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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2006)
TO THE EDITOR KILLING MACHINES I agree with Tom Bush (6/15) concerning the level of hatred that exists among some peace activists, which is deplorable. However, he states that “the men and women in our armed forces give us what we have!” which is patently untrue. Those men and women have been intimidated to over- come their natural resistance to killing an- other human being in order to make a split- second decision without thinking (see www.killology.net, written by a military trainer). They have to do this to survive. You’re right, Tom, they are not political, they have become efficient killing machines, and they are being used by pathological, powerful in- terests in our government to increase their power. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights, the freedom of speech, and the people who protest unjust laws, give us “what we have.” The first amendment doesn’t mention foreign infringe- ment of our rights, it says our own government cannot remove our right to free speech. So what I really hear Tom talking about is misdirected blame. Who is to blame? Indirectly, all of us. “We have found the enemy, and it is us,” as Pogo said. The gov- ernment, the system, cannot operate and be- have as it does without our cooperation. We vote some with our votes, but mostly we vote with our dollars, and our lifestyle choices are closely connected to government policy. Think about it. Did your car start this war? Could be. We are not victims of the sys- tem, we ARE the system, aren’t we, Tom? David Hazen Eugene COFFIN-FREE BURIAL As the administrator of a local cemetery, I enjoyed last week’s (6/8) article on green bur- ial options. I would like to make EW and your readers aware that the Mulkey Cemetery, a small nonprofit pioneer cemetery in south- west Eugene, offers the option of liner- and/or coffin-free burial in a traditional cemetery setting. The Mulkey Cemetery is landscaped with native and heritage cemetery plants and maintained without the use of pesticides or herbicides. Spaces remain available for both new interments and cremated remains. For more information, interested readers can see our web site at www.mulkeyceme- tery.org or write to us at Mulkey Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 26124, Eugene 97402. Sara E. Palmer Eugene WE’RE NOT FOOLED It is becoming obvious that marketing has taken over the government’s interactions with its citizens. The most transparent current example is calling citizens on the phone to poll them on their opinions about a new county tax. They are using this to sell the tax, as well as to convince us that they really care about our opinions. We aren’t fooled, and most of us will vote no regardless, so let’s hold the election instead of spending more money to convince us they need more of our wages to staff more jails, while they shut down drug treatment and school programs. Here are additional examples: • It’s been going on a long time, but pri- mary elections are spaced out to achieve the government’s (corporate) marketing goals, not to give the citizens a right to pick the can- didates. The whole system is set up for mar- keting the corporate choices, not for democ- racy. •. Education is increasingly controlled by marketing goals. Literacy, numeracy, knowl- edge of geography and history, and ability to reason are unwanted by-products of the edu- cation process, which is set up for indoctrina- tion into the belief system that serves our cor- porate masters. This is why many students ar- rive at community college unable to under- stand their textbooks, unable to apply mathe- matics to simple problems, ignorant of the simplest geographic concepts such as latitude and longitude, and believing that the Vietnam War was the same as World War II. Ann Tattersall Eugene RIGGED DEBATE I am tired of powerful special interests vying to control our minds and what we per- ceive as the truth. Global warming is real and has already had a negative impact worldwide. Politicians and scientists receiving large amounts of financial support from the energy industry are liars and should be thrown in jail just like Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. But in- stead of lying and stealing money, this group of people rigging the debate are killing our earth and taking away our children’s future. Fossil fuels burned to generate electricity are Oregon’s biggest source of global warm- ing pollution, which makes no sense at all since Oregon has huge potential for wind and solar power. Eastern Oregon has one of the nation’s largest sources of wind power but we generate a ridiculously low amount of our electricity from these sources, currently around 1 percent. If homegrown renewable energy keeps money in our pockets and helps protect our beautiful state without relying on foreign companies, then why aren’t we using it? It’s because of the liars who are rigging this de- bate. We shouldn’t let them influence Oregon and we should move forward with clean en- ergy standards. Our elected leaders already wasted enough time on the gay marriage de- bate. Let’s not let them waste any more time because if there is no earth, there is no debate about marriage, Iraq, taxes or health care. Veronica Mejia Eugene ® OREGONIZE YOUR CHECKING WITH A BUNCH OF FREE CARROTS. Check out the tasty incentives that come with our checking accounts: All include free VISA Debit Card, free Internet Banking, free Online Bill Pay, and free Identity Theft Protection for the primary account holder. Plus, if you open Interest or Premium checking, you’ll earn some nice interest on your money, and pick up some very interest-ing extras. BETTMAN’S INTEGRITY Thank you for your thoughtful and timely piece on Councilor Bonny Bettman. Once again you dare to step where others fear to tread, offering a human portrait of one of our area’s most dedicated and maligned public servants. I don’t live in Councilor Bettman’s district but that doesn’t matter since her in- tegrity, intelligence and tenacity has served the public interest beyond the borders of her ward. The fact that she continues to pursue this work in the face of repugnant attacks from the likes of the “anonymous” Gang of 9 only deepens my admiration for her. I am glad to add my name to the list of those whose support has kept her in office and fighting the good fight. Claire Syrett Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows. Please limit length to 250 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number for our files. E-mail to editor@eugeneweekly.com (please put “letters” in the subject line), fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. See Credit Union for terms and restrictions. Real easy membership requirements apply. Why wait? Hop in and get Oregonized ® today. Oregonize Your Life. ® 541.687.2347 • 800.365.1111 www.OregonCommunityCU.org JUNE 22, 2006 7
