 |
  |
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||
STEWART'S DECIDING VOTE On Wednesday, June 7, I had the rare privilege of watching my County Commissioner Faye Stewart cast the deciding vote to approve his father's Measure 37 claim on the Lane County Board of Commissioners. Let me make it clear that I had no idea that the Stewart M37 claim was on the agenda of the County Commission work session. I had shown up out of interest of another M37 issue near Svarverud Road where I used to live. To his credit, Commissioner Stewart did originally declare a "conflict of interest," but he must have known of the "rule of necessity" that would require him to cast the deciding vote. I am not the tiniest bit surprised at Commissioner Stewart's vote. I would have been shocked if he had joined with Commissioners Dwyer and Sorenson in voting against his daddy. I am sure I am not the only one who figured out that if the Stewart family waited for Commissioner-elect Bill Fleenor to replace Anna Morrison, the 3-2 vote might not have been such a lead pipe cinch. While nothing illegal took place at the commissioners' work session, it wouldn't have smelled nearly as bad if the public had been notified so interested parties could have watched Stewart vote for familial gain. As it was, I was the only individual present who wasn't paid to be there. The R-G story Sunday, June 4, says that Bruce Stewart gave Faye at least one plot of land previously. Does Commissioner Stewart get more out of this M37 windfall? If he does, then it will be through legally using his office to vote the approval that makes it happen. He is using his office to try to give us a nice countywide sales tax. The only truly correct thing for Stewart to have done would to have been to vote against his father's M37 claim when compelled to vote. Better yet, the board should have sent the thing off to Circuit Court. Where I work, I get annual training about avoiding even the appearance of an ethics violation. Commissioner Stewart's actions clearly fill this definition. Although many of his constituents undoubtedly see no problem with voting for relatives' interests in elected office, it will never quite stand close scrutiny in the bright light of day for many of us. Let us remind Stewart of this decision should he ever decide to run for re-election. Commissioner Stewart, do the right thing and resign your office. Shame, shame, shame. Norm Maxwell, Lorane
SKINNER AND KESEY I appreciate Dan Carol's column (6/1) about downtown sites, but my beholding and his of the Eugene Skinner statue differ. The statue, designed by James Carpenter, is accurate. The expression is not depressed. Maybe he's a little dumbfounded; I do sense some bemusement, maybe a touch of "What the ...?" Carpenter is a fine cartoonist, and the expression invites the viewer to supply one's own thought balloon. Skinner was a mousy-looking guy. Think Dylan on the John Wesley Harding cover minus the cryptic subtext. A piece of columnar basalt from Skinner Butte is a seat for E. Skinner and any passer-by who wishes to join him. I've enjoyed seeing the many companions and adornments he invites. This is a popular photo-op for visitors to Eugene, and this aspect would be lost were the sculpture moved. Regarding the Kesey plaza and the statue by Pete Helzer, the city seems to have an unwritten policy of no new fountains. When the plaza was reworked, Forouz Carpets proposed putting a doorway in the wall and serving at tables. The wall was considered inviolate, but this may have been a lost opportunity. Kesey reading to kids is OK, I guess, but this will probably be the only statue of Kesey the city will have. It does not attempt to portray the salient points of his public character. John Rose, Eugene
ONLY SO TOLERANT The news brief "UO Approves Diversity Plan" (6/1) confirms the blatant hypocrisy of some of those who cooked it up. When professor Ellis speaks against it he is "booed and hissed." When professor Summers speaks in favor, he is given a "standing ovation." These proponents want "diversity" only if it follows their strict, leftist interpretation and tolerate only those who agree with them. I'm hoping that Oregon taxpayers get really tired of funding this institution. Jerry Ritter , Rural Springfield
REALITY RECRUITING I enjoyed reading the article by Michael Williams, "Confronting Recruiting," in the (5/25) Weekly. I found it inspiring when I read that protesters had succeeded in helping the National Guard become more honest by changing their billboard from "100% Tuition Paid" to "Tuition $4500 + G.I. Bill." The fact that the Guard changed the billboard really proves the power of protests. Recruiters should also be very real and candid when convincing our young people to make life-altering decisions like joining our military. The recruiters need to inform their recruits that there is a potential that they may be killed or badly disfigured. We are at war after all. Once recruited, the soldier may be placed in precarious situations where poor leadership and hive mentality causes the deaths of innocent women and children. They then may have to live with the memory of collateral damage (innocent people who died because of their actions). I wonder how many recruits were involved in Haditha or Abu Ghraib? These young soldiers may have to fight an unpopular war that was started under false pretense. If the recruits survive this , they may return home with post traumatic stress disorder which can give them anxiety attacks and war flashbacks for years to come. The good news is the recruits will get $4,500 tuition + G.I Bill. Steve Brown, Eugene
BIT OF HISTORY In your 5/16 "Culture of Whiteness" cover story, you left out an important date in the "History of Eugene's Race Politics" chronology you put together. It was May 17, 1988 when Jesse Jackson received the most votes of any candidate in Lane County's Democratic Presidential Primary. Thought it was worth mentioning. Bob Saltz, Eugene
