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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 2005)
TO THE EDITOR WHY NOT A PIG? Much as I am not a supporter of the police mindset, with its emphasis on guilt and intimidation, I feel that EW does a mas- sive disservice to the cause of clear commu- nication when it uses stereotypical and intrinsically insulting imagery to make its point. The use of a half-eaten donut on the cover (6/30), together with a series of such images interwoven throughout the cover story “Lawsuit Threatens to Eat EPDs Lunch” serves only to separate and confuse an issue which is serious enough to stand on its own, without the need for emotionally charged imagery. I mean if you wanted to go whole hog, no pun intended, why didn’t you print a picture of a pig eating the donut? Perhaps the editor was being lazy-mind- ed: What on earth has a donut to do with sexual assault? Are you implying that the donut made him do it? Otherwise the image is not only irrelevant, but I have to say that if I were a cop, especially their public rela- tions spokesperson, I would feel insulted, and much less inclined to make forthright efforts to communicate through your news- paper. What purpose have you in trying to perpetuate this Us and Them mentality? It’s similar to the circular logic used by the neo-cons to confuse people when they are spreading their lies; they use emotional- ly charged imagery designed to make you believe that black is white: Some cops eat donuts, some cops are bad, therefore donuts are a gateway drug that causes cops to go over the edge and assault vulnerable women. I have had issues with EW’s lapses into polemic in the past. The great potential that EW has is to present the alternative view- point. That effort suffers greatly when shal- low cliches are used to illustrate a serious news story. Grow up! Peter Holden Eugene INSULTING REVIEW I am writing this letter because of my concerns about the recent (6/30) band reviews by Jef Stout in the yearly local bands special section of EW. We as a band in good faith gave our CD, Icelick Inner Truth along with pictures and a brief bio with the thought that we would be included in a local band directory. To our total dis- may and disgust we were greeted by the most insulting and distasteful form of a review I personally have ever seen. The review was not only cruel but a total disre- gard for people who are spending their lives dedicated to writing and performing. We have put our hearts and souls into our music and formed Icelick, bringing 30 years of experience into fruition with the goal of helping humanity. Recently, we won a juried international song competition in the category of “Social Improvement” SAUL SHIMANOFF An EPD officer writes a ticket for one of several participants stopped and cited in June’s Critical Mass ride. CRITICAL MASS Three times this month alone I have nearly been run down by inattentive SUV driv- ers. I choose to ride a bike because I care about preserving the integrity of our com- munity and our environment, because I don’t support the wars that we are fighting of dwindling resources, and because I don’t want to see any more natural areas destroyed through the extraction process. I choose to ride a bike because I value all the life that is being destroyed by car culture over the convenience that motorized vehicles are pre- sumed to provide. Last Friday (6/24) I participated, along with nearly 100 other cyclists, in this month’s Critical Mass. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and thrilled to provide a positive example of alternative forms of transportation that are virtually harmless to our environment. People were able to talk with one another and enjoy the beautiful weather without the fear of death. Yes, cars kill can kill cyclists very easily. It’s already happened a few times this year, here in Eugene. I know that not everyone shares my sense of priorities. Some people feel like cyclists shouldn’t be allowed on the roads, but it would be nice if there were more that one hour out of the month that I could feel safe riding in my own streets. Yeah, I know many people feel like they don’t have a choice about it, but come on, this is Eugene. How often do you really have to drive? Clayton Rivers Eugene 4 JULY 14, 2005 for the song “Have We Forgotten,” from Artists Helping Artists, an international organization. We moved to Eugene because of its reputation for the tremendous support that they give their musicians and wanted to call Eugene our home base. I might add that we are native Oregonians and our thoughts were to tell the world that this is where we are from: Eugene, Oregon. To be told our CD is “like listening to your mother sing the songs she wrote when she was 12” and to be referred to as “Worse than videotaping your parents’ XXX throw-down” is completely uncalled for, and I personally cannot believe that a magazine would let this type of trash be put on their pages. Another band was told that they might be able to play in a child’s cancer ward without getting booed. It just so happens that this band has volunteered their music and time for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life along with other charities. I may be the only one who stands up and says this is not only wrong but I am appalled and disgusted. As professional musicians, we support and respect all gen- res of music and the musicians who create and perform them. While we appreciate EW, we do not condone this type of defamation towards artists. Dave Braulick www.icelick.com WHAT’S SO BAD? What an interesting article about Wal- Mart (6/16)! You made me want to go to their official web site and look over their claims. Now that I’ve read what EW thinks, and what Wal-Mart thinks, I have to admit, I’m having a little trouble understanding just what the point of the article was. Help me out here. Wal-Mart pledges $35 million to con- serve at least 138,000 acres of “high-priori- ty wildlife habitat” along with five signa- ture projects by “allotting $8.8 million in Wal-Mart funds to conserve 321,000 acres,” and this is bad? Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott admits that, “Protecting the environment is simply the right thing to do.” And this is bad as well? Wal-Mart is found guilty of “Clean Water Act violations for polluted storm water runoff from its parking lots,” agrees to pay millions in fines, fix the problem, then requires its “construction firms bid- ding on Wal-Mart contracts to certify their project managers in storm water manage- ment.” Wal-Mart has happily reached the conclusion that storm water runoff is “zero tolerance,” and this also is bad? I gotta admit guys, this article was quite the eye opener. Instead of crying victory over bringing Wal-Mart to justice, you keep whining and sniffling that it won’t be enough until Wal-Mart is gone from the planet. After all the whining and moaning and bitching, you do not realize that the best way to handle a giant like Wal-Mart is to take their money. How many acres of wetlands and high- priority wildlife habitat does EW help pay to restore? Just how much money does EW pay out, in real dollars, to local charities? EW is just another pathetic, short sighted, special interest group who can’t be pleased even when it does win, because it doesn’t understand what the fight is all about. Paul Gillespie Creswell WAL-MART’S TOLL Thank you for the excellent piece (6/16) on Wal-Mart’s efforts to improve their image by giving to environmental causes. You covered all the bases not only in report- ing on their activities but also pointing out the terrible toll Wal-Mart stores take on the environment: parking lot and toxic product run-off into creeks and streams, piles of consumer items and packaging ending up in landfills, empty Wal-Mart stores dotting the American landscape. This new campaign by Wal-Mart is like the toxic polluter who wants to be congrat- ulated for funding cancer research. I know the environment can use all the help it can get, but I don’t believe that making a deal with a devil like Wal-Mart will result in any net gain for the earth. The only “green” this company cares about is the kind they can take to the bank. Wal-Mart heir John Walton died last week
