes with a friend
-- if enough voters are aware of the damage the WEP would cause to our pocketbooks,
our environment, and our livability, we can whip the WEP! At the same time, we can
vote for better, more balanced transportation choices.
Cliff Note #1: Initially estimated to cost $88 million,
the WEP could cost taxpayers more than $100 million today -- but it wouldn't reduce
traffic congestion in west Eugene! WEP supporters make vague claims like "the
money's there." But currently only $17 million is available for the WEP. The
missing $71 million could only come from additional taxes, canceled road and transportation
projects, or cuts to other government services or programs.
The Voter's Pamphlet says "If WEP is included on funded project
list, other projects totaling at least $71.2 million must be removed from list, or
need to be funded from other federal, state or local revenues."
If the WEP were built, congestion would increase in west Eugene,
for example by a projected 70 percent at West 11th and Beltline. Why? Largely because
the WEP is designed to promote development in outlying areas and serve commuters
from outside Eugene's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB).
Cliff Note #2: The WEP will bypass local businesses and
west Eugene residents, hurting business. As a "limited access bypass,"
the WEP simply won't be usable by many patrons of West11th and other area businesses,
or by workers traveling to west Eugene workplaces. We've seen the results elsewhere:
bypassed main street declines, stores close, workers are laid off, property values
fall. Local businesses require accessibility by customers to thrive.
Cliff Note #3: The WEP will harm the environment. The WEP
would bulldoze a football-field-wide path right through west Eugene's park and wildlife
habitat areas, destroying nearly 50 acres of irreplaceable wetland habitat for rare
plants and animals. These parklands provide unique educational and recreation opportunities
to Eugene residents. In the Willamette Valley, there is less than 1 percent of our
precious native wet prairie habitat left.
WEP supporters claim these wetlands will be "mitigated,"
or artificially restored elsewhere. The National Academy of Sciences recently reported
that mitigation fails nearly three-quarters of the time.
Cliff Note #4: The WEP will increase costly urban sprawl
and enrich a handful of developers. Real estate developers, land speculators, construction
equipment companies and their friends are the biggest financial backers of the "Yes
on the WEP" campaign.
The Environmental Impact Statement for the WEP states it could
"increase the development rate of the rural residential properties just outside
the UGB." Who profits from sprawl? Follow the money.
Cliff Note #5: There are better, more cost-effective transportation
solutions for west Eugene. Ballot Measure 20-53, "Transportation Strategies
in West Eugene," includes proposals to preserve and improve existing roadways
in west Eugene, including the entire West 11th corridor, Beltline, Roosevelt, and
many other local streets. It proposes giving residents better auto accessibility,
more transit options, and improving alternative modes of transportation to reduce
congestion.
Why spend $88 million of our tax dollars on a single project that
won't even serve most Eugene residents, when for less money we could invest in a
broader set of transportation solutions in our local neighborhoods and commercial
districts?
OK, you're ready. Don't forget to mail in your ballot! This is
one test where the more people that get the right answer, the better off we all are.
Rob Handy is a Eugene transportation and land use advocate. Leslie
Scott is general manager of the Oregon Country Fair and a board member of Friends
of Eugene. They submitted this on behalf of the No On Measure 20-54 Committee.
Back to Top
No Labels
We don't have any ladies
in this house.
Fasten the UPRIGHT (F) to the BACK (E). Fasten the TOP (C) to
the RIGHT END (A).
A color picture of our new, some-assembly-required computer
hutch is glued to the front of the giant cardboard box. I pull out the last board.
"Does this look like UPRIGHT (F)?" I lay it next to the rest of the pre-fab
slabs.
I shine the flashlight into the box to make sure we haven't missed
anything. At the bottom, a wad of round, lettered stickers cowers in the corner.
All of the labels, having melted from their posts en route from factory to our local
K-Mart, are useless to us now.
"No, that one has rounded corners. We need one that looks
like this drawing." Wifey smacks the 18-page direction booklet.
"I can't tell which is which."
One by one, we lift and rotate each wooden slab to the angle of
the picture in the instructions, and try to make a positive ID on UPRIGHT (F).
"See the slant of that edge? This is a ringer for the DESKTOP."
"Look at this long narrow one. I found the SHELF!"
"This might be it, see how the groove on the end matches?"
Wifey does her best Vanna.
"Yes, that's it! But the picture shows holes along this edge."
"We can fix that." Wifey stands Charlie's Angels-like,
electric drill poised while I balance what we're sure is UPRIGHT (F) on the tops
of my thighs.
While she's drilling the side of the board, our phone rings. Steadying
UPRIGHT (F) between my chin and one leg now, I scootch my free leg toward the phone.
