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SEXUAL ANIMALS Steven Sawada missed an important opportunity in his article "Naked Women and Male Bonding" (Weddings issue, 1/13) — the chance to engage in a real dialogue about sexuality. I admit, at first I was just pissed. I wasn't mad because he suggests that my soon-to-be-husband should have one "last opportunity to see another woman in the nude." (By the way Steven, how many bachelor party attendees are already married?) No, I was upset because his article implies that only men are concerned that getting married might impair their sex lives. Most women I know have serious issues regarding committing sexually to one person for the rest of their lives. Even though the majority attempt monogamy, let's be honest here, both men and women like to play the field. He quotes Hot Body Club's Rico saying, "It's their last shot at freedom." Do women not relish this freedom as well? Um, I can say we do, big boy, we really do. After being pissed, I realized I was genuinely disappointed. Sex and sexuality are big issues for most couples and Sawada missed a rare opportunity to talk about sex in a "professional, controlled environment." How do couples confront issues of pornography, fidelity, flirting, and sexual diversity in the bedroom and beyond? Sawada glosses over the wife-to-be who "sometimes begrudgingly" says yes to her husband's strip club bonanza. Unfortunately Sawada doesn't ask, why is she hesitant? A situation like this is a chance for couples to explore what a good sex life means to them. However couples define a good sex life, it doesn't end once we say, "I do." Committed sexual relationships are an opportunity for us to communicate and sometimes, compromise. Sawada's article doesn't succeed in telling his readers why "bachelor parties and strippers just go together." Instead, he uses the pretext of male bonding to write an article that puts forth the same old bullshit we've all heard before: Men are sexual animals whose appetites can't be fulfilled. Well I don't know about you ladies, but I'm feeling pretty hungry myself. Heather Heater, Eugene
STILL HERE On Jan. 7, Craig "Critter" Marshall, my co-defendant, walked out of prison after serving 4-1/2 years. I can only imagine what that felt like. Back in the day Critter was one of my closest friends, and while many are aware that he and I have had a falling out, I am truly glad his time is done and he has gone home. (My old friend if you are reading this, I wish you all the best.) Now that Critter is out I can't help but wonder why I am still here. We were arrested at the same time, charged with the same offenses. Up until the very end he and I refused to cooperate with the state. Yet, the state in Critter's case decided that the exact same fire was only "conspiracy to commit arson" and "possession of destructive devices." I have half a dozen theories as to why things played out the way they did. The one fact I know is not once did the state offer to treat my case as Critter's. I'm doing 17 years more for the same actions and same evidence — 22 years for actions that hurt no one and caused less than $50,000 in damages. Critter is home now where he belongs. I'm counting on you to bring me home. I can't win this fight alone. I need your support. I need your agitation. Make the impossible reality. Free all political prisoners and prisoners of war. We are in prison because we believe in dreams. We are in prison because we believe in freedom. We are in prison because we believe these things are worth fighting for. Dare to believe. Dare to resist. Jeffrey "Free" Luers, #13797671, OSP, Salem
PROFIT MOTIVE I find it really messed up how it seems more important to thrust billions of taxpayers dollars to search and destroy our nation's enemies than to thrust those same billions of dollars to search and destroy diseases which take the lives of our loved ones every day. I watched my wonderful father slowly die from a incurable disease called leukemia at Eugene's very own Sacred Heart Hospital on the night of Dec. 31. What went through my mind a few days afterward was this: Why are there no cures for diseases and illnesses which have been around for decades? The answer in my minute opinion is that research centers, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies can do without cures! Why? One may ask. There is no profit to be made from remedies or cures. Cures for fatal ailments will never occur until those aforementioned institutions place genuine compassion for human life ahead of corporate greed and astronomical profits. Kalin Hlavinka, Junction City
ANAGRAMIES In honor of President Bush, I have composed three festive anagrams to be read on Jan. 20 (the letters in the first sentence of each pair can be rearranged to spell the second sentence): Anagram 1: "Bush wins Ohio to win the presidency" spells out "Who won, idiots? Cheney! Shrub is inept!" Anagram 2: "Is Karl Rove great? He's worth two men: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney" spells out "Rich, clever honkeys who threw a war to get bucks: greed in God's name." And, last but by no means, least, Anagram #3: "The fiend Bush is president" spells out "But friends, he's in deep shit!" Please join me in a moment of silence as this great country passes away. John Tietjen, Corvallis
