Eugene Weekly : Letters : 12.22.05

FED WITCH-HUNT

It seems that the good ol' boys (CEOs of the timber, mining, military, oil and agriculture industries) who really run this country have sent their attack dogs (FBI, ATF and Office of Homeland Security) to reap revenge and to intimidate the people's activist movements here in the Pacific Northwest, as well as forest activists involved in Warner Creek, Fall Creek and the Shutdown of the WTO in Seattle in 1999.

The FBI, ATF and Office of Homeland security have subpoenaed local individuals for a grand jury in Eugene convening in March 2006. Publicly, the Feds have stated that the investigation is very narrowly focused on several arson fires in Oregon and Washington that occurred from 1996 to 2001.

Don't be fooled. These Feds will NOT stick to a very narrow focus of information gathering. Their big picture strategy includes gathering as much information as possible on as many left-leaning groups and outspoken individuals in the Pacific Northwest Community as possible.

So, if you are approached by these feds, don't trick yourself into believing that they won't "pump you" for names of anyone you may have worked, lived, loved, drank beer or even held a protest sign with. You are much more likely to be subpoenaed by being cooperative when first approached and realizing too late that you need to refuse to answer subsequent probing questions.

Remember, the feds are here to intimidate the will of good people who stand for true justice and oppose the good ol' boys' version of "just us."

Shannon Wilson, Eugene

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information, visit www.FBIwitchhunt.com

OPB SNOOKERED

After reading video producer Eric Cain's opinion piece ("Fear of Forestry," 12/8) I am now more convinced than ever that OPB blew it with their recent pro-logging mockumentary.

The long list of errors and omissions in OPB's pro-logging story is now well-known (see http://tinyurl.com/bbx4j).OPB is apparently feeling a bit defensive about the fact that they got snookered by a bunch of pro-logging activists masquerading as concerned community leaders. Why does OPB trust those who profit from forest destruction, rather than those with public interest motivations?

Producer Eric Cain claims that his critics suffer from "fear of forestry." How wrong and how revealing of how the timber industry has molded his assumptions about conservationists! Conservationists do not fear forestry, we believe in GOOD forestry, while we oppose BAD forestry (not to mention bad journalism that fails to accurately represent the impacts of bad logging and the viewpoints of conservationists).

Our biggest concern with OPB's Rethinking Forests video is that OPB missed an important opportunity to tell the story of real "restoration forestry." Our public forests are severely damaged by decades of abuse at the hands of the timber industry that pulled strings in Congress to control the Forest Service. Now that those errors have been exposed, there is a consensus building around a vision for comprehensive restoration of our public forests. New scientific research is revealing the possibility that we can restore habitat, create jobs, and produce some wood products by fixing crumbling logging roads and by carefully thinning small trees in areas previously damaged by clear-cutting and fire suppression.

These new restoration methods are still evolving. They must be continually evaluated and most importantly driven by sound science (see http://tinyurl.com/cmmz3).In contrast, OPB's video continued to demonize fire and conservationists while portraying folksy old tree farmers using disproven logging methods (including continued logging of old-growth trees). Logging methods which we already know are likely to cause more harm than good.

Although producer Eric Cain may remain unrepentant, we hope, through the public concern expressed about this video, that OPB has learned important lessons about public responsibility and journalistic ethics. If we are going to rethink forests, let's consider all viewpoints and not blindly trust the timber industry that destroyed our forests. Maybe next time OPB will tell a more balanced story.

Doug Heiken , Eugene

NUDES & BRANCHES

When I saw your Dec. 8 cover of the nude girl covering her body with cut tree branches, I just loved it! Of course, many people think libertarians are conservatives, but I was raised in Hollywood and my parents were nudists, vegetarians and socialists — as was I.

I never saw a doctor until I was pregnant and had never tasted an aspirin. I invited my 15-year-old boyfriend to come to the nudist camp, and he came! I tell all about it in my book Making Waves: Making History, which will come out some day, I hope.