My foot reaches the cord and pulls it to me.
"Hello?"
The rough edge of UPRIGHT (F) digs into my leg flesh. Wifey fingers
the screwdriver like a Groucho cigar and proceeds to fasten LOCKING CASTERS (L)
to the corners of BOTTOM (D).
"Is this the Sheklow residence?"
"Yes it is." No time to explain that everyone in our
household doesn't answer to that last name. I rely on the half truth, galled that
people still assume every household is inhabited by a married man and woman sharing
one name.
"Hello, Missus Sheklow?"
"No." Wrong label.
"Oh, then, is this MISS Sheklow?"
"No." I resist giving the women-as-chattel tirade.
"OK, may I speak to the lady of the house?"
Wifey hoists the contraption into position to attach SIDE PANEL
(M) to BACK (E). Sweating now, her glistening muscles ripple when she jostles
the hulking mass into a full nelson. Hardly a lady.
"We don't have any ladies in this house."
"Oh, I see, I'm terribly sorry. This must be MISTER Sheklow,
then?"
Having exhausted his repertoire of possible labels for women, this
guy is ready to take me for a man. How novel. Once, when I was newly out and had
shaved my head, I had to drive a hundred miles down the interstate in sweltering
heat. In defiance of the unfairness that men can go around with their shirts off
and women can't, I doffed mine and tooled on down the road bare-breasted. When I
stopped for gas the attendant asked, "What will it be, sir?" Even with
the contradictory evidence staring him right in the face, as it were, he saw a shirtless
driver with a buzz cut and labeled me man.
"My name is Sally 4 not MISSUS, MISS, OR MISTER 4 Sheklow."
I know this poor schmo is just trying to do his job. It's not his
fault nobody prepared him for people who don't adhere to assigned labels. The labels
he was trying to stick on us are as useless as the ones huddled in the bottom of
that empty box. But if Wifey and I can assemble an entire computer hutch without
its identifying labels, surely telemarketers can get through a sales pitch without
them.
Our new desk assembled, my darling mate cuts a handsome figure
standing there admiring her handiwork. Who needs the carpet cleaning, windshield
glass, family portrait, vinyl siding, long distance carrier, or whatever this guy
is selling? I recognize a teachable moment.
"Perhaps you'd like to speak to my wife?"
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
A Little
Perspective
In the U.S. each year there are (depending on your source
of statistics, these are mostly from the U.S. Center for Disease Control): 17,000
deaths from AIDS, 19,000 deaths by homicide, 30,000 deaths from suicide, 41,000 deaths
from motor vehicles, 81,000 deaths from alcohol, 98,000 deaths caused by medical
error, 100,000 occupational deaths, and 430,000 deaths from tobacco. Then there are:
heart disease, 725,000 deaths; cancer, 550,000 deaths.
Here is the irony: the deaths from tobacco alone are equivalent
to three jumbo jets crashing with no survivors every day for 365 days. The fact that
these deaths are tobacco-related is not newsworthy, and causes no general fear or
apprehension. Nobody raises or lowers a flag, nobody passes a bill in Congress to
declare or fund a war on tobacco with billions of dollars, nobody mentions it in
the media until a big lawsuit is settled, and the deaths continue, 6,000 deaths every
five days from tobacco alone.
If 6,000 deaths are caused by terrorists crashing three jumbo jets
in a spectacular way on a single day, we take it personally and react with shock,
fear, rage, patriotism, jingoism, charity, belligerence, and an obsession to find
a solution. We have, as a nation, panicked. We forget the enemy is our own fear.
We forget that the world was not less crazy or out of control before the attack on
Sept. 11th.
So, now the fury begins, and the calm and measured response is
lost. Long-term consequences are ignored by our leadership, and all that matters
now is to look good, sound good, and make the economy pump dollars. Folks, we had
a terrorist problem, and now we have a mental health problem.
David Hazen
Eugene
Questions
Remain
In his first inaugural, Abraham Lincoln said, "Suppose
you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides,
and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions, as to terms
of intercourse, are again upon you."
I think this is still true today; but resolving our current "identical
old questions" will be harder now, after the "loss on both sides."
It would have been better to have avoided futile bloodshed, and dealt immediately
with the central issues. We shall have to do so eventually.
