 |
  |
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
|
DEFENDING KITTY PIERCY I like Alan Pittman as a person and appreciate some of his investigative reporting. But the piece "Mayor Maybe" (cover story 9/15) exemplified what I sometimes don't like about EW. It struck me as a counterproductive, polarizing exercise in negative innuendo verging on character-bashing, with its tone not fairly reflecting either the facts or community sentiment. The article itself contains the seeds for this conclusion. The cover illustration is a mocking cartoon. The pull quotes, including praise from the president of the Chamber of Commerce, seem to be disproportionately selected to cast doubt on Kitty's progressive credentials. And the structure of the article — with the lead paragraphs and many other sections dedicated to quoting Paul Nicholson, who was apparently the only person with a predominantly negative view of the mayor that Alan could find to interview, seems designed to cast Kitty in a bad light, as do the title and subtitle. Paul has a right to his opinion — and does a great service to the community through his excellent bike shops — but the dominance his voice is given in this article seems excessive for a supposedly unbiased piece of reporting. When the mayor's one major critic and Alan's own insertion of opinion (through the frequent use of disparaging language) are filtered out, the actual content of the article reveals that many more Eugeneans of all stripes are happy with the new mayor and the efforts she has made to be a "mayor for all Eugene" than are dissatisfied. She hasn't pleased everyone, but she's earned high praise from many more quarters than any mayor I can recall. I think that's because she's listened to people, and tried to bring people together to find solutions, rather than forcing one agenda. She's encountered challenges along the way, but even most of those progressives interviewed don't fault her for things that in retrospect she might have done differently. (After the County Commission double-cross, I'm sure she "won't be fooled again.") The implication of the article and the way it is presented seems to be that if a mayor is not polarizing the community — if the presidents of both the Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Eugene are saying she's doing a good job — then she must be doing a bad job. When she refuses to answer complex questions in simple yes/no, pro-/anti-, black/white terms, Alan describes her as being "hard to pin down." But life, and politics, are not black and white. Seeing them that way, no matter which side of the fence you are on, ultimately leads to social/political dysfunction. The 2004 Presidency was acquired through (among other things) use of a good/evil paradigm that trumped an appreciation of complexity among many voters (those who got their votes counted, anyway). I think EW can do better than that. Trying to make people into good guys and bad guys — or evaluating them endlessly, trying to figure out which category they fall into — doesn't strike me as a way to create positive change within a community. A spirit of appreciation and constructive feedback seems much more helpful. Personal opinion pieces, even quite critical ones, are fine too — but they're more palatable when they're not disguised as news stories. Chris Roth, Dexter
FUELING PROTEST Amazingly, President Bush has finally agreed to take responsibility for his administration's failings in dealing with Hurricane Katrina. One of the hallmarks of his post-9/11 creation of the Department of Homeland Security was supposed to be making government more responsive to disasters, whether natural or man-made. Instead, he gutted FEMA and installed unqualified cronies in its top positions; eliminated funding for necessary levee repairs; sent the National Guard to fight an illegal war in another hemisphere; and to top it off, thumbed his nose at scientists who pointed out that global warming would result in more frequent and stronger hurricanes. A full litany of the damage wrought by this administration would take pages, but there's no need to list it all; polls show that most of America has finally figured out that our president is incompetent and a liar. We impeached our last president because he lied about a consensual sexual affair; surely all but the most rabid righties now understand that the Bush regime's crimes have out-shadowed Mr. Clinton's. Sept. 24 is the date set for a massive march on Washington, where hundreds of thousands will demand that Congress begin impeachment proceedings against this corrupt administration. If you are part of the majority who believe that the Bush presidency is a disgrace to this country, I urge you to join with other Lane County residents at the Eugene Federal Courthouse at 11 am that day, where we will add our voices to those of other Americans in demanding that Mr. Bush truly be held responsible for his failings. Jim Johnson, Eugene
