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PR FAILURE Reading the interview with Don Woolley (6/22) reassured me that the "failure" to develop downtown according to the C&W plan is actually a tremendous blessing: Despite his assurances to the contrary, and his repeated references to irrelevant "chatter," the plan (again) seems like little more than a template of national retail shops that can be found in any major city anywhere in America. In other words, a $165 million consumerism monument masquerading as a public space — hardly unique, interesting or groundbreaking, let alone functional for anyone without disposable income. More important than a debate over aesthetics or function, however, is an examination of the utter condescension Mr. Woolley exhibits toward his own community. Perhaps what he terms a "lack of sophistication" is really just an awareness of developmental mediocrity, uninspired planning and transparent greed. There couldn't be any greater proof than his dichotomous attitude regarding downtown parks. I would speculate he wouldn't have trouble reallocating funding or brainstorming unique solutions to such "financial choices" if it also happened to fit his bottom line. But then again, developers don't often make money off public parks. Eugene deserves better — and no amount of Jenny Ulum's public relations will change that. Peter Alilunas, Eugene
BIODIESEL FOR FAMILIES In late May, I totaled my Subaru. I decided I wanted a biodiesel car, and after doing some research, I decided that a Volkswagen Jetta station wagon diesel would be the best car to get. Having kids and dogs, I needed a car which would hold everybody. When I went to the Volkswagen dealership, I found out that they stopped making that particular car in 2005. Needing a car right away, I settled for a gas powered station wagon (I wanted to avoid buying an SUV or a minivan). To my dismay, my car only gets 20 MPG in town and 15 on the highway. The lack of diesel larger cars was both disappointing and surprising. As I could not afford to buy a Mercedes diesel station wagon, my choice was extremely limited. Why are there not more biodiesel cars that serve a family's needs? As a society, we must push for more biodiesel options since the automobile industry seems not to be getting it. Darcy Wienshienk, Eugene
ILLEGAL WAR Although usually in agreement with Mr. DeFazio (Viewpoint, 6/22), I find his continued rationalization of Iraq war funding unpersuasive. An aggressive war by any other name (pre-emptive, preventive, elective) is just as abhorrent to mankind, which has prohibited these by international law since 1928 following the horrors of WWI. Nazis were tried and executed at Nuremberg for planning and waging aggressive war. The principle that armed force is permissible only in self-defense is enshrined in the U.N. Charter, the Nuremberg Charter and other international covenants to which the U.S. is a signatory. This is also American law. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution defines our international treaty commitments as the "supreme law of the land." Opposition to the Iraq war is not simply a liberal political viewpoint or a foreign policy option, but reflects the lawful, institutionalized will of the peoples of the earth. By ending funding, Congress has the power to stop our country's outlaw role in the world. Plainly stated, Iraq funding is complicity in ongoing war crimes. According to the Nuremberg Principles, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the U.S. Army Field Manual on the Laws of War, military personnel are obligated to refuse any illegal order. These principles form the intended defense of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada at Ft. Lewis in pending actions against him for refusing deployment to Iraq. It is shameful that a 28-year-old company grade Army officer must bear the moral burden evaded by our elected representatives in the halls of Congress. Jack Dresser, Springfield
WRAP BEFORE USE The EW (6/22) and Flux magazine profiles of UO student Cree Gordon were poignant. I applaud his prevention efforts. Gordon is part of nearly every risk group targeted by HIV prevention specialists. He is an HIV-positive biracial youth who lost his bottom virginity while drugged up and is a former homeless "smart ho" who earned money having unprotected "survival sex" with at least 40 other men. Of course, being part of a risk group is not required to be infected. HIV does not discriminate. I therefore wonder why so many young gay men are having bareback sex? Only 32 percent always use condoms, according to a scientific random sample from the nationwide college student alcohol study published in the November 2002 issue of the Journal of American College Health. More recent studies suggest an even lower number. An editorial in the June 2006 American Journal of Public Health explained how the "moral values" of our "fundamentalist Christian religious right" government has resulted in ineffective prevention programs for sexually transmitted infections. Efforts to honestly address key risk factors, such as the risks of unprotected fellatio compared to receptive anal sex, have been censored. Thomas Kraemer, Corvallis
POPPING OFF Well, it's that time of year again. My dog takes refuge under the bed for the next three weeks. It seems that some folks are so insecure with their shallow lives they must set off firecrackers at all hours of the day/night to be heard. "Let's drink some beer and make some noise and draw more attention to our pathetic selves." I guess the old pickup isn't invasive enough. Maybe it's a genital thing. If you feel so miserable with your own lives I am sorry for you, but please don't pass it on to us. Colin Campbell, Eugene
