Letters
Letters
Letters
The Haight-Ashbury culture of
the late ‘60s spread north to
Eugene, developing a partnership
with the established order here
that helped lead to positive qual
ities such as bike paths, recycling,
herbicide controls ... that are now
admired everywhere. Yet, there
was much fear and opposition
along the way. It is hard to believe
now, but even the Saturday Mar
ket was originally seen as a threat.
Now there are those who be
lieve that approval of Eugene’s
Human Rights ordinance (a “no”
on measure 51) is yet another
threat to Eugene. The ordinance
would extend some human rights
to gays, but the fears go beyond
this minimal legal protection. In
the May “Oregon Times" VOICE'S
Maureen Gieber says, “if youths
decide homosexuality is a natural
way to show love, then... then
what?” It is probably the central
question of the opposition. I un
derstand her fear of yet more
change in a rapidly changing
world, but I believe that any
changes implied in measure 51
would be as positive as those
changes we now support which
had roots in Haight-Ashbury a de
cade ago.
Interestingly, San Francisco is
once again the lesson for us, for it
is the most gay of cities. I have just
returned from nearly two years on
leave there immersed in its gay
culture. I believe that approval of
Eugene’s Human Rights ordi
nance actually does little to pro
mote the more openly-gay Eugene
which the opposition fears; but
even if this happened, I believe
that San Francisco teaches us
that the changes would be posi
tive for everyone and can co-exist
comfortably with straighter life
styles.
San Francisco’s gay lawyers,
psychiatrists, realtors, police,
teachers, carpenters, restaurants,
stores, apartments, roller skating,
community centers . .. are not
merely tolerated. They are sup
ported for their values to the city.
People notice, as I did, that a high
percentage of their favorite res
taurants are gay-operated
Straights go to gay discos and
many other gay establishments
simply because they are the best.
Gay incomes and spending are
welcomed by the business com
munity. Gays have a reputation as
hard workers in community public
service. Gay homeowners in San
Francisco are credited with being
the major force in the restoration
of inner-city housing. There has
been no citizen’s campaign to re
peal San Francisco’s recent equi
valent to Eugene’s Human Rights
ordinance.
Defeat of measure 51 would not
create a gay San Francisco here
as some fear, but I believe that
San Francisco is a lesson to those
who fear a more openly gay
Eugene. The lesson is that
Eugene would be merely continu
ing on its present direction of
creating a more humane and sup
portive place for everyone. That
direction has made Eugene the
way we like it now. Trust this direc
tion for the future. Vote “no" on
measure 51.
Michael Shellenbarger
Associate Prof., architecture
Listen to Emily
It grieves me that my friend Bob
Straub must face the challenge in
the Democratic Primary of a
gubernatorial candidate so for
midable as Emily Ashworth of
Coos Bay.
If Emily Ashworth were not so
bright, the challenge could be ig
nored. If she were not so capable,
honest, and knowledgeable about
the issues of the day, one could
brush it over lightly.
Senator Morse recognized
these qualities in Emily Ashworth
when he called upon her to be his
aide in his last successful primary
campaign.
Emily Ashworth, businesswo
man and teacher, could indeed
run the office of governor with effi
ciency and considerable energy.
Already, she has proposed some
sound suggestions with regard to
energy (alternate sources like
solar, thermal, and bio-mass).
She has been warning us against
the proliferation of nuclear plants,
and against the suicidal pattern of
storing more spent nuclear fuel in
Oregon.
Emily is not a one-issue candi
date. She deals with a wide range
of other problems on which she
feels that Governor Straub has
been too indecisive and inactive
(field-burning, herbicide spraying,
much-needed reform of regula
tory commissions, ever-mounting
utility rates in the state, etc.).
I hope that Bob Straub will listen
to Emily Ashworth.
Dorothy Leeper
2760 Agate Str., Eugene
Food for thought
We must admire the level of
political and historical conscious
ness of our fellow Arab students,
and the impact they have made at
large, American universities on
our awareness of the plight of the
homeless Palestinians. However,
if one stops to consider the
number of visiting Arab students
and their means, one cannot help
but wonder if some of the money
spent by their governments in the
last decade to support their North
American education and lifestyle
could not, after all, have been bet
ter spent on food, housing and
medical care for the displaced
Palestinians, (rather than on
propaganda).
Thomas Sorger
Doctoral student, Biology
For Bartels
On May 23, your ballots will in
clude two EWEB races: the Wards
4 & 5 seat (John Bartels vs.