FALL 'N REIGN Hi ya'll. As I come to the end of the trail as Slug Queen, I call it my "fall 'n reign." I do declare, I hope to never lose sight of our community striving together in an uplifting manner. I will continue to aim for the "lighter" side of life in the midst of all the surreal, ghastly slime that is affecting our Southern states and the whole world. I believe in our own small ways, by doing random acts of kindness, we'll keep our world in balance, keep it going 'round. So, let us all take this opportunity to be good to all our neighbors, share what we can and, above all, be grateful that we are alive! Thanks to everyone who greeted, supported, and honored your Southern Slug Queen. It's been a downright pleasure. Remember, the slime shall rise again! Blessings for peace and love, Queen Scarlett O'Slimera aka Joanie Cypress
MISSION INCOMPETENCE The dismal job by the this administration in responding to Hurricane Katrina should surprise no one. And it isn't ineptitude either. These guys didn't steal two elections by being clueless. No, this is purposeful. This administration thrives on the fear and suffering of others. Critique them on anything and they start blubbering about the lessons of 9/11. Neo-cons have been telling us for years that government is no good at solving problems, and they're out to prove it by doing the worst job they can. They underfund education, neglect the rail system, don't enforce environmental laws, refuse to work collaboratively with other nations and run up huge deficits. Don't ask them to deal with health care or corporate price gouging or protecting your rights. And for sure don't ask them to care for the poor and the dispossessed. By keeping Americans scared that they could be wiped out by the next Enron-style rip-off, the next natural disaster or the next terrorist attack (inevitable, they say), our leaders seek to buy a little compliance from a population that has ceased to trust them. So don't expect a public works program to put folks back to work and rebuild the Gulf Coast, and don't expect any real commitment to the welfare of the victims. That's not the role of government any more. William Schwall, Eugene
TOBACCO'S BENEFITS I just wanted to comment on the letter Julia Martin wrote (9/8). Although I agree 100 percent with her on the risks of cigars and cigarettes smoking and the shameful way the tobacco industry has lied to the public in order to build even more profits, I wanted to bring her attention on two different uses of that plant that do not require burning or smoking it. The leaves can be macerated in water until it turns dark brown and that solution can be used to fight aphids and other unwelcome insects. The nicotine being a violent poison, in this case works for you. The second use has been part of the Native American tradition for centuries and it involves the "giving" of tobacco for ceremonial purposes. You will see drummers passing a pouch and giving thanks while sprinkling a pinch of tobacco on top of the drum before starting the chanting and drumming. The same pinch can be sprinkled as they give thanks for something as simple and beautiful as a good day, and a whole pouch will be given to an elder to show respect. There is a good side in everything. Alby Thoumsin , Springfield
PARTNER SCHOOLS Thanks for your wonderful article (9/15) about local school gardens and what kids get out of them. I would just like to clarify that the School Garden Project of Lane County (SGP) does not work only with the Eugene 4J School District; we also have partner and member schools in the Bethel and Springfield school districts, as well as a private school, Headstart, and the court school which is run by Lane ESD. Currently, we work intensively with seven partner schools and less intensively with nine member schools. We have worked in the past with 14 other school gardens, for a total of 30 local school gardens that have benefited from the SGP. Working in conjunction with the School Garden Seminars offered by the UO Department of Landscape Architecture, SGP was involved in the creation or substantial expansion of 20 of these local school gardens. While it is true that SGP would like to see our local school districts contribute more to the creation and maintenance of school gardens, we would like to thank 4J for devoting considerable staff time and materials to the deer fence and irrigation system at Eastside and to the new garden shed going in at Chavez. We believe that one key to convincing the school districts to devote resources to school gardens is for SGP to bring an impressive amount of donated labor and materials to the table to demonstrate community support. We are especially looking for irrigation contractors to volunteer and help us design irrigation systems for school gardens so kids don't come back in the fall to find their school gardens dried up and dead. If you can help with irrigation or other projects, please contact us at 284-9984. Sharon Blick, Executive director, SGP
SAVAGE ATTACK I'm a little shocked that EW, given its generally progressive nature, would print the Savage (well named) column (9/8) about New Orleans. The column could have been written by Rove, Delay, Gingrich et al, or other Republican strategists trying to deflect the blame for the tragic suffering of mostly poor black folks and the city where jazz and other amazing American culture has been born and lives from the incredibly greed-minded tax and service cuts of the Republicans, and put it on the people of the city itself. As my friend Sabina of New Orleans says: "Please help to save it. Defend it and try to explain it to others that just see it as "sin city" Tell them about the people and the culture and the art and music that pours out of the poorest neighborhoods. The sweetness and the fun. I miss it so much." Stephen Ramey , Eugene
