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On July 1, disabled people in Oregon who had been receiving state cash assistance lost their waivers. This means they will no longer receive the money they rely on to survive (to pay rent and utilities, for instance), unless they can participate 30 hours a week in the JOB Program. In my case, this means I must be out and about in a workplace even though workplaces make me sick. I was pesticide-poisoned and developed an "environmental illness" with heightened sensitivities to such toxins as recirculated air, perfumes, polyester, carpet, cleaning products and fluorescent lights. These things and many others make me really sick, and hundreds (probably thousands) of Oregonians are in the same boat. I have been working with the Oregon Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to develop a business from home, but now that the waiver eliminates JOB program exemptions for disabled people, that plan for financial self-sufficiency must go by the wayside. I do not think it's right that the state of Oregon requires a sick person to become even sicker to collect the $422 a month my daughter and I have received these past few months to subsist on. It's not like we're trying to get rich; we're just trying to survive until I can put together a way to earn a living within my disability. State caseworkers no longer have the option of helping me do that. I do not think it's right that if I cannot participate in the JOB program, I am suddenly left with no income and no quick enough way to get one. None of the disabled people affected by this waiver loss were even notified that it was going to happen, or that it did happen. We found out by being given the choice of registering for the JOB program or losing our cash assistance. I now have to spend 30 hours a week getting poisoned in order to support my household. If I spent those same 30 hours working to develop my writing and editing business from home, I would be making real progress toward self-sufficiency, and I wouldn't be so sick. In fact, that was the exact thing I was poised to do when this waiver disappeared and plunged me and many other disabled people into boiling oil. Oregon welfare will only assist you if you can work inside the traditional job structure. If you can't, you are culled from the herd and essentially left to struggle and die. I guess budget cuts bring out the primal in us. Gayla Groom
NO SHAME Now let me see — the anti-democratic PATRIOT Act was passed by a mindless, cowardly Congress, hiding out behind their concrete barriers. The corporate-military gangster regime's new messiah is given free rein to preemptive strikes and blasts any country that might attack us. The U.S. has 180 military bases in 70 countries and has inflicted mortal damage on countless poor countries since WWII. To protect us? Or to protect slave-labor plants and our natural resources around the world? All under the guise of protecting the American sheeple. Eisenhower was the only president to warn us about the military-industrial complex and their profitable weapons systems, at the expense of hungry children. Our own homegrown terrorists should be given daily news coverage also. Our gallant white Christian soldiers exterminated most of the peaceful indigenous Indian people, here long before the white invasion. Courageous white Christian males, hiding behind lily white bed sheets, lynched countless black folks, keeping them in cowering obedience. Today, a female is assaulted, raped or murdered every three minutes. One out of every three women will be attacked during her lifetime. This is documented real violence against females. Should we women be as cruel and vengeful as our sociopathic brutal regimes, who smash and destroy all who defy them? Shall we women begin a preemptive bombing campaign against all men, who might committ violence against us sometime in the future? Our regime's Pentagon warlords and mad bombers continually seek out vulnerable, weakened targets around the world. Have they no shame? Alice Keiser Greth
RELIGIONS' BLASPHEMIES Our planet cannot afford religions. We cannot afford their cruelty, their bigotry, the indifference they have shown to hunger, suffering and pain. We cannot afford their control through fear, their censorship, their ignorance. Religious fanatics sacked the renowned Alexandrian library and put to death, in unbelievable horror, nonconformist thinkers when the Christian Age of Faith turned out the light on intellectual inquiry. So many libraries were lost, books burned, pagan learning gone. We can't afford their opposition to progress in science and medicine, which they set back 1,500 years by suppressing any discovery, any idea, any thought that didn't agree with priests and prophets. We can't afford their overpopulation that causes famine, infanticide, cannibalism. We can't afford their wars. We can't afford to make up taxes they don't pay on churches, temples, mosques. We can't afford what they do to children, offering blind belief instead of curiosity and questioning minds, obedience instead of critical thinking and the joy of discovery. Virginia Conley
ARTFUL DODGER As a public service, and in order to bring some semblance of calm back to our neighborhood, could you please let us and the people of Eugene know the minute the drunk who stole the street lane painting truck and went caterwauling down Polk Street from 24th to 28th Avenue, laying down a curlicue pattern that only a city councilman could design, is apprehended? Joseph H. Alsup
