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IGNORE PROPAGANDA I an writing to respond to Sonny Tailor's guest viewpoint (10/21) regarding the proposed Eugene Housing Standards Code, aka "Renter's Rights." This code succeeds in supporting ORS 90 by dealing with the most basic of housing needs: heat, plumbing, and structural integrity. Establishing this code would offer Eugene renters a viable alternative to withholding rent or suing landlords in small claims court; it by no means "narrows the scope" of options available. Tailor argues that the proposed code would raise the overall standard of housing in Eugene. This is not a bad thing! Too many people in our town live in sub-standard housing; this is a human rights issue that can be ignored no longer. I urge the City Council to see through negative propaganda and move forward. Act now. Brandi Minogue, Eugene
HOUSING RIGHTS I am writing this in response to the viewpoint article "Raising the Bar" from the 10/21 issue of EW. I found a few of the points made about housing standards to be in error. The proposed code is intended to develop an enforcement mechanism to implement the state laws of the Oregon Landlord and Tenant Act. It is focused upon the most basic human rights: heating, weatherproofing, structural integrity and plumbing. Tailor wrote about shortcomings of the code; that it doesn't address every aspect of habitability concerns. The proposal is not intended to limit renter's rights, but to address the most serious problems first. If unsafe living conditions are improved, tenants should not have to seek alternate housing. Problems with rent reduction and deposit returns will decrease resultantly. A housing code is not a way for CDD to randomly impose fines upon landlords. Fines would only be required if the landlord does not comply with state law. Under current conditions, renters are not necessarily given an option to complain besides civil court. The proposed housing code would help deter the use of courts and facilitate dialogue between landlord and tenant. While ORS 90 outlines the entire regulations of state law, without a system of enforcement these rights are not guaranteed. If the City Council adopts this code, Eugene citizens will have the option of seeking to broaden it to include more of the ORS 90 regulations. The code isn't perfect, but it's a start. Megan McCusker, Eugene
WHY THE GRIMACE? Why is it that saying that I'm in a Eugene band brings a grimace to the faces of people from Eugene? I recently saw Mike Henry, with his bass in the EW, talking about the blues and the Eugene Celebration (9/16). As I read the article, it solidified in my mind a lack of acceptance of local arts. I don't believe this attitude comes from the EC coordinators. I believe that Steve Remington does all he can to make the EC a great event. The telling quote was about the band "who changed their address to a Portland P.O. Box in order to get booked into the EC and local clubs." Eugene, it seems, doesn't accept local acts. I float towards nostalgia — when Floater played the WOW Hall for $4. The local, non-offensively listed The Daddies drew good crowds. Marigold, the American Girls, the list goes on. Now, I find myself in a local Eugene band myself, Android Ethic playing our first show on Nov. 4 at Diablo's Downtown Lounge and there is NO WAY I'm moving this band, via Post Office box or otherwise, from the city I love. Music, art: These are what makes Eugene the city it is! So I do what I can to support local venues: Luckey's, John Henry's, Sam Bond's. I go to shows and buy local CDs. I don't care about the grimace on anyone's face; I'm proud to be in a Eugene band. Todd Edman , Guitarist, Android Ethic
QUEEN'S DECREE I'm feeling a bit sluggish — but didn't want to miss another opportunity to be heard. All this talk about politics. Why, I've never seen the likes of so much slime and hostility. Now there's a Democratic party and there's a Republican party. Well, being the queen — I do declare — Let's just PARTY! Ya'll stay tuned. An invitation for a doozy is in the makings. Peace to all. Queen Scarlett O'Slimera , SLUG Queen 2004
IGNORING HISTORY In response to Irwing Noparstak and Joan Bayliss ("Anti-Semitism," 10/7). How would you react if your home were taken away from you? Wouldn't you do anything to get it back? Are you ignoring, as the powerful U.S. media often does, how the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict started? Israel was created by eliminating Palestine as a country through another Holocaust. Thousands of Palestinians were killed, their homes destroyed or taken, and many fled to other countries. Should you then, seemingly sympathizing with such unfairness, also be called anti-Semitic, being that Palestinians belong as well as you do to the Semitic family? Yes, rocks, besides themselves as suicide bombers, are all the Palestinians have to throw at whom they consider to be the invaders of their land. And Israel has now taken even more land than was originally appropriated. I dare say that if the U.S. didn't favor Israel by providing it with arms and money (as it has been doing from the beginning of the conflict, while providing the Palestinians with nothing and expecting them to gracefully and humbly accept their loss), then how can the U.S. say with an honest and fair face that it wishes for peace between Israelis and Palestinians? It is like a father who gives his boy a baseball bat to beat his cousin while he keeps saying they shouldn't fight. And cousins they are! Alas, when will we ever learn? Maria M. Berg, Alvadore, Ore.
