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RUSHING SPEED BUMPS More citizen involvement is needed with the Sorrel traffic calming project. Our neighborhood was promised three meetings on traffic calming devices. After the last meeting, the city decided to go ahead with speed bumps. Since the second meeting, many of us neighbors have had a chance to discuss the speed bumps, which they decided on. We as a group were looking forward to the third meeting to vote. We were shocked to learn the city decided not to meet again because we feel they learned there was building dissent amongst the neighbors in opposition to the speed bumps. The city knew a third meeting might mean the speed bumps would be voted down. Only 23 people voted for the speed bumps. If city government is truly for the people, then why are they in such a rush to install the speed bumps? There must be more than a thousand people who live in this neighborhood, yet the city is satisfied with the input of 23 angry people. Is the city concerned that if everyone in the neighborhood was properly informed, that the outcome of the vote would be different? Especially since 90 percent of the people have no clue what a traffic calming device is. People are not informed as to the risks of speed bumps: spinal cord injury, slow emergency response, wear on personal and commercial vehicles, motorcycle and bike accidents, etc. Why is the city so eager to spend $30,000 before year-end? Maybe there is a surplus of money and if it is not spent this year, they cannot ask for more next year. When is this type of wasteful spending going to end? Why doesn't the input from the whole neighborhood matter, since this will affect the whole neighborhood? Why can't the meeting be held on a Saturday when working people can attend? Ninety percent of the attendance from the last meeting were elderly and retired people, and several of those people don't even drive! A Saturday meeting will be much cheaper than the next upcoming ballot for one measure (police review). Why can't $400 stop signs be tried first and save the taxpayer $29,000? Why do thousands of citizens have to be punished because a few people speed? Why can't the police enforce the traffic rules like they do after the Ducks games and post the numbers in the newspaper? What is so hard about being responsible with the taxpayers' dollars? Nolan West, Eugene
NEEDED CHANGE In recent years, we as a community have been witness to the shameful sight of peaceful protesters violently treated by police in riot gear, and to the chilling scene of the Whiteaker neighborhood being invaded by tanks and its residents hauled from their beds in their underwear, with bags on their heads like abused prisoners of war. We have witnessed the "Southtowne beatdown," the Cortez Jordan incident, the terrorizing of our hardworking immigrant community and the targeting of our communities of color. We have learned that members of the EPD sexually assaulted women residents for years with impunity. The city of Eugene is now facing 14 lawsuits stemming from sexual assaults by police officers on our residents, lawsuits that will cost us, the community, millions of dollars. Adequate systems of accountability could have prevented these alarming events from ever happening. Unlike more than 100 communities that already have external systems for police review, Eugene has waited patiently for years for our police department to police itself, and during that time many residents of our community have suffered injustices and harm that can never be measured or repaired. The system for external police review that Measure 20-106 will establish is desperately needed. Only through becoming more accountable to the community can our police department begin to reestablish credibility and trust among the residents it is sworn to protect and serve. Please join me in voting yes on Measure 20-106. Maria Paladino, Eugene
BAD EXAMPLE Two articles pertaining to housing appeared in the 10/27 Eugene Weekly. The first discussed the profits of home builders, using Toll Brothers as an example. The second detailed residential developments in the south hills. Toll Brothers does not build homes in Oregon, is traded on the NYSE, and owns subsidiaries that sell everything from insurance to broadband Internet. Using Toll Brothers to gauge the profits of a local builder who constructs six homes a year is silly. By contrast, a discussion about building in the south hills is very appropriate. The Home Builders Association (HBA) of Lane County paid LCOG for a slope analysis of the remaining buildable residential lands within the Eugene-Springfield urban growth boundary. Currently, one out of every five acres of vacant residential land is on slopes greater than 25 percent. Given our restricted land supply, we need to build in the south hills. However, the HBA very much agrees that it needs to be done responsibly. Alan Pittman stated in his article that "building costs in labor, land and materials increased comparatively little" over the last year. Mr. Pittman is wrong. The cost of both land and materials is rising substantially each year. Also, the local building market is very competitive for skilled construction workers and the amount of money they can demand has increased accordingly. We have a land supply problem. Until we engage in a serious discussion about it, we are simply encouraging more long commutes from outlying communities. Roxie Cuellar , Director of Government Affairs Home Builders Assn. of Lane County
