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An African American Perspective I've been reading EW's coverage of the school choice issue in Eugene, and I am outraged by the incorrect assumptions and outright prejudice in this so-called progressive community! As an African American living in this area, I think it's about time to have a voice on this issue by a parent who is a member of the African American community. One assumption that continuously infuriates me is the research finding that when poor kids are integrated into wealthier schools, the poor kids do better, with no negative effects to the wealthier kids. I believe that the benefits to the wealthier kids of having students in their classes that have backgrounds different from their own cannot be measured by test scores alone. These are the benefits of having a truly multicultural education. Having grown up in one of the most racially and ethnically mixed neighborhoods in the country, I can testify to how wonderful it is to hear foreign languages spoken, or see someone with a different skin tone than me, or smelling the foods of other cultures — right there in my own neighborhood. From this experience, I've learned the value of appreciating diversity. Now that school choice is being questioned for contributing to segregation in the Eugene Public Schools, many liberal affluent parents who have their kids in alternative schools are showing their true colors. They say they honor diversity, but now that it's time to desegregate their kids' schools so that they are not so white and affluent, they are balking at the idea of integration. They're afraid that a little color in the school might decrease the quality of their child's education. I think not! Having children mixed in a classroom with different races and socioeconomic backgrounds teaches all kids how to truly honor diversity. My child's education is extremely important to me. And although my child is not quite school-age, I have educated myself on the different choices of schools in Eugene. I would like to have more choice, not less in my child's education. I want to choose a school that is in line with my educational philosophies, and one that nurtures each individual child's gifts and capacity for learning. For this reason, I might like to choose an alternative school for my child. I would like to see the Eugene Public Schools desegregated, and I'd like to keep school choice. It seems that a desegregation policy that focuses on educating minority and lower income parents on the various educational options for their kids would help to bring diversity to south Eugene schools. Also, busing minority and low income kids to alternative schools, and giving those kids first choice in the alternative school lotteries would help to desegregate Eugene schools. In addition, putting more money and teachers in the neighborhood schools, and developing them into business, science, math, or art magnet schools would make those neighborhood schools more competitive with alternative schools for students, funding and teachers. Talicia Brown, Eugene
CHILD'S EYE VIEW Your editorial on school choice (3/3) paints an idyllic portrait of neighborhood schools as the key to an old-fashioned social cohesiveness that is undermined by alternative schools. This portrayal is fiction: The reality is that more than 1,000 of Eugene's neighborhood school students live outside the neighborhood and are there because of school choice. 4J data show that of all the kids who participate in the school choice program, only 55 percent choose alternative schools. Thirty-nine percent choose other neighborhood schools. Fully 36 percent of Edison's student body comes from other neighborhoods; Parker's lottery population is nearly 25 percent. Why is choosing a neighborhood school even if it's not your own "more acceptable" than choosing an alternative school? Neighborhood school choice, like alternative school choice, permits a diverse group of families to choose schools based on what works best for their kids. Neighborhood schools should be strengthened and access to all schools improved. The whole community supports that proposition. But dismantling high-quality, successful alternative schools and displacing hundreds of students who attend them — including about 350 low-income children — would be a giant leap backward. It is tragic that so much of this divisive debate has been based on ideology or inaccurate information. My son attends a nearby alternative school. Once back home, we play with families on the block. My child belongs in both places, effortlessly, because kids don't make judgments against each other based on school choices. What a great lesson for all of us. Margie Kelly, Eugene
