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THE WAIT IS OVER! TO THE EDITOR the first place. Never mind that we launched an unprecedented, unprovoked, and pre-emp- tive war on a country far weaker than our own, defying the will of the rest of the world. Never mind the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians and hundreds of American soldiers, the thousands wounded who don’t get ade- quate treatment, and the countless civilian lives devastated by years of pointless sanc- tions, tons of deadly radioactive DU, and ex- treme lack of water and electricity. Never mind that the people we “freed” are under a brutal occupation that imposes strict curfews, denies basic services, shoots inno- cent civilians, (mistaking them for attackers) and controls their main resource — oil. So they captured Saddam. Couldn’t they have done that over a decade ago? Do you feel safer? What about Osama — remember him? How many terrorist attacks were pre- vented by this event? Will this get you to vote for President George W. Bush? So they finally captured Saddam Hussein. Big f**king deal. Todd D. Johnson Eugene QUOTABLE Remember the classic quote from the Vietnam War attributed to an American sol- dier: “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.” That quote captured the insanity of a war in which more than three million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans died needlessly. Since the beginning of the war on Iraq, I have heard many things that I couldn’t be- lieve were for real, but the following quote may become a classic in years to come be- cause it symbolizes the absurdity and contra- dictions of our occupation and “liberation” of Iraq. In a New York Times story on Dec. 7, about the new tough tactics being used by the American military in Iraq, Colonel Sassaman of the Fourth Infantry Division was quoted as saying: “With a heavy dose of fear and vio- lence, and a lot of money for projects, I think we can convince these people that we are here to help them.” Oh yeah, and the story went on to talk about how Colonel Sassaman’s troops wrapped the village in barbed wire and issued resident identity cards to inhabitants that were done only in English. Amazing! Pete Mandrapa Eugene HONORABLE OMNIVORE Contrary to popular mythology, not everyone can live a healthy life without meat. I know this because I am one of them. About nine years ago, at age 36, while a director of a vegetarian organization, I developed a rare life-threatening and traditionally incurable auto-immune illness called pemphigus. I also had problems with my thyroid, experienced constant chronic fatigue and had very poor muscle tone. My bones had started to soften. At that time, my future was destined to be either non-existent or filled with the side ef- fects of lifelong doses of prednisone or other immunosuppressive drugs. As sick as I was, I believed that had I been eating animal prod- ucts, I would be a lot sicker. I was wrong. As I began to understand my biology and evolution, I learned that my blood type O body was not designed to live as a vegetarian. By learning to feed myself appropriate foods, foods that are healthy for me, including some meats, I was able to say goodbye to expen- sive medical treatments, prescription drugs, supplements, herbs and illness. I was and still am very concerned about the ethics of eating animals. As an urban resident, I am proud to know local farmers and many others who nat- urally raise, care for and kill their animals in a highly ethical way. I have also learned to honor the life and death of a plant to the point where I acknowl- edge its suffering and death in the same man- ner that I acknowledge an animal’s life and death. I consider the act of cutting a vegetable from its stalk and then chopping it into pieces as violent as killing an animal. I commend those who choose to live their lives as vegetarians and who are able to thrive while doing so. Toward that end, I am partici- pating in a study directed by Dr. Michael Klaper to learn why some people fail to thrive (or in fact become quite ill, as I did) on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Perhaps one day I will be able to thrive without meat, but that day is not here yet. So until then, I will con- sciously continue to include meat from these farms in my diet. Steve Shapiro Eugene COMING JAN. 22 ... CHOW! Eugene Weekly's Restaurant Guide Chow! features reviews of area eateries and a directory of Eugene and Corvallis restaurants. Ad reservation deadline is Monday, Jan. 15th. Contact Mark Frisbee 484-0519 ext. 28 R iverpark H E A L T H C A R E S E N I O R S E M I N A R 101 “Back Facts For People Who Sit” Tina Meyer MSPT will teach you how to set up your computer / desk area so it is comfortable and efficient. She will review techniques to help eliminate stiff backs, painful shoulders and sore necks. Free lumbar roll to attendees! Wednesday, January 14th from 12:00 to 1PM “Lunch included compliments of the chef!” Seating is limited. Call Elizabeth Tager for reservations. 345-6199 Riverpark Health Care Campus • 425 Alexander Loop • Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows. Please limit length to 250 words, and submissions to once a month. E-mail to editor@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. If you like books such as THE POWER OF NOW If you like the values of WAYNE DYER YOU'LL LOVE US! Spiritual Growth Center Meditation Service Music, Meditation & Message Sunday 8:30am Celebration Service Contemporar y Music, Positive Message Jr. Church, Nurser y Sunday 10:30am AWAKEN TO THE SPIRITUAL POWER WITHIN 390 VERNAL STREET • EUGENE (Coburg Rd. at Rustic St. beind Blockbuster Video) 541-485-0035 • www.sgceugene.org JANUARY 8, 2004 7