Clifford Story
Springfield
Poor Would
Benefit
For more than a decade my work in Lane County has been
with a community of providers who make human services and basic resources (housing
and food) available to low income and special needs families and individuals. What
has been apparent, as our community has grown over the past decade, is that more
and more low-income households are able to find affordable housing in the rural communities
that ring the Eugene-Springfield urban area. More and more working poor are finding
it necessary to commute to the metropolitan area for jobs and services. Transportation
and easy access to the critical services of the urban area 4 hospitals, doctors,
and other services 4 is an important "quality of life" issue for these
families. That is why I am passionately in support of Ballot Measure 20-54 and the
construction of the West Eugene Parkway. The Parkway is not solely a "Eugene"
transportation decision 4 it is a transportation resource that affects the larger
rural/urban corridor from here to Florence. Please join me in a "yes" vote
on 20-54. This is a transportation corridor that has been in regional and community
plans for more than 50 years. No more process! It is time to proceed.
Susan A. Ban
Eugene
Morsels
Choke
What is up with this Morsels concept? Last week I thought
I recognized Lance Spark's fine style buried like a diamond in the dunghill without
a byline. Was that him twinkling through on the Noodles section this week? I, for
one, am not interested in short blurbs that you probably see as supporting more advertisers.
I'm interested in the high quality and intelligent prose of a real column, crafted,
thoughtful, fun, engaging of both heart and mind. If I want blurbs, I can read USA
Today. Where's Lance? Where's Jennifer? Where's the Kat Pack? Consider this a
vehement protest against EW's distinct slide down the hill toward mediocrity.
Sandra M. Brown
Eugene
EDITOR'S NOTE: Morsels is an attempt to provide much
more information about the remarkable places to dine in our area. Instead of reviewing
one restaurant a month, we are doing mini-reviews of four or five restaurants each
week. Lance Sparks writes some of them; others are by staff members. We plan to continue
longer reviews in Chow!
Phone Towers
Have you heard any of the fuss about the proposed cell
phone tower on River Road? Some people are concerned about the tower's proximity
to the neighborhood elementary school and nearby homes. Their concern is that although
the wireless industry claims cell towers pose no risk, research has found there are
potential health risks from exposure to radio frequency radiation. Others just feel
that a 100-foot-tall structure, even if disguised as a flagpole, would be a visual
disruption, and out of scale with its surroundings.
If you don't live in River Road, maybe you haven't given it much
thought. Time to get thinking, because Cricket Wireless has plans to build 18-24
cell phone towers in Eugene-Springfield. Cricket is a California-based company, their
plan is to market local only (no long distance, no roaming) cell service to our area.
Their targeted market is families who have talkative teenagers and want an inexpensive
second phone line.
When one of these towers is proposed for your neighborhood, it
will take hundreds of hours of grassroots organizing to fight it, and the city still
may approve the tower permit, depending on zoning and other variables. There is another
option: If all the neighborhoods in our area stand together in opposition to Cricket
Wireless, they will have to go elsewhere to market their services. Eugene-Springfield
already has adequate local cell coverage, and we don't need any more cell towers
emitting radio frequency radiation near our homes and schools.
Neighborhood power means no cell tower!
Martha Johnson
Eugene
People Care
Your article on Bahati Ansari (10/4) attending the World
Conference on Racism was heartwarming. Our government refused to participate, but
we had Bahati (and the rest of her delegation) there. Thank you, Bahati, for representing
us, for representing Eugene, and for showing the conference that the people
of the United States care about these issues.
M. Brooke Robertshaw
Eugene
Level the
Field
Re: "Natural Selection" (Letters, 9/20): How
sad that Saturday Market has a board chair so lacking in compassion and sympathy
for the struggling and the less fortunate. It's not so hard to be successful in a
business if everything in your life is optimized. No physical handicaps, no mental
or emotional handicaps, no financial handicaps (that's the biggest one 4 it takes
capital to grow a business) and lots of support and help from family/spouse/business
partner. Not everyone is so blessed. The playing field isn't always level.
That makes it even more important for those who make it to the
top to reach back and offer a helping hand and a positive attitude for those still
climbing, rather than hurtful words, criticism and accusations of being a failure.
Competition at Market is fierce. On most Saturdays we have 200
booths, vendors hungry for sales. But the bottom line is that on many Saturdays there
simply aren't enough customers that all vendors can do well. Some will be successful,
some will try and fall short. Some don't ever want employees, some 4 as a matter
of integrity 4 prefer to be artistic purists and feel that all work should be done
by their hands alone. Some do Market to pay for a hobby, some have real jobs and
do Market for extra cash, and for some their craft is their only source of income.
We all come to see friends and enjoy a sense of community.
Everyone should be welcomed and appreciated for their strengths
and forgiven for their shortcomings.
Becca Clark
Firebird Silverworks
Sorry Legacy
I could forgive Sacred Heart's legacy of sorry citizenship
if they'd reconstruct the historic Mayflower Theatre on West 11th.
