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FEELING BURNED In regard to Kate Storm's article on Burning Man (5/27), I am sorry you had such a rough time out there and could not find the resources to tough it out until the burn. I would have to agree about some of the bad burners in recent years (you didn't mention which year you attended), but to generalize your own brief, but valid, experience as the norm did not sit well with me. I am not sure where you found that quote about "no rules," but it is way off. The oldest rule at B.M. is to not interfere with anyone else's immediate experience. Apparently, the golden rule was broken around you more than once, but I feel it is up to individuals to decide if they take an agenda out there or if they choose to play the role of passive victim. Individuals have the opportunity to speak up for themselves out there (even if their voice quivers) and have the support of their community, which I have witnessed. That is part of the experiment in society. The "Americans" thing was weird, too. I have met folks out there from Japan, England, Italy, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. You also failed to mention that the B.M. ice and water sales support local Nevada school activities. It is sad when individuals miss out on all the creative people, amazing art and good vibes that are plentiful on the playa. That is what happens when uninformed people attend. Who are you really mad at? Maybe you should direct all your issues at society, not an art festival. Are you aware that the picture used in your slam is a personal one of mine with me in it? So, who is being exploited now? Saddest of all, I do not understand why such a negative piece would even appear in the "fun" under the sun. Your rant will only scare off the cool folks and invite the jerks, leaving a fragile balance even more fragile. Michael Byrd, Eugene
VERY SCARY During the course of the Iraqi invasion, U.S. troops have performed numerous atrocities, some of which barely received mention in the U.S. news. Last week, U.S. forces massacred an entire village of mostly women and children during a wedding ceremony when they mistook celebratory gunfire for enemy threat. They have abused Iraqi prisoners, some to the point of death, and posed for pictures with them. Yet last week, President Bush completely ignored these horrors and chose to publicly denounce the Iraqis for the death of Nicholas Berg, which, while truly brutal and barbaric, is, as both sides have clearly demonstrated, the cost of war. It is deeply disconcerting that Americans, upon hearing Bush's speech, will receive such a skewed view of the situation. This is definitely not what the rest of the world is seeing. It is terribly disturbing that the Bush administration has the level of unmitigated authority to make subjectively moral decisions and judgments, act on them at will, then actively misrepresent them to the American people on national television. This, in my view, is becoming a very scary version of democracy and one I hope not to pass along to my children. Elizabeth Borelli, San Jose, CA
BUSH HAVE GUTS? The torture of Iraqi prisoners is so unbelievably reprehensible that it requires the immediate firing of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The torturing of prisoners under U.S. watch is not the type of military mishap that will be made OK by the court martial of a few underlings. The buck stops at the top of the Defense Department. I hope President Bush has the guts to do what's right and fire his Secretary of Defense as soon as possible. Brian Schick, Ashland
FAKE ALERTS I was listening to Tom Ridge, the head of Homeland Security, on "Jim Lehrer News Hour" this evening. Apparently there are vague, unspecific warnings of possible Al Quaeda attacks being planned this summer on the U.S. at the key political conventions and summits. I found myself in a conundrum. At first, the threat of impending Al Quaeda attacks this summer evoked a feeling of disbelief. Why make the Bush administration a martyr and validate their statements? Why play into our hands, generate and reverse opposing public opinion among the world community? Well, maybe their thinking is as skewed as ours was in invading Iraq. Maybe they are that desperate. Maybe the attacks will happen. OK, now what? Or is the Bush administration so out of sync with the world at large that our foreign policy of occupying Iraq has encouraged present, former and new enemies to be even more eager to attack us and sabotage the U.S. occupation plan? Or are the statements of Tom Ridge a political ploy to keep the country on edge to attempt to forego "changing horses midstream" and bolster Bush's political stance as "Commander-in-Chief"? As a political moderate, I cannot believe that I would consider this notion, but, given the current adminstration, I am considering that question. I do not have answers to these questions, but I think we should all consider them. Kate Wallace , Springfield
UNPATRIOTIC ACT You are going to see a Bush ad about Kerry and the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act. A lot of Congresspeople on both sides have a problem with the act. They voted for it, then wanted to change it. GOP Majority leader Dick Armey, who voted for it, said, "I told the president that his Justice Department was out of control." Are we going to save ourselves from international terrorism by denying fundamental liberties to ourselves? It doesn't make sense to me. Kerry wants about 95 percent of the PATRIOT Act to remain, because he knows we have to protect ourselves, but he believes as I do that mistakes are made, wrong information is shared and officials do lie. At the very least, we need hearings. One man should not have all that power, we need checks and balances. Bush has lied to us about everything ... The newspapers and media evidently didn't investigate his claims until the truth came out. I don't know why Kerry would want the presidency. I wouldn't. What a mess. I don't know if Kerry is elected if he can undo the damage that Bush and the Republican congress has done with Americans and the world. The world sends a lot of things to America; they could do a lot of damage that way unless we undo the damage of this administration. Bush has said he will take Social Security, Medicare, school funding, etc., to give to Iraq. He will start the draft again. I believe Bush has threatened Iran, Korea, Syria, China, France, Germany, Cuba, and Bush will start WWIII. And I believe Kerry will do his best not to. The choice is up to you. Peggy Kreager, Sandusky, Ore.
