TO THE EDITOR
SAFE DISPOSAL
For the past 11 months, I have worked as
a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer for HIV
Alliance’s Sana Needle Exchange Program.
Sadly, the end of my term of service coin-
cides with devastating budget and staffing
cuts to the needle exchange.
Whether people realize it or not, the
Sana Needle Exchange affects and serves
everyone in our community by preventing
new HIV infections, keeping used needles
out of our streets and parks, and signifi-
cantly reducing the costs of hospital and ER
visits in our community. We exchange ap-
proximately 50,000 needles a month, which
means that these needles are safely disposed
of instead of being thrown into our neigh-
borhoods. People need to consider what will
happen to our community if this vital
human service program ends. Needle ex-
change programs save lives.
More than anything, the past year has
opened my eyes to how many amazing peo-
ple live and work in our community. HIV
Alliance employs some of the most com-
passionate, dedicated and empowered peo-
ple that I have ever had the privilege of
knowing, and I thank all of them for this ex-
perience.
In the face of serious funding shortages,
Sana Needle Exchange staff and volunteers
still show up every day to offer help and
fight for what they believe in. We see the
difference we make each day and I know
what an incredible impact the Sana Needle
Exchange has made in our community. If
you care about the health and safety of our
community, I urge you to support your local
needle exchange.
Emily Graham-Berks
Eugene
DESTROYED LIVES
I would like to thank Dr. Megan Schmidt
for her Viewpoint (7/15). I agree 100 per-
cent that it is time to hold EW accountable
for the ads that appear in the back of the
paper as well as those that promote busi-
nesses associated with the sex trade such as
announcements of porn star appearances at
Castle or mud wrestling at a strip club. How
much money do these ads generate?
How many lives are destroyed in the
wake of those who respond to the ads?
Where is the cost/benefit analysis? By my
calculations, the costs far outweigh the
gains, and perhaps EW should be held ac-
countable for reparations to those families
whose lives have been destroyed following
repeated temptation broadcast through the
pages of this paper. Counseling is not cheap,
divorce attorneys are expensive, not to men-
tion the potential exposure to STDs and
physical abuse.
I call for an end to this section of ads and
accountability for the social distress you
have promoted.
Jason Blazar
Eugene
AWASH IN EROTICA
In her Viewpoint of 7/15, Megan
Schmidt claims that feminists and “other re-
searchers” have demonstrated an “undeni-
able link” between the pervasiveness of
porn/prostitution (to borrow Schmidt’s
melding technique) and sexual violence.
The statistics presented leave me wondering
about the nature of the research, and how
the figures would look in a context of proper
“sex industry” regulation, or with whole-
population samples when looking at the ef-
fects of porn. After all, there are also studies
that show lower rates of sexual assault in
moderate European countries that are awash
in erotica and have regulated prostitution.
It seems rather obvious that those prone
to sexual violence would have a higher rate
of recidivism while using porn, just as alco-
holics have a higher rate of relapse in the
presence of booze. Should society prohibit
anything that could possibly support abu-
sive behavior? And what percentage of the
large number of porn viewers around the
world coerce others into sexual activity, or
see women as subservient? Where’s that
study? It’s interesting how someone with a
pet issue can selectively latch onto stats that
seem to support their views.
As for gauging the willingness to choose
porn or prostitution, I bet a larger percent-
age of people willingly engage in such ac-
tivities, especially erotica, in cultures that
don’t readily stigmatize them. In this soci-
ety, many people are conditioned to be un-
comfortable with their bodies and their sex-
uality (particularly anything perceived as
outside the mainstream), and this would no
doubt influence their attitudes. But let’s ac-
knowledge that a percentage of the erotica
out there is still truly non-commercial mate-
rial released by people who do fancy being
photographed or taped enjoying their sexu-
ality. Shall we rail against all that freelance
self-expression as well, because it might of-
fend the sensibilities of ultra-feminists
(a.k.a. anti-males) and those who feel
they’ve been victimized? After all, there’s a
lot of stuff out there that could be classified
under the “P” word.
Alex F. Jenson
Eugene
women and non-heterosexuals of their gen-
dered “place” in this society.
Jen McWeeny
Eugene
GENDERED PLACE
A MAN’S VIEW
Three cheers for Megan Schmidt’s
words (7/15) about EW’s willingness to
subjugate women. I have wanted to write
such a letter myself for some time now.
Schmidt does an excellent job at exposing
how reformist progressivism often covers
for the fact that progressives rarely call for
revolutionary changes in the very social,
legal and economic structures of society, es-
pecially when it involves gender roles.
I would like to add that in addition to the
hypocritical political implications of EW’s
relationship with the sex industry, the sex
industry ads affect readers’ personal experi-
ence with the paper. When I see images of a
faceless woman grabbing her bare breasts in
a pose intended for an invisible voyeur, or a
woman sucking her fingers while wearing
only her bra (7/15 issue), I am reminded that
we live in a society where women are most
often seen to have worth only in terms of
their physical looks and in terms of their
ability to please men sexually (one ad
proudly states “available for businessmen”
next to the image).
Thanks, EW for supporting these flawed
cultural ideals and for reminding me, other
By printing Megan Schmidt’s succinct
and direct appeal against EW’s sexual ad-
vertising, the paper seems to be inviting
comment. I weigh in on Megan’s side. She
discussed the subjugation of women, and
I’d like to address the issue from a man’s
perspective.
I turn gingerly to the back pages, hoping
that “No Exit” will make me laugh, which it
often does. But I know that in those pages,
girls I’ve never met are going to be staring
at me, and they WANT ME BAD. Only they
don’t. They want a hundred bucks or what-
ever. They want to exploit me and have no
interest in my feelings or personality be-
yond what it takes to acquire what I’ve
worked hard all day to earn.
Possibly a man’s job is already some-
what demeaning, but he gets the rent to-
gether and has a few bucks for beer and
laughs. Rather than focusing whatever re-
maining attention he may have on the char-
acter of the police force or the changing
ecological regulations, EW compliments
him by assuming he’s a valid target for
some woman (with no face) holding her im-
mense breasts in her hands, a girl in a bra
BY DAN CAROL
On God and Country
I’m with Abe (and the Johns).
J
ohn Kerry accepts the Democratic nomination tonight. I feel silly trying to
predict what he will say. It seems like a time to pause — and listen.
Will he inspire and excite like the last JFK did a generation ago – and make a call
for young Americans to be the Greatest Generation Yet to Come? I sure hope so.
But either way: The guy already has my vote — and it’s a vote I already feel passion-
ate about.
Here’s why. In these weird new times of 9/11 and religious extremism on both sides,
anyone who is willing to stand up for what’s right when it comes to God and Country has
got my support. Here is what John Kerry had to say July 11 about Bush, religion and
4 JULY 29, 2004
faith on CBS’ “60 Minutes”:
Well, Abraham Lincoln wisely avoided trying to
invoke God on the side of the North vs. the South,
but prayed that he was on God’s side. I think that’s
the lesson that John (Edwards) and I would bring to
this. We are both people of deep faith. I think that —
and I respect the president’s faith, I don’t question
it. None of us do.
But I think it is important for us to be really mind-
ful of not stepping over that precious line that the
founding fathers drew, and I believe on a number of occasions, this president has
stepped over that line. It is not the job of the president of the United States to decide
what the religion of America is or what the religion of the world should be.
You want a candidate with character and conviction? Folks, I think we’ve got one.
Dan Carol is a Democratic political strategist and a founding partner of CTSG (www.ctsg.com), a progressive political
consulting firm based in Eugene and Washington, D.C.