MISSING PIECES Thank you for your cover story (9/1) on local, organic school lunches. The story brings a worthy program to public attention. We are, however, disappointed in your failure to discuss local Farm to School efforts already in place. There was no mention of the Springfield School District's efforts to include some organic food in their lunches. Nor was there any mention of the many school gardens in Eugene and Springfield, the use of local, organic food by the Emerald Valley School, or The Lane County Food Coalition's FOOD On Project that educates and mobilizes parents on the issue. You also neglected to speak with any of the organizers, other than Sodexho, of the May 2004 Sheldon High School pilot project. Our group of students, Be Involved To End Hunger, teamed together with FOOD for Lane County, the Lane County Food Coalition, the Let's Talk Food group, and Groundwork, Ruby and Amber's, and Hand to Mouth organic farms to initiate and implement the project. The pilot only lasted three weeks, but in that time student interest began to build. Most students who bought a salad once came back to buy one again. Though they were interested in the project, being in early spring made it difficult for local growers to make such a small project profitable. Many of the barriers we came up against could be overcome with careful planning and good use of community and federal resources. We encourage anybody who supports local, organic food in the 4J district to contact Chad Williams and Nicole Lalor of Sodexho and ask them to resume working on this project, or to contact BITE hunger at bitehunger@yahoogroups.com. With enough community support, this could happen (again) in Eugene. Carolina Lyddy and the members of BITE Hunger
GO SUDOKU I am writing in regards to the new Sudoku feature in the Weekly. It's great. Thanks for taking a chance on a new puzzle. Please keep it up. I'm not sure if it is in any danger of being discontinued, but I felt I had to vocalize some support for it — just in case. I have been an EW reader for over five years now, and while I do love the crossword every week, Sudoku is a major improvement. Ryan Shelton, Eugene
NO EXPERT ON N.O. I was bewildered by Michel Savage's recent commentary (9/8) on New Orleans. It was a bitter and purposeless attack on a fallen city, with little to offer beyond two-dimensional thinking. Savage is clearly no expert on New Orleans, despite living there "over a year" and being "very much a part of the culture." I wonder. Culture is exactly the reason the city will be rebuilt, an idea Savage calls "pretending." I would argue that it's inevitable. The geography of New Orleans, like Venice, is regrettable and currently untenable, but its cultural value is beyond any doubt. The blend of music, food, dance, and people — French-Canadian, Spanish, African, Caribbean — is unique to all the world. Right now, my favorite New Orleans bar is under water. My favorite restaurant is allegedly gone. Their loss is a loss to the culture, but I believe they will be back. To be honest, I've never doubted it. Savage is basically a disaster tourist, pointing out what's broken when so much needs fixing. "Who in their right mind is going to live there again?" Once the infrastructure is restored, I'm guessing one half of its former citizens. I take my hat off to each of them. Years from now, New Orleans will be defined by how well it managed to rebuild itself. It will be different, of course. The "Big Easy" doesn't feel right anymore. "Hurricanes" won't taste the same. But I plan to see with my own eyes soon, if only to remedy the jaundiced outlook of Savage and others who blame rather than build. As any New Orleanean would tell you, life is all in how you look at it. Jason Blair, Eugene
PERPETUATING MISERY It's here again, that exciting, hopeful time when we learn which candidates we'll get to vote for in our next presidential election. After enduring eight years of W, we'll undoubtedly select someone better. After all, almost anyone has got to be better than Bush and Cheney, right? Maybe we'll elect a Democrat, and our woes will begin to dissipate. We'll view the atrocities of the previous years as merely disturbing dreams. We've been so abused for so long (all our lives) by our government that we're unable to think clearly, unwilling to recognize how we perpetuate our own and others' misery and helplessness. The system is flawed and broken, but so are we. Somehow this ongoing abusive relationship feels familiar, comfortable. We want to believe globalization equals fair trade and America's imperialism is necessary to ensure democracy and freedom worldwide, even as our own freedoms shrink daily. Again, we'll turn a blind eye to the global multinational corporations which select, in the guise of free elections, their own pool of candidates willing to serve as despots representing them, not us. Surely the next bright, shining beacon of hope will banish corporate abuse here and abroad. Their pre-election promises will convince us to vote for them, believing we have power of choice. Imperialism, environmental degradation and death will march on with our support. Did you hear that Hillary Clinton might run? Surely we shouldn't pass up the chance to elect a woman for president! Who will serve as vice? Sherry Franzen, Eugene
