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FIRE THE CHEERLEADERS I've lived in Eugene for nearly a decade but I'd never given the Ducks much thought. I've never watched a game, never been to Autzen Stadium, and the Ducks Illustrated inserts go straight into recycling. However, after reading David Wade and Kai Ariel's letters (10/30), I now realize how tragic the simple existence of football is. How dare people waste their Saturdays watching a game (a game!) when they could be doing something important like picketing the Federal Building or watching Spearhead play live. I'll bet Ken Kesey is spinning in his grave (yeah, yeah, he was a big football fan in life, but he's on a higher plane now! He's seen the error of his ways!). I think the UO owes it to us to make its sports program more progressive. Junk the national anthem and hire String Cheese Incident to play a Bob Marley medley. Fire the cheerleaders and replace them with the Sweet Potato Pie girls. Have Jeff "Free" Luers burn an SUV on the 50-yard-line whenever we score a touchdown. This way the jocks get the game, the hippies feel proactive, everyone goes home happy. And isn't that what diversity is all about? Kris Bluth, Eugene
DEFINING FREEDOM Less than 24 hours after the same-sex marriage decision in Massachusetts, I'm already tired of the howling. Americans take pride in being right about our government, economy and civil rights. How can a population with such idealism indulge the destructive, insistent, micro-managing of a few? Bullying moralists have tried to tell us who our God must be, what we can do in our bedrooms, what we are allowed to indulge ourselves with, how to run our bodies, and now, who we can marry. If we were truly free and wise like Solomon, we would never engage ourselves in the childish exchanges of "yes I can — no you can't." Instead we would have law that reads like this: When there are consenting adults, there is no crime. Church and state are to be kept separate, always. You cannot be forced to have an abortion against your will. You cannot be forced to use drugs against your will. You cannot be forced to marry anyone against your will. To those who would tell the rest of us how to live, I say, if you don't approve of it, don't do it. Take all the responsibility you want for yourself and then allow me to do the same. Isn't that what freedom is all about? Jane Moodie, Eugene
SOME 'SPLAININ' TO DO I had the pleasure of attending the keynote debate Nov. 14 at the UO. The debate, labeled "Global vs. Local," was one of the many wonderful and educational opportunities available free at the 7th Annual Sustainable Business Symposium. Jack Roberts, executive director of Lane Metro Partnership, was arguing the global side and Michael Shuman, director of Green Policy Institute and author of several books, argued the local side. It was quite entertaining and very informative but, not nearly enough time for real debate. The two "debaters" spent most of their time laying out their arguments. Shuman demonstrated that 95 percent of the resources from Lane County going into business incentives are going to large, non-local corporations like Sony, while only 5 percent go to local smaller businesses. He also demonstrated that Lane County would get much more bang for the buck by investing in local instead of global. Roberts didn't necessarily disagree. He claimed that he would love to give local businesses more of the pie, but they are simply not asking. Roberts made it repeatedly clear that he was born and raised here in Eugene, cares very deeply about the "mom & pop" businesses, and desperately wants business diversity. He may have actually gotten some people to believe him until he said that once Barnes & Noble came to town, he began supporting them because of their "better selection." He said companies like Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart offer family wage jobs, cheap goods, and convenience. When will Roberts realize that small businesses have absolutely no chance to survive, let alone thrive, when the wealthy people in the community support huge corporate conglomerates to get a "better selection"? And when will Mr. Roberts begin looking at a company's business ethics and not just how many "family wage" jobs they will produce before lining their pockets? And how do corporations such as Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart represent diversity? Please Mr. Roberts, explain. Joshua Welch, Eugene MUSCLED BUTTS Regularly when I open the EW to the Letters page there are strident complaints about the exploitation of women's bodies by the paper (Charlotte Behm, 11/13). EW does show skin more than somewhat, but I consider that a virtue not a vice. I agree with Charlotte that EW would do well to exploit sexy naked men and I would applaud a well-muscled butt on the cover sometime. Perhaps though there are not as many attractive, sexy men in Lane County willing to disrobe for EW. I doubt if there would be the same opposition to naked men, but why shouldn't there be a double standard if it satisfies the righteous? Sexuality, male or female is a beautiful powerful force. Sexy women are strong women empowered by their creative Aphrodite nature. Apparently though, it is a bad thing to exhibit lest someone somewhere become aroused. It is a gloomy day when feminism resembles Puritanism. Would the world be a better place if the Comstocks banned lasciviousness? No. Naked breasts, genitals, buttocks, etc. are not offensive. Perceptions are. Would EW be better served by presenting women in chadors, so no part of their anatomy could be exploited? Danette Lamson-Hall, Eugene