WHO TO BLAME Neighborhood schools, and not alternative schools, caused the school inequity and achievement gap that exists today. Parents and teachers formed alternative schools because of discontent with the educational methods of neighborhood schools, frequently their indifference to meeting the needs of gifted students. No substantive changes were made in neighborhood school programs in order attract parents, and over time more alternative schools were formed. Since then, achieving students with involved parents have become concentrated in alternative schools and neighborhood schools have been left with most of the low-income, special-ed and non-English speaking students. I was one of those parents who was driven away from my neighborhood school by the inflexible, one-size-fits-all, square-peg-round-hole educational model that it offered. Although I am grateful that I found a school that offered a more individualized education, I had to sacrifice any possibility of my children walking to school and having neighborhood playmates. Today's problems were caused by the school district's failure to respond proactively to what their constituents wanted, to regularly review and/or modify all district schools, and to centrally control and ensure equal access to alternative schools. This lack of responsiveness continues today, and it led to the development of several charter schools that are also portrayed as stealing achieving students from neighborhood schools. The current focus should shift away from blaming and threatening alternative schools to viewing them as models for the solution. Give consumers what they want and they will not need to look beyond their neighborhood. Kristin King. Eugene
TOUCHING TRIBUTE I've read a wide variety of eulogies and memorials plus many mixed reactions to the recent death of journalist Hunter S. Thompson. None even came close to Lance Sparks Wine column (3/3) entitled "Blown Mind," his touching remembrance of and moving tribute to our departed Prince of Gonzo Darkness. Not anywhere close. Jerome Garger, Yachats
BEING SENSITIVE In honor of Hatoon Victoria Adkins: Her life and those hurt by her death would like to represent those suffering from either a lack of social skills, or what is commonly known as "mental illness." Although labels such as these can be damaging because of the myths already surrounding them, they are even more damaging to the mental health of those diagnosed with them. Phrases such as "one who hears voices and sees visions" have been widely abused, seemingly by those creating them. The point is, can we, as a community be a little more sensitive in what we say about others in our "small talk" conversations? Does anyone care about the feelings of those lonely listeners bored enough to listen to them? Those who have no steady clique or sorority to fall back on? It is sad that we sometimes forget so quickly what we have said so superficially and thoughtlessly, that these lonely listeners such as Hatoon will never forget. The unfortunate tragedy is in the tendency of those talkers to say, "I don't know what you are talking about." While this may be the truth, could we as human beings pay more heed to the content of what we are saying in our everyday conversations? Lora Daskivich, Eugene
HIDDEN EXPENSE The Eugene Police Department is not just trampling on people's civil rights — as bad as that is. They also cost the taxpayers a lot of extra taxes. Cortez Jordan, the young black man who was stopped and harassed for "walking funny" when with a group of white friends, has filed a notice that he is going to sue the city for the illegal police harassment. I don't blame him, and I'm glad he's doing that. Unfortunately, I and other taxpayers will foot the bill. Then there's our precious "Officer Randy" who spray-painted graffiti on public property telling panhandlers they couldn't "trespass" on public property. Maybe the panhandlers will sue too. Of course, the worst recent incident is the rape and forcing sex crimes onto women by two of EPD's finest. We'll be paying a lot for those two and their superiors who failed to supervise the cops on the street — or is it on the back seat? Then there's the famous incident where the cops pulled down the pants of tree sitting protestors and pepper sprayed their sex organs. Can we please pass a law that requires the offending cops to pay these suits out of their own pockets? At least until they are bankrupt and before the taxpayers get reamed? After all, these idiots are supposed to enforce the law, not break it. So next time you pay your tax bill, think about the extra cost. Ralph Wombat, Eugene
POST-STONEWALL "Distraught from facing troubles, smiles yet surface on the face, through the lips. Trash cans and beer bottles fly through the sky. Not realizing the damages we'd done nor did we know of what was to come. We all said 'Oh, well....Screw you.' We needed our freedom." Thirty years have passed by and yet we face the same battle each day. Instead of the Gay Mafia, the ghetto police harrassments and New York's Liquor Authority Committee banning homosexuals to be served in any establishment, we have the Bush administration, red states and all those conservative right-winged Republican church-goers who believe that all the homosexuals must live in hell, have no rights, bury ourselves in our lust and self-destruction. The gay community will step up and rise to the occasion, but this time we won't be as nice as those rioters in the Greenwich Village back in 1969. Note this: The GMF (Gay Marriage Front) is on its way, full throttle. For certain, that Bush is going to be *?#@ing in his pants. Brian Peterson, Eugene Queer
