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DESTRUCTIVE PLAN As representative of the East Fork Amazon Headwaters Preservation Society, I would like to respond to the comments made by Mark Hoyt, developer Joe Green's attorney (10/27 news, "Going, Going ..."). Hoyt speaks of change being hard and the property being zoned R-1. Change may be hard, but the destruction of a beautiful, pristine forest loaded with many natural amenities is heartbreaking. This parcel was zoned R-1 back in the '40s, when there was not much careful planning or forethought given to zoning. Basically it was a matter of drawing lines on maps. If a parcel of land contained beds of quicksand, but was zoned R-1, wouldn't it be a bad idea to build houses on that land? As far as our protest being unwarranted, if Mr. Hoyt was not an attorney who lives in Salem working for a Portland developer, but rather an environmentally concerned citizen of Eugene, he might see that not only is this protest warranted, it is critical for the survival of what makes Eugene a special and desirable place to live. Putting 110 homes on this parcel with its steep slopes, rare plant and sensitive animal habitat, stream corridors, wetlands and grand fir stands is simply not the "environmentally responsible approach" he claims it is. A truly environmentally sound approach would be to put 10 to 20 homes at most on this site. East Fork Amazon Headwater Preservation Society (EFAHPS) still maintains: no development! Please visit our web site at www.efn.org/~ksland join us in saving this forest for natural open space. Lisa Warnes, Eugene
SKY IS FALLING As the Bush administration continues to be exposed as the uncontrolled criminal enterprise that it is, George now thinks he can divert the citizens' attention from his administration's anticipated indictment proceedings by sounding the emergency alert against AVIAN FLU. Though he did admit that there was no immediate threat of bird flu in the U.S., he declared a national emergency and indicated he would ask Congress for $7.2 billion. However, this "emergency" comes a week after the Senate passed an $8 billion spending bill on flu and disease prevention (a much needed shot in the arm for national health, which had been stripped of its budget just like FEMA). Of course the Bush allocation throws in a little gift for his friends at the billion-dollar drug corporations (he never acts on behalf of the public interest alone): "protections" for drug companies against lawsuits brought by working families in the event the vaccines end up killing people were incorporated into this "emergency health measure." What a joke! Combine the good ol' fashion scare of a flu pandemic with a really scary Supreme Court nomination, throw in a little kick-back to the pharmaceutical industry, and you've got the makings of a great horror movie/reality show. Now erase your minds and go back to work. Contact your congressional representatives and weigh in on some of these extremely important issues that will affect us for generations to come. Lauren Regan, Eugene
SHARED WEALTH You probably realize the quality of writing that Lance Sparks brings to the EW wine and food related topics. If the national wine press could write half as well …. I am always interested, always entertained, always informed. Lance's missives are yet another example of the rich community context we share. Ed King , Eugene
METH HYPE Much like President Bush uses the 9/11 attack to foment fear, I question the hype about a methamphetamine epidemic. What is an epidemic? Do we really have an epidemic or do we just have a problem? Recent FBI statistics find crime is down. But epidemic sells more newspapers and gets mediocre politicians reelected. It has been said, "In war, the first casualty is truth." In the war on drugs, truth was killed decades ago. Chris Pender , Eugene
CORPORATE METAPHOR Patrick Bronson starts his letter about capitalism (10/27) with a good imitation of the propaganda we're constantly receiving about it, and ends with a plea for a discussion of the need for change. Thanks, Patrick. I've been meaning to write a letter about this for a while. We hear so often that we have the best system in the world, that capitalism is the same as democracy, etc., etc., that we don't recognize the obvious truth: Unregulated capitalism is rapidly destroying the environment and making most of us, in this country and around the world, poorer and less likely to receive a good education, adequate health care, etc. Why wouldn't this be the result of a system based solely on the profit motive (greed)? The capitalist corporate system, as Patrick and others have pointed out, operates like cancer in the body, ultimately killing it — polluting the air, contaminating organic and traditional agriculture with untested mutant seeds and making even the poorest of the poor pay for water. Corporate money now completely dominates our political system and directs our foreign policy, so that our young men and women in the military will never come home, never stop killing people in foreign lands for their resources. It also dominates our mainstream media. You'll never get the information you need to think critically about the problems facing the world today on TV or even NPR. Read Arundhati Roy, Vandana Shiva, David Korten, Michael Parenti, Noam Chomsky, and go to websites like zmag.org, poclad.org, and for news, commondreams.org. Listen to "Democracy Now" on KWVA, 88.1 FM, from 7 to 8 am, and Pacifica News from 6 to 6:30 pm. If you want to talk about this, call me at 349-9227. I'd like to start a discussion group. Maggie Springer, Eugene
AT LAST … Whew … Finally heterosexuals get recognition for the pain and suffering we endure just because we are heterosexual — and have no choice. Who would have believed that a radical dyke such as Sally Sheklow (Living Out, 10/20) could have the vision, the wisdom, and the courage to recognize our plight and name it! Ah, the burden, the burden of having to reproduce, having to marry, having to not use the same locker room nor be able to use the same public restroom. I can't tell you how liberating it is to finally have someone put to voice the challenge of living as a heterosexual in this country. My heart is gladdened to have such as ally as Sally, who can put into words my experience and worries. You captured my life. Bless you. Irwin Noparstak, Eugene
INSPIRED TO LEARN I think that Churchill Alternative is a great school! I use to go to Sheldon High and I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, and I started to go bad in school. I was skipping class, doing drugs, and just being bad and not caring about anything. I just started going to Churchill Alternative last year and I feel good and comfortable going to this school. I feel like learning here and graduating. I feel like I am wanted and I'm getting a lot better grades here. Everyone that goes to Churchill Alternative is pretty nice and they don't judge you about who you are and what you wear. So if you are doing bad in school or getting judged about what you wear, come and stop by and see if you like it here and what we do. That is why I like Churchill Alternative. Dustin Putzier, Eugene