Keep up your good work.

Tonie Nathan , Eugene

SHAME ON OPB

Eric Cain, the producer of OPB's documentary Rethinking the Forests, claims funding from the USDA (which oversees the Forest Service) did not influence the content of his film, despite its echoing of big timber's "get out the cut" agenda. This bias is nothing new with OPB. Bill Swindells, past-CEO of Willamette Industries — a Portland-based wood products company — chaired the OPB board.

Cain's stated intent for his documentary was to "think a little differently" about our relationships to our forests. Is Cain somehow suggesting that advocating for more logging in our national forests is "thinking differently," as opposed to business as usual?

A truly new viewpoint would be to question the efficacy and true costs of logging, mining, drilling and grazing on our public lands. OPB has never even mentioned the issue, or the absence of an honest and full-cost accounting of extraction; nor investigated what ecological and economic alternatives are currently available; nor reported the fact that half the trees cut in the Pacific Northwest are exported unfinished, along with American jobs.

No, instead Cain has produced another piece of industry propaganda designed to promote its utilitarian view of the forests (merely as money to be made), and dishonestly called it a documentary. Shame on OPB. As a consequence, I am no longer able to support OPB, as it is increasingly turning into Oregon's CORPORATE Broadcasting.

Cain wonders what "we actually want" in our forests. It's simple: We want rich soil, clean air and pure water. We want wild rivers and streams, thriving fish and wildlife. We want to save what's left of our forests and recover what's been lost. That's all we want. Nothing more and nothing less.

Tim Hermach, Native Forest Council, Eugene

TORTURE TRAINING

What is especially troubling to me about the issue of our torturing prisoners in the "war on terrorism" is the belief by most that this is the first administration which has indulged in such despicable behavior. In fact, we have not been that different from our "enemies" for some time now.

Since 1946, first in Panama and now in Fort Benning, Ga., we have trained and continue to train military and police officers from across the hemisphere in many of the same "coercive interrogation" techniques that have shown up at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. Our Latin American neighbors know well of our ruthless techniques, which they experienced firsthand throughout the 1970s and 1980s in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Argentina and other Latin countries.

We need to wake up from our collective amnesia and demand that this barbaric practice be ended once and for all. There is never any moral excuse to start down the road of torture. It is a slippery slope we have been sliding down for too long, and this moral sickness is eating away at the soul of our nation.

Christopher Michaels, Eugene

FASCIST AMERICA

I guess inanity beats evil, at least as far as our feckless leaders are concerned. George "What, me worry?" Bush has an approval rating of 37 percent in the latest polls; Dick "Dark Side" Cheney's is at 27 percent.

That would lead you to think that roughly two-thirds to three-fourths of the American people know what's what, but you would be wrong. Democrats and Congress, as an institution, don't score any better.

Someone once told me that when fascism comes to the U.S., it will come sugarcoated. I think she was right. In the midst of endless war and the federal government's abandonment of the poor, the consumer society marches on regardless. They have no idea.

Those who pay attention know what crimes are being done in our names. My fear is that the hatred we are evoking will mire and ensnare my grandchildren's generation. There's no doubt the costs we are passing on to them will.

The bad news and the good news is that, as Walt Kelly's Pogo noted 50 years ago, we are our own worst enemy, and that, really, we are our only enemy.

On that cheery note, I wish you all the best in this season of the rebirth of the light.

Paul Prensky, Eugene

POPULATION SOLUTION

W. Joe Lyon (12/8) is concerned that Dan Robinson (11/23) suggests population should be lowered, but doesn't state how. Lyon then goes on to list some of the more odious means by which one might accomplish this goal, including forced abortion, exterminating the elderly and establishing mandatory reeducation camps.

There are many ways to halt the burgeoning of human numbers that do not evoke the spirit of Draco. One simple step would be to eliminate the tax credits for couples who have more than two kids. Another would be standard educational methods — schools and mass media — aimed at informing people of the illogic of believing that somehow we can continue to grow forever.

