TO THE EDITOR
To be fair, these missing trillions start-
ed under the Clinton administration; it is
not a partisan political problem. The scan-
dal is merely worse now under Cheney and
Bush.
Catherine Austin Fitts, assistant secre-
tary of Housing and Urban Development
during the first Bush administration, has an
excellent website about the missing tril-
lions at www.whereisthemoney.org Please
also visit www.oilempire.us/trillions.html
for accurate information on a scandal too
big for the media to mention.
Mark Robinowitz
Eugene
PIRATE BEHAVIOR
The world certainly is different after
9/11, and I am having difficulty with the
glorification of pirates when we are sup-
posed to be at war with terrorism. While
there doesn't appear to be an agreed upon
definition of terrorism either legally (espe-
cially internationally), politically, or envi-
ronmentally, pirate behavior has many
more similarities than differences with the
descriptions given for contemporary inter-
national terrorists. For instance, interna-
tional terrorists, like the 17th and 18th cen-
tury pirates, prefer to be based in places
that tolerate them.
Sea-going piracy is still active today
in places like the coasts of Africa, and there
is no reason to believe it will ever be elim-
inated from occurring anywhere in the
world. The same can be said about interna-
tional terrorism.
I don't believe anyone wants to be a
fun cop, but some considered thought
about terrorism realities is needed.
Unfortunately, we are not in
Disneyland anymore, Toto. So, it’s hard for
me to get all gushy over pirates when we
are now living in a world faced with esca-
lating threats of terrorism.
Bob Hibschman
Eugene
DEALING WITH ENEMIES
Tom Hinkle's excellent “enemy” letter
(9/7) got me to thinking about the defini-
tions and actions appropriate when we are
thinking about how to deal with enemies.
How do we decide who is a friend,
acquaintance or enemy? Friend and
acquaintance are pretty easy, but enemy
can get very complicated. Do we let ideo-
logues like the Bushies make that deci-
sion? Do we let a political party make that
decision? Do we let friends make that
decision? Do we let the media make that
decision? Do we let 9/11 make that deci-
sion? Do we let facts or lies or propaganda
make that decision?
Should we put enemies in jail or shun
them or kill them or fight them? Perhaps if
we decide not to have enemies and let gov-
ernment or the U.N. deal with the problem
using police, courts, negotiation, etc.?
Perhaps closing all U.S. foreign bases and
bringing all U.S. troops home will elimi-
nate all major U.S. enemies? Perhaps hav-
ing global disarmament of weapons of
mass destruction? Perhaps ending U.S.
policies of financial and military aggres-
sion, bombing, killing people all over the
world without making sure they are really
enemies will work? If we did that perhaps
the U.S. would have so many friends that
enemies would no longer be a serious prob-
lem?
Bob Saxton
Eugene
NORMAL POLICE
I rode in my second Critical Mass the
last Friday in August and was pleased that
unlike the first I did not experience an
intimidating police presence. Maybe the
power of the EW press convinced the
police to moderate their presence.
On this ride the police were where you
would normally expect to see them, such as
congested accident-prone intersections. At
one intersection, one of the riders rode
through a red light, impeding traffic with
the right of way; he also seemed to be urg-
ing the stopped cyclists to follow him. An
officer who was watching the intersection
ran up, tapped him on the shoulder and
appropriately issued a citation in a prompt
and courteous fashion.
A little later two other cyclists and I
were riding single file in the far right of our
Eugene/Springfield’s Annual
Light The Night Walk
Benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Friday, September 29
Registration: 6 pm
Walk Start: 7:30 pm
Oakway Center - Heritage Courtyard
1-800-466-6572 • www.lightthenight.org
An annual evening fundraising walk celebrating & commemorating lives touched by
cancer. Participants walk in twilight holding illuminated balloons - white for survivors and
red for supporters. More than a walk, the evening includes music, food & family activities.
Thank You to our 2006 Sponsors!
OHSU-Center for Hematologic Malignancies
The Greenbrier Companies / Gunderson Inc. / Oakway Center
'SPN/FX:PSL
Agora Books
A bookstore of distinction!
GRAND
OPENING
Buried Treasure in a book!
Find Agora bucks hidden in the pages
of our books. The Agora bucks are
good toward store credit.
Located next to the downtown bus
station and the McDonald Theatre.
Only 1/2 block away from the
10th & Oak st. city parking garbage.
(Mon-Fri only $3.50/day, free on weekends)
1044 Willamette
Eugene, OR 97401
541-684-9057
esales@agorastore.com
7.6'06'4T14)
IHETJLFTINNN
SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 7