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FLUENCY WALK In response to "Culture of Whiteness" (cover story, 5/18), I identify myself as a 33-year-old white (German, Swedish, Irish, possibly Czech) female with no university affiliation. When I read that article, I read about an issue lived by students taking a risk to educate people like me. In this letter, I address those who desire a world that embraces diversity of appearances, backgrounds and experiences. At last year's Take Back the Night (to end sexual violence), one of the speakers said, "We need to become fluent in the struggle of the person sitting next to us." Most people I know have two reactions to such a statement. First, they acknowledge the need for change with no follow-through. If we don't talk about it, it'll go away, right? Next, they get agitated. No one cares about their burden so why should they care about anyone else's crap? And so it goes. Personally, I cannot relate to the specific struggles these students face. All I know to do is listen and learn. It is a start. I will bear witness. I have and will continue to talk about what they have shared with my friends and family. If more is required of me, I will be open to it. I can do this because every day I acknowledge my own needs, first. When did this become selfish? I propose that you ask yourself honestly what it is in your daily functioning that disables your ability to fully experience your neighbor, your friend, or a stranger who is walking the same sidewalk. Katie Custer, Eugene
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL I'm perplexed. For a week now I've been trying to see how we, as a community, and the Weekly, as a business, benefit from the publishing of J.K. Larkin's Viewpoint (5/25). Initially I thought that perhaps it was an editorial oversight, that maybe it wasn't even read before its inclusion in the issue, and that someone on Lincoln Street was guilty of being asleep at the wheel. Maybe it's that, despite the fact that Larkin is clearly a terrible satirist and has given us only a thoroughly incomprehensible series of generalizations to masquerade as a "viewpoint," what he has to say is so important that Eugene needed to read it. But no, the Larkin piece is not important. It doesn't even seem to have much of a point. In fact I am, as I said, perplexed that it was even deemed worth printing. But maybe I'm really missing the point here. Maybe what it really says is that EW believes racial stereotyping in our community is OK, so long as it comes from someone who is, of course, only kidding. Unfortunately, by giving a voice to the uninformed, you share in the blame. I mean it's not like you had to print the article; you chose to. Whether you personally find it offensive or not, you had to at least be aware that a sizable portion of our community might find it so. And to what end? I hope that in the future you will make more informed and responsible editorial decisions. Geoff Stiles, Eugene
WEP ALTERNATIVE At 7 pm June 15, West Eugene Transportation, Land and Neighborhood Design Solutions (WETLANDS) will sponsor a forum and dialogue about the West Eugene Parkway, potential federal lawsuits and the WETLANDS alternative to the WEP. This free event will be held in Harris Hall, 8th and Oak.. June 14 is the 10th anniversary of the 1996 lawsuit by Save Our ecoSystems against the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA withdrew its previous (1990) approval of the highway and declined to defend their decision in a court of law. June 19 is the fifth anniversary of the "no build" consensus for the WEP that was agreed to by the city of Eugene, Lane County, ODOT, FHWA and the BLM — a decision that was never implemented. This forum will focus on the legal hurdles that have prevented the WEP and the WETLANDS alternative to the WEP (largely based on the 2001 "No Build" consensus). The forum will include time for dialogue and strategy to develop approaches to raise awareness of the practical solutions that have been ignored by the divisive debates about the highway. WEP proponents have "framed" the issue as one of protecting wetlands versus solving traffic problems, which parallels similar campaigns to sabotage forest protection efforts as a choice between spotted owls vs. jobs (even though selective forestry creates jobs). The WEP would not only decimate the West Eugene Wetlands — it would also worsen traffic problems, violate federal laws, drain transportation budgets and fuel ugly sprawl. The WETLANDS alternative includes a combination of approaches: fixing existing roads, small connector links, improved transit, and sane land use plans. It also addresses the need to shift transportation policies to prepare for "peak oil," which will probably create "peak traffic" as gas prices continue to increase. For more information, visit www.permatopia.com/wetlands.html Mark Robinowitz, Eugene