Gary Trendler
Eugene
Family Affair
It is a sad commentary when members are denied freedom
of speech. The Saturday Market newsletter policy now restricts publication, reserving
it only for its staff members and its board, which regard themselves as staff. No
longer are member submissions, poetry and letters freely published as in years past.
This restrictive policy seems to have spurred members to seek this forum, the Eugene
Weekly, to publish their views. The pettiness that promotes this policy change
must stop. Taking away free speech is a step away from democracy.
If members are unhappy, we must listen and look at why. Together
we must work on solutions. How does our community view us? How do we promote ourselves?
How does the Market promote us? Does it promote our many and varied talented members
to the fullest of its ability? Do persons in positions of power listen caringly or
point the finger, scolding with ridicule and even blame?
These tough economic times have hit some at the Market hard. For
those, we must have compassion and support. While other businesses continue to thrive,
I have seen talented artists over the years, which through no fault of their own,
struggle and try as hard as they can only to have their small cottage businesses
fail.
It is time for all of us to come together. We must embrace each
other, not only as a nation but also as a community together as family.
Kim Allen
Oakridge
Lack of
Trust
Discrimination in any form is insulting and hurtful and
should be tolerated. Case in point, I was attempting a positive shopping experience
at a non-profit retail outlet downtown. I prefer to shop at non-profits to encourage
their good work and if possible reuse and recycle. As I entered the store I was approached
by not one but two rather stern looking females.
I was asked to leave my shoulder bag at their counter. I then asked,
would they be responsible for it and its contents? I further commented that I had
concerns that they would not be able to secure and protect my belongings. Both of
the employees had no real answers and I left.
Now in my own mind I must have appeared to them a real threat to
their security. I left that store feeling violated and attacked. Are they so sure
that anyone with a backpack or shoulder bag is going to steal from them? If I had
been female would they have asked for my purse? Sadly I will never set foot in any
of their retail stores nor will I contribute any items for them to sell. I am not
angry with employees per se in that they were just following policy. It is the program
managers and their boards of directors that should be shamed into rethinking their
racist policies.
Racism in any venue at any time should not be condoned by anyone
simply because a crime may be committed. Have we as a society become so paranoid
that we mistrust everyone simply by how they appear? These policies are not
the way to encourage shopping downtown or instilling trust in those around you.
George G. Brooks
Eugene
Halls of
Vengeance
My recent divorce offered a free civics lesson and shed
light on the war debates. Divorce is fair, proper and morally right in the Halls
of Justice, isn't it? Not! Divorce court is a ruthless enterprise; equitable is not
part of the equation. Rather, our adversarial and retaliatory legal system inflicts
punishment in return for offense. "Collateral damage" of the kids was even
acceptable, as long as one party profited! I'd say they're Heartless Halls of Vengeance.
Civically enhanced, I amazingly found myself agreeing with conservative
columnist George Will (R-G 9/24). "The goal is not to bring terrorists
to justice & Rather, the goal is destruction of enemies." George distinguishes
Justice from Revenge too. Justice (L.jus) originally meant sacred formula, acts that
honor God. Revenge (L. vindex) means vengeance and rationalizes immoral acts like
war and divorce. Thou shall not kill, and the Golden Rule are unmodified.
Mr. Will continues, "There's some dying to be done & And
our way of life is worth losing lives for." I do prefer women without veils
and having the freedom to spout my opinionated views. Does that mean I'm in? I guess
so. Please don't make the sacred profane by calling it a mission of justice.
Muslims appreciate the distinction. The U.S. belied our ignorance,
naming this operation "Infinite Justice." Like we're God's anointed agents!
Our allies were aghast, only Allah carries out justice on Earth! Sheepishly, the
operation was re-named "Enduring Freedom." Human vendettas spill blood
for freedom. God's divine retribution (karma) evens the score. God save the children.
Donald Derlacki, MD
Eugene
Proving
a Point
The Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2441 that encourages
police agencies to collect data on whether racial profiling is going on. Encourages?
There was a stronger version sponsored by Rep. Vicki Walker but there were complaints
about the cost. Cost? The real objection, I suspect, is the law enforcement agencies'
reluctance to collect data that would prove what many have suspected for years 4
if you are a minority you will be stopped more often than if you are white. To help
these obviously financially strapped police agencies, let every person 4 especially
minorities 4 collect information about being stopped: Write down the date, place,
duration of the stop, if the driver was suspected of having contraband, age, gender,
ethnic origin of the driver, the name and badge number of the officer and so on.
Take this information and send a copy of it to Rep. Vicki Walker. It can be easily
analyzed on a computer, compiled and sent to these agencies and watchdog groups and
compared to the official statistics and give us a better view of reality.
Alisa McLaughlin
Eugene
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