LANE COUNTERFEIT FAIR I find it terribly unfair and unfortunate for parents and their children that the entrance fee for a week's pass at the County Fair was raised by $2 from last year's fee to $10. I can't believe such a hike in price for a fair that offers very little incentive for the same people who support the fairgrounds' events throughout the year. You support the fairgrounds, but will you support it next year and the year after that? Oregon's economy has been hardest hit, and you'd think because of last year's scare of E. coli in the petting zoo they would give people a break on entrance fees. And rides could be less than three coupons per ride. I actually timed a ride at 30 seconds. I could not believe the price we pay for coupons: $1 per person. And the games were $2 per try and $5 for three tries. It wasn't that far back that it was three tries for a dollar. But the hardest thing I dealt with was that I had two 7-year-old boys with me, and I promised them a whole day at the fair full of fun. Now I say "counterfeit fair" because it only looks like fun from all of the ads on TV. After one hour, I went through all of my funds. I had to keep telling the boys, "No, we can't afford that game to play. No, I'm sorry I don't have the $8 you both need to ride that particular ride." It is a very difficult thing to promise any child or children one thing and not be able to keep your promise. But the Kids' Tent and the Magician were the heroes of the day. I thank you guys and dolls for making my day with the energized boys bearable. And I thank you for doing it for free for the children who have low-income parents. And if next year the week pass for the Lane County Fair is raised to $14 per person, then I will choose not to support such a money-hungry event and you can kiss this week pass goodbye. Tracy Mahoney
EARTH-FRIENDLY DELIGHTS If you haven't had the opportunity to visit or work at the FOOD for Lane County GrassRoots Garden, you are missing a great experience. I have been a volunteer there for the past 10 years and never cease to be inspired by the uplifting work they do. Yes, the garden does provide wonderful, organically grown produce for distribution to meal sites and food baskets that feed families and others struggling to cope with daily needs. But the garden is also so much more. Volunteers and others are treated to an experience that visually impacts mind and spirit. In addition to growing produce, the GrassRoots Garden is a site for learning earth-friendly methods of composting, greenhousing, soil preparation, pest and weed management, and crop selection and timing. It is also a place where a community of volunteers includes: youth groups from Looking Glass with unique challenges, retired seniors with a rich array of experiences, Lane County Master Gardeners, students from the high school Peace Club and from university groups, physically and mentally challenged adults, and court-mandated community service volunteers. All have the opportunity to work together, in a nurturing atmosphere where they can visibly see the results of their work while enjoying a comfortable and accepting environment. The lives of each volunteer are enriched by the experience. I invite you to become a volunteer or to come out and see us during the Earth-friendly Garden Tour from 10 am to 2 pm Sept. 6 at the FOOD for Lane County GrassRoots Garden. Iris Sayre
UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS I think last week's (8/21) letter "Stolen Goods" was damaging and out of line. Mr. Bennett may not directly state it, but he implies that this new business intends to deal in stolen bikes and parts. I whole heartedly agree that bicycle theft is a serious
problem in the area, and should have a punishment severe enough to make
a thief think twice. But his letter talks about one particular shop,
uses the owners' full names, and states that these men "must explain
how their reuse strategy is not … a method to resell stolen bikes
and … components." Is he trying to make all used bike stores look
bad, or just these guys? I work for a local garbage company, and I can tell you that people throw out lots of bikes, in all conditions. If they're in usable condition, and I'm sure they're meant to be trash, I'll often take them home. Sometimes I'll keep parts I can use, but I always donate what I don't need (often whole bicycles) to CAT (Center for Appropriate Transport) so that someone can use them. Places like CAT, Bring Recycling, Blue Heron, Mike's Bikes, etc., are wonderful sources for quality, low-priced, sometimes hard-to-find bikes and parts. I ride a classic Schwinn, built from parts I found at the places mentioned. Any business whose "strategy" is to recycle, and in doing so make an honest living while providing great selection and low prices, should be commended. Thank you, EW, for the editor's note, and for your letter's policy, but the last thing a small business needs is unfounded accusations of illegal practices. There are still laws against libel. JM Eisenberger
