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