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Insider
Baseball: Read It and Weep January's special
election designed to fail.
Living
Out: By the Book Tough women swagger.
Viewpoint
: Root of the Riots My generation is confused
and alienated.
Letters:
EW readers sound off.
Read
It and Weep
January's
special election designed to fail.
With the possible exception of my current opponent
— who recently expressed his concern on public radio
that he could lose his concealed weapons permit "just by slapping
your wife around" — Republicans really are smarter than Democrats.
When last we spoke, I was slithering out of the snake hole known as
Special Session 5. With the help of my Democratic leadership, the
Republican brainiacs put together a temporary income tax referral
for you, the people, in a special election to be held Jan. 28. Then
they wrote an explanatory statement that pointedly doesn't tell the
voters what the money will be used for, or, more importantly, what
won't get funded if the bill fails. Of course they deliberately did
all this — having the special election right after Christmas,
the vague language on what the money will be spent for, a low-turnout
special election — to assure the measure's defeat.
Three great things resulted from this move:
Now we can't blame the Republicans if the
voters reject the measure and we cut an additional $315 million.
If the Democrats happen to win control of the
Legislature, God forbid, then they'll have an immediate $1.7 billion
deficit and they'll have to … oh, no! … raise taxes.
The governor's race has become a two-month
debate about … oh, no! … raising taxes; and Kulongoski's
numbers are dropping.
It's a win-win-win for Republicans, and the Democratic
leadership fell for it, hook, line and sinker. That's why my experience
during SS5 made me truly bipartisan: I hate both parties.
The governor can't veto the referral itself,
because of our system of checks and balances. But he can veto the
explanatory statement, which is in a separate bill. Just in case,
the Legislature has picked a member from each caucus to rewrite the
statement. I am the Democratic senator, along with House Democrat
Mary Nolan, along with two of the most conservative members on this
planet, Rep. Dan Doyle and Sen. Roger Beyer. We met for the first
time for 10 minutes and decided we couldn't mutually agree on a fifth
member for the committee. So the secretary of state appointed Dale
Penn, Marion County district attorney. Dale's a reasonable guy, and
I think we'll be able at least to show folks what will happen if the
measure fails. Some $315 million more in cuts will be ugly. Imagine
K-12 cut by an additional $130 million, higher education tuition increases,
closures of programs at community colleges, or cuts to Project Independence
and relief nurseries, or release of prisoners and cuts state police
positions. Even Republicans couldn't tolerate this level of budget
cuts during an election year. So they put it off until after the election.
Brilliant.
On a brighter note: In an unusual move, the
Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce asked me to be the facilitator at
their annual retreat. But, believe you me, those Cottage Grove Chamber
folks know how to run a retreat! As a youngster I attended Catholic
retreats, where you got away from worldly materialism for a couple
of days and refreshed your spiritual and moral compass, whatever that
is. And I was used to union retreats which resemble cult rituals full
of secret hand signals and chants (e.g., U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no
alibi — You're Ugly, You're Ugly).
But my Grover's know how to hold a retreat. They held
this one outside, in the woods, during hunting season!
So here we are at Chateau Lorane, and it sounds like the last scene
in Gunfight at the OK Corral. There were so many shots being
fired, we thought the deer were armed, too! So it wasn't too surprising
that the community development plan they came up with involves creating
a survivalist destination resort with camouflage street banners and
marijuana planters on every corner. Bohemia Mining Days next year
will feature a real duel! Seriously, I had a good time with a group
of extraordinary people who have brought Cottage Grove back from extinction
— with the new high school, the new hospital, the community
center and library, the little theatre, the Relief Nursery, the new
industrial park — they all had a hand in making this such an
enjoyable community.
Sen.
Tony Corcoran of Cottage Grove represents portions of Lane and Douglas
counties in the newly formed Senate District 4, which now includes the
UO area. He can be reached at corcoran.sen@state.or.us
Back to Top
By
the Book
Tough
women swagger.
Rosie. Ellen. Chastity. Candace. Melissa. kd. Martina.
A veritable romper room of famous, out-of-the-closet role models
for young lesbians. When I was coming out in the mid-1970s, all I
knew about how to be a lesbian was the instruction manual inside my
head.