PLEASE DONATE I am a half-Thai Oregonian who recently graduated from the UO. I am currently in Thailand helping people look for missing family members lost from the recent disaster. The destruction here is indescribable and the state of the deceased bodies we are trying to identify is too gruesome for any imagination to create. I know what kind of people Eugeneans strive to be: giving, loving, accepting. So, please, please, please donate anything you can to the organizations you trust that are helping with the disaster relief. And please don't take a second of your life for granted. You are so blessed to not be here enduring these horrors. Nicole Sangsuree Barrett, Thailand
BIGGEST HATE GROUP Props to Hope Marston for discussing important, but often ignored, problems at the Citizens State of the City Address (1/13). It's wonderful that so many in the Eugene community get (righteously) outraged by bigots distributing racist propaganda, or vandalism of a synagogue. But it's a shame more Eugeneans don't express outrage over institutionalized racism. The U.S. criminal justice system is in fact the biggest hate group in this country. It has implemented racial segregation in the prisons on a level that neo-Nazis can only dream of achieving. Currently more African-Americans are in prison than in college, and we are one of the only countries in the world that still has people imprisoned for actions against the former apartheid regime in South Africa. Former members of the United Freedom Front — Richard Williams, Jaan Laaman, and Thomas Manning — have been imprisoned for more than two decades for clandestine attacks on financial institutions that did business with the brutal, racist regime. Most countries would have granted them amnesty years ago for doing what most people now consider justified. Eugene residents who claim to be committed to social justice have a duty to oppose racial profiling, mass detentions, and other post-9/11 attacks on civil liberties. They should also work towards the release of the political prisoners of social justice movements, including Eugene's own environmental political prisoner Jeff "Free" Luers, who continues to sit in prison on a 22-plus years sentence for actions that harmed nobody. His co-defendant, Craig "Critter" Marshall, was released on Jan. 7. It's time for "Free" to come home too. Please support his appeal and learn more about his case at www.freefreenow.orgSteven Gider , Eugene
AVERT A STRIKE An open letter to Lane Transit District: While we realize that labor negotiations are inherently complex, we aren't interested in taking sides right now; we only wish to state simple facts. Our TV news gives the impression that the worst we can expect from a strike will be students carpooling to class, but reality is nowhere near that simple. Your passengers take the bus to work, to go grocery shopping, and even to meet doctor's appointments. Due to low income, age, or disability, LTD is the only means of transportation for many of these people. It is no exaggeration to say that many lives and livelihoods will come to a halt if a strike commences. Both social services and local retail will be hurt, money will be lost, and hostility will fester. Any walkout, however brief, will be disastrous to Lane County. Some may respond to this by saying that LTD is not a charity or altruistic enterprise, but a business. We accept that, but fail to see the business sense in treating your customers in such a shabby and disrespectul manner. We are your lifeblood, we pay your salaries, and without us, LTD ceases to exist. We've patiently endured service cuts and fare increases, and we deeply resent being held hostage by your inability to reach a compromise. You often claim that your passengers are your top priority. If this is the case, then now is the time to prove it; if not for your own good, then for ours. You've asked for our trust and we've rewarded you with loyalty on a daily basis. We beg you to take any step necessary to settle this dispute and avert a strike. Our community is depending upon it. Kris and Debbie Bluth, Eugene
THE BIRD FACTOR Thank you, Jon Jenkins (1/13), for opening my eyes to one of the main social issues facing consumers today: restaurateurs who refuse to replace sour cream and lettuce with rice in chicken dishes. In retrospect, I can now see how I've wasted many an hour worrying about the wrong aspect in that equation — the chicken. Sure, 99 percent of the poultry purchased by the food-service industry have been raised in hell holes so unimaginable that they make Abu Ghraib and Gitmo seem like trips to Disneyland. But, the pain and misery aside, I can now see clearly how the real issue is not the chicken; it's the lack of choices diners have when ordering different components for their main dish. Some type of legislative action needs to be taken to ensure this never happens again. I think Rep. John Lim of Gresham would be the right choice for introducing such a law. Last week, he presented to the House HB2344, which would require all Oregon public schools to offer tae kwon do as a physical education elective. Please call Rep. Lim so that he can get started on an anti-food discrimination measure immediately. Bob Berman, Elmira
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