TO THE EDITOR
SPIT SHINE
I would like to thank Alan Pittman for his ar-
ticles on the Magaña trial. He gave us a raw and
uncensored view of the assaults, thus giving a
glimpse of how “dirty” these crimes really were.
It will take more than a “spit shine” or inter-
nal investigation to restore luster to the EPD
badge. Numerous times the city has asked vot-
ers to approve needed money for the depart-
ment. It is apparent how our taxes are being
spent. The city of Eugene should be held ac-
countable as well as Magaña. No amount of in-
vestigation or reform can make up for what’s
happened here.
Magaña new what he was doing. He preyed
upon our city’s most vulnerable. He targeted al-
leged drug users and prostitutes, women already
in uncertain situations. As a civil servant he
should have tried to help these women, but in-
stead he blackmailed and raped them.
I pray the courts can see beyond who these
women are or what their habits may be. These
victims deserve monetary compensation. Let
the city right its wrong. Let them pay back what
they owe.
Joy Holmes
Eugene
UNPROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE
Hats off to Amy Gaudia (Letters, 7/1) for
verbalizing her concern about EW’s recent edi-
torial choices. As a survivor of attempted rape,
I’d like to emphasize Gaudia’s point that the
Magaña articles used terminology that was
likely to distress victims of sexual assault. I felt
very troubled by the unprofessional language,
and I cringed at the thought of how the X-rated
wording might affect other readers, including
children who happened to catch sight of the ob-
jectionable titles. Ouch.
The articles seemed to be a prime opportu-
nity to inform us about the kinds of mental ill-
ness that could enable an officer to commit such
unconscionable acts of abuse. In “Policing
Police” (7/1), I appreciate that Alan Pittman
held the police department responsible, yet I’d
like to know more about the factors that con-
tributed to the severity of the situation. Was it,
for example, extreme self-loyalty, or the need
for camaraderie and self-protection that allowed
it to go on for so long?
I value EW’s willingness to address contro-
versial issues. Please consider expanding the
impact you make by providing insights that fa-
cilitate more in-depth understanding.
Lisa-Marie DiVincent
Eugene
CRITIC KICKING
I am greatly offended by the 7/1 “Too Much
Coffee Man” cartoon. In this cartoon, a critic
discusses the apparent self-hate of a cartoon
character that kicks his loving and receptive cat.
Then the same angry man invades this thought-
ful discussion by kicking the critic. I would ask,
“Does this cartoon give kids and adults the idea
that it’s alright to kick critics?” I would say yes.
Perhaps you should think about the hundreds of
critic abuse cases that are reported in Lane
County. Why would you want to encourage this
kind of abuse? Why is critic abuse funny? What
next, politically incorrect humor? Freedom of
speech?
I call for a suspension or removal of
Shannon Wheeler, the cartoonist, and apology
to the cool critics of Eugene. We love critics and
seeing them being abused is not funny. And to
James Bakerhall who wrote the amazingly ab-
surd letter 7/8 I say: Get a life.
Marc Calvary
Eugene
MERCURY SPILL
I am writing you regarding the current con-
cern surrounding mercury. I would like to stress
here that mercury is not only an environmental
issue but also a health issue. Mercury primarily
affects women and children, and EPA reports
that almost 630,000 babies are born with high
levels of mercury in their blood. Studies have
shown that these babies are prone to suffer from
neurological disorders and brain damage.
Now the EPA is deciding to declare mercury
as a nontoxic emission, allowing power plants
to spill 23 tons more of mercury into our water-
ways every year. This will not only prove to be
disastrous for our wildlife, primarily fish, but
will also ultimately create a countdown for the
death of our fishing industries, our fishing sport
as well as the consumption of fish in our daily
diet.
Today in the 21st century, we not only pos-
sess the necessary technology to prevent this
from happening, but we can also allow our in-
dustries to continue without affecting progress.
Ironically, the EPAhas proven in their own stud-
ies with a science-backed plan that we can re-
duce emissions by 90 percent, which would re-
sult in helping our economy.