QUEER STUDIES I see the UO wants to offer a degree program in "queer studies" (per Fox News, 11/2-3). I'm sure this would be a "B.A." degree. My concern is that this degree would probably qualify its holder to be the CEO of a typical U.S. corporation, but little else. Jerry Ritter , Springfield
TANGLED WEB UO President Dave Frohnmayer and the UO Housing Director Mike Eyster should both resign. They are showing the university's true mission as Johnson Hall administrators see it. Transforming the university to a "market-model" institution in a new "marketplace of ideas" economy. Think of the university as a patent factory where its main product is efficient patent-producing robots, or students. With the new mission focus of efficiency, the university seeks to eliminate the separation between the industry and the university. Similarly, the university realized industry partners may soon want vast new developments on or near campus — for the Olympics trials or nanotechnology research. This explains Frohnmayer's advocacy for autonomy and UO administrators' plan to merge with City Hall to gain certainty over future land use decisions and acquisitions. This entanglement would be used as a "sustainable" business initiative. Eminent domain would be the tool to "sustain" the corporate sponsors' need for research land. This sustainable partnership could also be used to avoid "inefficient" future regulations or toxic reporting laws and oversight. Changes to city of Eugene and Oregon state bidding laws can help the university's friends and alumni secure contracts their firms couldn't normally compete for. Westmoreland's current crisis is most likely driven by a university business partner influencing the university to free up the land for a street of dreams or "smart growth pedestrian village" style of development. Zachary Vishanoff, Eugene
PHARMACY BLUES It is becoming more and more obvious that many potentially dangerous drugs have been placed on the market over the years, without sufficient testing. The studies were often of too short a duration, and involved too few participants to adequately evaluate the drug's safety. The studies were normally funded, and thus controlled by the company seeking approval, and not the FDA. They are referred to as controlled studies (which can be either good or bad, depending on how they are controlled). It is rather like selecting your own jury and wanting to assure your success. When evaluating those to be included in a study, those least likely to experience negative reactions, the youngest and healthiest, would likely be selected. Unfortunately, that does not represent the general public who would normally be taking the drug if approved. It is often the elderly who are less healthy and already on multiple drugs that are more likely to be placed on additional drugs. They are also more prone to experience serious side effects from their medications. What is the solution? Restructuring the FDA! All studies should be conducted by the FDA, rather than the company seeking approval. The drug companies often hire FDA employees who can be helpful in assuring and expediting the approval of the drugs they submit. There is currently a perfect environment in the FDA for collusion and corruption, and the risk of approving potentially dangerous drugs. A change is necessary in order for the FDA to regain their credibility. David W Tanton, Ph.D., Springfield
NOT SO FREE In response to Patrick Bronson's letter (10/27), you are completely wrong, and I suggest you and everybody else correct yourselves. We do not live under a free market, capitalist system. A "free market" is devoid of laws that protect bad business practices, and we have such. A "free market" is devoid of tax laws that allow sweetheart deals between government and business, and we have such. A "free market" does not allow minimum wage laws that penalize small business, and we have such. A "free market" does not support unions and their parasitism; we support them. Our market system is entirely unnatural and does not allow healthy competition, which is why 90 percent of the wealth is held by 10 percent of the populace (the gap grows daily). We are basically living under corporate feudalism, which uses government laws, coercion, taxation and force to maintain a monopoly on competitive ventures. A free market has no laws, no taxation, and is entirely natural, being founded on established, worldly laws (namely survival of the fittest). Under a free market, a company must adapt, provide excellent service or product at competitive prices, maintain a respectable face in the eyes of the community, and face challenges to its monopoly every day. There are no laws that state it has a right to be in business; the market is the ultimate judge. Under a free market, small business can thrive because there are no laws for regulation, taxation, registration, handling of food, minimum wage, union compliance and product safety. It is up to you, the consumer, to make these choices and determine the suitability of a product. By making that choice you are also determining the survival of the company and its service under the ultimate law of supply and demand . Justin Bengston, Eugene
BUSH AND BEEF Like millions of other Americans victimized by outrageous home heating costs this winter, I will be lowering my thermostat, covering my windows with plastic sheeting, and using electric space heaters to keep my personal space temperature tolerable. The fossil fuel crisis is only likely to get worse, as an exploding global demand confronts the reality of a limited supply and the vagaries of Middle East politics. We can blame the Bush administration and the oil companies for the current crisis. But, for the long run, we must reduce drastically fossil fuel consumption in our cars, our homes, and our diets. Yes, our diets. According to Cornell University Professor David Pimentel, production of meat and dairy products accounts for approximately 15 percent of our national fossil fuel consumption. Most of that goes to manufacture fertilizers, operate farm machinery and run irrigation equipment for growing animal feed. The rest is used to operate factory farms and slaughterhouses and to process, transport, refrigerate and prepare meat and dairy products. Anyone who cares about the cost of fuel this winter should consider these impacts of meat and dairy production on their next trip to the supermarket. Elijah Hennison, Eugene
PRESIDENTIAL LIES The President bald-face lied to us and he should be indicted for it. Here is exactly what he said when he invaded Iraq: "Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world. Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons." The President who told this lie to the American people was William Jefferson Clinton in a speech that was broadcast to the world on Dec. 16, 1998, a little over one year prior to George W. Bush being sworn in as 43rd President of the U.S. Don Richey, Eugene
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