DEMAND THEY GO The Bush administration is guilty of criminal negligence that killed thousands of people last week. How much longer will we allow criminals to run our government and get away with no accountability? We need to force a national debate on whether Bush and Cheney should be allowed to govern our country. They should be held accountable for having been AWOL during a national crisis. We must keep up the pressure on the media to place this issue of fitness for governing front and center on the national stage. Complaining about the crisis and it's mismanagement is ineffective, but demands for the resignation of Bush and Cheney is to the point and must be relentless. Saying their behaviour in connection with Hurricane Katrina was unacceptable is shortchanging our country. If we do not demand full accountability, then we are giving tacit acceptance. This basic demand of our leaders should be looked at as nonpartisan, and transcends party lines or ideology. Can we expect anything less when the lives of our fellow citizens are placed in peril due to the abdication of responsibility by our leaders? Christopher Michaels , Eugene
BUSH BENEVOLENCE Personally, I'm in awe of the Bush family's quiet benevolence. On each of his three New Orleans trips, the president has returned to Washington with Air Force One chock full of refugees. There are now more than one thousand people in a makeshift shelter on the White House lawn. Young Jenna and Barbara each joined the National Guard in order to lend aid in the stricken area. Finally, Poppy, Babs the Elder, and good ol' 43 each kicked in a million bucks to match the donation from that British rock band, the Rolling Stones. OOOP! Sorry, I'm outta my fuckin' mind! Michael Lasco, Eddyville
NEW TENANT RIGHTS It would help a lot if there were a state law requiring owners of mobile home parks to give the existing tenants the "right of first refusal" to purchase the park on the same terms and conditions as that being offered. The owner would not suffer any loss and the tenants would at least have some option for a situation they have invested a lot of time and money in. (At least two or three times more dollars invested than the landlord.) I sent the above to my elected representatives and to one of the tenant associations. Haven't heard anything yet. Frank Skipton, Springfield
PERVERTED VALUES I don't care about the religious beliefs of the authors of the U.S. Constitution. Give up the argument over whether this is a "Christian Nation." The Christian Right, like the Taliban, is attempting to use the power of the state to impose it's perverted values on those of us who want to be left alone by the government and it's religious and corporate clients. I intend to resist by any means necessary. Consider it a challenge. As the pious president said, "Bring them on." Randy Gicker, Eugene
SACRIFICING NUTS Any parent who would willingly sacrifice his or her own child's life or limbs, to protect the right of Afghanis and Iraqis to keep their multiple wives penned up like cattle or covered with shrouds or stone them to death; and to protect the rights of corporations to torture, murder and steal from the people of the Middle East; and to protect their own rights to lose their pensions, their jobs, their schools and their health and safety, has got to be flat out nuts! Wayne Ford, Eugene
GROUNDHOG TED Oregonians should be pleased that Vicki Walker has decided to throw her tireless energy into the governor's race and raise the bar on the issues we care about such as better schools, affordable health care, and a more just society. As a retired teacher I would say Vicki is doing what we always asked all young students to do as good citizens — namely if you strongly believe in something worthwhile for all of us, you should act on it. The current governor has a basic "Groundhog Day" approach to political life in this state. Once a year or so he emerges from an office in Salem as "Punxsutawney Phil" to see if it's yet time to run for re-election in Oregon and actually start to show some leadership activity to try to earn votes, like recently taking credit for enacting Oregon's new clear air car emission standards. Unlike the current governor, Sen. Walker (District 7), in the Oregon traditions of Sen. Wayne Morse, Gov. Tom McCall, and Sen. Maurine Neuberger, will bring up the issues that impact all of the 3.5 million Oregonians today — that's everyone in the family. The difference between Walker and Kulongoski is that Walker, as governor, would do this everyday not just once a year on some election Groundhog Day. Walker has shown leadership and compassion on education, health care, and a more just society as www.walkerforgovernor.comreadily demonstrates. I strongly encourage you to support Walker for governor . Phil Kessinger, Eugene
