4 jMt
.jdabKiJflfll
Homegrown terrorism
To the E ditor :
he tragedy that has befallen our country
has put a face on terrorism. In President
Bush’s address to our nation, he swore that the
United States would bring reigns of terrorism to
an end.
1 do not wish to detract from the tragedy that
has touched the lives of so many, nor do 1 wish
to abuse this word that holds so much power at
this moment. But what has happened to us has
made it all too clear that gay, lesbian, hi and
trans people continue to he terrorized, beaten
and killed by religious fanatics and others with
the same motivations as the terrorists who have
attacked our nation.
Yes, hate crimes legislation has been intro
duced. But in light of recent events 1 would like
every leader and citizen of this nation to urge
Bush to acknowledge these hate crimes for what
they are— terrorism against gay, lesbian, bi and
trans Americans — and push for legislation ban
ning and punishing acts of terrorism within our
own country.
I would he remiss if 1 were to continue in this
vein without commenting that African Ameri
cans, Jewish Americans and others who contin
ue to he terrorized, beaten and killed by religious
fanatics within the United States also must be
included in this effort. If we, as a nation, are to
act outwardly toward terrorism, we must be able
to look within and rout terrorism from our own
soil— our own heart.
T
THE
GOSSIP
AND ERASE ERRATA
TUESDAY
OCT
16
m » nooi
rn u D cv
B LUffliLLA
M«N«U|JSSW
» OOFM A ll ACES S f ADVANCE AT TASTIVI LOCATIONS 0« CHARGE RY RHONE
S O J -lM - m i ANO AT MCKROT RECORDS • SU8IECT TO SERVKE CHARGE
90.7 PORTLAND
NEWS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND
MUSIC THAT YOU WON'T HEAR
AN Y W H E R E E L S E . LISTEN
FOR
AT
TH IS WAY O U T
6
PM EVERY TUESDAY.
L onny P arr
Vancouver, Wash.
Can't get no satisfaction
To the E ditor :
I
EVERY S ilG L E BOOK OF GAY EROTICA
ALW AYS H STOCK!
< @ ) The Hun Book of Jocks. Illustrated stories
of the sporting life. Top-drawer filth! $20.00.
Family Jewels; A Guide to Male Genital
Play&Torment.'Scuse me while I squirm. $18.
Snaps. Artful, boner-happy photos of all
( new )
kindsa young guys. Full-color HB. $39.95.
DOWNTOWN @ 927 SW OAK • 226-8141
would like to respond to the person who
wrote the “New Patriotism" letter in the
Sept. 21 issue. First, I am extremely appalled
that a so-called American could have any kind
of feelings of “satisfaction” that so many people
suffered and died in the brutal attack Sept. 11
for whatever reason he tries to justify it with.
But let’s look at the reasons you claim. You
say you have been “afraid” and “live in fear” here
in America.
I guess 1 would have to ask, why don’t you
just live in another country if this one is so bad
for you ? Move to a place maybe where you can
be executed for watching television or being a
homosexual.
Gay, lesbian and trans people have come
extremely far through the years, and yes, we still
have a long way to go. But don’t put the blame
of the word “faggot” on America.
It’s not all of America. It’s a few religious rad
icals who will preach hate against certain groups
and will have followers who will act upon it.
I am a gay man and feel very much a part of
America and always have felt safe in my life. I do
not condone it in any way, but there always will
be people who don’t like other people.
Have you liked everyone you ever have met?
I doubt it.
But putting all of that aside for now, I would
like to know how you feel you have “suffered”
half as much as the victims and family members
of the Sept. 11 attacks. Do us all a favor and
don’t be so selfish and arrogant actually to try to
make this all about you.
K elly F a r r is
Portland
Silence speaks volumes
To the E ditor :
1
am concerned about the silence of our politi
cal leaders. Our country is running to war
while the government bails out already poorly
managed businesses. The tragedy of Sept. 11
should not encourage us to create more tragedy
in every comer of our nation.
Our political leaders are now publicly silent,
talking behind closed doors about the nation’s
future fiscal, economic and military directives.
Our leadership should be more vocal, not less,
and return to open discourse.
The majority of the nation was concerned
just four weeks ago about President Bush and
the directions he was taking. I certainly would
feel safer if our elected leaders were debating
publicly, especially before my relatives and
friends are sent off to war and our country is
pulled into a conflict started out of fear and reli
gious fanaticism from which we never might be
able to disengage.
Can all of these new decisions be wise? Let
public discourse begin again. We cannot change
our way of life simply because of terrorism, or the
terrorists have won.
E ric B rown
Portland
Employer loyalty?