But in the end, it doesn't matter how it's done. Physical laws aren't somehow different when humanity's mindless increase is concerned; there is only so much matter in the universe that can be converted into humans and the systems necessary to support them.

Thus, if we don't somehow stop population growth ourselves, nature will eventually do it for us. And her techniques — starvation, environmental collapse, mutant plagues running rampant through dense populations — will make those put forth by Lyon look like a walk in the park.

Bill Smee, Springfield

FUTILITY OF WAR

So, now it's beginning to look like we started a war based not only on false information (no WMD), but lies manufactured by a suspect under duress (i.e. tortured) (R-G, 12/9). We then send in our troops to chase down this illusion, they kill and get killed, which creates deep resentment in Iraq and beyond, more terrorists, and greater homeland insecurity for us. Meanwhile, the drums of war and rhetoric continue, benefiting the armaments industry and their related cronies. War is insane.

How about breaking the cycle by increased foreign exchange (and I'm not talking rendition), paying our dues and supporting the U.N., building coalitions, weaning off oil, and in general, stop being the bully of the world? Yes, it will take time and the establishment of trust, but what have we to lose that is not already slipping away?

Jerry Kendall , Eugene

WARTIME SCRIPTURE

Blessed are the peace makers this Christmas season. What would Jesus do if he were here? Would Jesus support a president who cuts funds from the food stamps program which helps to feed the poor families? The Bible reads, "The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern." (Proverb, 29:7). Would Jesus approve of a government that slashes funding for social services and education while giving billions in tax breaks to large corporations?

I have worked in social services for more then 10 years and have never seen such an unimaginable fiscal crisis. The quality of care suffers when Social Service agencies are faced with job losses, vehicle reductions, and wage freezes. The Bible reads, "Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy" (Proverbs, 29:7).

Would Jesus support the war on Iraq? Our country has spent more than $225 billion dollars on this war. The war has caused the deaths of more then 2,100 Americans and 30,000 Iraqis.

Christians, come unite in protests and help stop the war! Is Jesus not the Prince of Peace and Defender of the Poor? Please ask the government to bring our sons and daughters home. Call your legislators and demand reprioritization of federal and state monies to help the poor and needy! Collectively the Christian voice is powerful and the U.S. Congress will listen.

Steve Brown, Eugene

FREE SAYS THANKS

I've read EW with quite a bit of interest the last few weeks. I was honored to see that for the fifth year in a row I was mentioned in the "Best of Eugene" issue. I was touched that I was voted Best Activist.

There are a number of people who are upset by that. I'm used to not being liked by some people and I've been called every name and combination thereof. It's no skin off my back.

I hadn't planned on writing a letter about any of this. I wasn't sure what to write. Then something truly touched my heart. It was more than just being voted number one. It's people I don't even know writing in to stand up for me.

Thank you, EW readers, from the depths of my heart. Thanks for not forgetting me. Thanks for treating me like a human being.

Jeff "Free" Luers, Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem

COUNTY CAN HELP

With recent headlines warning that Lane County Government may be falling upon hard times, there is however a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The National Association of Counties (NACo), of which Lane County is a member, has established a Prescription Drug Discount Card (PDDC) program which is designed to help reduce the cost of prescription drugs for citizens without health care within participating counties.

According to NACo, the program provides an overall average savings of 19 percent, and continues to grow with more than 400 other counties expressing interest. Rob Rockstroh, director of Lane County's Health and Human Services, confirmed the county is currently exploring the possibility of offering this program to its citizens. He stated that the PDDC program represents an opportunity to provide a service directly to the people at no cost, with no age requirements or forms to fill out for the participant, no cost to the county for administering the program, and a national network of 57,000 pharmacies that accept the card.

Lane County can demonstrate positive leadership by implementing programs, such as the PDDC, which can solve serious and costly problems — at no cost to the taxpayer. I would like to encourage the county to launch this program as quickly as possible.

