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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2003)
TO THE EDITOR credits to Dean’s favorite firms. Seal your records? Then how will you prove yourself? We need to make more per- sonal disclosures just to get a job around here. Gov. Dean’s arguments about Bush secrecy look mighty flimsy next to that sort of “polit- ical consideration.” The lambasting of an in- cumbent by a hypocritical governor will never put the Democrats in the White House. Bad strategy. I’m all for getting a Democrat in the White House. I’m just not sure I want this one. I’ve seen Eugeneans handing out fliers on this guy; I hope it will stop soon. Shelly Rude Eugene SALVAGING BISCUIT I’ve been looking into the Biscuit fire sal- vage logging plan, and I don’t like what I’m seeing. Contrary to the “healthy forests” rhet- oric, this plan is going to decimate the most fire-resistant portions of the Siskiyou wilder- ness, and leave behind highly flammable monocultures. The charred areas we saw on the news were areas that had been previously debili- tated by clear cutting and salvage logging in the ’80s. In these areas, the biggest, most fire- resistant trees had been removed, trees that prevent massive fires like the Biscuit fire and help the forest regenerate after a burn. Salvage logging doesn’t make forests healthy — it makes them more prone to massive, ultra-destructive fires. On the economic front, the Forest Service admits that this sale will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and hurt local lumber mills by driving down the price of lumber by about 28 percent. We won’t even get jobs, because the loggers will be brought in from other parts of the country. The Biscuit salvage sale will hurt the for- est, the taxpayers, business, and the Oregon budget. What’s more, it seems like the people behind it are doing their best to pull the wool over our eyes, by keeping the public com- ment period as short as the law allows and putting it right around the holiday season. This is an overly hasty plan that will hurt Oregonians in every way imaginable. We need to stop this sale and keep our land alive. Check www.siskiyou.org to learn more. Tom Denton Eugene WHO DECIDES? These days a lot of people are saying that Dennis Kucinich is the candidate for presi- dent who best matches their own values, but that he’s not electable. That seems most strange to me. If there’s no hope for the “best” candidate for the job (and a good chance for the worst), what’s left of democracy? Why vote at all? Who decides who is electable but you and me? How important is it to you that we get the best person into office? Do we really want to continue or reverse the accelerating trend toward consumerism, corporate rule, mili- tarism, fascism, eternal wars and environ- mental degradation, perhaps to the end of global warming destroying world civiliza- tions and sending us back to the dark ages? Or do we want peace, justice, a sustainable world population and sustainable lifestyles? Yes, it’s you and me who decide which we get. We need to recognize that we’re at war for nothing less than the future of the world. What could be more important? How much are you willing to commit to this effort? I sus- pect many people reading this could quit their day jobs, sell what property they can and sur- vive till next November, while putting maxi- mum effort into political action. That’s about the upper limit of commitment. Close to the lower limit is to stop saying Kucinich is not electable and look into what it would take to get him elected. He seems to be the one least favoring some form of business as usual, which is something we can no longer afford. While you’re about it, don’t forget to do what you can to keep or improve our repre- sentation in Congress to support Kucinich. The next question is, what can we do to keep him from following Paul Wellstone, at least ’til election day? Dan Robinson Eugene DOWNED BUT NOT OUT Last year I moved from Austria to Oregon and was shocked to find out that there is no legal protection for farm animals in the U.S. In fact, most states’ anti-cruelty laws exclude farm animals, and as a result, millions of in- nocent creatures are made to endure intolera- ble cruelty on factory farms. In this age of mad cow and hoof and mouth disease, we have come to learn that practices in “food production” can result not only in cruel and inhumane treatment toward the animals, but also in an increased risk of spreading disease to humans by allowing dis- eased animals into the human food chain. Congress and the FDA are both currently considering legislation that would prohibit the use of “downed animals” in human food. “Downed animals” refer to cows, pigs and other farm animals that are so sick or injured that they cannot stand, even to access food and water. Yet these animals are routinely dragged with chains or pushed with forklifts on their way to slaughter. Such animals are currently allowed in food production for human consumption. According to Dr. Michael Greger, an ex- pert in mad cow disease, there is evidence that downed cattle are suffering from a form of disease and excluding them from the human food supply is a “critical” step in pro- tecting the public. I encourage you to urge the FDA to grant petition 98P-0151/CPI prohibiting the slaughter of downed animals for human food and to urge our congressmen to enact legisla- tion to prohibit the marketing of downed ani- mals. For more information, please see www.nodowners.org. Sylvia Bigontina Eugene PET WARS Your right to keep and enjoy household pets is under attack. A task force, organized by Bill Dwyer, has written a 126 page report to the Lane County commissioners. If the commissioners adopt this report, it will to- tally change the way you are allowed to keep animals. This report specifies how you must house and feed your animals, requires that your vet- erinarian forward your confidential medical data to the Department of Animal Control, suggests a sales tax (disguised as a “euthana- sia prevention” fee on pet food), and greatly increases the fees to license your pet as well We will be closed Dec. 24, 25 & 26. End of the Year SALE Kind Prices ! 10 to 15% OFF (or more) 5 days only! Keep this ad for comparison shopping on horticultural lights. You You can can own own P.L. P.L. 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