FRIENDLY FIRE Just remembered why I rarely read your paper anymore. Your readers' selection of Jeff Luers as best activist shows how misguided they are. To glorify a serial arsonist, as your paper has done, goes against what I thought were supposedly "progressive" ideals you claim to represent. He committed a stupid and dangerous crime (I should say crimes, plural, but I'll follow your lead and brush those aside), tried to avoid taking responsibility for it, lost, and now has inexplicibly become a martyr to the "progressive" set. Seems like most people who intentionally set property on fire either a) outgrow it, or b) get in trouble for it and pay the consequences. Luers, who apparently can't find better ways for expressing his anger than torching what he doesn't like, doesn't like how the world works. Now we are supposed to feel sorry for him. I hope he never gets out of prison, because if he ever reads this letter (or has one of his followers read it to him) he will likely not agree with it, find my house, and torch it. Who cares who gets killed or what damage is done — destruction of other people's property is justified and acceptable here in Eugene. Hey, it's just freedom of expression, according to neo-progs (or to soften up his crime, let's call it "dissent," as you have — it sounds cleaner. Or how about "friendly fire"). My only problem now is, I don't agree with the radical right for their shoot-em-up-if-you-don't-like-'em mentality, nor do I agree with you for your slash-and-burn, avoid responsibility values. Time to look for a new party. Way to go, Eugene progressives! Todd Stout, Eugene
BATHROOM DEBATE To some people, this looks reasonable: Because there is a fear that heterosexual males will attack girls and women in bathrooms, transgendered persons must make sacrifices. These arguments are predictable. Typical of any hierarchy, it's difficult to hold people on the top accountable for their effects on lower groups, so the people in the lower groups must keep busy adjusting and being inconvenienced, cleaning up after the higher people, picking up the pieces that fall, and making things work, no matter what problems and havoc higher people create. So, because heterosexual males-born-male (the top here) attack females, then transgendered persons (the lower group here) should carry around a special card or forgo their right to legal protection against discrimination? These hierarchical dynamics are not limited to our current bathroom debate. Relief resources after Katrina go to the wealthier white people, while the poorer people of color are left to their own devices. The military recently announced a new sexual assault prevention program which only focuses on helping women and does not mention any programs for men. I wish the people who are so concerned for the safety of girls and women would put their efforts into solving the real problem — the facets of our culture that create so many heterosexual males-born-male who attack females. Charlotte Behm, Springfield
BIGGER ISSUES Lee Warner (10/20) has a problem with anti-Semitic slurs. Well, so do I. In fact, I fully support all of the Semitic-speaking peoples — the majority of whom are Arabs. I also support the Hebrews. Individuals have their own sensitivities to perceived oppressions; groups, hopefully, have a stronger constitution, and are not so easily bothered by truly insignificant slights. For example, I would like to think that blacks are confronting issues that are much more important than allowing themselves to get bogged down in the bias of their "loving watermelons" (hey, who doesn't love watermelons?). I would also like to think that the Jewish community can rise up against Ariel Sharon and his even-worse-than-Bush policies. But I'm still waiting for the condemnation of Sharon's despicable wall and his government's horrible treatment of the Palestinian people from those who should know better. The Jewish people were once known for leading the way in social change, i.e. civil rights in this country. Now their sole purpose seems to be supporting Israel. Many of us think alike about the things that really matter — if only we could get on the same page together! Robert Simms, Waldport
POWER TO THE PEOPLE The Eugene charter should be amended to give the citizens the power to terminate any city employee, hired, elected or appointed, at any time for any reason regardless of a contract or agreement, and to establish any city entity to perform any function required. In any free society, all power emanates and is derived from the people, not from the city manager or any union. Any government employee anywhere in the world given uncontrolled power will eventually become a dictator. That is why the Constitution has checks and balances. And these same checks and balances should exist in city and county government. City councils and county commissioners cannot be trusted. Frank Skipton, Springfield
