TO THE EDITOR
stop sign, just sure that the police were there
to make an example out of me.
Critical Mass wasn’t last week; we didn’t
have the mass to make it critical. I feel sad
that I live in an environment where the
Eugene police think they have to watch four
bicycles with eight officers. My kids now
have evidence that a police officer is some-
one we have to watch out for. I feel sad about
that too.
We will come again, but I’m not sure
when. We live rurally and have to drive into
town to support Critical Mass (driving our
bio-diesel station wagon, of course). I love
Critical Mass, the concept and the party it
was (and is) in Berkeley. I hope Eugene will
be that way someday, too.
Kaseja Wilder
Eugene
BLUR THE BORDER
WHO YOU GONNA BLAME?
The problems of illegal
immigration are not going
away. With upwards of 11
million illegal immigrants
living in the U.S. and more
millions on the way, there is
no solution under the present
system. A fence is not the answer;
enforcement is not the answer; nor is
amnesty.
The only real solution is based on the
model provided by the European Union,
whose member nations allow for the free
movement of its citizens to live and work
where they choose. This system, applied to
North America (beginning with the U.S. and
Mexico and expanding to other countries
later) would solve the major problem of en-
tire families moving to the U.S. and then hid-
ing from the authorities and not participating
in our culture.
An open border would allow wage-earn-
ers to travel and work freely, allowing fami-
lies who choose to stay home to stay home,
but also allowing those wage earners to travel
home at will. It would also solve another
major problem by increasing the local tax
base.
EDITORIAL Editor Ted Taylor
News Editor Alan Pittman
Associate Editor Melissa Bearns
Executive/Arts Editor Lois Wadsworth
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As the huge black-market labor industry
is legitimatized, workers will pay taxes in the
jurisdictions in which they work. The con-
verse would be the free movement of U.S.
citizens into Mexico to work and live, bring-
ing new opportunities to exchange ideas and
cultures to the benefit of all. The final stipula-
tion is the retention of citizenship for those
coming and their children, whether born in
the U.S. or brought into this country, who
would not become automatic citizens but
would need to earn it as people from other na-
tions now are required. Open the border: the
result will be a level playing field for all
norteamericanos.
Mark Sixel
Eugene
THE BUZZ ON 10TH
Let’s see, mosquito net-
ting? Check. Protective
clothing? Got it. Toxic
citronella coils? Better
get 200. And some of
that repellent spray
with TOTAL DEET —
the kind they issue to
Special Forces jungle
warfare platoons? Better
give me 10 — no, 20 of those.
What? Am I planning a summer
rafting trip up the Amazon River to learn na-
tive basket weaving? Nope. Amazon Creek,
maybe. I’m expecting a biblical mosquito
plague to emerge from that festering exca-
vated pond on 10th Avenue, across from the
library.
Bzzzz! Anybody else getting early season
bites yet?
Ron Ramsey
Eugene
DEFY TEMPTATION
I was talking with an out-of-state friend
about the plans for a Whole Foods store in
Eugene and my plans not to shop there. “Oh,
that store is so seductive,” she replied.
“Everyone will want to shop there.” Her re-
mark reminded me of another seductive
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APRIL 13, 2006 5