Bill Fleenor, Mapleton

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		FED WITCH-HUNT It seems that the good ol' boys (CEOs of the timber, mining, military, oil and agriculture industries) who really run this country have sent their attack dogs (FBI, ATF and Office of Homeland Security) to reap revenge and to intimidate the people's activist movements here in the Pacific Northwest, as well as forest activists involved in Warner Creek, Fall Creek and the Shutdown of the WTO in Seattle in 1999. The FBI, ATF and Office of Homeland security have subpoenaed local individuals for a grand jury in Eugene convening in March 2006. Publicly, the Feds have stated that the investigation is very narrowly focused on several arson fires in Oregon and Washington that occurred from 1996 to 2001. Don't be fooled. These Feds will NOT stick to a very narrow focus of information gathering. Their big picture strategy includes gathering as much information as possible on as many left-leaning groups and outspoken individuals in the Pacific Northwest Community as possible. So, if you are approached by these feds, don't trick yourself into believing that they won't "pump you" for names of anyone you may have worked, lived, loved, drank beer or even held a protest sign with. You are much more likely to be subpoenaed by being cooperative when first approached and realizing too late that you need to refuse to answer subsequent probing questions. Remember, the feds are here to intimidate the will of good people who stand for true justice and oppose the good ol' boys' version of "just us." Shannon Wilson, Eugene EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information, visit www.FBIwitchhunt.com OPB SNOOKERED After reading video producer Eric Cain's opinion piece ("Fear of Forestry," 12/8) I am now more convinced than ever that OPB blew it with their recent pro-logging mockumentary. The long list of errors and omissions in OPB's pro-logging story is now well-known (see http://tinyurl.com/bbx4j).OPB is apparently feeling a bit defensive about the fact that they got snookered by a bunch of pro-logging activists masquerading as concerned community leaders. Why does OPB trust those who profit from forest destruction, rather than those with public interest motivations? Producer Eric Cain claims that his critics suffer from "fear of forestry." How wrong and how revealing of how the timber industry has molded his assumptions about conservationists! Conservationists do not fear forestry, we believe in GOOD forestry, while we oppose BAD forestry (not to mention bad journalism that fails to accurately represent the impacts of bad logging and the viewpoints of conservationists). Our biggest concern with OPB's Rethinking Forests video is that OPB missed an important opportunity to tell the story of real "restoration forestry." Our public forests are severely damaged by decades of abuse at the hands of the timber industry that pulled strings in Congress to control the Forest Service. Now that those errors have been exposed, there is a consensus building around a vision for comprehensive restoration of our public forests. New scientific research is revealing the possibility that we can restore habitat, create jobs, and produce some wood products by fixing crumbling logging roads and by carefully thinning small trees in areas previously damaged by clear-cutting and fire suppression. These new restoration methods are still evolving. They must be continually evaluated and most importantly driven by sound science (see http://tinyurl.com/cmmz3).In contrast, OPB's video continued to demonize fire and conservationists while portraying folksy old tree farmers using disproven logging methods (including continued logging of old-growth trees). Logging methods which we already know are likely to cause more harm than good. Although producer Eric Cain may remain unrepentant, we hope, through the public concern expressed about this video, that OPB has learned important lessons about public responsibility and journalistic ethics. If we are going to rethink forests, let's consider all viewpoints and not blindly trust the timber industry that destroyed our forests. Maybe next time OPB will tell a more balanced story. Doug Heiken , Eugene NUDES & BRANCHES When I saw your Dec. 8 cover of the nude girl covering her body with cut tree branches, I just loved it! Of course, many people think libertarians are conservatives, but I was raised in Hollywood and my parents were nudists, vegetarians and socialists — as was I. I never saw a doctor until I was pregnant and had never tasted an aspirin. I invited my 15-year-old boyfriend to come to the nudist camp, and he came! I tell all about it in my book Making Waves: Making History, which will come out some day, I hope. Keep up your good work. Tonie Nathan , Eugene SHAME ON OPB Eric Cain, the producer of OPB's documentary