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ONE-SIDED STORY I was surprised — and shocked — by your Slant column and Alan Pittman article (11/30) on the presence of the police in the new City Hall building plans. The opinions of 80 percent of the people who attended the planning sessions were not even mentioned. Was that because they did not agree with you? The reasons for seven of the eight city councilors deciding to separate the police patrol were not mentioned. What gives? Alan's comments on the value of the combined City Hall and police were really weak. Yes, some of the police functions could be moved "upstairs," but the patrol needed the bottom floors with two exits to get the cars out. Their personal cars would have to be "somewhere else." The value of "oversight" was really weak. Detectives should be able to look into lockers — wherever they are. Oversight by other city staff of the city manager is hardly a value. Integrating the "culture" of the police with the rest of the world is sheer imagination. If misbehavior is going on in the police department, then what we need is a performance auditor or a new police chief. We don't need citizen volunteers looking over their shoulders. Councilor Bettman is probably right. If we move the police out of the City Hall plans, a bond measure for a new City Hall would not pass — at least not right now. It's too expensive for our present economy. Getting a site lined up for the future is a good idea. And moving the entire police department out of City Hall is an even better idea. The police chief doesn't need an office next to the city manager any more than the fire chief needs it. Bob Cassidy, Eugene
THE GOOD FIGHT I've never been so excited to read the Weekly. Don't get me wrong, I always peruse it, but it's not my biggest priority. However, this "Flames of Dissent" piece has me pumped — so much so that here I am writing a letter to EW for the first time though I've certainly got other things that need to get done. Kera Abraham is indeed a brave woman, taking on a very difficult topic and writing it very well. I'm not concerned if she got all the facts straight (every piece of reporting is ultimately hearsay and usually ends up being a little misconstrued anyway), but it does seem like she did do her research and tried her damn best. Furthermore, it comes as no surprise to me that this same woman wrote the well-balanced piece on Critical Mass in EW ("Spokes People," 8/10/06). I think you got a keeper, EW. Today, after a wonderful Thanksgiving playing in the snowy forests that we are so blessed with (often with thanks due to said so-called "eco-terrorists"), I came back to town and settled down to the latest installment. Looking at the letters and the strong convictions expressed by Dennis Ramsey, Chris Calef and Steven Glider shows that we really have something to be thankful for regarding this whole situation. It was clearly an important part of Eugene (and Pacific Northwest) history and one which has left an indelible mark. One thing that has made me love Eugene of all places is the fact that many of these and other important, relevant, "life and death issues" are so actively discussed by the community at large. Even the status quo here are better informed, free(er) thinkers than where I'm from, back on the other side of the Mississippi. We need to continue pushing and fighting for whatever we believe in, experimenting and learning as we go how to push and fight better. Keep on fighting the good fight and be thankful for it. Walter Lapchynski, Eugene
BE THE ONE Thanks to Kera Abraham for her historical perspective, "Flames of Dissent." "What is said by great employers of labor against agitators is unquestionably true. Agitators are a set of interfering, meddling people who come down to some perfectly contented class of the community and sow the seeds of discontent amongst them. That is the reason why agitators are so absolutely necessary. Without them, in our incomplete state, there would be no advance towards civilisation" (Oscar Wilde, 1891). Lacey Phillabaum's defense of "the black bloc" seems reasonable to me. PC liberals complain about the mainstream media's focus on these radical groups, but being PC, they fall in line with government actions that disallow anything that isn't PC dissent. We don't all agree on the methods used, but most of us agree that our corporate- and military-controlled government needs to be abolished. Be the one you are. There's room at the table for everyone (with the exception of genderized dictators) as we witness our government's continuing grip on fascism. There should be reserved seating for OSU's Jean Moule and Jerry V. Diller. Thanks to EW and Bryan Andersen for profiling their book Cultural Competence: A Primer for Educators. This book is about the methods we can all agree on — helping to put us in touch with each other. Robert Simms, Corvallis
TWISTY LINGUISTICS Jim Guthrie (11/30 letters) is confused and needs to be set straight: 1) A "Semite" is defined as "a member of any people speaking a Semitic language," which includes Hebrew. Hebrew is spoken by Jews. 2) An "anti-Semite" is one who shows prejudice against Jews or discriminates against or persecutes Jews. Thus, all Jews are Semites; and the government of Israel (which is a Jewish state), cannot, by definition, be anti-Semitic. Get thou to a dictionary, Mr. Guthrie. And see what you can do about that anti-Semitic attitude. Karen Ecker, Eugene
MORAL CHOICES After reading "Ike" Terrance's letter "Radical Loonies" (11/16), it is clear to me that he has missed something that my experience has taught me. While I applaud his interest in the quality of local entertainment and his concern for the environment, his analysis of the situations touched on in "Flames of Dissent" seem shallow. Might that be because a deeper look would threaten his moral standing? In my brief time on this earth, 26 years, I have experienced numerous lifestyles, one of which came while I was enlisted in a branch of this nation's armed services. I had a new car and nice clothes, and I used cologne. However, I gradually began to wake up to the responsibility I had in the death of life. I started making changes in my lifestyle, and became what "Ike" would probably refer to as a "Radical Loony." Example: I abhor unnecessary violence and murder. From what I gather from Ike's concern over the potential for harm to life during acts of eco-sabotage, it sounds like Ike does too. While in the service I adopted a vegan diet, no easy feat. I wonder what Ike's dietary choices are. Some dismiss using non-human animal products as "nature's food chain." The facts are out: Industrial agriculture is not a natural process, and it's inefficient. So how long then till it's me who serves as your commodity? All the "Ikes" out there can dismiss the passionate reactions of peoples as "lunacy" or terrorism, but to them I pose these queries: What is the difference between white power and black power? What is the difference between Israeli aggression and Palestinian aggression? What is the difference between machines that destroy our natural environment and destroying those machines? One is the function of an oppressor, the other the defense of the oppressed. Jake Dutton, Eugene