LIMITED HANG-OUT On Oct. 18, a Eugene lecture by Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) was marketed as "solutions to the problems of empire." However, her strongest suggestions were to attend occasional peace rallies and to write our congressional representatives (most attendees were familiar with pressuring our senators). She told us that there were no "weapons of mass destruction" found in Iraq and that Iraq was not responsible for Sept. 11, as if the audience had never heard this before. Unfortunately, there was no interest in discussing the reasons for the war on Iraq, or using the gathering as an opportunity for dialogue and strategy. It was a "limited hang-out" (exposing a moderate-sized crime to avoid the deeper issues). During question time, she was asked about the role of peak oil in the Iraq War (she had no response), how 9/11 was allowed to happen to create the war pretext (even less interest), and about vote fraud (she told the audience that Bush won the "popular vote" in 2004, even though there's lots of evidence that is not true). This form of "activist malpractice" that avoids the deeper issues is caused by denial and funding from philanthropic foundations invested in oil. IPS's major donors include the Ford and Rockefeller foundations and billionaire currency speculator George Soros. Do these elite interests want left-wing groups to succeed in their goals of social transformation, or to control them to ensure that they don't succeed? Bennis is a major player in United for Peace and Justice, a national umbrella for peace efforts. UFPJ's board includes the "Communist Party USA" (whatever that is), yet UFPJ does not discuss peak oil and has officially refused to discuss evidence for 9/11 complicity. Additional details are at www.oilempire.us/gatekeepers.html Mark Robinowitz, Eugene
FALSE DILEMMAS Justin Bengtson (10/13) poses several questions he says everybody needs to answer. But then, probably too busy packing for New Hampshire, he neglects to answer any of them himself. I suppose that I'm free to infer his answers from the tone of his letter, but I wish he had done us the courtesy of telling us what he knows instead of just acting like he knows it all while remaining silent. But the real problem with Justin's questions is that they each pose false dilemmas. There is a world of gray area between the black and white choices he identifies. Perhaps Justin is too busy exercising his freedom to bother looking more closely at how and why we organize ourselves as a society. Personally, I'm just not sure that his over-simplification of complex issues is helpful. Before we answer his questions, maybe we should all review the Preamble to our Constitution to remind ourselves of the reasons governments are formed. Based on his letter, I'm guessing that he is in bondage to one form or another of libertarianism. He is certainly free to hold whatever opinions he chooses, but his choice of those opinions does not give the rest of us a reason to believe they are true. In my opinion, his hyperbolic use of empty rhetoric unsupported by argument is just a feeble attempt to tyrannize us with a silly notion of absolute freedom. Ken Kirby, Junction City
SUGAR BLUES I disagree with Mr. Newland's (10/20) comments on "Healthy Lunches." Equating the use of USDA's surplus meat and milk products' "excess protein and saturated fat" to the cause of childhood obesity is factually wrong. A number of scientific studies now recognize that kids need saturated fat and protein to absorb minerals and grow healthy bodies. Cholesterol shows up to fight the damage caused by a high-sugar diet. Sugar, often in the form of modified corn syrup, is far more dangerous than animal protein. Improving school food quality is about local growers and school districts communicating and finding ways to integrate and afford the wonderful fruits and vegetables that are grown right here in the Willamette Valley. I think we can expand the cafeteria's use of school gardens to increase locally produced meals. Understanding this connection will give kids the tools they need to make good choices long after they leave school. Let's start by finding a way to replace the funding soft drink bottlers pay to the local districts to have their high-priced, high-sugar soda pop available on school property. The amount of sugar consumed has tripled in the last two decades of moving away from traditional nutrient-dense foods. Sugar and vegetable oil are the real cause of diabetes and obesity. Check out the WestonAPrice.org website for truth in science. They have no corporate contributors and believe saturated fat is healthy. Coconut oil boosts metabolism. Isolated soy protein present in most processed vegetarian foods slows metabolism and contributes to our already high-estrogen diets. This has been shown to contribute to childhood and adult cancers plus early onset of puberty. Read some science not bought and paid for by the soy industry or the edible seed oil lobby that has been hoodwinking the well-intentioned for decades with half-truths about their products. The healthy lunches debate should be one of the creative ways to deal with the economic realities and maximizing locally grown foods in the schools. It would be wonderful to get some of that Willamette Valley grass-fed beef into the local schools, but I think economics dictates we start with local fruits and vegetables when they are in season. Framing the debate between omnivores and vegetarians misses the point. Tom Schneider, Eugene