Rethinking the Forests, claims funding from the USDA (which oversees the Forest Service) did not influence the content of his film, despite its echoing of big timber's "get out the cut" agenda. This bias is nothing new with OPB. Bill Swindells, past-CEO of Willamette Industries — a Portland-based wood products company — chaired the OPB board. Cain's stated intent for his documentary was to "think a little differently" about our relationships to our forests. Is Cain somehow suggesting that advocating for more logging in our national forests is "thinking differently," as opposed to business as usual? A truly new viewpoint would be to question the efficacy and true costs of logging, mining, drilling and grazing on our public lands. OPB has never even mentioned the issue, or the absence of an honest and full-cost accounting of extraction; nor investigated what ecological and economic alternatives are currently available; nor reported the fact that half the trees cut in the Pacific Northwest are exported unfinished, along with American jobs. No, instead Cain has produced another piece of industry propaganda designed to promote its utilitarian view of the forests (merely as money to be made), and dishonestly called it a documentary. Shame on OPB. As a consequence, I am no longer able to support OPB, as it is increasingly turning into Oregon's CORPORATE Broadcasting. Cain wonders what "we actually want" in our forests. It's simple: We want rich soil, clean air and pure water. We want wild rivers and streams, thriving fish and wildlife. We want to save what's left of our forests and recover what's been lost. That's all we want. Nothing more and nothing less. Tim Hermach, Native Forest Council, Eugene TORTURE TRAINING What is especially troubling to me about the issue of our torturing prisoners in the "war on terrorism" is the belief by most that this is the first administration which has indulged in such despicable behavior. In fact, we have not been that different from our "enemies" for some time now. Since 1946, first in Panama and now in Fort Benning, Ga., we have trained and continue to train military and police officers from across the hemisphere in many of the same "coercive interrogation" techniques that have shown up at Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. Our Latin American neighbors know well of our ruthless techniques, which they experienced firsthand throughout the 1970s and 1980s in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Argentina and other Latin countries. We need to wake up from our collective amnesia and demand that this barbaric practice be ended once and for all. There is never any moral excuse to start down the road of torture. It is a slippery slope we have been sliding down for too long, and this moral sickness is eating away at the soul of our nation. Christopher Michaels, Eugene FASCIST AMERICA I guess inanity beats evil, at least as far as our feckless leaders are concerned. George "What, me worry?" Bush has an approval rating of 37 percent in the latest polls; Dick "Dark Side" Cheney's is at 27 percent. That would lead you to think that roughly two-thirds to three-fourths of the American people know what's what, but you would be wrong. Democrats and Congress, as an institution, don't score any better. Someone once told me that when fascism comes to the U.S., it will come sugarcoated. I think she was right. In the midst of endless war and the federal government's abandonment of the poor, the consumer society marches on regardless. They have no idea. Those who pay attention know what crimes are being done in our names. My fear is that the hatred we are evoking will mire and ensnare my grandchildren's generation. There's no doubt the costs we are passing on to them will. The bad news and the good news is that, as Walt Kelly's Pogo noted 50 years ago, we are our own worst enemy, and that, really, we are our only enemy. On that cheery note, I wish you all the best in this season of the rebirth of the light. Paul Prensky, Eugene POPULATION SOLUTION W. Joe Lyon (12/8) is concerned that Dan Robinson (11/23) suggests population should be lowered, but doesn't state how. Lyon then goes on to list some of the more odious means by which one might accomplish this goal, including forced abortion, exterminating the elderly and establishing mandatory reeducation camps. There are many ways to halt the burgeoning of human numbers that do not evoke the spirit of Draco. One simple step would be to eliminate the tax credits for couples who have more than two kids. Another would be standard educational methods — schools and mass media — aimed at informing people of the illogic of believing that somehow we can continue to grow forever. But in the end, it doesn't matter how it's done. Physical laws aren't somehow different when humanity's mindless increase is concerned; there is only so much