As a community, we need to team up to avert
this. We are fulfilling a responsibility to pre-
serve Oregon’s rich heritage of wildlife in our
waterways and protect our loved ones from
harm. We cannot allow the EPA to declare mer-
cury as a nontoxic material. Please write
Senator Smith and urge him to help solve this
problem. With concern,
Rachel Lee
Eugene
creasing political polarization in our country I
see many signs of hope. Young people are on the
streets registering people to vote. I have conver-
sations with strangers about the torture at Abu
Ghraib prison and my daughter has the opportu-
nity to attend multi-faith services here in
Eugene. All of these activities reflect different
and beautiful capacities in human beings: to en-
gage with our world, to recover our ethical sen-
sibilities and to harbor the curiosity and open-
ness that I believe will ultimately lead us all to
higher ground.
Barbara Sklar
Eugene
SPECIAL TALENT
HOPEFUL SIGNS
I want to thank Todd Huffman for his letter
to the editor (7/8) entitled “Common Ground.”
It challenged me to reexamine the ways that I
fall into the habit of painting people into cor-
ners. If we can take the time to listen deeply to
different points of view, shaped by different ex-
periences from our own, labels will seem shal-
low and ultimately meaningless.
In the midst of what appears to be an in-
Well, Ed from Creswell (7/8) I hate to burst
your bubble, but we are not all born “artistic”
and then “thwarted” by some teacher. Your rec-
ollections of the “good ol’days” when everyone
was allowed to be an artist is a myth. People can
be handy or crafty or even innovative in their
chosen medium but that doesn’t make them
artists. I know there is scholarship out there that
says we are all artists in our own right and some
of us are just waylaid out of being such, but to
BY SCOTT THIEMANN
Hiding Out
Beneath currents of guilt and confusion
I
grew up the oldest child in a middle class suburban family, involved
in church, doing well in school, pursuing dreams similar to most
teenagers.
I was almost too normal. Except for one big secret.
Exploring the hidden me entailed shrewd timing in the form of
many short visits to the city library. Pulling out the card catalog
drawer, turning it away so the librarian couldn’t see the books I was
looking up. Writing down numbers without titles on small scraps of
paper, meaningless to anyone not a librarian. Memorizing a title, match-
ing it to the Dewey Decimal number, removing the book, hiding in the carol
protected by its mini-walls. Digesting all the words possible within my daily time limit,
not letting the librarian see me replacing the forbidden book on the shelf.
The next day I retrieved the same book, absorbing what I could during another lim-
ited, time-precious sitting, replacing the book and continuing the cycle daily until fin-
ished.
Repeating this process, I devoured numerous books and magazine articles until I had
completely convinced myself — the hidden me growing exposed, like tree roots that were
securely buried gradually becoming visible, now jutting outward from a once-solid bank
4 JULY 22, 2004
with water lapping in waves of self-discovery and underlying currents of guilt and confu-
sion.
As I exited the library one fateful day, making my pilgrimage homeward, it hit me like
a ton of bricks. I was homosexual. I said the word out loud. There was no turning
back.
How could a 16-year-old be so self-aware, when nothing around him re-
flected such a possibility? Was I the only one in my high school of over
2,000 not attracted to the other gender?
W
ith no role models, no context for making sense of being
other-than-heterosexual, and the American Psychiatric
Association determining that I didn’t have a mental illness
or disorder, I made it through — as have many of your children, your brothers
and sisters, mothers and fathers, various relatives and friends.
Although the process of discovering one is not heterosexual may not be quite
as lonely an experience today, having available resources and people aware and sensi-
tive to such a reality can make a big difference in the quality and potential of the life of a
young person who feels like a round peg in a square hole regarding the world of sexual
attractions and relationships.
Such support could even provide the means for a child or teenager to make it
through their adolescence alive.
Scott Thiemann’s column has been running for several months in the Port Orford News, but was recently canceled due
to advertiser pressure. His columns and commentaries have also run in the Brownsville Time and the Brookings Pilot.