TO THE EDITOR
this I say BS. If that’s the logic, then I should be
able to play basketball like Jordan or the piano
like Cliburn but I don’t because someone
knocked me off of my path when I was young...
I don’t think so! It’s obvious that these people
were born with a special talent that I will never
have no matter how long I practice.
If one is a real artist there will be nothing or
no one who can stand in the way. The obsession
to create things never seen before is always
there, like it or not. Artists are judged by a large
body of work over their lifetime that defines
them i.e. Matisse, Miro, deKooning etc. not by
just a few pieces here and there.
Our biggest problem as a culture is that
we’ve allowed everything to be labeled “art.”
We even get excited when an elephant blows
paint out of his trunk onto a canvas! We can turn
that situation around as a culture by nurturing
and encouraging the visionaries among us in-
stead of labeling them “weird” or “abnormal.”
Everyone can learn to be disciplined in the
medium of their choice but few will have the ge-
nius that moves art forward.
Annie Kayner
Eugene
TERMINAL ERROR
Lois Wadsworth’s review of Stephen
Spielberg’s new film The Terminal, was right
on. However, in her write up she referred to the
Beatles song “Back in the USSR,” as being sung
by John Lennon. Ah — wrong oh! Paul
McCartney sang lead vocal on that opening cut
of the 1968 White Album and furthermore, Paul
wrote the song as a parody of the 1959 Chuck
Berry tune “Back in the USA.” An homage to
The Beach Boys’ sound was made with har-
monies supplied by John and George, because
Mike Love gave Paul the idea for the song while
they all meditated in India.
Michael Rechel
Eugene
BETTER TO LOVE
As we were hiking through Mt. Pisgah this
morning we became animated by a discussion
we were having about finding simple solutions
to what some people tend to make into complex
problems.
First, we had read about Peter DeFazio giv-
ing back money that he received a while ago
from Neil Goldschmidt. Now wouldn’t it be so
much more positive and appropriate to give the
money to Sexual Assault Support Services,
which is always in need of funds? Then there is
the issue of the West Eugene Faith Center tear-
ing down virtually a city block in order to ex-
pand their parking accommodations. Wouldn’t
it be more neighbor-friendly to simply strike a
deal with the new Cesar Chavez Elementary
School next door, which will have a brand new
spacious parking lot that will hardly be in use
during the weekends?
Finally, there is what to some people is the
huge issue of whether or not to allow gay mar-
riages. We are spending billions of dollars in
Iraq to insure that the Iraqi people have freedom
and equality. Our country could take the step to
allow lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered
people the ability to have their unions recog-
nized on an equal basis and it would not cost a
penny! Isn’t it better to support stable, long-
term, loving relationships rather than war?
As we continued our walk through the
forested terrain, we breathed in the beauty of the
scenery and the scent of the trees. Wouldn’t it be
simpler to love rather than to hate? Wouldn’t it
be simpler to give so everyone has enough
rather than continue to take and consume?
Wouldn’t it be simpler to play fair, play hard and
invite everyone to join the game? Wouldn’t it be
simpler to become a diverse community rather
than a divisive one?
Victoria Koch
and Dan Fuehring
Eugene
WHERE WAS RALPH?
To those people who are considering voting
for Nader in the upcoming election, please con-
sider the following: What was Nader doing for
the past four years? If he was serious about a bid
for president in 2004, why wasn’t he actively
trying to build a constituency? When Dennis
Kucinich put himself forward as a presidential
candidate more than a year ago, why didn’t
Nader support him? Their views are compatible,
and Nader’s support could have given Dennis a
real boost.
One of Nader’s reasons (excuses?) for his
2000 bid was to develop the Green Party as a vi-
able alternative to the two-party system and to
obtain 5 percent of the vote so that the party
would be eligible for federal funding in the fu-
ture. In 2004, he turned down the Green Party,
giving the reasoning that he wants to build a
coalition of Democrats, Republicans and inde-
pendents. Isn’t this just spoiling every party’s
chance?
Why has he siphoned off a Green Party
member to run as his vice president? Doesn’t
that just antagonize the party that supported
him? Why are Republicans funding the Nader
campaign? And why did he recently say that any
Democrats who showed up at his “convention”
in Portland were spoilers, while the Republicans
were sincere in their support of him?
A vote for Ralph Nader gives this country a
better chance of being subjected to four more
years of the Bush administration. Who believes
that Nader does not know that? Do you want
that to happen?
Kathleen Epstein
Eugene
VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE
Let’s talk about what really happened in the
EW Staff
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Storm
y
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JULY 22, 2004 5