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THE PARKING LOT BIG BANG It's 10:06 pm, and a big half-moon hangs in the sky over fireworks, and happy noise and innocent gunpowder smoke in every direction. Every Fourth of July I bike over to the Price Chopper (ahem ... Ray's Market) parking lot to enjoy squads of parents taking turns blowing up their empty parking space with sparklers, glittering fountain cones and things that spin and glitter like spiral nebula with a quasar in the middle! Who finds those rockets that really, really go up, and where? Even wolf-packs of teens are hanging out, chain smoking, the guys lighting fireworks while trying to stay cool, their girls trying to disappear into their boyfriend's jackets, smiling like they know this happiness isn't forever, but it's here and now. I've been coming here to celebrate the Fourth of July every year since 1992 when I moved here to Cottage Grove, poor, actually down and out, having been car-jacked out of my beloved van on my way out of L.A.. I struggled two years to get my place in Frontier Mobile Home Park, and then worked another 10 before getting my little 1930s pocket-sized house out on 6th. To me, the Fourth isn't military might and the U.S. is always right, the way it sounds on TV these last few years. It isn't once a year, either. For me Independence Day is every day I join my friends for coffee and a lot of hot talk about political topics that we can enjoy without worrying the king's soldiers will bust in and drag us off. Independence Day is every day I go to the Buddhist Center on the road by the river and practice my religion without worrying I'll be run out of town for practicing an "unofficial" religion. Independence Day is every day I make the rounds and visit my friends that are even more eclectic and diverse than this old hippie's record collection, glad I can welcome all of my friends to join bread together, (a rather Christian sentiment, don't you think?). Independence Day is every day I write my poetry and stories just the way I want to and don't have to worry about some Certified Academy of Art or Public Opinion. I do appreciate what my country has allowed me to enjoy and I am, as a history buff, well aware of what it all cost, and will continue to cost. But for me, landing on an aircraft carrier with a banner reading "Mission Accomplished" isn't close to as inspiring as pausing in the parking lot when it gets dark enough for everybody to burn through their fireworks as if there were no tomorrow. And it isn't the "Star Spangled Banner" that is the theme music in my head — it's "America the Beautiful." Harald Sundt, Cottage Grove
NOT IN THE MOOD A note to our new neighbors: Forgive us if we haven't brought over a hot dish to welcome you into the neighborhood. It's not that we haven't thought of it. I guess we're just not in the welcoming kind of mood. And here's why: You most likely moved into our south hills neighborhood for the same reasons that we did: • To live among the beauty of some of Eugene's last tracts of forests. • To avoid the noise of downtown, away from busy streets and city commotion. • To have a safe place to raise a family. However, these are the contributions you have made by moving into our neighborhood: • You have cleared away large swaths of forests to build your brand new sprawling (eyesore) homes. • You have introduced the maddening sounds of construction, complete with heavy truck traffic, power tools whining and hammers banging, from early morning to evening, six days a week, for the past year. • You recklessly race around in your SUVs, endangering neighborhood children, pets and wildlife (not to mention kicking up dust clouds that settle on our properties and homes). While we respect your rights to own property and live wherever you choose, we condemn you for compromising the very qualities that make (made) the south hills such a wonderful place to live. This is why there hasn't been any neighborhood housewarming party. In case you were wondering. Ben Castle, Eugene
COME ON DOWN! To paraphrase Mark Twain, the news of the death of downtown has been greatly exaggerated! As a downtown retailer, I urge EW and Alan Pittman to take a break from casting stones and look instead at what is working downtown. Take a look at our library and the McDonald Theatre block, stroll over to Broadway and Pearl for some shopping and a bite to eat, then head down to the gallery district near 8th and Willamette for a glass of wine and a slice of fine art. The key elements that are energizing downtowns around the country are very straightforward: housing, retail and cultural entertainment. In Eugene we are slowly but surely adding those elements. Our new courthouse by Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne will be a very large feather in our cap as well. Real solutions are happening all around downtown. Calling all entrepreneurial spirits: Come on down; business is great! Aimee R. Allen, Letterhead Fine Paper & Gifts