BEST SEXIST? Best Gentlemen's Club? (Best of Eugene, 10/21) Please. We ALL have more important things to do. Please stop legitimizing sexist businesses. There is no "best" way to be sexist. Rose Wilde, Eugene
MEAT AND OIL The recent crossing of the symbolic $50 mark for a barrel of oil should be a clear wake-up call for national energy policy officials. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, global oil reserves are fixed at around 3,000 billion barrels. Likely fields have been explored and assessed. Yet, the annual global consumption of 27 billion barrels is growing at 1.6 percent, threatening to outstrip current production capacity. Our desperate dependence on oil imports precipitated the invasion of Iraq and will lead to future disastrous adventures. Combustion of fossil fuels is precipitating a global warming crisis. Both concerns demand a drastic reduction in fuel use for our cars, our homes, and our diets. Yes, our diets. According to Cornell University professor David Pimentel, production of animal protein accounts for 8 percent of our national consumption of fossil fuels, nearly as much as driving our cars. It requires eight times as much fuel as production of plant protein. The additional fuel powers manufacture of fertilizers, operation of farm machinery and factory farms, and processing and refrigeration of meat products. Anyone who cares about world peace and environmental conservation should be aware of the impacts of meat production on their next trip to the supermarket. Lonnie Zea, Eugene
A&E DISTRICT I like Brett Campbell's ideas as expressed in his (9/23) article "Catalytic Convergence: The Art of Downtown Revival." Downtown is ripe for the creation of a defined Arts & Entertainment District. What better way to animate that district than to take some of our empty buildings and provide temporary, very cheap or free studio, rehearsal, and work space for composers, visual/digital artists, video/filmmakers, writer/poets, theater artists, and choreographers. They will "pay their rent" primarily by creating world
class happenings that attract thousands of local and out of town visitors.
It is absolutely the key to making this Robert J. (Robb) Hankins , Eugene Cultural Services Director
ARTS AS CATALYST The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts envisions
a lively, active and economically viable downtown. Since we opened our
doors a year ago, DIVA has featured more than 30 exhibits by local and
regional artists, has hosted more than a dozen award-winning independent
filmmakers and their films, and we hold classes for youth and adults
in a wide range of art media. Working with Lane Arts Council, Downtown
Eugene Inc. and Maude Kerns, we created ArtFest to bring the We have brought to bear on downtown the power and energy of hundreds of volunteers and members to rejuvenate our downtown community, using the arts as a catalyst. In response to Brett Campbell's Viewpoint of 9/30, an article about artists and arts groups collaborating to create a vital arts scene in our city, DIVA is ready to cooperate with other community arts institutions and to entertain proposals from visual and performing arts groups who would like to use our space to collaborate to develop new works, exhibits and performances. We welcome interested individuals and groups to contact us at programs@divanow.org or 954-8373 with proposals for use of our space and collaboration with our membership. Randy Stender, Chair , DIVA
TRAIL DOG My mom gets EW and I always read it. I really like the Outdoors articles by James Johnston because we go hiking a lot. But this was my favorite article (10/21) because it had a dog in the picture. I really like hiking with dogs. Can you tell me more about the dog? I think animals are really important and sometimes smarter than people!
Lucy Epstein, Eugene
EDITOR'S NOTE James Johnston tells us the puppy's name is Rhoda, not quite 4 months old. She will probably be 40-50 pounds when she stops growing. She's a mix of American pit bull and Rhodesian ridgeback.
