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BASE OF EMPATHY During this fiercely polarized election year, a great movement is under way to motivate young people to exercise their right to vote. As a registered voter and member of the 18-24 age demographic, I would like to pose an open question: Should we encourage people to vote when they otherwise show no interest in the political process and conduct no research about the candidates? The reality of our voting system is that individual voters can choose a candidate based on the flip of a coin, extensive research into the voting records and platforms of the candidates, or any number of reasons in between. No matter the logic, each vote counts the same (except in Florida). While I would never suggest the right to vote should be limited to those who have the means and desire to educate themselves on the issues, I think it is fair to ask whether simply increasing the quantity of voters is the best way to support our democracy. Perhaps a better way to reach the disenfranchised and the cynical is to encourage them to participate in community service projects at the local level. Local community service provides an education allowing young people to directly realize the positive impacts of their efforts and their interdependence with others. When someone works to help the hungry and the sick or to clean up the local environment, their service builds a base of empathy and concern that may help motivate them to vote for candidates that best address these vital issues. Emily Jeffrey, Eugene
NO WAY I'M VOTING! I see you targeting me — five of you have already asked me. Please do not ask again. See, I find it dangerous to lie to prospective voters by telling them that their vote will lead to representation or empowerment. This is not democracy! It never was. If you think voting has any effect on who is elected or what laws are made (possibly with the exception of ballot measures), look up voting machines, voting fraud and ... um ... the last freaking presidential election! Kudos on mentioning Emma Goldman (and local awesome activist Lydia Bartholow). Why don't we listen to them more? Goldman understood the inherent flaws in this system that have only grown in her absence. I am so sick of hearing about how Kerry is going to save us. Maybe he'll save us like Clinton with more sweatshops and less welfare. Global imperialism is not party particular. And for a large number of people on the planet, Kerry will be just another straight, white, rich, male puppeteer coordinating their suffering and death. To conclude, though there is endless more to say, using women voters to further a small percentage's privileged and liberal beliefs is disgusting. We will not be your voting pawns participating in and encouraging a system that will never care about us. My advice: learn your herstories and histories, work on real stuff in your community and DON'T VOTE. It only encourages them! Oona Beall, age 24, Eugene
ENDING OPPRESSION We have received several requests for Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) to get involved in the conversation about sex industry ads in the back pages of EW. Perhaps it would be helpful to explain our approach. Our organization is devoted to providing services to all survivors of sexual violence. We are committed to ending the oppressive conditions within which this violence happens, and we practice empowerment by respecting survivors' choices. This means that we always serve survivors of sexual violence who work in the sex industry while respecting their choices, including their choice of job. We know that sex work happens within an oppressive cultural context. The issue of whether the sex industry or its advertisements perpetuate or aggravate sexual violence is a very complex one to which we do not have a simple answer. Some feminists support the existence of the sex industry, claiming women's roles as sex workers are often the result of free choice and can be sources of empowerment. Others condemn the sex industry, claiming women's roles as sex workers are often the result of limited choice and are most frequently sources of victimization. While SASS neither endorses nor opposes the sex industry, we offer our services to those sex workers who are exploited, abused and violated. SASS provides advocacy services, a 24-hour crisis line (you can call 343-SASS (7277) locally or (800) 788-4727, community education, self-defense classes and support groups to survivors and their supporters in the community. Feel free to call us for more information. Magali Yaeger for, Sexual Assault Support Services
CORK THE PSYCHOLOGY If I wanted to read Lance Sparks's incoherent, crazed rants about human psychology, color theory, communism, and pirates, I would visit him at home. We could sit inside his geodesic dome and smoke his enormous golden hookah together. If, on the other hand, I wanted to read about wine, I guess I'd have to look elsewhere. Mr. Sparks, a newspaper column called "Wine" ought to be about, well, wine. Readers should not be forced to wade through seven bewildering paragraphs about power ties and neo-Nazis before finding a single mention of the subject on which you purport to be an expert. Once you finally get around to discussing that, your comments are as insipid and forgettable as blush in a box. The Willamette Valley is brimming with exceptional local food and drink — call it a pirate's booty if you like — and we ought to hold our culinary writers to high, even national, standards. Jonas Lerman, Eugene