FAKE MEAT DIET In response to the "Soy is not the answer" letter of Tom Schneider (2/3), I agree that it is not desirable to eat a diet dominated by soy protein isolate. However, I disagree with Schneider's implication that the only alternatives to a diet of fake meat made from soy would be eating either factory farmed animals or free range animals who (briefly) "enjoy grass and sunshine." People who choose not to eat animals can enjoy a very healthy diet of unprocessed foods such as beans, grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, etc. Many vegetarian cookbooks are available, and websites such as www.vrg.org offer a wide variety of meatless recipes. Local farming doesn't negate all the disadvantages of eating meat, such as saturated fat. Also, even being slaughtered "humanely" seems somewhat grim. Susan Rogers, Eugene
LEARNING BY DOING An open letter to Dan Carol: In your (3/3) comments about rebuilding labor, you painted a bleak picture of people not venturing out of their homes and apartments. And you singled out homeschooling. Yes, Mr. Carol, just what do those homeschoolers do all day? Would you recognize them if you saw them in the library, museums, parks, and other gathering places of our town? Homeschoolers meet and learn with people of all ages and backgrounds. Homeschoolers learn together in neighborhoods, churches, Scouts, 4-H, community sports teams, community theater, in music, dance, gymnastics or art classes, occasional school activities, and homeschool activity clubs. The popular homeschool periodical Growing Without Schooling states: "Studies have shown that homeschoolers have a more positive self-concept than their schooled peers. They are more likely to have friends of different ages and to be free of the cliquish, exclusive behavior so common in school." www.holtgws.com/faqabouthomescho.htmlYour article gave a gross misrepresentation of what homeschooling is really about: getting out into the real world and learning by doing. May I recommend alternative activities worthy of your disdain? Of note is the growing number of people choosing electronic chat rooms instead of real conversation, and television viewing instead of gathering, reading, or physical activity. These two activities seem to directly oppose the goal of local community building. Diane Nahallage, Eugene
DENTAL TRAGEDY "So you're from New York?, '' asked the dentist. "How'd you know? My accent?" I replied. "No, I just had to look inside your mouth. Your teeth are almost perfect." The dentist went on to tell me of the stark difference between those who grew up with fluoridated water and Oregonians, who he said sadly, have not. The dentist described how "tragic" it was seeing children and adults with teeth so decayed that even children had to have teeth pulled. And that some wouldn't smile because they were so ashamed. He said that fluoridating water would save so much money and pain that it was almost criminal we weren't doing it here in Oregon. Some say, why fluoridate when you can go to the dentist and have fluoride applied. Even if it were as effective, many people don't have the money or insurance to pay. That's why hospital emergency rooms are for too many the only hope for any treatment. Fluoridating water is not some new, experimental idea. Millions of people for more than 60 years, in cities both large and small, in states blue and red, are benefiting from the overwhelming advantages of fluoridation. My conversation with the dentist was 35 years ago. Today, access to dental care is even more limited. Arguments against fluoridation just don't hold water. Fluoridation will go a long way to solve a serious and costly public health problem. The time is now. Leslie Weinstein, Eugene
THE FOUR D'S Andy Singer's NO EXIT cartoon (3/3) was SO right on! Winston Churchill said, "the bird of war is the stork," while Chairman Arafat spoke of the "war of the womb." My own moniker for this is the "4-D's: the Diabolical Dynamics of Differential Demographics." Whatever else is going on as undercurrents to conflict in the world, much of which involve issues of social and economic justice, the 4-D's just keep on cranking on and cranking out. Just look at the burgeoning populations in portions of Africa, the Middle East and Asia — so many people, especially young men, with little opportunity for constructive lives. I wish that Dr. Rice and her counterparts across the globe would write into their so-called "peace agreements" the need for conflicting parties to stabilize, balance, optimize and probably (in most cases) reduce their populations over a long-term transition that is fair to intervening generations. Perhaps they already include these provisions, but if they do, it is certainly not common knowledge. Without such a recognition and formal agreements to include the 4-D's, I see little hope for a permanent resolution to so much of the world's tragic conflict. M. Boyd Wilcox, Corvallis