MARKED FOR DEATH I was walking downtown and at 549 W. Broadway, a tree was marked with a large "X" in white spray paint, and a stapled notice indicated the fate of this giant tree. My heart sank with the realization that another of these pioneer trees was going to fall. "It's a public hazard," the notice read, "to be removed after June 19th." I had noticed, a couple weeks prior, a limb that had broken off close to the ground. I just knew that the "urban forester" would be itching to cut another one of these life-sustaining beauties. I have been called before to inquire: Why does the fate always lie in removing/killing the tree? Never given answers as to creative ways to think outside the box and save the trees, a standard rote answer becomes the norm. I question what is termed a "public hazard," when all around, you see things that clearly are a hazard but are somehow overlooked; "Not enough evidence linking … more studies needed." And the best of all, the city of Eugene sanctioned skateboard parks that require no head protection. Now that is what I call a "liability." Here is a case where you have a giant of a tree, at least 100 years old, whose canopy has shaded and given shelter to numerous critters throughout its life, who has replaced our polluted air with life-giving oxygen, and has now become a "hazard" due to a lost limb. Try as I might, I do not understand. Sure, they are replaced with a much smaller type tree species, but nothing compared to the grand cathedral currently standing. I just wish that more creative means, more thought, and less standard rote answers were considered before taking the life of these giving trees. Sheri Steiner, Eugene
NO LEG TO JOG ON In response to Christian Bagge's jog with the prez, it's ironic that neither has a leg to stand on, and his running-mate was the very one who "de-feeted" him in the first place. Lori Kasprzak, Eugene
TINY TENANT Among the words from Mr. Woolley (6/22) remarking on one of his Broadway properties: "We did put a little tiny tenant in there on a month-to-month basis." Commercial restaurant property on a month-to-month? Violators of the dress code beware. This ain't over. Tom Tracey, Eugene
FAIR IS FAIR I usually enjoy reading Sally Sheklow's "Living Out" column. She often makes me laugh and she sometimes challenges my assumptions as a white, middle-aged, heterosexual (straight but not narrow), married male. But fair is fair! In her June 15 column, she writes: "A het couple in an Escalade glare down at me." ... and, she would know the couple was heterosexual how? They had "het" tattooed on their foreheads? They were engaging in "heterosexual acts" while driving down the freeway? Or, they just "looked" het? (We all look alike, don'tcha' know!) C'mon, Sally, take a look at your own assumptions and don't expect from others what you don't provide or, at least, acknowledge that we all make assumptions. Chuck Hauk, Eugene
GREAT ROLE MODELS I appreciate your coverage of the young activists, Iana and Ishi, who are attempting to inspire our youth to better themselves through free speech (news story 6/29). I applaud Iana and Ishi for speaking before the county commissioners on behalf of young people, especially those on the street. We need more role models like these two young idealists. The issue here appears to be a lack of due process. The county apparently pulled the plug on the amplified sound because of complaints from street vendors. I recommend that the commissioners meet in the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza without amplification and reconsider their decision. Richard Hughes, Eugene
RULE OF LAW FOR ALL! In the recent days and weeks, allegations of crimes against Iraqi civilians — murder, rape and torture — by the U.S. troops have increased dramatically. For the sake of all involved, the International Criminal Court in The Hague should examine the claims, gather the facts and, if the allegations seem to be credible, charge the parties responsible. Oh, I forgot. The U.S. government does not recognize ICC and will not join the vast majority of the nations in signing on to the agreement. It's following the policy of covering up the crimes or the policy of prosecuting the foot soldiers and not the higher-ups in Washington. Once again the American double standard prevails. We support war crimes prosecution for the whole world, but we exempt ourselves. Oh, I get it. Pete Mandrapa, Eugene
ENLIGHTEN THE DOGS I went to a County Commission meeting this week, and here we all are: the commissioners up on their dias, and the rest of the Chamber of Commerce. I'm here to witness these fine gentlemen (and a couple of business-femmes) like dogs on a stick. This time they propose a countywide income tax to repair the damage to the failing infrastructure. Enlightened governance? Forget it. All county tax money must be transferred to the criminal system, the chamber commands. For you see, the county inadvertently lost its snazzy SWAT Team in the neo-con apocalypse of the public good. Their proposal appears to be that they want to replace the property tax with a flat income tax (all other scenarios described as prohibitively expensive), and this new tax will be dedicated to go toward financing policing, prosecuting and jails only (with a little