To the E ditor :
s it any wonder employees are not more
loyal to their employers? How can a com
pany or corporation expect loyalty from their
employees when they summarily fire them
without severance, sick leave compensation
or an extension of other benefits? I reference
the recent boot given to the American A ir
lines employees who remained loyal for at
least 15 years.
And I find it especially gratuitous of Don
Carty announcing he will forego his salary for
the remainder of the year. My, my, how that
must hurt him at $9.6 million annually?! How
many of his fellow “employees" will find it
heartrending that he will have to give up a few
million when they are reduced to nothing?
It would appear human decency toward
loyal employees can (and apparently will) be
suspended in the name of a financial “state of
emergency." I congratulate the American pub
lic for their steadfastness in this time of trial,
for it appears we certainly cannot rely on those
who provide jobs to remain steadfast in the
continued battle to remain a free and prosper
ous country.
It will be all the “little” people (and I mean
no disrespect here) who eventually will sur
mount this tragic state of affairs. Perhaps it is
time for the mom and pop businesses to regain
their rightful place in the economy of the Unit
ed States— if not for prosperity’s sake only but
for decency’s sake as well.
I
G. T hornton “ S kip ” H unter
Portland
Fool me once...
To the E ditor :
peace agreement, the number of gay discharges
jumped dramatically to 1,353.
The statistics from the Vietnam War are
even more startling. Again, naval records show
that in the years 1963-66 just prior to the esca
lation of the military presence in the Far East,
between 1,600 and 1,700 male and female
sailors received gay discharges.
From 1967 to 1968 the number dropped
from 1,708 to 1,094 people separated. In 1969 at
the peak of the U.S. troop buildup in Vietnam,
the discharges dropped to a mere 643, and in
1970 just 461 were ousted. A t the end of the war
the number of gay discharges jumped to an all-
time high of nearly 1,800 separations in the first
year alone.
These statistics indicate the military repeat
edly has looked the other way as to the sexual
orientation of its recruits and active duty per
sonnel when shortages dictate the need for
every able-bodied man (and woman). In addi
tion to this “on again, off again” policy, a num
ber of studies, some at the request of the Penta
gon, draw into direct question the validity of
this anti-gay stance.
Integration for the military always has been
difficult and awkward. Women in the 1940s and
African Americans in the 1950s both faced sim
ilar resistance to their inclusion in the armed
services.
In both cases the military had to promote
ongoing campaigns of tolerance and accep
tance. Perhaps a similar action now is required
as an enhancement to the “don’t ask, don’t
tell" policy.
R ory G erard
Portland
History lesson
To the E ditor :
E
ven as we grieve for the appalling loss of life
at the World Trade Center and feel dismay
at the targeting o f innocent people by terrorists,
we must recognize the underlying cause of such
attacks. It is the hatred U .S. government poli
cies engender in the Mideast and around the
world. At the same time we denounce terrorism,
we need to acknowledge it would have no soil to
grow in were it not for the oppressive foreign
policies of our own government:
• Uncritical support of Israel, to the tune of
$2 billion in annual aid, even while it is exter
minating and dispossessing the Palestinians.
• Ongoing bombing of Iraq and embargoes
against the entire populations of Iraq and Cuba
because of opposition to their leaders. The
actions against Iraq have caused the deaths of
more than 1.5 million people— which I only can
call terrorism.
• Financial and military support of right-
wing dictatorial regimes that torture and
impoverish their own people throughout the
Mideast, South and Central America, Asia and
Africa.
• Ruthless promotion of corporate globaliza
tion, which is impoverishing the Third World at
an astonishing rate, through institutions like the
World Bank and World Trade Organization.
• Contempt for the imperative of ending
racism by U.S. officials who walked out of the
recent World Conference Against Racism.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said,
“Riot is the language of the unheard.” So, too,
terrorism arises when people see no means or
hope of gaining basic human rights or necessi
ties of life by democratic, peaceful means. If we
are unable to learn this simple and oft-repeated
lesson of history, we are doomed to witness
tragedies like that of Sept. 11 again.
he recent decision to “suspend” the
“don’t ask, don’t tell” policy because of
the impending military action is further evi
dence of the Defense Department’s long histo
ry of “acceptance” of gay men and lesbians
among its ranks in times of war only to
promptly discharge those same people after
the national crisis has passed. I would hope
the gay and lesbian community, both military
and civilian, will not be duped yet again by
this tradition.
In the late 1940s, the Navy reported an aver
age of 1,100 undesirable discharges a year of gay
personnel; however, in 1950 at the height of the
Korean conflict, that number dropped to only JORDANA SARDO
483. Then, in 1953, with the signing of the ! Portland
T