According to The Manual, dykes were tough. They wore
rugged clothes, cut their hair short and knew how to spit. They acted
like the mean prison matrons in old black and white movies. Those
burly bull daggers were so sinister they intimidated even the men,
which was exactly what I wanted to do.
I needed rent and grocery money so I was selling my
house trailer. I'd paid $500 for it back when I thought living alone
in a trailer out in the boonies was what lesbians did — not
the only time The Manual steered me wrong. I needed the $500. A guy
called, interested in the trailer. We arranged to meet at a sandwich
place near where I worked.
How could I be the kind of tough woman he wouldn't
try to cheat? I relied on The Manual. I wore my 501s and work boots
and a plaid shirt from the men's department at Penney's. My hair was
one inch long — hand cut by me using my Swiss Army knife scissors.
I looked as much like a prison matron as any college kid could without
the advantage of cinematic shadows and lumbering cello music.
According to The Manual, lesbians walked like John
Wayne, so I swaggered up to the restaurant nice and slow like. For
the benefit of my trailer-buyer or anyone else who might be watching,
I drew up my saliva and aimed for the asphalt. Good thing The Manual
also said dykes carry bandanas. I was just tucking mine back into
my pocket when I saw him — husky, neatly trimmed beard, balding.
His big hairy hand waved me in. I tried not to be discouraged by how
much he looked like a prison matron.
I reached out and gave him a firm handshake, the way
The Manual says dykes do. I ordered a steak sandwich, the most unlady-like
item on the menu. Our food came and I slathered on the horseradish
— something only very tough women eat, another tip from The
Manual.
The guy wanted my trailer. It was time to talk money.
I had rehearsed saying "Five hundred firm," in the tough, no-nonsense
way I imagined a prison matron might say it. Surely this guy wouldn't
expect anyone who could handle a sandwich like that to settle for
less than her asking price. My plan was to wolf it down, prove I was
no wimp, and get my $500. For maximum effect, I posed like John Wayne
fixin' to eat a rattlesnake; then I opened my mouth and took a bite.
"I'll give you $350 for it," the guy said
Just then the horseradish hit. My throat locked down
like a scared sea anemone. Horseradish vapors ignited in my sinuses
and exploded behind my forehead. I tried to tough it out, but no amount
of will power could keep my eyes from filling with tears. I looked
away, tightened my lips and held my breath.
Apparently that is the exact same nonverbal communication
device men use to signal agreement. The guy's big hairy hand slipped
his check across the table. He got up to leave. I should have said
something. No dyke in The Manual would just sit there and let some
guy call the shots. But what could I do? I didn't want him giving
me mouth-to-mouth. I needed him gone before I exhaled, or expired,
whichever was going to come first.
Gone was my hope of getting $500. Also gone were my
trailer, my trust in The Manual and most of my mucous membranes. Fluid
seeped from every hole in my face. I managed what I doubt was a very
tough-looking nod. So long.
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
in 1999, also runs in several other newspapers and magazines around
the country.
Back to Top
Root
of the Riots
My
generation is confused and alienated.
The UO's and city's responses to the campus area
"riots" on Sept. 27 have been laughable.
Their responsive language has been one of a scolding mother telling
us that we've been "bad boys" and their actions that of whipping us
and sending us to bed with no supper. But does this response accurately
assess the situation, and does it do anything to address it?
The newspaper coverage of the events, both in The
Register-Guard and Eugene Weekly, have also missed the
point. It seems as though regardless of political bent, we avoid the
core issues at all costs. The commentary articles in the Weekly
and Guard about abuse of police power have been revealing,
but there remains the heart of the matter almost totally untouched.
What is causing young people to act in this way?
Nobody seems to be asking why we have had two such riots involving
university students and other young people in the past few months.
They are riots seemingly without political or social purpose, explosions
of energy without context or direction. Bob Welch explored this lack
of context in his Sunday column (10/6) in the R-G, but failed
to address the source of this energy. As a 23-year-old recent college
graduate I can tell you the source of the anger and frustration:
Young people in this community and in communities
throughout the nation are miserable. If asked, other people in my
generation might disagree, but their denial does not change the fact.
My generation is confused and alienated. We are told it is wrong to
drink, but do it anyway, always have. The confusing blend of hypocrisy
and taboo lead us to an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. This
is certainly true, but alcohol itself only sets off the repressed
energy that is already there.
