STANDARDS RESTORED
Outraged consumer activists sent 10,987
letters to members of Congress in February
objecting to a late-night rider slipped into
the 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that
undermined years of collaboration between
government, consumers, advocacy groups,
and industry that established strong USDA
organic standards. The rider would have al-
lowed meat to be labeled “organic” even if
it came from livestock raised on conven-
tional, non-organic feed.
Organic food consumers nationwide re-
acted strongly and Congress responded. A
bill to rescind this rider moved rapidly
through Congress, shepherded by Sens.
Patrick Leahy and Olympia Snowe and
Reps. Sam Farr and Ron Kind. It eventually
gained 68 co-sponsors in the Senate and 103
in the House.
Ultimately, this legislation was folded
into the 2003 supplemental spending bill
signed into law on April 16.
Senator Leahy said, “The swift and
strong groundswell of opposition to that
rider [was] an eye-opener for many in
Washington.”
ZAPPING ACTIVISTS
Attorney Karen Dobson is returning to
Eugene this week to speak about how she
was mistakenly targeted by rogue elements
of government intelligence agencies and
subjected to dangerous high-tech surveil-
lance tactics Oregon and elsewhere. Her
free talk will be at 7 pm Thursday, April 24
at Harris Hall, 8th and Oak in Eugene.
Dobson says she will be talking about
microwave weapons that have been devel-
oped in the last 50 years and how to protect
ourselves from them. “These have been
used to harass me and others who are trying
to expose stealth surveillance tactics or drug
smuggling of rogue intelligence agencies,”
she says.
The alleged surveillance began in 1993
after she won $123,000 in legal fees in a po-
lice fraud case in Washington state and
moved to Newport. She says her privacy
and health were compromised as she was
tormented with “nonlethal” directed energy
weapons targeting her residence.
She believes “rogue” government agents
mistakenly thought she had moved to
Newport to investigate them. As years
passed, she received information from sym-
pathetic agents as to the weapons being
used against her and techniques to shield
herself.
“This is a secret technology that few
people understand,” says Kathy Ging of
Eugene who is helping organize the lecture
and discussion. “We need to start talking
about this.”
LCARA CUTBACKS
Animal welfare advocates are
organizing in response to what is being de-
scribed as “crippling budget cuts” to the
Lane County Animal Regulation Authority
effective July 1.
The proposed reductions would elimi-
nate LCARA’s cattery program dealing
with stray and feral cats, cut one of the three
remaining staff positions for field officers,
and cut shelter hours by 20 percent.
Concerned citizens are asked to lobby
their city and county elected officials, or at-
tend city Budget Committee meetings com-
ing up at 5:30 pm May 5, 7, 14 and 19 at
City Hall. For more information, call Diana
Robertson at Shelter Animal Resource
Alliance, 741-7253.
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS
The meeting with the Eugene Human
Rights Commission and the Police
Commission mentioned in Ben Fogelson’s
April 17 commentary is a community panel
discussion about life, civil liberty and public
safety since 9/11. The public is invited to par-
ticipate, but those who wish to directly ad-
dress the Eugene Police Commission should
attend the next Police Commission meeting at
5:30 pm May 8 at Eugene City Hall.
WHAT ABOUT U.S.?
Congressman Peter DeFazio is calling
for every dollar spent by the Bush adminis-
tration to rebuild Iraq and boost Turkey’s
economy to be matched by “a dollar spent
rebuilding crumbling infrastructure here at
home.” DeFazio’s amendment to Bush’s
$75 billion emergency spending bill did not
get a vote on the House floor.
BY PAUL NEEVEL
HOPE MARSTON
On Nov. 25, 2002, Eugene became the
15th city nationwide to pass a resolution
in opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act,
the hastily passed post-9/11 law that
revokes civil liberties under the pretext of
fighting terrorism. “By now, 87 communi-
ties have passed resolutions,” says Hope
Marston, a founder of the Lane County
Bill of Rights Defense Committee.
“Congress is starting to sit up and take
notice.” After high school in Peoria,
Marston studied journalism at Southern
Illinois, then spent 20 years as a TV news
reporter and producer in several states.
She wound up in Seattle, working for the
McNeil-Lehrer NewsHour. “I got out in ‘95,
when Newt Gingrich got in,” she says.
“Even PBS is corporate TV now, not pub-
lic TV.” Marston tried her hand at crimi-
nal-defense investigation, then left
Seattle, spent a year at Breitenbush, and
settled in Eugene in 1999. She works part-
time as a secretary at the UO. “I wasn’t
into activism until I got involved with the
Green Party and the Ralph Nader cam-
paign in 2000,” she says. “With all that’s happened since then, there’s more and more work
to do.” To learn more about the campaign for civil liberties, see www.hopemarston.com
8 APRIL 24, 2003
Bush is vowing to provide universal
health service to Iraq and build 6,000
schools, 100 bridges and 5,000 miles of
roads. DeFazio says this is happening “at a
time when 45 million Americans go without
health insurance; when Oregon’s roads are
crumbling and bridges have become im-
passable for large, heavy trucks; and when
Oregon schools are underfunded to the ex-
tent that some districts are chopping more
than a month off the school year.”
• If you’re born in born in Oregon or went to high school here you can get in-state col-
lege tuition, right? Not if you’re an illegal immigrant. Senate Bill 10, similar to laws
passed in Texas and California, is a bi-partisan effort to solve the prob-
lem but faces fierce opposition from anti-immigrant right-wingers.
• People who drive less, giving the environment a break, could get a
break on their car insurance, if a bill moving through the Legislature
passes.
• The EWEB board decided not to jolt ratepayers with yet another
shock. Instead of boosting charges, the utility will make $9 million in internal
cuts to cover rate hikes by federal dams.
• Residents won’t need to sort recyclables (except glass) any more as the areas
largest garbage companies plan to accept mixed recycling and sort it themselves. No
more excuses.
* * * * *
• The UO is moving forward with its priority to build a new basketball
arena costing up to $150 million. Meanwhile, budget cuts are threat-
ening to close nursing homes and schools across the state, and UO
students are facing double digit tuition increases. Go Ducks!
• State legislators can’t work as lobbyists at the same time can they?
In Oregon, of course they can. Bills to reform the two timing have
been stymied in the Legislature since 1995.
• Spotted owl counts are dropping about 5 to 8 percent a year in Oregon forests.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration is boasting it will cut 450 million board feet of
timber in the Northwest this year, the highest amount in five years.
• Did you pay more than $10 in state income tax this year? What a chump. More than
80 percent of Oregon’s corporations used enough tax loopholes and dodges to quali-
fy for the minimum payment of $10.
• Local officials are moving to cut $300,000 from county human services funds. The
poor, disabled, mentally ill and homeless will bear the brunt. Lane County is looking at
cutting health clinics, 84 jail beds, four prosecutors, 14 juvenile drug treatment beds
and a total of 91 jobs to close a $20 million budget gap.