FAILED SATIRE As I trudge through my umpteenth re-read of J.K. Larkin's "Pesky Immigrants" Viewpoint (5/25), I become more sure that he's trying, however futilely, to write satire. Just as Mel Brooks didn't aim to degrade the Jews with his caricatures, I believe Larkin didn't start his piece intending to write a vicious attack on those of Mexican heritage. Unfortunately for him and everyone exposed to his writing, he failed miserably. Satire is incredibly difficult to write. Sarcasm doesn't come through well in writing, because you can't wink with sentence structure. What he's succeeded in doing is writing the most offensive screed since The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. What has Larkin's piece taught us? Mexicans are functionally illiterate, drink beverages that no civilized person would let touch their lips, and make great unskilled laborers, but lazy soldiers. Aside from broad brush of racism, Larkin has the worst writing I've ever seen. Instead of following a structure, he's chosen to place sentences in apparently random order. I'm sure that his teachers are all weeping over his inability to keep his tense straight or even logically place his thoughts. I would understand his lack of skill had his credentials (which have no bearing at all on his chosen topic) been "J.K. Larkin is an unemployed glue sniffer who specializes in making fart jokes." But he is a man of supposed high regard in this community, which is truly an unfortunate reflection on Eugene. Incidentally, no one sober enough to realize what he is saying would refer to South Dakota as "SoDak," Hispanic is not a nationality and no one cares what Larkin's sons and daughter-in-law do for a living. Hopefully, Larkin will be able to take a break from stroking himself over how multi-racial and accepting he is and realize that no matter whom his son marries or what his grandson chooses for a profession, he's just a deluded, failed revolutionary whose time has passed. Jef Stout, Eugene
DO SOMETHING The slant in the last edition (5/25) of EW was correct. In order to be an effective governer Ted Kulongoski actually needs to DO something about the environment. He has started to make some promising gains in that area, showing that he might be getting the message that ordinary citizens care about our environment, but more can definitely be done. Suing the federal government over gas mileage standards was a great step, but more needs to be done to protect our environment and cut down on the fossil fuel pollution that wreaks havoc on our beautiful green state. These fossil fuels are one of the leading causes of global warming ,and burning them to generate electricity in our state is a huge problem that is easily fixed with some proper leadership. Oregon currently only gets 1 percent of its power from wind and solar even though we have the nation's second largest wind farm! Meanwhile, global warming creates rising sea levels that threaten our coast and a decreasing snowpack in the Cascades that threaten our water supply and farming. Supporting more clean energy and requiring our utilities to come from renewable sources would start getting us off of oil and help our environment. Kulongoski should spearhead the effort to establish clean energy standards that have already happened in 20 other states and make our state Legislature require at least 25 percent clean energy to come from wind and solar. Timothy States, Eugene
DEPRESSING NEWSLETTER I recently received in the mail Peter DeFazio's congressional newsletter. After reading it from cover to cover, I came away completely depressed. According to DeFazio, we might as well pack it in. What a discouraging piece of "literature." Isn't there anything positive going on in our country? And, if it is so bad, how about taking some responsibility for all of the things that are going "wrong." After all, he has been our congressman for the last 20 years. And why is DeFazio being allowed to use this publication for campaign purposes? It was obviously presented in a way as to "campaign" on our tax dollars. While I am sure that it is not against the law, it is against the spirit of the law. Mr. DeFazio, if things are as bad as you say they are, and you haven't been able to "fix the problems" in the last 20 years you have been in D.C., then maybe you are just incapable of making a positive change for Oregon. Gienie Assink, Springfield