matter in the universe that can be converted into humans and the systems necessary to support them. Thus, if we don't somehow stop population growth ourselves, nature will eventually do it for us. And her techniques — starvation, environmental collapse, mutant plagues running rampant through dense populations — will make those put forth by Lyon look like a walk in the park. Bill Smee, Springfield FUTILITY OF WAR So, now it's beginning to look like we started a war based not only on false information (no WMD), but lies manufactured by a suspect under duress (i.e. tortured) (R-G, 12/9). We then send in our troops to chase down this illusion, they kill and get killed, which creates deep resentment in Iraq and beyond, more terrorists, and greater homeland insecurity for us. Meanwhile, the drums of war and rhetoric continue, benefiting the armaments industry and their related cronies. War is insane. How about breaking the cycle by increased foreign exchange (and I'm not talking rendition), paying our dues and supporting the U.N., building coalitions, weaning off oil, and in general, stop being the bully of the world? Yes, it will take time and the establishment of trust, but what have we to lose that is not already slipping away? Jerry Kendall , Eugene WARTIME SCRIPTURE Blessed are the peace makers this Christmas season. What would Jesus do if he were here? Would Jesus support a president who cuts funds from the food stamps program which helps to feed the poor families? The Bible reads, "The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked does not understand such concern." (Proverb, 29:7). Would Jesus approve of a government that slashes funding for social services and education while giving billions in tax breaks to large corporations? I have worked in social services for more then 10 years and have never seen such an unimaginable fiscal crisis. The quality of care suffers when Social Service agencies are faced with job losses, vehicle reductions, and wage freezes. The Bible reads, "Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy" (Proverbs, 29:7). Would Jesus support the war on Iraq? Our country has spent more than $225 billion dollars on this war. The war has caused the deaths of more then 2,100 Americans and 30,000 Iraqis. Christians, come unite in protests and help stop the war! Is Jesus not the Prince of Peace and Defender of the Poor? Please ask the government to bring our sons and daughters home. Call your legislators and demand reprioritization of federal and state monies to help the poor and needy! Collectively the Christian voice is powerful and the U.S. Congress will listen. Steve Brown, Eugene FREE SAYS THANKS I've read EW with quite a bit of interest the last few weeks. I was honored to see that for the fifth year in a row I was mentioned in the "Best of Eugene" issue. I was touched that I was voted Best Activist. There are a number of people who are upset by that. I'm used to not being liked by some people and I've been called every name and combination thereof. It's no skin off my back. I hadn't planned on writing a letter about any of this. I wasn't sure what to write. Then something truly touched my heart. It was more than just being voted number one. It's people I don't even know writing in to stand up for me. Thank you, EW readers, from the depths of my heart. Thanks for not forgetting me. Thanks for treating me like a human being. Jeff "Free" Luers, Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem COUNTY CAN HELP With recent headlines warning that Lane County Government may be falling upon hard times, there is however a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The National Association of Counties (NACo), of which Lane County is a member, has established a Prescription Drug Discount Card (PDDC) program which is designed to help reduce the cost of prescription drugs for citizens without health care within participating counties. According to NACo, the program provides an overall average savings of 19 percent, and continues to grow with more than 400 other counties expressing interest. Rob Rockstroh, director of Lane County's Health and Human Services, confirmed the county is currently exploring the possibility of offering this program to its citizens. He stated that the PDDC program represents an opportunity to provide a service directly to the people at no cost, with no age requirements or forms to fill out for the participant, no cost to the county for administering the program, and a national network of 57,000 pharmacies that accept the card. Lane County can demonstrate positive leadership by implementing programs, such as the PDDC, which can solve serious and costly problems — at no cost to the taxpayer. I would like to encourage the county to launch this program as quickly as possible. Bill Fleenor, Mapleton






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