GETTING SKEWED Reading Cassy Firwood's article (11/22 Gift Guide) on the Pure Romance Party she attended, I had to stop and ask myself why she was so hell-bent on ridiculing both the party process and those who did the presentation. She begins the article misrepresenting the party game ice breaker as a demeaning exercise of why sex is disgusting. Having attended two of these parties myself, I can accurately state that such is not the case. That game had me and my fellow partygoers in stitches, tears flowing from our eyes and gasping for breath. If this party game took on the dimension in her mind of equating sex with a "deep-seated repulsion of hairy, slimy nether regions," I suggest she visit a therapist and not take out her psycho-sexual phobias out on the readers of the Weekly. Ms. Firwood attended that party with an agenda and then gathered information to support her skewed perspective. The last paragraph where she admits purchasing some of the products does little to salvage this biased and unfair article. To accuse these two women of hetero-centrism is laughable. Most of the time these women do use the word partner, and if Ms. Ghiringhelli had a lapse of absolute political correctness who cares? Let he or she who is without guilt hurl that first stone. The items they sell and the attitude they present cater to both the gay and hetero world, and to present it otherwise is inaccurate and unfair. These parties are for fun and profit, and no one is maligned for orientation, and no one is made to feel inadequate if unable to make a purchase. I suggest that Ms. Firwood put down the boxing gloves and pick up some lubricant. Perhaps she'll find that stick in her hind-quarters much easier to accommodate. Carole McClurg, Eugene
LUDICROUS REMARK In response to the shooting death of the athletically and socially gifted, mentally ill 19-year-old, Ryan Salisbury, the remark made by the policeman that shooting a human in the legs will not deter or subdue a human is absurd and ludicrous. I write as a marine veteran of Saipan and Iwo Jima, where it was not uncommon to stop the enemy in his tracks before putting him out of his misery. Ryan Salisbury, though mentally ill, was a promising and positive citizen who had already shown leadership. Police fear is palpable in such confrontational shootings, but it is time for our policemen to be trained to stop people who are not carrying firearms without shooting to kill. Jerry Copeland, Florence
ENEMIES IN BLUE I've been keeping up on the discourse on police brutality and police state both on a local and regional level, and I thought I'd toss my two cents in. I've found a resource that is incredibly useful not only in describing the violent nature of policing but its history as both a politically, socially and racially repressive tool in the U.S. Not to say that policing doesn't have its place; in a society of inequity a counter to the social upheaval, namely crime, must be had, and even in an equal society a system of community security should be present. But instead of reducing the social inequities that contribute to crime, empowering a community to take care of its own problems in an egalitarian way or even being accountable to the public, our governmental structure has created a authority with increasing power and increasingly violent tendencies in response to increasing social unrest, which in turn of course creates more unrest. The resource I mentioned, called Our Enemies in Blue by Kristian Williams, provides an effective look at the results of our form of policing, why it is a favored (if not effective) tool in dealing with social upheaval instead of the causes of it and what we should do about it. I think that we all have a good understanding of the results of our current form of policing, but I don't think so many people understand why or how such a structure arose and is supported. So check it out, read up on it and learn more about it. Only through complete knowledge can complete understanding be had. Sam Hediger, Eugene
KEEP ON JAMMIN' I was disappointed when I was at the Rooster's Blues Jam last week at Good Times and looked on as the manager announced that the blues jam would be canceled after the end of November. I would like to share my thoughts on this briefly. I am sure that the Rooster's Blues Jam will very easily pick up and move to another location. But only for one reason, and that is because of the dedication of two of the true unsung heroes of our local music community: Byron Case and Skip Jones. Both of these highly talented musicians possess a veritable list of credentials and maintain very busy schedules. Yet they take the time to keep these traditions — the core of our local blues and jazz scene — alive and kicking. They also they take a great interest in welcoming new players, finding them a spot and teaching them how to show some class. Byron does the same thing at Joe Fed's jazz jam on Thursday nights. Week after week, they balance the egos of the established stars and patiently encourage the talented newcomers who come in hoping to play, creating a culture of encouragement amongst the musicians. How many musicians who regularly gig around town or who have passed through over the years owe part of their development to the open jam scene and in particular to Rooster, Byron or Skip? I do. I'd like to invite everybody to join me in supporting the open jams and in thanking these special individuals for their efforts. Together, we're gonna keep jazz and blues alive here in Eugene whether absentee club owners like it or not. Brien McMullen, Conjugal Visitors, Eugene
TROOPER ALERT To Gov. Kulongoski: Where are the 150 state troopers you promised to deploy right after the election? I drive between Salem and Eugene on I-5, and in the last 10 trips, I only once saw a state trooper. On Hwy. 99, there are no troopers, but I once saw one Polk County sheriff at a major wreck. Oh, then there was the Polk County sheriff who ignored the five tailgaters travelling at a high rate of speed with their high beams on coming towards me, and instead took off after me because I was going under the speed limit through an intersection (facing the high beams). I believe he thought I was drinking. I was coming from a dry town (Monmouth), whereas the speeders were travelling towards Monmouth after spending the evening in the bars in Corvallis. Makes sense to chase the sober driver, don't you think? Less trouble that way. Anyway, I'd sure appreciate the state troopers. I'm tired of rushing up the freeway at 75 mph with tractor-trailer rigs breathing down my neck and passing me on the right (and going over the center line). I get much better gas mileage at 65, thank you very much. Ann Tattersall, Eugene
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