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