TO THE EDITOR
BY CAROL HORNE
Did You Know?
Bush collusions undermine
democracy.
H
ow can we be so blind? For the past 50 years, it
seems the Bush family has been planning for this
moment in history. They have created fortunes
for themselves and others and now it’s time for their grand
finale.
The Bush family’s association with the oil business in Texas
goes back to 1917. Since 1952, they have been gathering together friends among the
richest, most powerful oil producers in the U.S. Most of them and their lawyers now
hold top positions in the Bush Jr. administration.
Did you know that in 1988, now Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was trying
to make an oil deal with Saddam Hussein? The deal fell through because Saddam felt
he was being overcharged.
Did you know that in 1991 a group of power brokers got together and designed a
plan to control the Persian Gulf region? In 1997, they drafted the Statement of
Principles for “The New American Century.” You can read it for yourself, in their own
words, at www.newamericancentury.org. Check out the list of signatories. You’ll rec-
ognize most of the names: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush, to name just a few.
Is it possible that the reason Dick Cheney doesn’t want to release the transcripts of
his Energy meetings is because they were talking about Iraq and Iran and the plan to
control the region? It seems plausible to me. As a matter of fact, it seems incredible
that the topic didn’t come up.
Do you know about the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based equity fund that spe-
cializes in energy and defense companies? Do you know that this fund is headed by
Frank Carlucci, former director of the CIA, and sitting on its board of directors is
George Bush Sr. and James Baker III (secretary of state under George Sr. and the man
who fought tirelessly to secure the state of Florida for George Jr. in the 2000 elec-
tion)? Did you know that within a month of 9/11, Frank Carlucci was in meetings with
Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz?
Did you know that a recently released transcript of a National Security briefing
held at the Bush ranch mid-August 2001, shows that the president was advised that
terrorists might hijack planes and fly them into buildings? Yet, President Bush said,
after the 9/11 attacks, that they never dreamed such a thing could happen.
O
ur democracy is being destroyed. Our national religion is capitalism. Oil has
become our god. Congress is bought and most of our press is in the pockets
of five powerful conglomerates.
This White House shrouds itself in more secrecy than any other White House in
U.S. History. I have to ask myself why.
We condemn the CIA and FBI for not connecting the dots and stopping the attacks
of 9/11. Yet, here we are, not connecting the dots. We are not children. It is up to us to
hound congress until they perform their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. If any
of our representatives think our democracy could never crumble, then they are in the
wrong job. Their responsibility is to be ever vigilant, always watching for those who
would steal our rights for their own profit. It’s time to open our eyes and see the
whole picture.
It’s possible that what is being done will not be stopped and that 50 years from
now our children will look back and wonder where their freedoms went. If this is the
case, I want to be counted among the millions who fought against it. No one may re-
member my name or exactly what I did in the fight, but they will know that I was brave
and spoke out and did not go gently.
Carol Horne of Eugene writes and directs educational videos on human health issues. Her current goal is to
make her FBI file at least two inches thick.
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EDITORIAL
Editor Ted Taylor Executive/Arts Editor Lois Wadsworth
Associate Editor Aria Seligmann Contributing Editor Anita
Johnson Staff Writers Alan Pittman, Bobbie Willis
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Taylo, Contributing Writers Brett Campbell, Rachel Foster, Kate
Rogers Gessert, Jerry Harris, James Johnston, Sharleen
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6 JUNE 26, 2003
BUSINESS
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of a MLK Boulevard is a kick in the face to
African-American history, and shows a
total disregard for King’s legacy. Close a
street to traffic and rename it the Martin
Luther King Jr. Pedestrian Mall. Pave over
a parking lot and create the MLK Jr. Park.
Rip apart a highway to grow the King
Greenway. Close a parking garage to estab-
lish a community center in it. Do some-
thing that enhances, rather than destroys,
our community to recognize this leader.
Jef Stout
Eugene
DON’T READ THIS
I know this will sound ironic, but I don’t
believe there should be letters to the editor.
For one thing, it takes too much space that
could be used for other purposes such as,
dare I say, news, or even the worst thing of
all, advertising.
I know it’s ignorant of me to send a letter
to the editor saying how much I dislike the
whole subject, but I believe it’s the only way
for the editor to stop printing this babble. If
this even gets printed, which it probably
won’t, please do all you can to put an end to
the mind-numbing editorials we are put
through when we read the paper. Thank you.
