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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2005)
TO THE EDITOR In the interest of truth and justice (and accu- racy), I should point out that good reporting would have caught that the ultimate goal of the journalism program at UO’s Portland Center is to include all the sequences, includ- ing news-editorial, and that “Allen Hall” is actually named for Eric Allen, the first dean of the UO School of Journalism and Communication. John C. Mitchell Eugene ENDING ELITISM Having been invited to meet a friend at the Oregon Country Fair, I thought it a fine place for a reunion. Entering the fair, I listened to spoken word about ending elitism, over- bloated conglomerates, and giving up our ad- diction to consumerism. My heart warmed knowing a place existed for sharing of ideas. Wanting to contribute to the collective feel- ing, I volunteered at a local eatery. Later, walking through the fair, I saw a gathering of another sort — a rally of yellow shirts getting excited for the sweep. Their leader spoke re- assuring words that their job was necessary to preserve the integrity of the fair. They took group pictures of pre-sweep smiles and shiny plastic badges. They buzzed like excited bees. Heading back to my friend, word spread that the sweepers were coming. Not having a privileged colored armband, I knew our time together was soon at an end. Caught up in the sweep, I felt like a discarded refugee, an undesirable without connections to the OCF elite. Some might say it would be im- possible to let everyone stay through the night. Others might cry foul that outsiders would ruin their private party. Until the OCF accepts every- one as equal and gives up its pol- icy of exclusion based on elitism, I will not return. Whatever guid- ing principles founded the OCF, its board of directors might want to reexam- ine them. If it finds, it is in fact a parody of it- self, perhaps it is time meditate on a new path. Jeff Lansing Corvallis FREE IS NOT ALONE Douglas Newton (7/14) attempts to dis- credit supporters of Jeff “Free” Luers by claiming they’re young and stupid. It may come as a surprise to Newton that a diverse group of people — locally, nationally, and in- ternationally — stand in solidarity with Jeff. One of many examples of proof is the “Sign- on Letter” of support for Jeff, which has been endorsed by hundreds of people including some famous authors, human rights activists, and academics (see it for yourself at www.freefreenow.org) I share Newton’s doubt that “any profes- sional firefighter will tell you that torching vehicles ... is a harmless, nonviolent form of political protest.” That said, by anyone’s ac- count the fire was small and easy to extin- guish. Jeff and his co-defendant made sure to avoid human injury and caused none. It may anger some firefighters and concerned citi- zens to learn that arsonists who set fires with the actual intent of harming people usually receive miniscule punishment compared to Jeff. Newton says Luers’ supporters often fail to mention the attempted arson at Tyree of which Jeff was convicted. There’s reasons for this: A) The majority of Jeff’s sentence (ap- proximately 16 years) comes from the Romania incident, and B) Jeff has denied any involvement in this action from the begin- ning. The fingerprints found at the scene of the crime were not his or his codefendant’s, and the conviction was based entirely on cir- cumstantial [non] evidence (for instance, bolt-cutters found at Jeff’s residence were “similar” to the bolt-cutters used at Tyree!). Jeff may not show remorse for the three vehicles that were slightly burned (and even- tually sold) at Romania. But he has said that, if released, he would avoid activities that could land him back in prison. The irony of Jeff’s situation is that his action was only ef- fective because he received a ridiculously un- fair sentence that has made him an internationally re- spected “martyr” for the radi- cal environmental and social justice movements. Steven Gider Eugene NOT IN THE BOX We enjoyed reading your cover story “Backroads” (7/14) and would like to sug- gest that the author, Jim Earl, not succumb to the easy stereotyping of Eugeneans living north of the river, as con- servative in politics and culture. There really are quite a number of us who don’t support Bush, who are pro-choice, vegetarian, recy- cling listeners of NPR and who live here for a myriad of reasons, none of which fit neatly into the box that Earl has constructed. Luek Crisenden Eugene WITHDRAW TROOPS The faces haunt me. They are young faces, vibrant faces with confident smiles and eyes bright with promise. Each night more of these faces appear at the conclusion of the TV news I watch. They are the faces of the latest American soldiers killed in Iraq. JULY 28, 2005 5