DAILY IMPROVEMENTS In news coverage and letters-to-the-editor policy the R-G reached its nadir, in my opinion, quite a few years ago. Since then it has improved considerably. The lead paragraph of a 12/9/83 R-G news story described former Senator and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern as a twice-trounced, out-of-office, balding, aging, liberal peacenik. Talk about poisoning the well before the reader caught a glimpse of what McGovern had to say in a supposedly objective news article. About 10 years ago, I wrote a letter to the R-G detailing the abysmal environmental and safety record of Wildish Sand and Gravel Company. (The Wildishes and Bakers have been buddies for many years). Don Robinson, the editorial page editor, refused to print my letter unless it included material he inserted that put it well over the word limit and that considerably weakened my criticism. Reluctantly, I agreed. Although readers are currently fed way too heavy a diet of George Will, William Safire, Paul Greenberg, and other oily neocon cheerleaders, the R-G's editorial-page fairness, news coverage, and quality of writing have significantly improved. Associate Editor Jim Godbold, quoted in Alan Pittman's "News Ethics" article (EW 5/27), should be applauded for his candor and professionalism. His concern for ethical standards led me to reflect on how Eugene's locally owned daily newspaper under the leadership of Jackman Wilson, Paul Neville, Godbold, and others has improved over the years — and to realize, compared to other newspapers and despite its imperfections, what a gem it is. Jerome Garger, Yachats
SEEING RED The cornerstone of our democracy is our First Amendment Right to free speech and the right to demonstrate our opposition to government policies threatening our fundamental freedoms. In the current political climate, active protest against the war in Iraq, cuts in vital programs here at home, and the systematic dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights is labeled unpatriotic. It makes me so angry, I'm seeing red. During WWII Norwegian and Danish women wore red caps so everyone could see that the majority opposed what the Nazis were doing. Now, a new effort to protest the Iraq war by wearing red on Friday has begun. I can't take credit for the reemergence of this idea, but I hope thousands of you feel as I do and will join in this protest. Imagine the impact of a Sea of Red every Friday in every corner of America. Ellen Hyman, Eugene
REALLY LISTENING As a mediator who supports peaceful solutions to conflict, I would love to see a more kindhearted tone in Eugene Weekly's articles and editorials. For example, I felt disappointed when I read the Slant column regarding "rumors flying like crazy about [mayoral candidate] Nancy Nathanson's future." Although I've never resonated with Nathanson's platform, I perceived your tone as mean-spirited or punitive. I would rather have seen you recognize a fellow human for her best intentions, and empathize with the pain of losing a race that she had undoubtedly cared deeply about. In contrast, I felt energized by Kitty Piercy's letter. She spoke of "capitaliz[ing] on our talents and respect[ing] our differences, where we really listen to each other." I wish EW's writing could show more respect for those differences. Would you consider a journalistic approach that shows equal regard (if not equal coverage) to all, including those who represent the conservative side? When language expresses judgment, criticism, or blame, it reinforces a sense of "us versus them" where "we" are right or good, and "they" are wrong or bad. In my experience, this way of thinking invites divisiveness and argument, rather than promoting amicable dialogue toward a mutually acceptable resolution. A newspaper's editorial voice has the potential to discourage members of opposing factions from really listening to one another. By adjusting your style, I imagine you could not only expand your readership beyond "the choir" but you might inspire Eugene to develop into a kinder, stronger, and more unified community. Lisa-Marie DiVincent, Eugene
TRUE HERO Army Spc. Joseph Darby is the first person to solidly blow the whistle on the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Ashcroft pro-torture policy. All four of these immoral war criminals should be impeached so that the world will know that the U.S. has officially repudiated their fascist tactics of bombing, invading, occupation and torture. Until this drastic action is taken, the world will know that the government of the U.S. is not worthy of support by any of the other peoples of the world. It is wonderful to know that a person like Joseph Darby exists in our armed forces, a person who has the conscience and conviction required to tell the truth about dastardly deeds of many of his fellow soldiers, as prompted by their superiors in the chain of command. There is now hope that reforms will be put in place so that Iraq will be the last small nation attacked by a large nation overstuffed with mass death weapons. Joseph Darby has been true to his country in the best possible way. Bob Saxton , Eugene
LETTERS POLICY: We print as many letters as space allows. Please limit length to 250 words and submissions to once a month. All letters are subject to editing for length and clarity, and must include 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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