REAL ESTATE BATTLE So you think the Bush administration is planning on leaving Iraq? The American Embassy, 104 acres being built on the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad, says otherwise. And mind you, Halliburton is in charge and employing imported labor from Kuwait. This of course does wonders for the morale of the Iraqi people, with over half of them unemployed. The size of this project challenges the Vatican and is comparable to the Mall of America. While Iraqis suffer through daily 22-hour blackouts, light floods the project 24/7. How can we call this 8,000 person embassy, with thousands of military personnel necessary to defend them, other than a permanent base? So, thousands will run the country, giving orders to the Iraq government, and dare not leave this "green zone" for fear of their lives. This is not a war we're fighting, for Mr. Bush has already told us "Mission Accomplished." We are an occupier, holed up in the world's largest bunker. And we all know what history teaches us about occupiers. I wonder how the Iraqi people view the residents of this new palace? Christopher Michaels, Eugene
CHRISTIANS SAFE City endeavors to keep a Christian cross on publicly owned hilltop. In the face of legal challenge, cross declared "war memorial." Attempts to sell property to private interests fail. Courts ultimately decide in favor of Constitution, declaring "cross must go." Sound familiar? Of course it does. Only this isn't Eugene 10 years ago, but San Diego, just this June. The "theo-cons" certainly don't give up. The latest controversies are over The Da Vinci Code, which apparently dares point an accusatory finger at the "apolitical" Catholic church, and the UO's student Insurgent, wherein are published cartoons mocking Christianity in a manner similar to recent ones regarding Islam. Letters and editorials decrying these "attacks" on Christianity abound, particularly in The Register-Guard (which, incidentally, seems to have no compunctions against printing correspondence attacking Islam in what would otherwise be termed "hate speech"). "Christianity threatened," my ass. Christians have TV shows, even their own networks. The "In God We Trust" on our money and "Under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance — does anyone really think this deity is any other than the Christian god? Some 85 percent of the U.S. populace claim to be Christians. And if you're in the slam, what's a good way to get parole? Why, announce that you're a "born again Christian." Furthermore, when was the last time you heard some serious candidate for high office proclaim that he or she was not an adherent of some kind of Judeo-Christian mythos? I wish my lack of beliefs were under this kind of "attack." Bill Smee, Springfield
GREED IS BAD In their June 9 op-ed piece for The New York Times ("The Corner Office In Bangalore"), contributors Lawrence Orlowski and Florian Lengyel propose that American corporations, which have been actively moving factories and call centers to other countries in order to lower costs, start applying the same market logic to the high costs of corporate management. Specifically, they recommend outsourcing chief executives! The writers note that outsourcing manufacturing and services has led to higher chief executive compensation at the expense of shareholder profit. In fact, several orders of magnitude now separate the compensation of American and overseas executives. According to the Federal Reserve, in 2004 the average American chief executive's compensation was 170 times that of the average American worker. For comparison, in Britain it was 22 times greater, and in Japan only 11. Here's a sobering statistic: An American chief executive, who is paid an average of $11.3 million annually, gets rewarded enough in one year to exceed the lifetime standard of living of 99.99 percent of the world's population. Think about it. Although their opinion was delivered tongue-in-cheek, I have to agree with the writers: What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Or the lizard. We seem to be living in the Gordon Gecko "Greed is good!" moment. Is the contribution of any one individual worth 170 times any other? Apparently only if it is "Made in America." Benton Elliott, Eugene
COMMON HUMANITY It is true that satire is difficult to write. That's why there is only one Mark Twain. J.K. Larkin is no doubt a better doctor than he is writer. It is also true that many otherwise intelligent and well-educated people cannot comprehend satire. Anyone who writes it will be misunderstood by those who read literally, whether it is well-written or not. What dismays me is the reaction of some letter writers who understood "Pesky Immigrants" (5/25) as an attempt at satire and nevertheless attacked the writer. Why such viciousness? Why are people so mean? It was nothing like "the most offensive screed since the Protocols of the Elders of Zion," and was obviously not intended to offend any minority. These letters are merely one example of the vituperative language we read or hear every day. What is wrong with us? Are we becoming like fundamentalists, wanting to destroy those we disagree with, spiritually if not physically? With unwanted war in Iraq, an apparently criminal leadership in Washington, lying politicians, an economy based on greed and our own inability to change any of it, many of us feel rage rising in ourselves. But attacking other people will only hasten our social disintegration. We need to discover our common humanity and issues we can unite around before we end up killing each other like the people of so many other broken nations. Ellen Spear, Eugene
SCARY LISTENING In 1973, we traveled to Kishinev, part of the Soviet Union. I remember how people in fear of being overheard and reported clustered together to whisper on the streets. When a stranger or foreigner passed by, the group would break apart, keeping their backs to the unknown person. Once the stranger went by, they would turn and huddle together again to talk. Outdoor speakers repeatedly blared patriotic music. When we visited relatives, they turned up the radio and television volume, and we sat in a corner talking: "The walls have ears," they told us. If someone wanted to make a call that connected outside the city, they had to go to a special building, ask for permission, and, of course, were monitored. There was even a large head of Lenin on top of this telephone building. This was all done under the mantle of "patriotism" and "national security." Is this what the Bush-Republican government has planned for America? Robert Rubinstein, Eugene
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