HONORING DECISIONS Three or four letters printed in last week's EW (8/26) expressed negative views on the write-in campaign for Jim Torrey. I believe each of these letters suggested that Torrey should not run because "the voters have already chosen Kitty Piercy," or words to that effect. I have not yet checked back issues of EW, but I'm sure that when I do I'll find that these same folks also penned letters complaining about the city's refusal to honor the voters' wishes regarding construction of the West Eugene Parkway. Stephen Roberts, Eugene
GREENER CHOICES In response to Jeffrey Stout's letter (8/26) debunking Jiffy Lube's "environmental recognition." At this moment in time our country, our culture, and our economy support the use of automobiles. We all know of course that cars are pollutants, and wouldn't it be lovely (seriously) if we all rode bicycles? But that's not reflective of reality or even conducive to generating a new reality. In fact, in the bigger picture of environmentally responsible business operations, it's not about Jiffy Lube per se at all. It's about one small business making a conscious choice to consider the impact of its operations on the environment and to change or restructure its operations in order to be as eco-friendly as possible. It's about acknowledging that there is indeed a relationship between business operations and the health of the environment. It's about training our employees to think and act more consciously in this disposable society of ours, and educating the public with information indicating how easy and important it is to take steps toward environmentally responsible business operations. I'm proud that Oregon leads the country in its creation of the Automotive Ecological Business Program. I'm encouraged that even a lube shop can choose to change and restructure in order to become an ecologically certified business. I applaud the lube techs at your locally owned West 11th Jiffy Lube for their ongoing cooperation and tireless efforts to maintain ecological certification, and for actually listening and not laughing when I asked them to begin recycling everything from plastic bags to radiator caps! Kathy Arbuckle, owner, West 11th Jiffy Lube
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE? The war in Iraq is not George Bush's war. The war is the American lifestyle war. American soldiers are killing, dying, and being maimed so Americans can have plentiful and affordable go juice. Fifty-six percent of a fill-up has to be pumped out of some foreigner's soil, whether they like it or not. Has anybody stopped burning gasoline as a protest against the war in Iraq? No, consumption of gasoline has gone up since the war began. Protest against the war is vocal and scapegoat-oriented against George Bush. That is like fat children cursing the ice cream man for their obesity. George Bush is the loving daddy of American car drivers. He kills for their fuel because they want it, need it, love it. Be good children and say thank you to dad on election day. Lester Peel, Springfield
U.S. COMPLICITY Kudos to the EW for bringing us the frequent on-the-ground reports by Kate Rogers Gessert, most recently the "One Side of the Fence" article (8/12). It's a point of view not readily available in the daily news and about which we need be aware. The heavy-handed Israeli military treatment of peaceful Palestinians by the right wing Sharon government and their use of American planes, weapons and bulldozers makes us complicit for the physical destruction of their olive and fruit orchards and other food crops. There is an alternative to this and to suicide attacks on Israeli civilians and the escalating violence. Rabbi Michael Lerner's Healing Israel/Palestine paperback and the Tikkun community come to mind. Log on to www.tikkun.organd tell U.S. policymakers what you learned. It would also be helpful if Ms. Gessert would list aid organizations like Ta'ayush, an Arab-Jewish group, see www.taayush.organd others. John Saemann, Eugene
SLICKER DIGS? Thanks for turning your attention to the Farmers' Market in last week's issue (8/19). While it's always nice to get some press, I'm wishing Ben Fogelson had explored beyond the one-way street he sent the article down. The butterfly lot, though arguably an outdated and ugly waste of space, is not the only possible new home for the market. We've been limited year after year by simple-minded solutions and a lack of vision. It's time to completely re-evaluate the place we want Farmer's Market to have in this community. I feel DIVA's needs are a very separate but equal question. With a longer growing season than either Ithaca, N.Y., or Olympia, Wash. (two cities with beautiful, year-round facilities), and a wide range of locally produced fresh meats, seafood, cheeses and wine, Eugene could easily create a unique and thriving Farmer's Market for its community. And the best part is, how very simple this facility would need to be. Train your thoughts away from multi-million dollar structures, underground tunnels, etc., and imagine an open-sided, covered promenade by the river, one that could utilize recycled wood and other green materials. Examples abound worldwide, and have since the beginning of recorded time. If what the market is searching for is space to serve its community better, perhaps we need to look a little further than the already-cramped block we're on. Sophie Bello, Eugene
SPLASHING PAINT I am writing in response to Annie Kayner's (8/26) letter
in which she states that "creativity is the enemy of the true artist."
