Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2004)
international institutions to reduce/prevent ter- rorism, reduce the threat and stop the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruc- tion, address root causes of terrorism, repriori- tize budget priorities to meet human needs and to engage in international diplomacy as the al- ternative to war.” Shorr will talk about the rapidly growing national movement for SMART security and will offer ways to reach swing voters during this election year. Shorr was founding director of Back From the Brink, a coalition of 40 national arms con- trol organizations com- mitted to removing nuclear weapons from being on “hair-trig- Ira Shorr ger alert.” He is now with PSR’s national of- fice in Washington, D.C. His local visit is sponsored by PSR along with the UO Peace Studies Program, Forensics Program and Concerned Faculty for Peace & Justice. TORREY BACKS BUSH AND NATHANSON Mayoral candidate Nancy Nathanson isn’t the only politician running for office that Eugene Republican Mayor Jim Torrey has thrown his weight behind. Torrey is also back- ing George Bush for President. According to federal election records, Torrey, owner of a billboard advertising company, gave $2,000 to Bush last Sept. 8. — AP GROUP VIEWS OREGON AS STATE THAT SWINGS A group of young doers in Seattle has launched a political organiza- tion, Driving Votes, in an attempt to get Bush out of office this November. Believing that registering vot- ers in swing states is the single most effective way to ensure that Bush loses the upcoming election, their website, www.drivingvotes.com makes it possible for visitors to download voter registration forms, plan road trips to swing states and get in touch with others around the county who are passionate about de-Bushing America. Driving Votes defines a swing state as “a state where the outcome of the election is un- certain … where the margin between Gore and Bush in the 2000 presidential election was less than 10 percent.” The homepage at Drivingvotes.com displays a map of the coun- try’s swing states, and, of course, Oregon is brightly highlighted. Dear Global Citizens! What if a practical blueprint for solving our hunger, environmental and economic crises already exists? FREE PUBLIC LECTURES BY • Elections are hectic and curious times for newspapers and EW is no exception. It’s a bit of a circus as we try to sort out rhetoric from reality, follow the money, and sift through conspiracy theories about missing lawn signs and errant campaign mailings (as we go to press, Andrea Ortiz is wondering why hundreds of her mailed fliers have not arrived at their destinations in Zip Code 97404). We debate whether or not lead- ership “style” is really important in candidates, and what the hell is a “real Democrat”? We poke fun at some clueless R-G endorsements and note that some others are right on. And we laugh at the R-G’s use of labels such as “liberal” and “moderate.” Track the words and predict the endorsement. Piercy was described as “liberal,” Nathanson as “moderate.” We ponder why the R-G put County Commission candidate Bobby Green’s mug on the front page above the fold the same day ballots arrived. The R-G’s lead story May 4 was a lightweight feature on people managing local mayor campaigns, but buried inside on the bottom of D-1 was an important story on the Chamber of Commerce trying to buy the election. And did the R-G edi- tors designing the front page story on the mayor candidates May 1 know the photog- rapher prominently shown taking the photo was EW Editor Ted Taylor? We notice KEZI seemed to be giving extra attention to Nancy Nathanson (Chambers money went to Nancy) and we’re curious why their website poll shut down after it showed Kitty with a huge lead. We track campaign financing as best we can (it takes a lot of digging) and discover that donations tell stories that we don’t get from the candi- dates themselves. In all, the primary races of ’04 have been quirky, fun, educational and exhausting, and we can hardly wait for November. • We are shocked by the photos and stories of American troops and their inhumane treatment of Iraqi and Afghan military prisoners. But we should not be surprised. We live in a violent society and we brutalize and murder each other right here at home in Lane County. Add the frustrations and constant dangers of a war zone and it’s sur- prising more gung-ho GIs aren’t seeking vengeance and taking out their anger on prisoners. War brings out the best and worst in people, but mostly the worst. What keeps such atrocious behavior in check, ideally, is military discipline and a strong chain of command. Soldiers caught overstepping the bounds of decency must be punished as criminals, along with anyone up-rank as high as it goes, and all reason- able systems must be implemented to 1) stop other abuses that are certainly going on unnoticed, and 2) prevent future incidents. Every atrocity we commit on foreign soil gets magnified in world opinion and adds to our growing national insecurity. • You may have missed it, but the federal government in late April quietly agreed to pay $2 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by two leaders of Earth First! who were arrested and branded eco-terrorists by the FBI. A bomb exploded in their car in Oakland 14 years ago, seriously injuring them. This is the Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney case that has played out in the courts over more than a decade (see “FBI on Trial,” EW archives, 5/23/02). Cherney and Bari sued the FBI and Oakland police investigators, alleging false arrest, illegal search, slanderous statements and conspiracy. It’s good to see some degree of accountability and justice in this case, even seven years after Bari died. Dr. James Quilligan POLICY ADVISOR, WRITER AND CONSULTANT TO WILLY BRANDT, JIMMY CARTER AND GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES IN OVER 25 COUNTRIES NEW-PARADIGM ECONOMICS TUE., MAY 18 • 7PM WED., MAY 19 • 7PM Crisis in the Global Economy: The Spiritual Dimension Unitarian Universalist Church 477 East 40th • Eugene The Brandt Commission Report: A Blueprint for Global Justice and Sustainability UO, Knight Library Browsing Rm. With much gratitude to supporters: Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, Concerned Faculty for Peace and Justice, Cortesia Sanctuary www.brandt21forum.info SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, or email editor@eugeneweekly.com MAY 6, 2004 9
