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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2005)
TO THE EDITOR ROAD WORRIES As if holiday traffic wasn’t enough on Coburg Road! I witnessed the stop-and-go traffic and a huge exodus of cars on to Coburg Road because of another accident on Beltline. I understand there are acci- dents on Beltline almost daily, especially during the holidays. Beltline has proven to be an unsafe highway that should be first for highway funding in Lane County. Sections of Highway 105 will be par- tially closed in 2005 for repairs. This will add additional traffic on Beltline and de- mand slower speed limits until we can in- vest in the needed improvements. If you’ve experienced accidents or stalled traffic on Beltline and you want safer travel, please call your city and county elected officials. Meanwhile I plan to avoid Beltline. I also plan to speak up and urge safety as first pri- ority for road building funds — not more money spent on the $180 million boondog- gle of West Eugene Parkway. Ruth Duemler Eugene OFFENSIVE MESSAGE As a whole, “The 700 Club” is a rela- tively harmless “show” with born-again testimonials, featured hard-luck stories, and recommended health care advice. But it is the Pat Robertson news segment spins that offend so many of us. The man has an agenda. He portrays the Christian movement as a still-perse- cuted first century minority clinging on to faith that faces total extinction from hea- thens, liberals, and progressives (ie. the Romans). He is pro-war, defender of cor- porate dominance, and hardly, if ever, mentions civil rights. One wonders why we never hear the passage: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven?” Perhaps because it would reveal what those who stand be- hind this ilk are in store for. Pat is on a crusade to stop those who would keep the church and state apart. The remedy would be to enact new laws and change the Constitution to appease the heavens. Remember that Pat was on the front lines demanding impeachment for Clinton’s sexual indiscretion and first to accept and then forgive Bush for mislead- ing us into a war with Iraq. Mortals like Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, and the like are soiling the good name of Jesus by playing armchair politics within their bully pulpit media outlets. I recommend that everyone tune in to the first 10 minutes of the “700 Club” to see this abomination for yourselves. Notice the subtle gay bashing, the willingness to de- stroy people and things, and the defense of all things Republican. Love only pops up when the donation drive clicks in. Woody Woodmark Eugene SHEER MADNESS I recently learned that the IRS has given a tax deduction to a man for his sex change operation. This is wrong and the IRS has unwittingly become a pawn in the hands of the homosexual agenda. Reputable psychiatrists and therapists understand that the gender identity disor- der known as gender dysphoria is a mental problem — not a condition that warrants drastic and life-altering surgery. Dr. Paul McHugh, the distinguished service professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University recently wrote a lengthy article in First Things (11/04) about the prac- tice of sexual reassignment surgery — and called it “collaborating with madness.” He convinced Johns Hopkins to stop doing all sex change operations because physicians and psychiatrists are realizing that this is a mental illness that needs ther- apy — not surgery. By giving a tax deduc- tion to a sexually confused man who thinks he’s a woman, your organization is collab- orating with madness as well. This person should have received psychiatric help, not the surgical mutilation of his body! The decision will encourage other sexu- ally confused men and women and even teenagers to choose surgery instead of ther- apy to cure what is a mental condition! Please have this decision reversed im- mediately! Billy Gruwell Springfield ROOT CAUSES It is time that we start to address the root causes of global instability. Fighting global poverty, hunger and disease helps make the world more stable and secure. Helping peo- ple help themselves provides a way to find real solutions to these problems. Nearly half the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. Every day nearly a billion people go to bed hungry; 30,000 children die from preventable illnesses; and another 5,000 children become or- phans due to HIV/AIDS. And yet the U.S. currently spends a mere 1/10th of 1 percent of the U.S. annual budget on humanitarian assistance. The U.S. can and should lead in con- tributing to the development of more stable and self-reliant societies. These efforts are central to promoting peace and greater se- curity at home and abroad. Development programs have worked effectively in the past three decades to help cut infant mortality in half, increase the life expectancy rate from 46 to 63 years and in- crease the number of children in primary school from 48 percent to 78 percent. We can and must do more. I call on our govern- ment to help fight global poverty, hunger and disease by making a commitment to spend at least 1 percent of the annual budget on humanitarian and development assistance. Lou Enge Eugene SIMPLE SOLUTION The past year has witnessed major na- tional wins and losses. The Republicans won by retaining political power in the November elections. The Democrats won because they are not stuck with the losing battle for a democratic Iraq. On the domestic front, we’ve been los- ing the battle for our health, with obesity assuming epidemic proportions. We’ve been losing the battle for our environment, with more animal wastes dumped in our water supplies. And, we’ve been losing the battle for our soul, with more and more an- JANUARY 6, 2005 5