CORCORAN'S COURAGE Politicians may have perks in recognition and prestige but they sacrifice time with family and career and develop thick skins from the constant barrage of criticism by opponents, and sometimes friends. All too often people complain about one thing a legislator does that affects them personally and forget to view the whole picture and acknowledge the hard work and battles that didn't make the headlines. This is especially true for a minority legislator when the opposing party sets the agenda. Sen. Tony Corcoran should be lauded for all that he has accomplished over many years fighting for working Oregonians. Corcoran has led the resistance to the assault on workers' rights and has worked hard and effectively to ensure adequate funding for our schools and social safety net. He has not always been on the winning side, but his dogged determination and negotiating skills have left their mark. The PERS problems came up because the PERS board made over-generous contributions to the fixed accounts during the stock market boom on the '90s and neo-conservatives on talk radio started hammering away at the problem and calling for radical solutions. Corcoran had the courage to address an issue he knew might alienate his allies and tried to get the most just settlement that he could achieve. If progressives want to set the agenda, they will have to elect strong legislators and develop a coherent message. Bickering only strengthens the opposition. Frank & Mary Lou Vignola, Eugene
PARK AMENITIES City monies are held hostage by a small minority. The part-time athlete's need for wide-open schedules is currently dictating where your park bond money is going. Never mind that the city has spent money on several surveys that show that the community as a whole wants to see more natural habitat and beautification in their parks. Never mind that the majority of people exercise through walking and biking. Never mind that even the organized sport focus group stated that baseball and softball are declining in interest, the city staff want to build more baseball fields in Amazon Park. This park is host to every amenity listed in the Parks, Recreation and Open Space brochure. No other park can boast that. But because housing starts continue in the south end of town, adding SDC money to the city park coffers, current parks like Amazon must continue to absorb more and more activities in order to utilize the SDC and bond funds. So, as our neighborhoods are encouraged to become more dense, the parks will mirror that same development until the natural element of our central park is diminished. The city cannot meet every sports demand. This is the time for neighbors of Amazon Park and citizens citywide who care about clean water and healthy places to speak up and save Amazon Park. Paul Cauthorn, Eugene
RETURN TO SENDER I just received a petition in the mail to rescind the small progressive tax legislators directed to schools and the blind and disabled. Citizens in Eugene and Springfield usually recognize immoral attempts by a few wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes and I urge them to not sign on to these petitions. A progressive tax is the fairest, allowing citizens to pay according to their ability to pay. Our tax system needs reform as previous tax initiatives have shifted the tax burden to those with low and middle incomes. The legislators' attempt to reform this and have a fairer tax is now challenged with this petition. I want my grandchildren to have the same opportunity for a high standard public education that I received and I want my blind and disabled friends to know that if they need public assistance it will be there! My petition will be marked "refuse to participate" and returned to sender. Ruth Duemler, Eugene
WHY THE OFFENSE I want to acknowledge why I think many readers of EW have become offended by the sexually explicit advertising. For one, EW has become something of a treasure to the Eugene community. In it are found stories about the noble work of Eugene's citizens, as well as features on well-loved and local establishments, such as in the "Best of Eugene" issues. In this way, EW has become associated with what people care about living in Eugene. Second, EW contains some progressive news and opinions, which adds meaning and is satisfying to those thirsty for alternative perspectives in a barren media landscape. Third, I do not believe that what is represented in the ads is something people would ultimately want their family members, male or female, to become involved with on a habitual level. Sex-oriented establishments can, say, represent a harmless one-time distraction for a college-age person. But for a man to become a frequenter of such establishments would represent a deeper problem that contains the symptoms of addiction and self-destruction. Likewise, who would want their sister, mother, or daughter to make a career in the sex industry? Why not? I think answering this question compels one to empathize with those who have spoken out about this issue. I certainly wish to avoid any appearance of moralizing, which is not my intent. I do not feel personally threatened by the ads. I can relate, however, to having experienced in the images feelings of banality, which if anything, is offensive to my personal sense of good taste when found in the context of a community newspaper. David Caruso, Eugene
