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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2004)
SPASARO DEFENDS HIS RECORD AT DEA A pro-marijuana legalization website is saying Oregon House District 11 candidate Michael Spasaro was suspended and de- moted by the Drug Enforcement Agency dur- ing his DEA career in Turkey for “misuse of office.” The site also accuses Spasaro of confiscating marijuana plants from the home of an Oregon quadriplegic who had a state license to grow and possess medical pot, then threatening to seize the entire property if the per- son continued growing marijuana. The website (www.onlinepot.org/ legal/dirtylaundry.htm) includes semi- legible copies of 1995 DEA letters with some names blacked out, outlining the al- legations and calling for Spasaro’s suspen- sion and demotion. One sentence under the heading “misuse of office” reads, “This spec- ification is based on your … with INS in an attempt to have them investigate … the ex- husband of your girlfriend.” Spasaro says the letter on the Internet “does not exist. There was a letter in my per- sonal file that was a ‘proposal of discipline,’ that contained allegations but was expunged because the allegations were false. Somehow someone got a copy of the original document and that is what you see on the Internet.” Spasaro says that when he was the resi- dent agent in charge of DEA in Instanbul, “the Turkish police brought a young lady to me whose daughter was kidnapped and be- lieved to be in the U.S. They asked for my help and I helped the young mother find her daughter. At the time this young mother was not my girlfriend but this was how we met. On June 24, 1995, four years later, we were married.” “The outcome of the investigation led to a reprimand,” he says, “and I agreed to take a voluntary down grade from resident agent in charge to a senior investigator. This was basi- cally the same money, just a different title … The purposed suspension and demotion was • Mayors of innovative communities from all over the country came together at the Eugene/UO conference Sept. 23 on “Making Sustainable Development Work.” What were the mayors and plan- ners talking about? Municipal level sus- tainable development programs; local sustainable business retention and expansion programs; and local climate change programs linked with business development. Kitty Piercy was there, but only a handful of local business leaders and local government officials bothered to attend, and the R-G apparently didn’t send anyone to cover it. Eugene has great potential to become a model for livability, innovation and economic pros- perity, but our progress is stifled by complacency with outdated ideas. • Speaking of sustainability issues, the City Council is talking about reviving state/local enterprise-zone tax breaks to encourage new manufacturing compa- nies to locate in Eugene. The debate continues at the Monday, Oct. 11 council meeting. Conservatives on the council, along with a biased city staff, are push- ing for unrestricted tax breaks and a 10 OCTOBER 7, 2004 rescinded. I never broke any laws or lied to anyone. All I did was help a scared mother get her kidnapped daughter back again.” Regarding the pot raid accusations, Spasaro says he did accompany local police in an Oregon marijuana raid in 2002 and seized 12 plants from a disabled person. “DEA policy and direc- tion from the Department of Justice requires that any DEA [agent] seeing mari- juana must seize the drug even if the person has a state license to pos- sess the drug,” he says. “At SPASARO no time did I threaten anyone with seizing their property.” Spasaro, a Republican, is challenging in- cumbent Democrat Phil Barnhart in the House District 11 race. — TJT POLITICAL ACTS NOT TO MISS Three political celebrities will soon make appearances in Eugene: Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry; former Sen. Max Cleland, Vietnam war hero and Kerry supporter; and Michael Moore, progressive documentarian and political rabble-rouser. Heinz Kerry will appear at a rally at 12:45 pm Thursday, Oct. 7 at the McDonald Theatre downtown to talk about health care and the economy. The event is free, but seat- ing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 11 am. Details on Cleland’s visit were sketchy at press time, but he is expected to be at the Vets’ Club at 16th and Willamette Friday evening for debate watching and discussion afterward. Michael Moore will stop in Eugene on as part of his “Slacker Uprising!” tour. His show will include a monologue, interaction with the audience, and surprise guests. The event, geographically expanded enterprise zone. If we must offer tax breaks, let’s use them to encourage infill and rede- velopment of existing sites and brown- fields (old industrial sites that may be contaminated). And let’s require busi- nesses that get tax breaks to provide liv- ing wage jobs, create the kinds of jobs that have a future in Oregon (manufac- turing is rapidly moving overseas), set a cap on the dollar value of tax breaks per job created (Hynix got about $50,000 per job), and require pay-backs if busi- nesses default on their agreements. Better yet, let’s hold off on this long- term commitment until the new council is seated in January. • “It’s hard work, it’s hard,” whines Bush. Yes, it is hard trying to squeeze juice from the dried up fruits of incompe- tence and failure. Two debates so far, a third coming up Friday, and it’s obvious to us that Bush and Cheney are running scared. Tuesday night’s VP debate excessively rehashed Iraq, to the detri- ment of real discussion about education and the economy — and the environ- ment wasn’t even mentioned. Still, the sponsored by the UO Cultural Forum, will be held at the Lane Event Center at the Fairgrounds at noon on Monday, Oct. 18. Tickets are $5 and will go on sale for students on Oct. 11 at 9 am through the UO Ticket Office (cash only, limit four tickets per per- son). Tickets go on sale for the public at 9 am Oct. 13 through the UO Ticket Office, or charge by phone at 346-4363. PUZZLED ABOUT STATE BALLOT MEASURES? Several of the more controversial state bal- lot measures on the Nov. 2 ballot will be dis- cussed in a public meeting at 7 pm Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 477 East 40th in Eugene. Presenters will rep- resent the Campaign against Measure 36, the League of Woman Voters, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), 1000 Friends of Oregon, and the Social Concerns Committee of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church in Eugene. The UU committee is recommending “no” votes on measures 35, 36, 37 and 38, and EMO concurs with UU except on Measure 36, the constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage. EMO was unable to reach consensus on 36, saying “After a lengthy discernment process, the board rec- ognizes that there is a diversity of theological understandings when considering a defini- tion of marriage and how it is to be under- stood in religious and legal context.” Regarding Measure 35, limiting damages in medical malpractice lawsuits, EMO con- cluded that “capping damage awards would not necessarily lead to lower rates, or reduce the number of doctors who are leaving the practice of medicine.” debates are going well for Kerry and Edwards, and now we expect Bush to be even more on the defensive on domestic policies in the next two encounters. These “debates” are contrived and rehearsed, but still worth watching. • Check out www.votergasm.org and take the pledge. Choices are to pledge to withhold sex from nonvoters for the week following the election; or pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from nonvoters for a week; or pledge to have sex with a voter on election night and withhold sex from nonvoters for the next four years. Acceptable sexual positions are listed on the site, along with orgasm hints, and the admonition that “pledge-takers who fail to vote are forbidden from mastur- bation.” • How many of our 91,300 regular read- ers are Republicans? Media Audit tells us the R’s number 12.8 percent of our readers or 11,680. D’s number 45.3 per- cent or 41,350. Independents are 35 percent or 31,960. Stay tuned for more exciting stats over the next few weeks. G e t O u t t h e V ot e • Musicians for Kerry, free con- cert and inspiring talks from 12:30 to 5:30 pm Sunday, Oct. 10 at Alton Baker Park. Paul Biondi with Ed Coleman and Barbara Healy, Deb Cleveland, Los Mex Pistols del Norte and Walker T. Ryan. Councilor David Kelly will introduce the bands and speak- ers. Rain or shine. • House party for County Commissioner Don Hampton from 4 to 6 pm Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1147 E. 26th Ave. RSVP to 342-1953 or carrigan@refn.org