bone thrown to offender rehabilitation). In other words, a bunch of businessmen got together and decided they didn't want to pay property tax anymore, and that they wanted the poor of Lane County to dig deep into their sad little paychecks to pay for more cops, jails and prosecutors to keep the businessmen's property safe — from the impoverished taxpayers? Yeah, they trot out The Meth. "It's a CRISIS!" we repeat. And they trot out some poor recovering alcoholics and victims of crime, most all of whom cry while testifying. It's shameless. We need a big turnaround in civility. We need to increase taxes because we need some non-authoritarian infrastructure, like education and public amenities, that provide for our welfare. Our fearless business leadership keeps insisting that public goods and services are expendable while demanding we collectively pay for their private security. Why, I ask, does anyone vote a businessman into public office? Are we not beleaguered enough? Mara Fridell, Eugene
DÉJÀ VU? Let's see, 40 years ago we had a lying, devious, unethical, and deceitful Texan leading our nation in an immoral, dishonest, fraudulent, and dishonorable "conflict" on the other side of the planet. Today, we have a lying, devious, unethical and deceitful Texan leading our nation in an immoral, dishonest, fraudulent, and dishonorable "conflict" on the other side of the planet. Is there something wrong with this picture? The similarities are sickening. We prop up a puppet government with grandiose assurances that this will engender "democracy" elsewhere, etc. I could go on paragraph after paragraph. For close to 200 years we were an awe-inspiring, ethical, virtuous, honorable, and principled country; admired, envied, if not outright loved, by many peoples of our world. What in the hell have we become over the last three to four decades? In our national character, we seem to have replaced the word "humility" with the word "arrogance." God save us all, since we don't seem willing or capable of saving ourselves. Terry Heintz, Eugene
FACTS NOT FABLES Hypocrisy in support of Israel by fundamentalist Christians is made vivid for anyone driving past the Church of the Harvest on Fox Hollow Road. At the top of a new flagpole on the church grounds flies a banner with the Star of David centered on a background of white, the flag of Israel. While it may startle at first sight, it is legal — the privilege of any private group. But what I learned from a man in the church office gives it disturbing implications. He said church members fully support flying Israel's flag since the church has strong links with Judaism, which produced Christianity's Old Testament. Fair enough. Things took an ominous turn when he said it supports Israel "taking full control of Jerusalem." Some evangelicals believe this is necessary to allow for the so-called "rapture" of the Second Coming. Research reveals overt support of Israel serves priorities only of evangelical Christians. If the rapture were to arrive, fundamentalist lore asserts Jews must choose to convert to its brand of Christianity. If they don't, they are condemned to hell with all others who do not accept faith-based extremism. The choice would not be hard to make for those whose behavior is based on facts, not fables of faith. George Beres, Eugene
WARNING I have been trying to get signatures for an initiative to have parent notification — not permission — but just to be notified 48 hours before their daughters 17 years and younger have an abortion. It amazes me so many people have the idea it must be someone else's child having the abortion. They think the girl's parents must be terrible people and have no right to be told about a medical procedure to be done to their child before it is done. I don't know how this is allowed in the first place since they can't get a driver's license without parent/guardian consent. They can't have a cough drop at school without parental knowledge, so why do people think this medical procedure is OK to do behind the parents' backs? Why are they allowed to be taken to an abortion clinic to have a major medical procedure done by a doctor they don't know? The doctor normally has never seen them before. Who pays for the abortion? We all do with our tax dollars. The parents pay for the messed up abortions when their daughter is hemorrhaging or becomes so depressed that she tries to kill herself, or a number of other complicated medical issues. Parents have a right to know what is going on with their child. This initiative allows for judicial intervention if warranted. Twenty-eight states have parental notification before an abortion or any other medical procedure is done to their child. It is working for them. Of course parents may be upset when they find out their daughter is pregnant, but it isn't any more upset if their child needed an appendectomy or had cancer. Come on, folks, we need to get back to common sense. Give parents back their rights. Please help get this initiative on the ballot. It's your child or grandchild I'm talking about. Arlene Link, Springfield
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