Thomas Teutsch), and the at
large seat (Jack Craig vs. Cal
Schmidt).
I’m writing to urge you to vote for
John Bartels. As many of you
know, I held the Wards 2 & 3
EWEB seat for four years, ad
vocating energy conservation and
solar energy applications, while
opposing further development of
nuclear power.
Although progress in these di
rections at EWEB continues, it is
due primarily to the efforts of only
one of the present board mem
bers, Camilla Pratt (Wards 2 &3). I
know how lonely her role is, and
how tired one becomes after sev
eral years of board meetings
where the infrequent support from
the other four is, at best, cautious.
John Bartels is an outspoken
advocate of ideas I believe in. As a
free-lance writer on energy is
sues, he brought the public s at
tention to the role that the Pacific
Intertie plays in making our North
west an “energy farm’’ for Los
Angeles. With the shrinking of our
surplus hydropower, we would
expect that the Intertie’s useful
ness would diminish. Vet, John
Bartels uncovered plans for a
second Intertie, to take our sur
plus power to Arizona. Is this sur
plus to be generated by nuclear or
coal plants? Why here?
John’s election will certainly en
liven EWEB meetings; he is both
outspoken and articulate. His pre
sence will result in open discus
sion and resolution of issues; his
vote will more nearly balance the
board. (Last year, four-fifths of the
board opposed nuclear
safeguards; three-fifths of Eugene
supported it.) With both John Bar
tels and Camilla Pratt on the
board, EWEB will move faster and
more positively toward energy
conservation and utilization of
local, small-scale energy sources
such as solar power.
Please consider John Bartels
on May 23.
John Reynolds
Peofessor of Architecture
University of Oregon
Ken Bylund
Let’s not be diverted from the
real issues in the Assessor’s
campaign — who is to pay for the
property tax? With millions in tax
dollars at stake, unfair assess
ment formulas can be costly to the
average taxpayer. Unless the
wealthy property owners pay their
full share, the homeowners, rent
ers, and small farmers will bear
an unjust burden. As your elected
assessor, I have:
1. Ended discounts of 40 to 60%
for owners of large subdivisions.
2. Collected over 20 million dol
lars in back taxes. Most delin
quent taxes were owed by
businesses, and I put each one on
a payment schedule.
3. Put commercial and indus
trial accounts on the same au
tomatic increase program
homeowners have faced for
years.
I have ended special favors for
bankers, speculators, and rich in
vestors — and they don’t like it.
My opponents, who are getting
campaign contributions from
these special interests, are mak
ing wild charges and personal at
tacks. News coverage of my con
flicts with the Commissioners and
their appointed Board of Equaliza
tion have made them seem like
petty squabbles. But, in fact, I’ve
been defending the interests of
the average taxpayer against
those of the rich and powerful.
And, I have been winning!
You the voters have a clear
choice among three candidates,
two of whom are tied to special
interests and have failed to put
forward their plans for fair and un
iform taxation, and an advocate
assessor who is working for you.
I’d appreciate your support
through a vote for me on May 23.
Ken Bylund
Lane County Assessor
382 Knoop Lane, Eugene
A matter of rights
I would like to urge all University
persons to vote no on ballot
measure 51. Many people would
have us believe that this is a mat
ter of maintaining some standard
of decency and morality when in
deed it is a matter of insuring the
rights of an oppressed and so
cially isolated group of people.
There is a certain religious bigotry
afoot which declares that it has the
obligation to promote a certain
standard of morality at the ex
pense of the dvil rights of other
people. This bigotry carefully ig
nores the biblical mandates for
justice, mercy and good faith while
rushing off to find rocks for the
stoning of homosexual persons.
This bigotry selectively reads
scripture as a ban on all forms of
homosexuality when in reality the
scripture decries only a lusty,
abusive, use-oriented sexuality
Then sanctimoniously, the bigotry
parades around announcing its
love for the homosexual while tel
ling us that it hates only the
homosexuality.
What homosexual persons are
asking for is the guarantee that
their rights — rights which are
being openly violated — will be
protected, that they will be permit
ted to live in peace. Hopefully the
learning community will support
the enforcement of the dty ordi
nance protecting the rights of
homosexual persons by voting
NO on ballot measure 51.
Douglas K. Huneke
Campus Minister
A UP VCW,
M toetoe.
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