MAKE HEADS ROLL Respectfully, I'm outraged and somewhat alarmed that the police in Jacksonville would shoot into a crowd, no matter the political party (news brief 10/21). This is incredible that the police think they have the right to shoot into a crowd. This is criminal. There must be an investigation into this, and heads roll. The government is here to help us and protect us, not attack us. Citizens, we must be vigilant and united..Government tyranny starts with small steps. Dan Lavielle, Seattle
THE OTHER SIDE Using the earth's ambient temperature to pre-heat or pre-cool a house sounds like a good idea. And it is, as long as you have enough water available for the heat exchange system. These systems can and do run wells dry. Basically any time the system is on, the water is running. Watershed analysis, which measures the number of upstream miles of creeks that run dry every year by a specified date, shows us that the water table is dropping at our (upstream) end of the Willamette Valley. Essentially, every new toilet flush added to the (overdeveloped, downstream) Portland area, means less water available for Lane County. The 50-year trend shows that our creeks, rivers, and wells could be headed for trouble. I think this worth considering in the dialogue about sustainable energy and a sustainable civilization. Water is cheap, unless you don't have it. Let us not forget that there is conflict in the Middle East about oil and water. Their fertile valley is now a desert. I'd like to think that ours won't be. Don Schneider, Pleasant Hill
URK! How in the world did a large corporate bookstore come in second in the Best of Eugene survey? And Downtown Deb lost out to a commercial radio "personality"? What is this town coming to? And who is reading the Weekly?
Ralph Wombat , Eugene
EDITOR'S NOTE: It seems all sorts of people are among our 91,300 regular readers. Along with the stereotypical lefty tofu eaters are 11,680 Republicans, 5,300 Buick owners, and 22,300 people who ate at McDonalds last month (Media Audit).
HIP-HOP AROUND I must admit that when I opened up the Weekly to see almost a whole page dedicated to hip-hop I was surprised. Hip-hop, as a culture, is represented in every town and city across the country, and Eugene is definitely included. Unfortunately most people do not and will not ever know the beauty of hip-hop art and creativity. Or give it a chance, for that matter. I hope that more articles like this make people, and adults generally over 35, realize that this art form is shaping the younger generations with creativity. Many people that I know that are into hip-hop as it should be, participate in it somehow. Either writing spoken word, scratching and DJ-ing, dancing or breaking, and tagging (graffiti art). Hip-hop is political. It is NOT Nelly or Lil' John on BET or MTV. Unfortunately most individuals will label hip-hop as the rap music you hear on KDON and MTV. No one realizes the positive and thoughtful culture of hip-hop. Hip-hop is all around us. If you take the time to notice, you won't be disappointed. Thank you, EW, for taking the time publish an illuminative article about the reality of this wonderful art form. Danaan Andrew, Eugene
WEAPONS RESEARCH The (10/14) EW referred to the proposed UO Onami complex as though it were a done deal. It is not. The city has yet to decide whether the 60,000 sq. ft. building for nanotechnology weapons and homeland security research will require a public hearing before construction begins. The Onami Partnership — Nike, Intel, PSU, OSU, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (located at Hanford), and others — has recently joined the nanobusiness alliance. The new chairman of the nanobusiness alliance is Newt Gingrich. With Frohnmayer and our governor's help, your increased tuition now subsidizes weapons development and Nike's "smart clothes" research on campus. Even more, the Riverfront Onami complex is considered "smart growth" because it is to be centrally located and will therefore be tax exempt for the next 20 years. Eugene's urban renewal manager has even said Riverfront urban renewal district taxes will pay for video cameras to "increase public safety" along the river's edge. Anytime you hear someone refer to a development as "smart," substitute the word "Orwellian" and you'll have a far more accurate idea of what is going on. Learn more about Nike, Intel, Hewlett Packard and smart growth America's plan to ruin Eugene at my website (nanobotinvasion.cjb.net). Why haven't you heard about these projects in the Emerald, EW or R-G? They are either "smart growthers" or just don't want to hurt Phil Knight's feelings. Zachary Vishanoff, Eugene
RELEASE THE REPORT Our economy is sputtering, the deficit is ballooning, our schools are crumbling, and who knows what's on the economic horizon? Our federal budget is tight, and if we don't know the facts on Iraq, we can't have a meaningful national debate about how to balance competing priorities at home and abroad. And judging from the statements of the presidential candidates, the truth about Iraq is not so clear. To help clarify the situation, President Bush should release the CIA's report on Iraq, which was completed in July and outlines future scenarios there. (All secret information should be removed.) We need all the facts. Otherwise, how are we going to avoid budgetary disaster at home? Shawndeya J. Costello, Marcola