BUCKS FOR JUNKETS Our commissioners have recently decided to spend $250,000, and possibly more, of the county's budget for their current "educational advertising" promotion. We are beginning to see expensive newspaper ads, bus banners, and printed materials telling us how respectable Lane County government is. This campaign is an attempt to persuade the voters to fund the public safety measure and that we will somehow benefit from the proposed income tax. Interestingly enough, at the same time, jobs are being cut in various county departments due to budget constraints — while those in management positions are being considered for pay raises. Does anyone else question the lack of logic here? Add to this scenario the fact that one county department has used public funds to purchase rugs from an upscale downtown rug vendor for their public service area (which are apparently now in storage) and continues to send select managerial staff across the country at taxpayer expense to user-group conferences for information they personally do not use (aka junkets). Take a look at the proposed 2006-07 county budget document, page 47, to view the 213.93 percent and 23.93 percent increases in travel expenses for one department alone. I'm all for public safety, but until our county government — and elected officials — choose to be fiscally responsible and accountable to the public with every cent of the money they are entrusted with, this is one voter who will continue to vote "no" for any additional tax — for any reason. Tamara Mahn, Springfield
DENIAL & HYPOCRISY Scare-tactic rhetoric regarding illegal immigration is unrepresentative of the facts and reality. Current policy is mired in denial and hypocrisy. Illegal immigrants are not entering our country to take advantage of our ever-decreasing social services or our non-existent national health care or our financially unstable public school systems. One in four agricultural jobs, one in seven construction jobs and one in six cleaning jobs is now being done by an undocumented worker. Each year, illegal immigrants pay an estimated $6.4 million into Social Security, from which they will never benefit. And as far as undocumented workers not paying taxes, that is not by choice. Take that issue up with their American employers who are complicit in luring illegal workers into this country. Suddenly, this country is seriously considering rounding up an estimated 12 million undocumented workers for deportation. A country that prides itself on family values, yet we are going to rip apart millions of families — and do what with their children who are American citizens? Deport them also? Put them in foster care? Talk about overburdening our social services. If the minimum wage had kept pace with the rise in executive salaries since 1990, America's poorest-paid workers would be making $23.05 an hour instead of $5.15. Why aren't we demanding that the minimum wage be raised and American businesses (the source of the problem) be prosecuted for illegal hiring practices? Linda Jiler, Eugene
THE WAR AT HOME "Mother," a simple small cedar box, had rested on our kitchen shelf for more than 30 years. Thirty years of living in innocent country bliss. My home, a joy to come home to after a hard day of work was always waiting, open and welcoming. The meth addict who slinked into our home must have flashed a sick grin when he realized Mother contained more than small personal trinkets. Mother also contained our house keys, car keys, credit and bank cards. The chain saw from my shop and the binoculars from our coffee table were just icing on the tweaker's heist. A call to cancel the cards stopped the financial damage, but the emotional damage will last forever. Coming home now to our locked country fortress is not a joy, but a dread of possible deadly confrontation with a drug-crazed addict. I only hope that our leaders realize that the real war against its citizens is not thousands of miles away or crossing our borders. The war is here, innocent citizens being terrorized by unrehabilitated meth addicts released time after time into the sanctity of our homes. Michael T. Hinojosa, Drain
KILLING CONTINUES Speaking of liberal and blue-state supporters seeing red — alleged Democrats DeFazio and Wyden continue to vote to fund the war and try to defend their votes as "supporting the troops." With this type of skewed reasoning, we would continue to send people to kill and be killed forever. Beyond the obvious common sense factor that sending more troops to the bloody mess in Iraq is as far away from any notion of supporting them as can be, the entire U.S. presence in Iraq is illegal. If in fact we were there to take out a brutal dictator, our work there is done. Let's face it — there is no rebuilding going on in Iraq. It is in a state of civil war. The only building effort is installing 14 U.S. permanent military facilities. I'd love to hear DeFazio and Wyden explain and justify the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Let's review the big picture of why the U.S. feels the need or justification to take prisoners halfway across the world to a makeshift prison, declare them non-prisoners, and hold them captive for years at a time with no due process. The U.S. is in violation of a long list of international laws, and our progressive, Democratic politicians are doing nothing about it. I, for one, refuse to give future votes to these alleged Democrats, who occasionally do something right, but more often fail to represent the people on such serious matters. Fran Gillespie, Eugene