RECIPE FOR EXTINCTION I agree with what Michael Anderson and Alice Keiser Greth have to say (10/30 letters) about Arnold S., the U.S., Cuba, etc. Here is my take on what the current overall situation is. It seems that American governance has devolved into a violent outlandish mechanism for controlling the dopey highs of Afghan poppies, the oily fossils of the Iraqi and other deserts, the sadistic stockpiles of the world's weapons of mass destruction and for controlling the greedy strings of the global system of capital flow and its associated propaganda mechanisms. This total scenario is nothing short of a recipe for human and environmental extinction. Progress in the wrong direction is our most important disaster. If the decent peoples of the earth cannot establish a viable system of really democratic regulation to keep greed and fascism in check then even hope will vanish from the face of the earth. Bob Saxton, Eugene
STACKED DECK Are Indian casino opponents using a double standard by not attacking state lotteries as well? After all, state lotteries and the Indian casino games share at least one thing in common: Each is guaranteed to produce a negative rate of return to the player. The difference is that the lottery is a voter-approved form of taxation whose stacked-deck profits fund education and other public programs. The stacked-deck profits generated by casino slots, for the most part, go into the pockets of non-Indian promoters, investors, managers and the chieftains who award the tribal gambling franchises to these outsiders. The lottery is a painfully regressive tax. Most lottery tickets are sold in lower-income areas, often those with large minority populations. Nevertheless, budget crisis has goaded "responsible" government officials to expand state games to include video poker and other forms of gaming that appeal to the most addicted. While there are many questions about the real cost of the public benefits funded by state gaming, there is no question that the money Indian casinos suck from the economy fund little but the casino investors and operators. To the extent the money is reinvested in the economy, it goes, untaxed, to buy real estate off the tax rolls and give casino-related enterprises an untaxed, unregulated advantage over local businesses. No new wealth is created; it is simply transferred. Whatever tribal self-sufficiency trickles down to members comes at the expense of local enterprises being competitively disadvantaged. As the twin economic evils of state lotteries and Indian casinos grow faster than the overall economy, the bedrock American belief in the connection between effort and reward is replaced by the gambler's faith in luck. Arnold Buchman, Florence
GENTLE BUTCHERING I enthusiastically agree with Diana Huntington's assertion (11/6) that Bobbie Willis should have followed Laughing Stock Farm's turkeys (cover story 10/23) through Greener Pastures Poultry's slaughterhouse. Had the author followed the turkeys through the processing plant, she would not have found animals suffering "miserable and terrified deaths" as Ms. Huntington assumes. Rather, she would find a small, immaculately clean facility. While the butchering process can certainly be bloody, she would find that the animals are handled in such a respective and careful manner that rarely a peep is heard. Rather than an industrialized factory staffed by uncaring (often illegal) employees doing little more than minding the machinery performing all the work, she would find a human-scaled plant staffed by caring employees, paid wages well above the minimum, and proud in their role of producing the best tasting poultry found anywhere in the state. As a producer of chickens for Greener Pastures Poultry, I am honored to be part of a farmer-owned organization that seeks to change all aspects of poultry production. Not only do the production standards for all our poultry require continual access to fresh pasture (unlike "free-range" or "organic" that merely insist on "access" to outside from their vast barns), but the insistence on quality and humaneness extends through the butchering process as well. People do need to be aware of all aspects of their food production, if for no other reason than to challenge their own assumptions about what it takes to produce food — vegetables or animals. Aaron Silverman , Greener Pastures Poultry, Creative Growers
ESCALATING ACRIMONY Lately, our local citizenry has been divided on issues that affect the quality of life in Eugene. Whether it's the controversy over Centennial Boulevard, the courthouse, or the UO sports arena, the dialogue is often embittered and sarcastic. While I've been hard-pressed to understand some of the acrimony, I'm beginning to see how it escalates. I recently participated in a discussion at Amazon Park concerning a city parks bond measure, where a majority of people affirmed priorities already specified in a communitywide survey paid for by the city. The results indicate that people want to bike more, walk more, swim more, and attend more concerts. Yet, as those present voiced desires for low-cost updates, it was apparent to me that the City was driving the process in favor of more sports fields. As a nearby neighbor of Amazon Park, I have witnessed a tremendous surge in traffic since the pool renovation. In my view, it is fiscally irresponsible for the city, which has already more than met its bond goal of updating and building ball fields, to spend more money and staff time pushing for intensive projects at Amazon. Sadly, it seems to me that the city will only listen if there is a fight between those who prefer ballfields to more open space rather than finding more suitable projects and locations. We have an opportunity to protect and improve Amazon Park. I love going to baseball games, but I'm voting for protecting open space in our park. Susan Mannheimer, Eugene
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