The greater problem is the social and sexual alienation
of young people. Indoctrinated throughout their schooling on the "dangers"
of sexuality, and taught nothing about the cycles of the body, nor
the beauty of it, we live dislocated and repressed lives. Our sexual
lives are mostly unsatisfactory, if not totally miserable, and our
social life the same. We don't know how to talk to each other about
anything real, anything relevant, and our interaction displays our
fear and alienation from each other. We lack contact with anything,
whether it be others or the world around us. When we engage in sexual
activity, our lack of contact with our own bodies makes contact with
others very difficult. This lack of satisfaction perpetuates our sexual
misery even if we are lucky enough to have an "active" sexual life.
We get to college with the chance to live away from
the protective watch of our authoritarian parents ( however well-disguised
or well-meaning, most parents are authoritarian), and the sexual
energy that has been blocked, distorted, and misnamed explodes onto
the scene, either as unhealthy sexuality or as violence. Look closely
at the first week of any college student's life and you will see this
explosion again and again. The "excitement" of college cannot provide
an explanation for this behavior.
The responsibility lies far beyond the university
or the city. It lies so deeply at the root of our unhealthy culture
that if we are to start anywhere we must start most everywhere. When
will we start talking about developing more social outlets for youth?
Not just in college but in high school and middle school as well.
When will we teach young people about the body and its energies and
encourage outlets besides competitive sports? When will we acknowledge
sexuality as a healthy and necessary engagement for young people?
When will we stop ignoring the root of alcohol and sexual abuse in
high school and college and the real reason for these riots?
Understanding our misery helps us to make sense of many of the perplexing
events that have hit this community, including the Thurston shootings.
Addressing this misery is the first step in preventing such events
from taking place in the future.
Luke
Gonzales teaches social peacemaking and science classes at Wellsprings
Friends School in Eugene and is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College.
He grew up in Eugene and attended Sheldon High School.
Back to Top
IT
MATTERS
In response to Kelly Bogan's letter about
women as property (9/12): I am the parent of a 5-year-old girl named
Lily who is classified with the FBI as a missing person. She has been
missing for more than a year.
And while I thank you for your insight, I need to
point out your mistake: As the mother of a missing child, I would
like to say that if you are going to refer to someone in such a familiar
manner, it helps if you know what you are talking about. Ashley Pond
and Miranda Gaddis were not from Lincoln City; they were from Oregon
City. At the risk of sounding hysterical or extreme — it matters.
Margot Thornton
Eugene
FASCIST-STEIN:
IT'S ALIVE
Saddam Hussein is as much a threat to the
U.S. as Jim Torrey is to the world's record in the 100-meter dash.
But a threat to U.S. interests? Of course. King George wants to spend
the lives of our sons and daughters to get the guy who was mean to
Daddy and to plunder for his greedy oil buddies. Believing that George
is looking out for us proves that propaganda works. (Did you really
think only bad guys used propaganda?) The Sept. 11 attacks were organized,
financed and executed by Saudis. Why aren't we attacking them? Oil,
perhaps?
It is our duty as citizens of a democracy to question
the leaders if we feel they are leading us down the wrong path. King
George and his Vicious Band of Fascists, supported by all the modern
propaganda that their corporate cheerleaders can create, is on a spiraling
path of violence. With our wealth and weapons of mass destruction,
a fascist United States will make the Nazis of the 1940s look like
kindergarten brats playing with toy pistols.
It's probably already too late. Fifty-five percent
of our citizens didn't bother to vote in the last election. That's
why we're stuck with George the Imbecile. Did you forget that this
country got started by giving the middle finger to a crummy overlord
like him? Fair warning: the power of fascism works both ways. You
Bush believers might not like the next president so much. And he might
not like you.
Charlie Magee
Eugene
M23
TOO SPENDY
Most of the supporters of Measure 23 are
sincere people who want to address the problems of our health care
system. This measure is not the way to do it.
Measure 23 is not just basic health care for all.
Instead, it mandates the highest level of benefits of any single program
in the U.S. As such, it would be one of the most expensive social
programs in the world.
