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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2004)
TO THE EDITOR Japan they continue, “Despite the wide in- crease in the availability of pornography to children, not only was there a decrease in sex crimes with juveniles as victims but the num- ber of juvenile offenders also decreased sig- nificantly.” These results have been repli- cated throughout Western Europe. Rather than indict EW for its ads, Schmidt’s desire for justice would be better served by turning her (and our) critical gaze toward the machinery of capitalism that causes all of us to be exploited through the sale of our labor, sexual or otherwise, whether on our knees pleasuring the boss or cleaning his toilet. It is our economic system, along with our superstitious taboos about the inherent “evils” of sex and porn, which Schmidt per- petuates, that furnish the preconditions for exploitation Schmidt decries. EW’s sex ads are a consequence of this all, not a cause, and are ultimately as irrelevant as the tired invec- tive against those ads. J. Maas-DeSpain Eugene THE DIRT ON MARTHA I know that Martha Stewart may not be of much interest to EW readers other than for retribution, but there is something ironic worth mentioning. Some years ago Washington State did research on the amounts of toxic chemicals and sludge that fertilizer manu- facturers put into their mixes — evidently a more common prac- tice than we like to think about. After reading the compari- son graphics, I noticed that the Martha Stewart brand was one of the cleanest, better even that some “envi- ronmentally friendly” ones. Did they bust her because she didn’t put enough toxic sludge in the food chain to suit agribusiness? Tsk, tsk. Michael Anderson Oakridge PICKING UP THE TAB I was thrilled to see Hugh Massengill’s letter “excluding the poor” (7/15), because it was a perfect and blatant example of how the American mind has been twisted into believ- ing that we are all victims of something, and it is the governments responsibility to correct our problems. In his letter Massengill accuses the city of Eugene of delightfully excluding the poor from Art and the Vineyard by allow- ing an admission fee to be charged. I am truly sorry that Mr. Massengill’s fi- nancial status did not allow him to spend $5 to enjoy such a wonderful event as Art and the Vineyard. Heaven forbid that he should have to pay for it. If I’ve learned anything in my life, it is, “Nothing is free.” Medical care is not free, food is not free and fireworks are not free. Somebody has to pay for them, the question is who. I assume the fireworks were paid for with tax dollars, so go ahead and watch them on my dime (I assume that he does not pay taxes if he is that poor). Other events on public land such as football games, concerts, and Art and the Vineyard also cost money. If someone does not want to pay his fee, then somebody else will have to pick up the tab, presumably the taxpayer. I personally do not want to be the one stuck with Mr. Massengill’s bill for a “luxury item.” If he dedicated as much effort to earning income as he did in writing his letter, he could have earned the $5 admission fee. What’s next, free HBO? Write back when you have some- thing substantial to complain about, like flat- ulence. That is a government program I’d be willing to pay for. Todd Anderson aka Evil Rich Guy Eugene NOT WORTH IT Saturday evening, my wife and I returned from a pleasant outdoor party to find her cat of 13 years lying dead at the foot of our driveway. Apparently someone saved 30 seconds en route to whatever vitally important func- tion they were speeding to. You re- ally had to go out of the way to hit Sissy Lee — she was smart and avoided the street. So here we are, only days from the birth of our first child, and my wife is heartbroken. It’s not the first time. The day after our wedding, our other cat, Henry, was killed by a speeder. So, the two biggest events of our lives have been marred by unthinking, inconsiderate people. At this point, we’re hell-bent to get a stop sign or speed bump on our stretch of street, or we’ll move. But I’d like to go on record with the thoughtless speeders out there — whether or not you “like” dogs or cats is not the issue. These animals don’t exist in a void. Behind each of them is a heartbroken elderly widow who’s lost her best remaining friend, or a shy, lonely child, whose loving pet gives them desperately needed reassurance; or people like my wife and me, looking forward to the biggest moment of our lives. To you I say — I hope the 30 seconds was worth it. Robert Hermann Eugene EW Staff EDITORIAL Editor Ted Taylor Executive/Arts Editor Lois Wadsworth Contributing Editor Anita Johnson Staff Writers Alan Pittman, Bobbie Willis Calendar Editor Ben Fogelson Contributing Writers Brett Campbell, Rachel Foster, Jerry Harris, Kate Rogers Gessert, James Johnston, Sharleen Nelson, Mary O’Brien, Sylvie Pederson, Vanessa Salvia, Sally Sheklow, Lance Sparks, Martha Ulman West Interns Emma Juhlin, Aleta Raphael-Brock, Kate Storm y ART DEPARTMENT Art Director/Production Manager Kevin Dougherty Graphic Artist/Webmaster James Bateman Graphic Artists Todd Cooper Contributing Photographers Kurt Jensen, Paul Neevel ADVERTISING National Sales Manager Mark Frisbee Display Marketing Consultant Jennifer D’Angelo, Rob Weiss Advertising Traffic Coordinator Geneva Miller Classified Manager Jeffrey Stout Classified Marketing Consultant Bob Britto BUSINESS Director of Sales and Marketing Bill Shreve Circulation Manager Deena Miller Controller Paula Hoemann Customer Care Specialist Molly Templeton Distributors Bob Becker, Peter Dilcher, Kevin Greene, Tim Risch, Jackson Stephens, Carrie Wedmore, Pedalers Express Printing Signature Graphics HOW TO REACH US BY E-MAIL: (letters): editor@eugeneweekly.com (advertising): ads@eugeneweekly.com (classifieds): classy@eugeneweekly.com (personals): romance@eugeneweekly.com (calendar): cal@eugeneweekly.com (music/clubs/special shows): music@eugeneweekly.com (art/openings/galleries): visualarts@eugeneweekly.com (performance/theater): performance@eugeneweekly.com (literary arts/readings): books@eugeneweekly.com (movies/film screenings): movies@eugeneweekly.com (circulation): distribution@eugeneweekly.com Eugene Weekly • 1251 Lincoln Street • Eugene, OR 97401 • 541.484.0519 • fax 541-484-4044 AUGUST 5, 2004 5