Brendan Smith
Eugene
NIGHTMARE RIVER
Did you know that more than 1,000 of
Oregon’s bodies of water fail to meet the
Environmental Protection Agency’s mini-
mum standards for clean water? What
about the fact that Oregon leads the nation
in expired water discharge permits (60 per-
cent of our permits are expired)?
The Willamette River alone receives
millions of tons of toxic chemicals every
year and has become the dirtiest river west
of the Mississippi. Residents and visitors
alike should be able to swim, fish, and oth-
erwise enjoy the river without having to
worry about the potential consequences to
their health associated with arsenic, mer-
cury, dioxin, and the other chemicals cur-
rently found in the Willamette. Not only
would this benefit our quality of life, it
would encourage tourism and recreational
use of the river and stimulate local
economies. The Willamette should be the
pride of the state, not the environmental
nightmare it is now.
Gov. Kulongoski, while campaigning,
pledged to clean the Willamette.
Oregonians are depending on Kulongoski
to restore our waterways, yet he’s done
nothing to improve the state of our river
since he’s taken office. Reducing toxic
emissions to the river, increasing environ-
mental enforcement, and making polluters
pay are all issues Kulongoski addressed in
his campaign. Now he needs to implement
the measures he proposed and give us the
clean Willamette we deserve.
Mariel Alexandre
Eugene
REQUIRED READING
Kitty Piercy’s column (“Building
Trust,” 6/12) is unfortunately all too true. I
was born in Eugene in 1945. I spent my
professional career in Chicago, New York,
and overseas, and I returned to Eugene in
1990. This column should be mandatory
reading for everyone in Eugene, whether
they are activists or bystanders. Kitty is one
of the most perceptive observers of life and
politics in our great state. All too many of
the old-time families like mine ignore this
kind of reality and simply step aside.
Thank you, Kitty.
Ron Darling
Eugene
TOO MUCH TEDIUM
I was very disappointed to discover this
past week (6/12) that Too Much Coffee
Man has an immortal soul. His recent expi-
ration on the surface of the Moon had given
me a sense of respect for the artist’s appar-
ent willingness to kill off a popular but
one-dimensional character. I mean, who
the fuck is Too Much Coffee Man? What
do we know about him aside from the fact
that he drinks “too much” coffee? And just
what the hell does “too much” mean?
TMCM is half an idea that goes on and
on, week after uninspired week. And now,
for the love of Pete, we find that he’s got an
immortal soul — but a soul so utterly inca-
pable of development that we can only look
forward to a tedious journey back to that
empty idiot of a character, holding yet an-
other dumb-ass metaphorical conversation
with that guy whose head is topped off by a
shot of espresso. It makes me want to fuck-
ing scream.
I’ve got an idea for a comic alternative
to replace TMCM, titled Mad As Hell Guy.
There’s this guy, see, and he’s really mad
all of the time. Mad as Hell.
Tim Shaw
Eugene
TAKE IT BACK
On June 2, the FCC let giant media
companies get even bigger, despite over-
whelming opposition from the American
public.
But June 2 ignited a movement to take
that power back, and June 19 is the next big
day in the fight, as legislation reversing
several FCC rules will come before the
Senate Commerce Committee.
Please don’t sell your newspaper! The
legislation up for a vote in Committee is
S.1046. This bipartisan legislation rolls
back the broadcast ownership cap limit.
There is also a crucial amendment spon-
sored by Senators Dorgan and Snowe that
reinstates newspaper/broadcast cross-own-
ership restrictions.
Kirk Giudici
Eugene
EDITOR’S NOTE: For the record, Eugene
Weekly is still locally owned and independent.
ABORTION AS FEMICIDE
Planned Parenthood’s Gloria Feldt says
of reproductive rights: “Without that right,
we can’t do anything else.” What? We
have no rights unless we have a license to
kill unborn children?
This is blatantly demeaning to women,
saying we are born inferior to men. Now
we need to have surgery to attain compara-
ble status? Do we need to go all the way
and add on penises, too?
Abortion isn’t the guarantor of female
rights, it is the most effective means of
“femicide” ever.
In just six Indian clinics studied, 8,000
amniocenteses showed females — 7,999
were aborted! Worldwide, notably China, it
is common for pregnant women to abort
based on the verdict of “girl.”