Imagine the cost to provide 100 percent paid "medically
necessary" doctors, hospitals, surgery, prescriptions, diagnostic
tests, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, substance abuse treatments
and marriage counselors. Add the services of any licensed chiropractor,
naturopath, acupuncturist, massage technician, vision exams, eyeglasses,
hearing exams, hearing aids, as well as all necessary dental services
and orthodontia. All paid in full by the state.
All Medicare recipients would, pending waivers from
the feds, be switched to coverage under the Oregon plan. Somehow,
the money from one single-payer system, Medicare, that couldn't cover
prescriptions, when transferred into another single-payer system,
can now cover prescriptions at 100 percent, as well as all the other
benefits.
And, long term care (nursing homes cost about $4,000
per month) will also be paid in full.
Unbelievably, anybody who comes to Oregon and declares
their intention to remain "for a period of time" will be eligible
for all this coverage.
Supporters I've spoken with say that the plan will
not really go into effect the way it is written. They say it would
be amended as necessary. This suggests a cynical bait-and-switch tactic
and an implied acknowledgment that the plan wouldn't work as written.
But the plan as written is what we would get. Vote
"no" on Measure 23.
Harvey Ginsberg
Eugene
WHO
UNDERSTANDS?
My younger brother lived in Manhattan last
September and was awaked on the 11th by the sound of a jet smashing
into the WTC tower. Through his eyes, I saw it all.
As I stood at the Federal Building in Eugene this
Sept. 11, in the midst of many others witnessing for peace, my brother
spoke to me of the mood now in New York City, of people still united
in love, sharing hope, recognizing the human connection we all share.
Retribution and war is not on their minds. Many of us understand when
we practice war, it is our own brothers who die.
Among those who understand is our County Commissioner
Pete Sorenson. He alone among local office holders was there with
us, feeling the power of truth, standing strong against the forces
of fear.
I love this town. And Pete Sorenson is one reason
why. Thanks for being here, Pete.
Tim Mueller
Eugene
OUTRIGHT
THEFT
The heavy hand of domestic terrorism by
our own government has been nowhere more evident than in the raid
upon Western Shoshone tribal lands in Nevada. Never ceded by treaty,
these lands were claimed illegally by the Bureau of Land Management,
which has unsuccessfully attempted to enforce grazing fees upon land
that is not and never has been theirs to manage.
A week ago, the BLM, including more than 40 uniformed
marshals, raided the western Shoshone herds, rounded up more than
200 head of cattle and subsequently sold them at auction for more
than $27,000. The loss to the tribe was valued at over $100,000. This
was outright theft by the BLM and cannot be condemned strongly enough
by those who support the indigenous peoples of this country. Write
to your congressmen in protest of this violation of sovereign property
of the Western Shoshone. It is time the feds became accountable for
the centuries of oppression, genocide and illegal occupation of native
lands.
Steve Newcomb, Director
Indigenous Law Institute, Eugene
WORKING
IT
I wish you had given more space in EW
to the Jobs and Smart Growth Conference on Sept. 26, featuring
Greg LeRoy. Hosted by Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson, the
conference explored ways to reverse the trend of low-wage jobs in
this state and to empower workers.
In the six years that Pete's been a county commissioner,
he's been a staunch advocate for all workers — whether we are
self-employed or are employed by businesses. He's been instrumental
in obtaining development funds for microbusiness enterprises, the
Saturday Market and O.U.R. Federal Credit Union. With the national
economy faring so poorly, and with so many companies laying off employees
in both good times and bad, we need all our elected officials to examine
innovative ways to increase workers' wages and opportunities.
Patricia Murphy
Eugene
GOT
BEER?
Two years ago, PETA got a rise out of everyone
from dairy farmers to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) with its
tongue-in-cheek advisory to college kids that ounce for ounce, beer
packs more nutrition than milk. Now, a new Harvard study has topped
off the debate with damning words about dairy products and a raised-glass
salute to beer. The debate is about to spill over onto school campuses
once again.
When PETA pulled its "Got Beer?" campaign because
of public outcry, the uproar from college students was deafening.
Most felt that PETA was caving in to members of the older generation
who doubted the students' ability to understand the message behind
the stunt. Now, with scientific evidence mounting that beer has health
benefits previously unrecognized and with dairy foods being implicated
in illnesses ranging from diabetes to cancer, PETA will revive the
campaign with an advertisement in campus papers, as well as with "Got
Beer?" bottle openers and beer cozies, which it will distribute through
its College Action Campaign.