MATTERS OF STYLE The letter EW published from Pat Wilson (7/31) criticizing political stands taken by Eugene Councilors David Kelly and Bonny Bettman was interesting. Nobody is going to agree with everything any council member does. What's equally important is the way they do it. Yes, Kelly tends to be a bit too centrist at times. But he listens and tries to bring opposing sides together. Bettman does not seem to care to do this. At an Aug. 11 council work session, a Police Commission official said Bettman held some productive meeting groups regularly demonstrating at the Federal Courthouse against the Iraq invasion. I know people who attended those meetings. Their reaction was that they were being talked down to, told what to do, all without any dialogue. Bettman arrogantly warned participants to keep protestors in line. If they didn't, the police were going to react with force. That the anarchist faction everyone was concerned about was not represented at these meetings only added to the irony. Bettman overlooked the founding of a major political organization that began in her own ward, the Friendly Neighbors for Peace. Any movement that builds grassroots support and turns out hundreds of people is a force to be recognized. But Bettman has not attended any of their events, and she has been repeatedly invited. Conventional wisdom says Bettman is such a sure thing for reelection that the business establishment won't offer an opponent. Or maybe they watch what she does, and they like it. Gina Garner
ACT OUT I understand that Attorney General Ashcroft is touring the country to gain supporters for the expansion of the PATRIOT Act (UPA). The UPA was signed into law in October 2001, one month after 9/11 when congressman were concerned that this type of terrorism would rapidly expand to all sectors of our country. Congress, without much deliberation, hastily passed the UPA without considering the negative impact it would have on our freedom. Most legal experts would agree that many aspects of our Constitution's Bill of Rights are threatened and Ashcroft's expanded version, which he is promoting, would almost destroy these rights. Here is Prof. David Coles of Georgetown University Law Center's analysis of the Bush administration's draft Domestic Security Enhancement Act: It would radically expand law enforcement and intelligence gathering authorities, reduce or eliminate judicial oversight over surveillance, authorize secret arrests, create a DNA database based on unchecked executive "suspicion;" seek to take U.S. citizenship away from persons who belong to or support disfavored political groups and other similar restrictive measures. I think that the negative aspects of the UPA far outweigh the positive ones. We are threatened with an unprecedented attack on our personal liberties and the total act must be reviewed with the intention of protecting U.S. citizens without removing their freedoms. Howard Dean, Democratic presidential nominee, is asking his supporters to oppose this measure. Those interested can sign a petition by going to Dr. Dean's site: www.deanforamerica.com/stopashcroft Mort Hyman
BLACKOUT BUSH Since "Ditto head" Republicans like to tag people with names, like "Greyout Davis," how about calling our president "Blackout Bush," since his corporate profit first policies have allowed our power grid to slip into Third World status. Michael T. Hinojosa
COST OF A MOVIE It seems that when it comes to safety over liberty, the current climate chooses not to learn from Dr. Franklin when he said, "Those who would give up liberty for safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." I say this because if we allow our paranoid fear to rule instead of respect for freedom and liberty, then we deserve to allow our fears to rule. Until this past Saturday, going to catch a flick at
the Regal Theaters was an enjoyable experience. Apparently the theaters
have had a policy that does not allow backpacks in the theater. On the
face of it you would think that security should be a trade- off for
the safety of the majority. The problem here is that not every backpack
contains a bomb, and just maybe this fear of what might happen gives
our government the right to cancel our right to privacy There are true blue Americans who feel freedom at any
cost is the freedom that is worth that cost. I for one will not frequent
an establishment that cows to the fear of what might happen as opposed
to the need to be vigilant and free. The absurdity of turning away paying
customers over the tragic events of Sept. 11 simply because you can
doesn't mean you should. We as Americans should demand that the very
liberties we hold dear and offer to others not be offered up for the
government elite to make available as it sees fit. Our government is
designed to serve the people, It saddens me that I will not support any business that gives in to the fears of those who may attack. Have we become so weak and frail that we fear what may be? The cost of freedom is too high to diddle over come-what-may. My liberty and privacy are worth a movie and popcorn. George G. Brooks
GROWING TOGETHER America is called leader of the free world, but where is it leading us? Instead of American or French or Chinese or Indian, wouldn't it be wonderful to be a family of caretakers proud of our beautiful Earth? There are groups in every land who feel this way and who long to be part of such unity of purpose instead of pawns in addictions to power. If leaders would lead us to that kind of freedom, we could grow together forever. If we care for our past and cherish diversity, why are we not dedicated to a future for all? I think we can be and I think we must be. For from the day we are born do we not yearn alike for a meaningful life and a world undivided, spent not in clouds of diversion and war, but in fruitful search of the miraculous? Those in power perpetuate division at the expense of all we might be as one, but the future is fragile and we have suffered too long the results of the madness of war. It is time to honor the past by protecting the future, our sacred common ground. May every god bless everyone in every land on every world. Brian Bogart
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