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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2003)
A Nation of God? Sunday afternoon, standing with others at the Federal Building, I looked to the opposite corner where a lone man stood with a “76” flag. On the corner between him and us, were two men with U.S. flags and two (sometimes angry) women with signs, tak- ing their stand there. One powerful young woman wearing sign board notes about the PATRIOT Act stood silently by the two men with flags, co-opting the symbols of our nation- al identity. In truth, on my corner also, I had to speak to myself and to others around (including our own angry woman) reminding us of our “ahimsa,” our “non-anger,” our nonviolent stand against violence. We stood, engaging the passing motorists who responded with honking or shouting, with dismissal or love, with one or two finger waves, sometimes offering food and drink. One of us said, “We need a flag also, it is our flag, too.” I turned and looked up to the Federal Building flagpole behind us and said, “We have our own flag. We have the official flag.” Personally I stand, mostly silently, like a blank sign, a plea to all who say we have souls. I stand with praying hands to ask that all of us together in this nation now examine our ethics. Are we truly a nation of God as we claim in the Pledge of Allegiance? No amount of flag-wav- ing can hide the truth. This is an immoral war. We have stains on our national soul. Richard Rondeau Eugene Getting Our Attention Does George W. have a hidden agenda? Think about it. No person in recent history has brought more people together around the world to march and gath- er in the name of peace than George W. He has single- handedly and with resolute passion made people stop, look and listen to what is going on in the world today. Instead of dirty politics behind closed doors and backroom deals with large corporate contributors, he has exposed the military industrial com- plex in a way that has allowed the world to see, in vivid detail, what profi- teering from war is all about. If the current “Axis of Evil” bad guy Saddam Hussein had only had a visible tie to al-Qaeda or Osama bin Laden, we would never have been exposed to the hypocrisy going on with our government. We would have all gone along with the charade of killing innocent people, like in Afghanistan, because they were part of the 9/11 gang. But by using the tactic of a pre-emp- tive strike, George W. was able to show the world that in order to bring peace he is Live Here. Work There? Every Bunny must get PIE! ★ New HEMP clothing from Sweetgrass, Of the Earth & SPP ★ Fresh arrivals on the USED rack ★ Spring PIE arriving daily ❤ Bounce on by for a PIECE of the PIE! corner of 11th & Willamette in ❤ of Eugene Mon-Sat 10-8 pm / Sun 12-5 buy sell trade leaders. It is, of course, entirely in keeping with the spirit that swept over this continent killing and looting as it went, leaving the Native American population devastated in its wake, in the original “shock and awe campaign.” Our common journey, at least for the poor, is to live in a land where they cannot ever afford to own homes, to work at jobs that don’t allow them to raise a family, but be servants to the wealthy and the powerful. So much for the rule of law. Hugh Massengill Eugene Tristan, Buffalo Exchange buyer If our buyers were any less demanding, you wouldn’t love the clothes 131 E. Fifth Ave (between Oak & Pearl) BUFFALOEXCHANGE . COM Patti May Cangiano Spiritual Healer University of Oregon Bookstore 895 East 13th Avenue Thursday, April 17 7 p.m. • Free Make It Easy! • Save up to $1,000/year on your commuting costs. • Reduce air pollution in our community. • Guaranteed emergency ride home. • Be dropped off / picked up at the office door. EXISTING CONNECTIONS TO CORVALLIS, ALBANY, LEBANON, EUGENE, SALEM... Cangiano discusses life-changing ideas from Mary Baker Eddy’s “Science and Health.” CALL FOR FREE TRIAL INFO. www.valleyvanpool.info 1-877-VAN-GOGO UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE Information on Cangiano and other author events online at uobookstore.com APRIL 10, 2003 11
