4 jU S t OUt » September 17.2004
irm i out
TAMARA )
The party's over
W h o le C o m m u n ic a tio n
erecting ever-higher barriers that serve to prohib
it ordinary citizens from effecting change at the
ballot box. These days, it seems you need a pha
lanx of high-powered lawyers in order to wind
through all the obscure laws and administrative
niles to get an initiative petition approved and
processed: In addition, election laws (written by
legislators already elected) routinely discriminate
against third-party candidates, because the two
major parties don’t want any real competition.
Somewhere in a back nx>m in Salem, thou
sands of signatures were magically invalidated.
Whether or not you like Ralph Nader, whether
you’re a Libertarian or Green, Democrat or
Republican, you should condemn the secretary
of state’s decision. The next signature to be
declared invalid could be yours.
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To t h e E d i t o r :
’m a lifelong Democrat, hut 1 have many
Republican friends, Kith gay and straight.
Most of these friends have chosen to reregister
as Democrats or are simply voting for Democrats
because of the current state of the Republican
Party. I know this has been painful for many of
them, and I’d like to suggest a remedy.
It’s time we renamed the party that has
hijacked the Republican Party. I’m sure they
would approve of their new name, since it’s what
they are all about. Let’s now call them the Rad
ical Extremist Christian Party, or REC for short.
They have already REC’ed the Republican
Party, they are trying desperately to REC our
state and federal constitutions, they want to
REC women’s rights, REC GLBT rights, REC
our supreme courts and, in general, REC all of
our lives. And, if our REC of a president is elect
ed (notice I didn’t say re-elected), this whole
country will become one big RECdom.
By renaming the current Republican Party
the Radical Extremist Christian Party, the real
Republican Party can get back to the business of
promoting basic Republican principles, and I and
my gixxl Republican friends can once again have
something to argue about. As it now stands, this
has been a rather boring election year.
lamam ) HuffordWong
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To
th e
E d it o r :
hile 1 wouldn’t vote for Ralph Nader
even if my life depended on it, I believe
he was deliberately kept off the Oregon ballot.
The Legislature and the secretary of state keep
W
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To t h e E d i t o r :
n the Aug. 20 issue, a letter to the editor by Ian
Paul Sieren titled “Keeping It Real” admon
ished us gay folk to “write letters to the editor” of
every paper in Oregon. I had to shake my head
and give a sad little smile as 1 read those words.
Ian, darling, just because we write, have writ
ten or will write letters to the editor DOES
NOT mean they will be printed. I myself have
written stirring letters to the editor of The Ore-
gonian— letters that would turn the tide of this
coming election regarding gay marriage IF
THEY HAD BEEN PRINTED. Obviously, a
paper like The Oregonian (which is against gay
marriage) is NOT going to print any letters that
might help out our side.
I
n o ta b le s
No On
ortland couple Kristin Deichmann (left)
and Shelly Casteel wed Sept. 4 in Victoria,
British Columbia.
The Savitri String Quartet provided the cer
emony music in the sunken garden of the Eng
lish Inn Resort. A dinner reception followed in
the courtyard garden.
Deichmann was given in marriage by her
brother, Peter Deichmann, and Casteel by
Richard Suniga in lieu of her deceased father,
William. The wedding party consisted of
Stephanie Nelson and Kimberly Wisthoff, who
served as Casteel’s maid of honor and matron (if :
honor. Lisa Dwyer, Deichmann’s sister, served as I
matron of honor, and Ttmmy Deichmann,
Deichmann’s sister-in-law, was bridesmaid.
Each bride chose to wear ivory designer gowns calla lillies. The couple will spend their honey-
and carry a bouquet of white French-wrapped ni(x>n traveling through the Greek islands.
I
Constitu tional
A m endm ent 36
needs volunteers.
No On
Co n stitu tion al
A m endm ent 36
needs you.
•
Call and sign up
today at
(971)244-1399.
Tmmr
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