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Alan Pittman's enlightening series on Centennial's renaming (6/26 & 7/3) solidified my feeling that while it is better that David Kelly and Bonny Bettman are on Eugene's City Council rather than their opponents, I wish there were more councilors with Betty Taylor's independence. Because he'd like to be mayor, Kelly tries to make nice with the council's conservative bloc. Pittman points out that Kelly called Mayor Torrey's contact with Gang of Niner and MLK renaming opponent Bob Myleneck "probably inappropriate," but since it revived the renaming, Kelly didn't care. The only faction Bettman made nice with were the very conservative local African-American "leaders," the same group, Pittman notes, that had opposed anyone who questioned Hyundai/Hynix locating here. Bettman once did, but she's changed. Now she shuns Taylor for having the backbone to object to a flawed renaming. Bettman e-mailed Taylor, saying that she'll "never be able to reconcile" with her. Yet Bettman's campaign literature said she'd be "a councilor with a track record for collaboration across political boundaries." But the only boundaries she's been crossing have been to the right. Remember when Kelly and Bettman, in private negotiations, helped devise a strategy to sacrifice six residential blocks west of campus for Peace Health to clear-cut in a vain attempt to keep the hospital from moving? That would have fragmented a neighborhood, just as the MLK name will now be fragmented on separate streets in Eugene and Springfield. Would Dr. King approve? Taylor says it best: "The process was really rotten from beginning to end." Pat Wilson GUARD CAUGHT SLEEPING Why is The Register-Guard so reluctant to cover the presidential candidacy of Rep. Dennis Kucinich? When given every opportunity, many days in advance, to publicize events where candidate Kucinich was appearing, The R-G passed. When given every opportunity, days in advance, to show up at events where candidate Kucinich was speaking, to report local reaction, The R-G was a no-show. Thankfully, despite the lack of coverage, we packed out PLC hall on Sunday (July 20). But I have to think, if the R-G had been a part of the political process and a part of the community, and had a deeply felt responsibility to promote participation of the public in the electoral process, how fast we'd had to have the event outdoors. Thank you EW for being there and reporting local interests. I'm only sorry we weren't able to publicize the event with enough lead-time to fit within your weekly publishing deadline. Todd D. Woodward READ ME ENTIRELY! Bush and Rice "didn't entirely read" the memo indicating the Niger-Iraq nuclear evidence was cooked? Har, har, har! Boy, why don't my students come up with excuses like that? Because they'd get laughed off campus and clear out of the county, that's why. "Teach, you have to give me an A, because it's not my fault I missed all the answers. They're not really wrong, see, because I didn't entirely read the textbook." "Innocent, your honor. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't entirely read that sign. Who woulda thought they would've expected me to yield to that guy?" "St. Peter, sir, you have to let me in. It wasn't my fault they killed 50,000 innocent Iraqi civilians. 'Bear false witness'? Never heard of it. I didn't entirely read that book." So what did Bush "entirely read"? Mein Kampf? Ann Tattersall DENNIS IS DIFFERENT Every day's news confirms that President Bush is taking this country down an ugly and dangerous road. Today, I read that the Pentagon, under Donald Rumsfeld's orders, is devising a new military plan for confronting North Korea. It consists in part in harassing North Korea's military forces into using up scarce fuel and rations. This is intended as an ongoing peacetime action. Also in the news, Bush wants to renege on the ozone treaty [Montreal Protocol, 1987], the most successful cooperative action ever undertaken by the global community to avert an environmental catastrophe. He wants to void the 1997 agreement on [phasing out] methyl bromide, the most potent remaining ozone-destroying chemical. Bush has shown by his actions that he's profoundly unqualified to occupy the White House. His meager vision is belligerent, narrow-minded and divisive. Contrary to his promises, his actions will leave huge international relations, fiscal and environmental messes that all of us will have to work hard to clean up. In striking contrast, on July 20 I heard Dennis Kucinich speak. He's one of the lesser known Democratic presidential candidates. He understands the importance of cooperating with the world community to solve global problems. He understands that huge military budgets drain the funds sorely needed for domestic programs. He understands that we need to preserve the environment to have a sustainable base for an economy. He understands we need to start now to move beyond fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. He understands the need for a positive vision to rally people to create the great nation that we have the potential and the responsibility to become. He deserves your attention. Michael Wherley THOUGHT FOR FOOD With the recent bad PR swirling around FOOD for Lane County (FFLC), I feel compelled to personally applaud all of the dedicated staff and volunteers at FFLC who work really hard to feed thousands of hungry people. Sensational R-G front-page coverage of such a fine organization's dirty laundry seems more fitting for a tabloid. That being said, let me also give my two cents: FFLC does need to trim the fat. The large corporations I have worked for in the past spend way too much money on office supplies, employee meals, travel, management perks, and CEO's salaries. Could FFLC be guilty of the same? Bravo, Joachim, for starting the debate (sorry you had to quit your job to do it). However, slashing self-sufficiency programs is a bad idea. Remember the old saying, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime"? Bravo, Caroline, for standing behind the Grassroots Garden, the Youth Farm, the Churchill Community Garden, Healthy Futures, and the Gleaning program. Food distribution alone puts a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. It might help for a minute, but it ain't gonna stop the bleeding. And if FFLC is hemorrhaging money, why not try reorganizing as a cooperative? I believe there is an abundance of wealth in our world, in our country, and even in the FFLC coffers. The money just needs to be more evenly distributed. Stephanie Songchild EDITOR'S NOTE: Ms. Songchild is a former receptionist at FFLC laid off due to budget cuts.