MAGICAL SOCIETY Ruby Colette (9/8) gives her take on Oregon Country Fair problems, then encourages us to live our ideals. Look, in an ideal world beauty wouldn't matter and beyond a point age wouldn't either. In an ideal world we'd all handle toilet paper with the dexterity of a juggler, and the neighbors would open their property and let us camp free. But we live in a real world. In a real world signals get crossed something fierce, we sometimes lose in the shuffle people we should pay attention to, and we find creative solutions to lack of resources. Nobody needs to feel entitled for this to occur. The OCF is a magical society, not an ideal one. To try to find in it a treasure trove of all one's ideals is to open up the goose that faithfully lays three magical eggs a year. There's plenty of magic to go around. If that's all you're looking for, the EW pictures don't even begin to display it. Earl Gosnell,, Eugene
REFUGEE STATUS As the tragedy in New Orleans deepens, people are discussing the role of racism in the emergency's mismanagement. An example I keep hearing is that the term "refugee" demeans the displaced. In broad terms, they most certainly are seeking refuge, so what's the problem? Supposedly refugee implies a fleeing from one's country, associating them with foreigners, and exacerbating apathy and disconnection regarding their plight. What should disturb us, is the racism toward actual refugees which makes this point valid! The association between foreign refugees and U.S. blacks is only degrading when we leave unchallenged the less-human status of non-American refugees. Must we remind ourselves that they are citizens in order to feel an urgency about their well-being? Is their suffering dissimilar to that of refugees from the tsunami, or Rwandan genocide? For that matter, is the grief of a parent-less child dependent on whether she was orphaned by U.S. strikes against Iraqi insurgents or the subway bombings in London? The black faces on TV make sense considering what the marginalized have known for centuries: "American" implicitly equates with white, monied, English-speaking, Christian, heterosexual, able-bodied, male patriots. If I were left in the floods of Katrina pleading for help, I'm sure I'd emphasize any connection I had to "mainstream America." Let's not forget, however, that rallying support behind a red, white and blue banner, feeds xenophobia, blinding nationalism and global racism. Lucas Spiegel, Eugene
NOT A CLUE President Bush is a lightweight in just about every category that really matters to someone occupying the White House. His immediate staff, the policy makers, are completely inept at predicting the results of their adventures. It has all now come home to roost. This administration is reeling. They appear to have not a clue as to what's going wrong or how to fix it or even how they got there in the first place. If you have long wished for an opportunity to rid this country of these obviously incompetent bozos then now is the time! Call your Washington, D.C., representatives or at the very least e-mail them. Let them know you are fed up with this disastrous war, the worsening gas crisis, global warming, you name it. Let yourself be heard and maybe those nearly as clueless, quivering Democrats will wake up and smell the coffee. It's a shame at this point at least, that this country isn't listening to the right people. If the Democrats' leadership can't find some spine or wisdom in what has finally happened, then scorn should be heaped upon them, and their constituents should look for a new savior. John DeLeau, Springfield
DIASTER MAGNET In addition to all his other faults the W seems to have an extraordinary ability to attract U.S. disasters. There is 9/11 which is still shrouded in such secrecy that we cannot know its most potent details. There is the Iraq war which has stirred up an international hornets nest of opposition to its bombing, invasion and occupation, creating more terrorist attacks than ever before. And there is New Orleans which was made much more deadly because Bush insisted on deep cuts in funding for saving wetlands and for reinforcing levies and for inadequate evacuation of poor minority/white folks. We have been morphed from a decent nation into a design-for-death nation. All those responsible must be thrown out of office by every legal means necessary. The herd that needs to be thinned are those who stole the White House and the Congress for they have brought us disaster, death and dumbness. Bob Saxton, Eugene
VOODOO PLEASE The evidence keeps mounting that the U.S. now lives under a dictatorship of sorts. The latest indication is President Bush announcing he will lead the inquiry into what went wrong in getting emergency relief to New Orleans. While he alone certainly is not accountable, he is a key player, and an independent investigation would be the democratic — and more ethical — process. But this president and his administration don't ever seem to mind operating on the edge of totalitarianism, defined as "a system of government and ideology in which all social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual activities are subordinated to the purposes of the rulers of a state." With normal checks and balances now more squelched than ever in American history, perhaps there remain in the Big Easy a few voodoo queens who can respond by somehow conjuring up truth, justice and the American way for all of us once again. Steven J. Kunert, Corvallis
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