WHO BENEFITTED? We should base our opinion on 9/11 not on speculation or lies but on science and motivation. Who had the greatest financial motivation for 9/ll? Who had the greatest political motivation for 9/11? Who did the most cover up on 9/11? Who holds the most secrets for 9/11? Who stage-managed the 9/11 investigation after fighting for no investigation at all? Who has resisted bringing true science into the investigation? Who resisted bringing bomb and demolition experts into the investigation? The answer is blowing in the winds of corruption and dominion. The answer is the Bushies to all of the above questions. The preponderance of the evidence in answer to all the above questions points to the Bushies. If we had an impeachment trial for the Bushies, proof and preponderance would squarely point to the Bushies. IMPEACH! Bob Saxton, Eugene
RESPECT! THE TROOPS! I could honestly care less what your political affiliation is! You could be a Democrat, Republican, facsist, communist, anarchist, monarchist, liberal or conservative, and if you are on drugs, then perhaps all of the above! My point is as follows: As Americans we sometimes take things for granted and can appear to be spoiled brats! In the great scheme of things, we have an abundance of freedom and privilege, and we more often then not, take that for granted! We as a whole do not fully comprehend nor respect that the men and women in our armed forces give us what we have! These brave people certainly deserve our respect. They are not political! They just follow orders! And traditionally our soldiers might have even possibly liberated a few world citizens that may have otherwise been mass murdered for the almighty crime of having the wrong color, ethnicity, language, gender, or religion, or at the very least lived the remainder of their sad lives living in tyranny and oppression! I believe supporting our troops is not a political issue, and I humbly ask all that read this to not make it one! This war in Iraq is not Vietnam, and George Bush is not, and will NEVER be Hitler, and to think that, in my humble opinion is delusional! It just seems to me that sometimes, some of our biggest peace activists are the ones who appear to hate the most on occasion. Tom Bush, Eugene
NOT TALKING TO YOU Often, my friends and I make similar comments. One of the topics that comes up is "Why do they talk to themselves?" People everywhere, chatting to themselves; in grocery stores, in bookstores, speaking to the ethereal other on the far end of their cell phones. What they don't consider are the people who are, for lack of a better word, talking to themselves, not out of a sense of connection, but on the other end of the spectrum. Looked down upon, scorned and humiliated, they stand as outsiders in our affluent culture. Give them change, certainly. Invite them over for dinner, never. But the citizens of Eugene seem to overlook the middle road that some people occupy. Not everyone with an illness of the brain is homeless. They go about living ordinary lives; paychecks and health insurance are the foremost things in their worry box. But I can guarantee that these people live with the emotional backlash of decades of ridicule and systematic abuse at the hands of dominant society. The culture is under-developed and the community is stunted. Until they are given their due as survivors and potential leaders, a minority goes undervalued. People are afraid to give voice to positive ideas of mental illness and the community that goes with it. So, I formally invite everyone living in Eugene-Springfield to start asking questions instead of pointing fingers. William Brundage, Eugene
UP WITH SALLY! I write to oppose Tim Baxter's (6/1) put-down of Sally Sheklow. I am straight but not narrow (and have a button to prove it) and I enjoy her columns very much. I especially laughed all through the one about straight people — we can't help it if we are straight. Please do not get rid of her column. Mr. Baxter can avoid reading it if it bores him. Patricia Miller, Cottage Grove
AN APOLOGY I felt sick after reading Ms. Danica Stiles' viewpoint piece "Pesky Ignorance" (6/8). Mostly because she has some good points, and I want to apologize for offending her and others. It was not my intention to offend with "Pesky Immigrants" (5/25) but to point out that many people think the current view of building walls between the U.S. and Mexico is wrong, and that the immigration policies being considered are poor. I really did a bad job of it. SORRY. J.K. Larkin, Eugene
BUNNY IN THE INKBLOT The reader response to J.K.Larkin's satirical piece "Pesky Immigrants" (5/25) brought to mind sage advice from Mark Twain: "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." The reader (6/8) who admitted that he had reread Larkin's piece "umpteen" times without comprehending it unwittingly made the most honest and true statement of all of the detractors. These people were very upset about a style of writing that they obviously did not understand. Accusations flew: racism, bad writing technique, Northern European elitism (this accusation itself a racist statement). When confronted with a Rorschach Inkblot Test, it is very revealing what some people will see. I frankly was amazed at the racism that these readers found in Larkin's writing. I saw a bunny. There are individuals who still believe to this day that Randy Newman has it out for Short People. Or that he personally wants to Keep The Darkies Down. What the satirically challenged did not understand about "Pesky Immigrants" is that it was not Larkin's view that Latinos are only good for manual labor; it is the view of much of America. Writing that an attitude exists is not to accept it as your own. Satirists must live with the fact that they will often be misunderstood and frequently accused of promoting the very attitudes that they satirize. That must be why Randy Newman composes movie soundtracks now. Better money, less hate mail. Further angering these self-styled critics was the casual, comfortable style that Larkin writes in. He often makes sweeping statements without backing them up with proper citations and hard facts. He fence straddles. He jumps the fence. He pretends there is no fence. That makes it very hard to give the party-approved responses to this kind of random writing. This forces independent thinking on the part of the reader, an experience that infuriates some people. Especially after they have reread the article umpteen times and still were unable to come up with a single original idea of their own. Singing lessons are wasted on some people. Michael Backus, Eugene
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