Unlike beer drinking, dairy consumption also hurts
animals. Dairy cows are artificially impregnated, not a comfortable
experience, and have their calves torn from them within days of birth
— causing acute distress for both mother and calf — so
that the milk they need can be sold in the supermarket. Many male
calves are crammed into tiny veal crates, a type of confinement so
cruel that it has been banned in the U.K.
"Beer in moderation is good for you, while even one
glass of milk supports animal abuse and harms your health," says PETA's
Director of Vegan Outreach Bruce Friedrich. "The fact is that you
can drink beer responsibly. The same can't be said of milk."
Curtis Taylor
Eugene
STORM
WARNINGS
The government of Japan is trying to prop
up the Tokyo stockmarket, and if it fails, Japan is going to go through
a banking crisis that could possibly impact the entire world economy.
Japan's banks hold shares of stock as part of their
assets, and if the Tokyo stock market falls too low, some banks will
go below the minimum amount of assets they need to maintain.
If anyone doubts what I say above, the following is
a quote from David Pilling in "Japan to Fight Deflation as Nikkei
Dips" (Financial Times, 9/8): "Eisuke Sakakibara, a former
top finance ministry official, said a financial crisis was unavoidable
and possibly imminent."
Sakakibara earned the nickname "Mr. Yen" during his
tenure in the finance ministry. The Financial Times is the
London equivalent of the Wall Street Journal and is available
at the UO library.
Milton Takei
Eugene
RED
FLAG
Poverty is the ultimate form of violence,
said Ghandi — and right now it is being waged on all of us.
I don't understand why there are so many people wearing and waving
flags. The same government that shipped our jobs overseas with NAFTA,
GATT and the WTO rules for "corporate managed trade" is sending our
teenagers off to kill for more of the same. We pay in more ways than
one for this. Our jobs will not stay here as corporate interests and
U.S. troops further subjugate the world.
Making countries safe for substandard working conditions
and union busting is what "free trade and redevelopment" really look
like. Your flags are being viewed as consent. Consider taking them
off your cars, houses, children and clothes. Can you imagine what
a clear statement it would be to have the flags gone? We can stop
this military and economic war before it returns to Iraq, North Korea,
the Philippines and Everytown, U.S.A.
Jason Agar
Eugene
HOMELAND
INSECURITY
This Bush government has been looking for
the right political opportunity to go to war with Iraq since long
before Sept. 11 of last year. Their ideological agenda was laid out
in a policy paper in 1991 by key advisors in the current administration.
Overthrowing Saddam Hussein is a means to at least three ends: distraction
from the administration's awful domestic record and corporate scandals
that touch high government officials; payback for Hussein's attempt
on the life of Bush's dad; and most importantly, greater control over
the oil resources of the Persian Gulf region.
Simply put, they're picking a fight, the way bullies
do, and they'll do whatever they can to cause the inspection process
to fail to justify their war. It's an obsession with them and prevents
them from seeing clearly the potential consequences of their plans.
These include the deaths of thousands of innocent people, the incitement
of new terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens around the world, diminished
stature in the world community and a further $100 billion-plus drag
on our faltering economy.
Since Congress isn't helping, it's up to all of us
to say loudly, "No war in my name." Let the inspectors do their job.
The average American has more to fear from corporate malfeasance than
from the butcher of Baghdad. Don't let them scare you into supporting
an illegal war.
Michael Wherley
Eugene
SYMPTOMS
INCLUDE…
We fear that the war on terrorism and homeland
security policies of the U.S. government are eroding democratic institutions
in the U.S. and abroad. We see symptoms of this in the current administration's
increasing surveillance over our lives; in the indefinite detention
of alleged terrorists and of persons suspected of connection to them;
in prosecuting suspected terrorists in closed military tribunals rather
than open, civil courts; in the promotion of the role of the military
in our daily lives and in the ever-increasing military budgets that
rob funds from programs needed to meet fundamental human needs, nationally
and internationally. State and federal budgets are reeling from the
effect of the economic recession and the diversion of federal funds
into an endless war. The impoverishment of civil society is already
weakening our democratic legal institutions
Lucy McIver, Clerk
Eugene Friends Meeting
TAKE
COVER(AGE)
"Fear" and "change" — words that go
together like "status" and "quo." Opponents of single-payer health
care will feed your fears about this new approach to health care delivery
in order to obtain your "no" vote on Measure 23, which is an implicit
"yes" vote for the existing terminally ill health care system.