MIND IN A CAGE Dear Sally Sheklow: I really do feel sorry for you. Not because you're of a confused gender; that's obviously not in your control. No sane person would create that kind of world for themselves. No, it's that you seem to have no life outside of your daily trials with your confused gender. You wear your sexual predicament on your sleeve, not as a badge of honor, but as a representation of your reason for existence. You must have nightmares that you might wake up one day, and discover you're really not homosexual. What would your life have meant then? The irony is you probably believe it's liberating to drone on about living "out," "hets" and the like, when in reality you're mentally caged because of it. Bill Fredericks, Eugene
UNSPEAKABLE Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Oct. 23 put a big hypocritical spin on the matter of lying while under oath to a grand jury. Speaking about the Fitzgerald investigation into the leak of classified information for personal revenge and political reasons, she stated: "I certainly hope that if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality." On Feb. 12, 1999, Hutchison spoke about her vote to impeach then-president Bill Clinton for perjury, for lying under oath: "The edifice of American jurisprudence rests on the foundation of the due process of law. The mortar in that foundation is the oath. The oath is how we defend ourselves against those who would subvert our system by breaking our laws. There are Americans in jail today because they violated that oath." That kind of partisan, unethical, flopping behavior is one of the three root problems choking the life out of American politics today. Pressure from the main economic powers of a region or nation is another; the third is never mentioned in public — and it won't be mentioned here, either. We the people can pull ourselves out of this muck we're stuck in, but we'll have to address those two unspeakable problems if we expect to get any help from our own government. Rob Lafferty , Blachly
WRONG LABELS Why are we still calling George Bush and his handlers conservatives or neo-cons? They are reactionaries, and it's time we recognized that and labeled them accordingly. This is assuming of course that Bush has any convictions at all other than that he's President and deserves to be. Jim Estes, Deadwood
INSPIRING VET We all see them with their signs on the corner. A disabled veteran who needs help. I had to find the truth about the man behind the sign. His name is Doc Hadley. He volunteered to go to Vietnam at 19 years of age. Doc felt it was his duty. I asked Doc about his experiences is Vietnam. He looked down and spoke three words: "It was hell." Doc tells me he is alive by the grace of God. Doc is now 55 years old. He has severe heart disease and his legs are dying from lack of circulation. He has just moved off the streets and is living in a camp trailer. Doc says that President Bush has taken away VA medical benefits from the Vietnam Veterans; they are being thrown out of the VA hospitals and not being treated. This does not break Doc's spirit. He says he will never give up, that he will never stop loving people. He does life day to day. Doc is up at 5:30 every morning. He cleans and landscapes the area where he "signs." He watches over the young lady who works at the coffee shop next to him. He loves music and collecting antiques. As I look into Doc's eyes I see a man who has seen and been through the worst. Doc says he sees hatred directed at him all day. He just forgives and loves those who judge him. He reminds us of a better way by saying it's time to pull together and that it's time for new leaders to show us a way out of war, greed, and fear. I am so grateful that I met Doc. He shows us that love prevails. Thank you Doc Hadley. Paul Casey, Eugene
PERSONALS TALE Recently I won a drawing for a weekend at the coast that I signed up for at your booth in the OSU Quad. I have booked my room at the Adobe Inn in Yachats for December. I just wanted to say THANK YOU! to EW for this wonderful surprise. It just so happens that I won it on the fourth anniversary of the meeting of my boyfriend — who I met through the personals of the EW! You guys are the best! Keep up the good works and words! Shine! Rebecca Noble, Corvallis
OFF THE WAGON The problem with having an ignorant "president" (very possibly put into office fraudulently), and the horrendous, dreadful, and ghastly machinery behind the puppet, is that they can't see the forest for the trees; they have learned nothing from history. Truth has existed since the dawn of civilized mankind, as well as its opposite. I believe that truth ultimately bolsters and supports the evolution of mankind. Its opposites, deceit, deception and delusion, will ultimately foster ruin for mankind. However, for some reason unbeknownst to me, the current administration seems to be running with the latter. Very possibly the immature "boy emperor" is drinking again. If this is in fact the case, then God help us all, as they say. I leave you with two pertinent quotes: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" — Sir Walter Scott; and "Didst thou never hear that things ill got had ever bad success?" — William Shakespeare. Terry Heintz, Eugene
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