STENCH OF WAR Ah, it must be an election year — the stench of drug warriors is in the air. Politicians love to attack hard-working, tax-paying American citizens during an election year because it makes them seem big and strong like they just took a hit of Viagra. Rep. Sensenbrenner (Republican wacko from Wisconsin) has proposed House Bill 4547 that would create new mandatory minimum sentences: five years in prison if you pass a joint to someone under 21. Marijuana users, it is time to speak up. Let DeFazio hear your voice — just write him a letter (DeFazio is still "on the fence" about marijuana). Given the chance, these drug warriors will lock us all up — they are crazy. Chris Pender, Eugene
ABOLISH THE COPS I have had it with the Eugene Police for doing such a piss-poor job at their unnecessary work. In the past two weeks I have been pulled over by them in the Coburg rode area while bicycling. Once was for not having a light on my bike. Which is stupid because there is no traffic on the road that I was traveling on and two, I am probably one of the safer riders in town. I watch where I am going. Secondly I was almost ticketed again while riding against traffic. They put the emphasis on the ticket and not safety. $200 or so for riding the "incorrect" way on the bike path and $90 for the light. Come on! I have been riding for the past 13 years or so and have never had a problem. I mean, why don't you ticket the industry and the drivers for destroying the environment? Do you think people really need those big SUVs that I have to ride around when they pull too far forward at a crosswalk? Why pick on the small guy or gal that might be riding a bicycle just to get to work or class? I say, light a fire under the police like Eugene's citizens have been doing and keep it going and maybe we can abolish them. Stop the racist, sodomizing, raping, beating, unrest-instigating Eugene Police and rat them out and make a stand to be rid of them. Joshua Cagle, Eugene
CARING FOR KURDS In his letter "Benefits of Invasion" (10/30), Tom Bush challenges Kurdish immigrant Peshwaz Faizulla's claim that the U.S. invaded Iraq for oil. He says Faizulla should "tell us how many of his fellow Kurds were gassed with so-called non-existent weapons of mass-destruction by Saddam." Those weapons were real — and they were probably supplied by the U.S., who supported Saddam during the years that he committed his worst atrocities. Tom, do you really believe that the U.S. cares about ethnic minorities in Iraq? (Or here at home for that matter: remember that we have more blacks in prison than in college.) I challenge you to give one example of when the Bush administration has mentioned the plight of the Kurds, except to justify the war for oil in Iraq. The Kurds have viciously been persecuted by the Turkish regime — the token Muslim ally in the war in Iraq. Bush and his cronies don't care about the Kurds, and if you have any evidence to the contrary I'd love to hear about it. Tom poses the question, "If (America) were such an oppressive place — then why do millions from all over the world choose to live here, making the most welcoming diverse nation ever?" Many immigrants come here because their homelands have been pillaged by multinational corporations and their governments are controlled by U.S.-sponsored dictators. Granted, Americans are fortunate to have many rights and privileges — and we have a broad range of social justice movements (and not one single pig, soldier, politician, or businessman) to thank for that. But, says Tom, "If Mr. Faizulla's view were true, then there would be thousands of Floridians grabbing anything that floats to move to Cuba for a better life." Cubans would have better living standards were it not for the U.S. embargo that has no other purpose than to make life miserable for Cubans. Cuba, despite its authoritarianism, has a better human rights record than the U.S. and countless U.S.-backed dictatorships in Latin America. Brenton Gicker, Eugene
BIONEERING Last weekend I traveled to Eugene to attend the first Oregon Bioneers Conference (www.oregonbioneers.org).The event took place at the lovely LCC. Bioneers is one of the most inspiring gatherings on the planet — filled with world-renowned speakers in the areas of environmental justice, food, energy and spirituality. I want to thank the organizers of the conference for their hard work and dedication to building community; supporting local agriculture (the food was all locally grown and organic!); and creating such a beautiful and welcoming atmosphere for all of us to learn from one another. Lastly, the conference staff did a great job of hosting the conference. The staff at LCC are friendly and helpful and made the event go smoothly. The college is a great place for such an event and I look forward to returning for years to come. Albert Kaufman, Portland
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