As an art historian, painter and average person I believe Miss Kayner
couldn't be more wrong. Creativity is the driving force that makes art
a higher form of communication. She suggests that artists must separate
from the ego in order to achieve truth. I would argue that true honesty
in art comes by embracing the ego, and that without our "sense of self"
Her ridiculous suggestion that "average people are incapable of making the artist's journey" is both arrogant and presumptuous. I wonder what qualifies miss Kayner to label her own tastes as "true art," and others' as false? If there's one thing that 20th century art has taught us, it's that true artists are average people. I'd agree that there's a difference between art and just splashing paint on a canvas, but would Jackson Pollack agree? I'd agree that finger paintings don't deserve to be hung in The Louvre, but would Picasso agree? Would Salvador Dali's paintings be closer to Miss Kayner's concept of what art should be if he abandoned his egocentricity, his madness, and his endless creativity? Shame on Miss Kayner and those of like mind. They are the true enemies of artists. Erin M. Even, picassosdead@yahoo.com
MAKING BABIES All this talk about gay marriages brings up the real reason to defend the sanctity and the primary purpose of a traditional heterosexual marriage: procreation. If you don' t want to procreate, are unable to conceive, or carry a recessive gene that may cause birth defects, you can' t marry. Period. Besides, the Bible teaches us homosexuality is wrong. This is according to Leviticus which also says that tattoos, eating shellfish and wearing clothing of mixed fiber is also a sin. You can also own slaves and stone your neighbor if he plants two different crops in one field. The Bible does says polygamy is acceptable. Let' s bring it back to further increase the survival of the species . Lesbians should be allowed to marry as long as they produce children. Marriage is, after all, about making more babies. Same sex unions will disrupt the traditional family and harm children, the critics argue. There are other, more likely candidates for the ruin of the traditional family: the industrial revolution, shifting social and economic factors, divorce rates, and daddy preferring to cruise the Internet for porn rather than talk to his children. When you strip away the moral, social, and legal issues in this controversy, this is the real reason against homosexual marriages. Other arguments fail. Attacking gays for wanting to marry and have a monogamous relationship is jealousy from a society that doesn't want homosexuals to be, like them: normal. Alisa McLaughlin, Eugene
FORGOTTEN CONTEXT It happens every year: Eugene's peaceniks gather to remember the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why is it they never hold memorials for the victims of Pearl Harbor? Or the Bataan Death March? Or the unconscionable Rape of Nanking? Or the horrific Japanese POW camps? The sheer magnitude of the cruelty and brutality of the Empire of Japan defies comprehension and understanding. I'm just thankful that, once upon a time, there were men such as Harry Truman, Curtis LeMay, Paul Tibbets (still with us) and Chuck Sweeney who knew what it takes to deal with such an enemy. Given the leftist claptrap that passes for "history" in American education these days, I wouldn't expect many of the memorial organizers to know who some of these guys were — just as they clearly don't comprehend why those honorable men had to do what they did. Jerry Ritter , Springfield
PANTS ON FIRE Bush is flopping around like a fish out of water, but he's screaming that "Kerry is flip-flopping." Sure, the whole world is flip-flopping from his viewpoint, but Bush is making a fool of himself. Not that it's hard. Now he's screaming that "Kerry is losing his cool," though just yesterday, Kerry was being criticized for being too frozen. It might be helpful if Kerry thawed out a little. Meanwhile, Bush's aides report off the record that he has fits, writhing on the floor in the White House hallways, and frequently screams at staffers. Guys who really were in Vietnam or maybe Cambodia at some time or other probably are spreading W's lies for him, accusing Kerry of "exaggerating." Haven't we heard this before? When your pants are on fire, it's a bad idea to accuse your opponent of losing his cool. Ann Tattersall, Eugene
SELLING CDS While I can sympathize with the plight of the indy records store owner painted by Seth Walker's "Facing the Music" (8/12), I must add that service and friendliness to customers seems to be a forgotten art in today's small stores. And while it is all too easy to blame downloading on the lack of sales, the blame squarely falls on high CD prices ($18.98 a CD!) and inferior music, as well as a "too cool for you" attitude. And why no mention of Eugene's truly great music outlets like the Museum of Unfine Art or House of Records? It seems that the writer would rather send us to Portland to ignore two of Eugene's finest stores, where a smile and a "Hello" go a long way to making a sale. Marc Time, Junction City
HUNGRY MORONS I've been struggling to figure out how the Bush vs. Kerry polls could possibly indicate a close race with all that has been revealed about the Shrublicans from torture of consent to over-billing by Cheney's Halliburton, to an ill-conceived, poorly planned, hysterically pushed Vietnam-like tragedy in which thousands of innocent humans have been killed and maimed with the help of our tax dollars. How is so much support possible? Thanks to Todd Anderson, AKA evil rich guy in "picking up the tab" (letters 8/5) for answering the question. It was Ronald Reagan' s long cast over a still pond well stocked with hungry morons. With the shiny lure of red, white, and blue and a congenial smile, the gipper, skipper, or shrub could dupe all of those little fishies into believing that the Welfare Queen or the poor were detestable, unlovable by God or anyone else and were certainly not worthy of a free ride on average Joe' s oh-so-hard-earned dollars. All of the righteous sucker fish willingly crimped the access of their fellow citizens while flag-waving leaders facilitated the Savings & Loan debacle, the give-away of HUD dollars, Halliburton' s exorbitant no-bid government contracts, Enron' s rampant thievery, and the guaranteed success of monster businesses through corporate welfare giveaways by local, state, and federal government like familiar locals Sony and Hynix. Richard Gross, Deadwood
SMELL THE BUSH I am hoping that the citizens of Eugene will wake up and realize that the campaign to push Jim Torrey as a write-in candidate for mayor of Eugene is nothing short of an attempt by conservatives to assure that President George W. Bush will carry the state of Oregon in November. Wake up! Ron MacKenzie, Berkeley, Calif.
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