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