Sure, anything new and different brings uncertainty.
And, like any new process, single-payer health care will start with
some bumps that will have to be smoothed out along the way. But isn't
the chance of gaining something better worth the risk of losing something
worse?
Are you one of the individuals working for an employer
that provides health care benefits? That's great unless you're laid
off or choose to leave your job, or your employer decides to pass
more of the costs on to you or to reduce your coverage or to discontinue
it altogether.
Even if your fears are realized, what have you really
lost? A system that keeps you working in the company town to pay your
chit at the company store? A system that fails to cover 400,000 Oregonians
and provides inadequate coverage for hundreds of thousands more? A
system characterized by increasing costs and declining coverage? A
system hopelessly mired in bureaucratic inefficiency?
To quote Goethe: "Anything you can do, or dream you
can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." Be bold
— vote "yes" on Measure 23.
Benton Elliott
Eugene
RAPTOR
RESCUE
West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease,
has been spreading across the U.S. since 1999 and is now approaching
Oregon, with the first cases identified in Washington. Raptors have
proven to be particularly susceptible to this virus and, although
many birds of prey in zoo collections and in the wild died in the
first few years, August 2002 saw an exponential increase in morbidity
and mortality among raptors. Nature centers, research and breeding
centers, and zoos have lost dozens of birds; rehabilitation centers
throughout the Midwest in particular have had raptors coming in sick
and dying in droves. At this point, there is no vaccine proven effective.
Although the West Nile virus may not yet be in Oregon,
it is only a matter of time. In an attempt to prevent a massive loss
at the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, all cages must be screened
to keep mosquitoes out. It is a tremendous job, and volunteers are
needed immediately. If anyone is interested in helping protect these
birds, please contact the Cascades Raptor Center at 485-1320.
Diana Huntington
Eugene
REVOLTED?
REVOLT!
During the constitutional convention, James
Madison proposed, "The prime responsibility of government should be
to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority." This
principle became the foundation for the U.S. government and has been
the guiding force ever since. Beginning with the most calculated and
destructive act of genocide in the history of the "civilized" world
(millions of indigenous peoples — hundreds of cultures —
buried in the very earth we now build malls upon), and continuing
with the systematic oppression of numerous cultures around the globe,
whether it be through the slave trade, the deliberate spreading of
deadly diseases, imperialistic military intervention, free trade and/or
economic globalization, the prison and military industrial complexes,
or simply the inhumane and impoverished reality the majority of people
at the bottom of the social structure face on a daily basis, the U.S.
government has a violent history of domination and control.
Currently, we are witnessing the culmination of these
efforts, where nothing less than complete global domination is at
stake, and as much as we want to believe that we can appeal to or
elect leaders to govern with some degree of compassion, ultimately
nothing short of a revolution could stop the coming "publicly declared"
war on Iraq (over 1 million people have already been murdered in the
last ten years under the cover of economic sanctions), the entire
Middle East and anyone else who dares to interfere with this goal,
as the only fraud greater than the current "war on terrorism" is American
democracy itself. Happy Columbus Day!
Jeff Rowles
Eugene
WE
GOT THE NUMBERS
Isn't it about time the taxpayer gets
something back for paying taxes? We here in Oregon have an opportunity
to pass a comprehensive health care system for every resident in Oregon
despite income. Don't listen to the lies that are being spewed about
how we can't afford it. Cost analysis shows that huge savings in overhead
will offset the expansion of the coverage, so overall spending will
be about the same. Sure there will be kinks to work out, that is why
a board will be constructed to make sure the budget balances.
If you are not registered to vote, this is an excellent
reason to do so. (The below-average income person does not have health
care and also doesn't vote. Why do we have Bush as president? Well,
not only did he steal the election, but 100 million people who could
have voted didn't vote — democracy only works if everyone participates
in it.) Right now, the rich rule and only care about maintaining their
wealth.
As Jim Morrison sang: "… they got the guns,
but we got the numbers ..." Now is the time to work at positive change
for the people, not the corporations.