FOREST SACRIFICE Nothing better demonstrates the need to end commercial logging on our public lands than the U.S. Forest Service's recent decision to open up Oregon's last roadless forests to clearcut logging. This sacrilege proves that unless we keep our national forests completely off limits to taxpayer-subsidized corporate extraction, the timber barons will find a loophole large enough to drive their logging trucks through. Clearly none of the current protections are enough when the largest unprotected roadless area remaining in Oregon (bordering the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the Biscuit Fire area) is on the chopping block, and one of the last healthy salmon runs in the Coast Range, Indigo Creek, is threatened with landslides and massive siltation. Gov. Kulongoski has already sent a letter to the USFS opposing these roadless area sales (albeit without any media.) Yet Sen. Wyden and Congressman DeFazio — both of whom claim to be pro-environment — have yet to do the same, despite assurances from their staffs that a letter has already been written, just not sent. Meanwhile, it's been two months since that promise, and the June auction date of these sales is rapidly approaching. Please urge supposedly "green" Wyden and DeFazio to keep their promises and send out the letters immediately! Also remind them that the only effective way to get any real protection for our public lands is to end the taxpayer subsidized corporate destruction of our forests! Contact them in Eugene: Wyden at 431-0229; Defazio at 465-6732 Scott Humason , Eugene
UNBELIEVABLE Although it's remarkable, I am not surprised that in a city full of wanna-be "hippies" (will somebody PLEASE tell these people that the funeral for the hippie was held in Haight-Ashbury in 1969 already), a true legend from the '60s and beyond, Johnny Winter, receives no mention in this posturing rag you call a newspaper. Unbelievable.
W. Lee Johnson, Eugene
EDITOR'S NOTE: Johnny Winter's photo and venue listing were in our Night Life section last week. We did not receive advance promotional material.
ENOUGH ENVIROS Eighty percent of the American public claim to be "environmentalists." So why are we trembling on the brink of ecological devastation? Perhaps what we need aren't more environmentalists but more involved citizens taking active roles advocating for change. If a tree is cut on your public lands and you quietly disagree from your living room couch, does anyone hear you? Understandably, most people just want to relax after a hard day's work. What if businesses donated an hour a week of their employees' time to a local nonprofit? A business could repay the community for its financial support, while enhancing its public image. What if people combined some of their socializing with advocacy? At a neighborhood potluck, what if everyone spent 10 minutes writing a letter condemning logging in their drinking water supply? Instead of spoiling the party, this sort of group effort would only strengthen the bonds between people. Of course, no one wants to be serious all the time. What's the point of living if you can't take the time to enjoy it? But the reason we are afforded the luxuries of being able to say what we want, hold whatever beliefs we want, and associate with whomever we want, is because countless people have given their blood, sweat and tears — even their lives! — to ensure that we have those liberties. Do we not owe the same to our children's children? Don't they deserve the same freedoms and opportunities that we all too often take for granted? If we do not act now, future generations will curse our names. And would they not be justified in doing so? Josh Schlossberg, Eugene
SNEAKY DISTRACTION Barbara Raisbeck (6/1) recommends that citizens wanting the truth about 9/11 complicity watch the film Loose Change for the other side of the story. Unfortunately, Loose Change is a Karl Rove style dirty trick — a true conclusion (9/11 complicity) polluted with lots of fake evidence. Most of the specific claims in Loose Change (and similar offerings) are bogus and long ago discredited by 9/11 truth activists. One of the most outrageous hoaxes is the fake claim that Flight 93 (the fourth plane) actually landed in Cleveland, and the passengers then killed by covert operatives. The reality is simpler — Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania, but the testimony from eyewitnesses and the physical evidence suggests it was actually shot down. A list of reviews is at www.oilempire.us/loose-change.html and deconstruction of the "no plane hit Pentagon" hoax is at www.oilempire.us/pentagon.html and better films that focus on real evidence of 9/11 complicity are listed at www.oilempire.us/movies.html Mark Robinowitz, Eugene
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