TAD HYPOCRITICAL Try to imagine, if you will, the howls of outrage the Ever Angrys would have unleashed if a Democratic administration had been caught using public monies to bribe journalists to spread blatant administration propaganda. Try to imagine, if you will, the cacophony of phony "talking points" the autocorprophages of Faux News and hate radio would have bombarded our ears with if a Democratic White House had allowed a homosexual prostitute (Oh, excuse me — I mean "escort") with a false identity and working for a fictitious "news agency" access to presidential press conferences to parrot those same "talking points" back to the president in the guise of "questions." Now try to imagine that either or both of those little items would not have caused Republican congressmen to call for the impeachment of the president, loudly wailing about the moral depravity and lack of values of the Democrats. And now, if you've a really good imagination, try to imagine a Republichristian reading this little note and not being outraged that I am "just helping the terrorists" by not supporting the president (who, after all, was sent directly from the Right Hand of God to lead this country out of the Liberal Wilderness). Or, even more improbable, try and imagine a Republichristian reading this little note and actually saying to himself, "You know, he has a point here. Can it possibly be that we in the GOP have been a tad hypocritical?" And, for the wildest imaginary trip of all, try and picture the Republichristians heeding Jesus who said, and said more than once, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Jamie Selko, Eugene
LESS IS MORE Come on now. If security is what we are after, then how can we undermine the very bedrock of our nation's foundation? Cutting the social programs that separate us from the countries we supposedly are helping is hypocrisy in the highest regard. The rule of law is only followed by persons who can educate their children, feed their families and feel safe in their own neighborhoods. These cuts make us less secure, less American and less of the democracy we are trying to provide to the rest of the world. Stop this group of ideologues from corralling the last of the world's oil reserves and make them attend to the realities of a changing world. Less is more. Tim Kendall, Eugene
FUND EDUCATION! Cutting education funding only perpetuates the cycle of poverty and ignorance. Without education access many families will not have the opportunity to change their socioeconomic status and are destined to remain stuck in a cycle that is counter productive for them personally and for society as a whole. It is imperative that cuts to education be stopped before American children are left behind, lacking the education to compete for top-dollar job positions. Children in other countries, where the focus on education is a priority, are pulling away from America's children in standardized testing programs that measure the effectiveness of the educational system. Please stop the madness. No more budget cuts to education — before it's too late. M. Lah Payne, Springfield
ANIMAL LOGIC Ashlee Peters (2/3, 2/17) shows just how obnoxiously anthropomorphic people can be. I'm all for certain animal "rights," but let's be honest: They are not humans. This is not a matter of humans having a "soul" that animals do not, or of humans having some greater intrinsic worth than animals. This is a simple fact of nature. Humans are a class of animals, the ones who happen to be on top of the food chain. The moral and legal rules we have created in order to make human society possible do not apply to other sorts of animals. By affording them any "rights" at all (such as laws against cruelty) we are doing them a favor, nothing more — but the real reason we do so is to appease people like Ms. Peters and organizations who share her views, which helps make human society run more smoothly. If we are to consider killing livestock "murder," then we ought to prosecute mountain lions for "murdering" deer. After all, if animals can be murdered, then they must be able to commit murder as well; otherwise there is a logical inconsistency. Killing animals makes us feel bad, and thus we find it regrettable. However, let's not forget that it is only regrettable in the context of our particular human moral code, created by humans and for humans, when we mistakenly apply it to non-humans. Brian Stutzman, Eugene
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