Pamela Driscoll
Eugene
BURNING
BUSH
The terrible forest fires of this summer
gave George Bush the opportunity to propose industry-friendly solutions
that largely ignore the real problems. He would give the timber industry
the right to build roads and to clear-cut timber in more of our national
forests in the name of fire prevention. Our rights to legal opposition
on environmental grounds would be restricted.
Forest fires are real threats. But Bush has chosen
a plan that ignores 30 years of environmental law and planning. Previous
administrations, Western governors, conservationists and even his
own administration proposed that the biggest trees — the most
fire resistant — be spared. The focus was thinning underbrush
and smaller trees at the "wildland-urban interface." Instead, Bush
came to Oregon to propose a plan to open back-country forests to logging
while restricting the rights of citizens to raise legal challenges
based on environmental concerns.
Sen. Larry Craig, Idaho Republican and friend of the
timber industry, introduced legislation based on the Bush plan. Let's
remember that Bush's real reason for coming to Oregon was to raise
money for Sen. Gordon Smith. And where did this money come from? From
the supporters of federal favoritism for big business.
Smith's Democratic opponent, Bill Bradbury, will represent
all Oregonians and help protect an environment under attack by Bush
Republicans and their cronies.
William May
Eugene
LORD
OF THE RING
When our leader came into possession of
the ring of presidential power, he spoke of compassion and working
together. As time passed, he began to use the power of the ring to
keep things hidden and spoke about being the most powerful in the
land, able to use the "all-seeing eye." It appears our amusing Frodo
is succumbing to the power of the ring.
Michael T. Hinojosa
Drain
THE
BEST OPTION
The best deterrent against Iraq's development
of weapons that might threaten the U.S. is U.N.-sanctioned inspections.
Inspections enjoy the universal support of other nations; war against
Iraq does not.
Inspections will kill no U.S. troops, kill no Iraqi
troops and kill no Iraqi civilians. Inspections will, at a minimum,
lessen whatever nominal security threat Iraq now poses. Of these facts
we can be certain.
War will kill U.S. troops, kill Iraqi troops and kill
Iraqi civilians. Of these facts we can be certain.
Will war decrease the security threats to the U.S.?
Of this we cannot be certain. The risks of war include: 1) spread
beyond Iraq to include other Gulf states and Israel, a known nuclear
power with no constraint against first use of nuclear weapons if it
believes its survival is threatened; 2) further polarization in the
Islamic world against the U.S. and its allies; 3) political destabilization
of moderate Gulf states; and, 4) increase in terrorist attacks within
the U.S. and against our interests throughout the world.
In contrast, weapons inspections pose none of these
risks. The only risk associated with weapons inspections is that inspections
may not eliminate 100 percent of Iraq's real and potential weapons
of mass destruction capability. However, from 1991 to 1998, weapons
inspectors mitigated Iraq's weapons capability to the practical level
of zero, i.e., Iraq launched no weapons of mass destruction against
the U.S., its allies or its interests overseas.
Andy Stahl Wellborn
Sherry Stahl Wellborn
Eugene
CHECK
THE COUCH
As a kid growing up in New York, I remember
how unfair it seemed that parks were so few and far between. I still
believe that all of us, especially kids, should have easy access to
good, clean parks.
That's why I encourage all Lane County voters to support
the Lane County Parks Measure 20-62 in the upcoming election.
Measure 20-62 is the only way to bring our park facilities
up to today's standards and meet the current demand. Once implemented,
the improvements, replacements and additions will both save (by reducing
costly ongoing maintenance and repairs) and generate (in additional,
rentable facilities) an estimated $400,000 per year toward future
demand.
Some of the additions will include: campgrounds, playgrounds,
soccer fields, yurts, picnic shelters, cabins, a horse arena, boat
landings, an amphitheater, water, restrooms and showers. As a result
of these improvements, damage to sensitive areas on and near the parks
will be reduced.
Lane County Parks has never asked for help —
and they are not asking for much — about 75 cents per month
for the average home.
Parks Measure 20-62 is an investment in our parks
and our future. Lane County is a unique and special place to live
because of the foresight and commitment of prior generations. Now,
it's our turn.
For those who don't think they can find the money
for this much needed parks measure, my 12-year-old daughter offers
this friendly suggestion: Check the couch. Please, vote "yes" for
our parks.
Leslie Weinstein
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.
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