THINK ABOUT 9/11 Occasionally, I still see a T-shirt approaching that says: "9/11/2001: We will never forget." Yes, we must remember, but more importantly think, to ask the right questions about our government's lack of response that day. To get the facts, I read the best account of the events to date: The War on Freedom, by British scholar Nafeez Ahmed. If Americans only read chapter 5, "The Collapse of Standard Operating Procedures on 9-11", they would be shocked. For example, October 1999: Pro golfer Payne Stewart's chartered Learjet lost radio contact with the FAA and deviated from its flight path. Within 21 minutes his jet had an escort of two F-16s ready and able to destroy the plane. On 9/11/2001, 25 minutes before the first tower was struck, the FAA, NORAD, and military were aware that the first two jumbo jets had been hijacked simultaneously, but did NOT scramble fighters for 80 minutes, and then only after the Pentagon strike. Fearless grade-schoolers will be asking why not. Last week's news: The White House is stalling the independent investigation into 9/11. Again, grade-schoolers will be asking why. While the world is demanding answers from George II for those 16 nasty words that shouldn't have been in a speech, I want him to explain those 80 tortuous minutes when our military machine was made to "stand down" and not follow standard operating procedures. God forbid, American citizens should ask protection from the multi-trillion dollar military monster the U.S. has built. If you doubt, just put down your flag, pick up the book and prepare for the ride. Ron Roggensack THANKS TO TONY State Sen. Tony Corcoran recently announced that he will remain in the Legislature and will not seek appointment to the Board of County Commissioners. While I believe that Tony would have been a great commissioner, I also know that many people in my district are glad Tony will continue to represent Lane County in the Legislature. Tony has been a champion for programs that prevent child abuse, particularly the South Lane Family Relief Nursery, which could not have withstood its financial difficulties a few years ago without Tony's help. There are probably hundreds of high-risk families in rural Lane County who are free of abuse due to Tony's leadership. On the issue of school funding, Tony has been a great advocate. Throughout his five sessions in the House and Senate, he has always insisted on stable and adequate funding for public schools, while other legislators were acquiescing in drastic cuts. Tax fairness is another issue that has been high on Tony's agenda. If you ask Bill Sizemore which legislator has caused him the most grief, he'd probably say Tony Corcoran. Tony understands that our tax system should distribute the burden fairly across all economic groups, and that we need to correct some of the inequity in our present system. The 2003 session has posed some difficult challenges for our Legislature, and I don't think these challenges will go away in the future. I'm glad that Tony will continue to represent Lane County in Salem during these challenging times. Tom Lininger FALSE SECURITY Nine months ago, I was talking to my son and told him he could have a bike if he could get some kind of insurance on it. He agreed with me and was waiting for the day he could get his driver's license. Ian Kenneth Cate, Jr. was 17 years old. He was waiting for his 18th birthday to get his car, go to college, and start his life. On Sept. 20, 2002, Ian borrowed a bike, rode around the block, and was hit by a woman driving a Chevy Blazer. Ian died that day. The woman was able to come after me, Ian's mother, for a rental car, lost wages, and damages. Ian was not a pedestrian because he was on a bike, yet he was not protected because he had no insurance. Everyone needs to be protected, even kids and people on bikes. In loving memory of Ian Kenneth Cate Jr. OUR RIGHT TO RIVERS It is interesting, as a concerned citizen and voter, to read a column written by one of our state senators every week in EW. Tony Corcoran gives us an insider's view of the wrangling and horse trading that goes on behind the scenes at a legislative session. He often decries those who sell out their constituents by voting for bad bills in order to get their own legislation passed. What he doesn't do, however, is let us know when he is doing the same thing. When a special interest bill (SB293) appeared in the Senate Land Use Committee during the current session that would have the effect of stripping Oregon citizens' rights to access the state's navigable streams below the high water mark, a large coalition of river users banded together to fight it. After public outcry, many senators — including Corcoran — told their constituents they would vote against it. The bill ground to a halt in committee. But the big money interests behind The Cattlemen's Association, The Farm Bureau and real estate lobbyists won't give up so easily. Barring the public could have tremendous financial benefit to landowners along public waterways, and they have been attempting to pass a restrictive bill for years. Never mind that the bill that made Oregon a state guarantees all U.S. citizens the right to free access on all available navigable streams in the state. As the Senate runs out of time to do business, lots of backroom deals are being made to get pet legislation passed. The powerful senator who works for the Cattlemen's Association, et al has given the old bill (SB293) a new name (SB928) and it has turned up in the Rules Committee with a bunch of co-sponsors. Some of these co-sponsors — such as Corcoran — were previously committed to vote "no" on the old bill. While the new one does have some slight revisions, this bill is still a stab in the back to anyone who loves to boat, raft or fish on Oregon's many beautiful rivers. Ephraim Payne
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