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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2007)
BY CAROL VAN HOUTEN Opting Out Score one for the people I t is not often these days that we have something to celebrate, but thanks to litigation by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) brought on be- half of six high school students, there is a significant improvement in stu- dent privacy rights. As previously discussed in these pages, the Pentagon has a database on about 30 million youth, ages 16 through 25, or about 90 to 95 percent of all youth. To facilitate military recruiting is the stated purpose of this database. Data is gathered from a variety of sources, beginning with drivers’ license ap- plications. Data for all youth include: name, address, gender, race or ethnicity. In addi- tion, for high school students the following data are included: birthdate, phone, It is chilling that the military has a database on civilian youth, even youth as young as 16. high school name, graduation date, grade point average, education level, mili- tary interest, college intent, and military test scores such as the ASVAB (a mili- tary job placement test, if taken. For college students the following are col- lected: phone, college name, location and type, competitive rating, class year, field of study. It is chilling that the military has a database on civilian youth, even youth as young as 16. However, the NYCLU litigation has gained several very important protec- tions. No longer are Social Security numbers routinely included (except in scrambled form for males registered with Selective Service), and three years after the last data is released about an individual, his or her data is eliminated (instead of no provision for the database ever to end). Even more significant is the elimination of the possibility of release of data to law enforcement or intel- ligence agencies. Now the database can only be used for military recruiting purposes. For the first time you can get all data about you eliminated from the data- base, solely because of this successful and significant litigation. You can opt out of being in this database by submitting that request in writing (see details below) A parent must sign the request for a youth under age 18. If your address changes, you should submit another opt out request. Why you should opt out: • Any database can be compromised by hacking or error • You may decrease the volume of unwanted military recruiter contacts • A large number of opt-out requests will demonstrate that governmental vi- olations of privacy are abhorrent to a large number of people. Please pass this information on to other youth and their families. Significant as these changes are, they do nothing to stop aggressive military recruiting, especially that focused on low income and youth of color. The NYCLU tried but failed to get ethnicity and race eliminated as categories in the database. To opt out of being included in this database, write to: Joint Advertising and Marketing Research & Studies, Direct Marketing Program Officer, Attention: Opt Out, 4040 North Fairfax Drive, Ste. 200, Arlington, VA 22203-1613. Suggested letter: Dear Direct Marketing Program officer: Please remove all information and data regarding the following individual from the JAMRS military recruitment database (include full name, date of birth and full address). I believe that the JAMRS database is an intrusion into my family’s privacy and the Department of Defense should not be compiling this information. Sign and date the letter. Want more information? Check the NYCLU website (www.nyclu.org) or call Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) at 485-1755. WHO YOU GONNA BLAME? Carol Van Houten is co-coordinator of the Committee for Countering Military Recruitment, a joint project of CALC and Eugene PeaceWorks. EDITORIAL Editor Ted Taylor News Editor Alan Pittman Arts & Music Editor Molly Templeton Performing & Visual Arts/Copy Editor Suzi Steffen Calendar Editor Chuck Adams Contributing Editor Anita Johnson Contributing Writers Jason Blair, Martha Calhoon, Brett Campbell, Rachael Carnes, Michael Cockram, David Constantin, John Dooley, Rachel Foster, James Johnston, Sarah Mazze, Sharleen Nelson, Mary O’Brien, Aaron Ragan-Fore, Vanessa Salvia, Steven Sawada, Sally Sheklow, Lance Sparks, Adrienne van der Valk Interns Amanda Burhop, Nicole Fancher BUSINESS Director of Sales and Marketing Bill Shreve ART DEPARTMENT (personals): personals@eugeneweekly.com Art Director/Production Manager Kevin Dougherty Graphic Artist/Webmaster James Bateman Graphic Artists Todd Cooper, Barbara Cooper Contributing Photographers Kurt Jensen, Paul Neevel ADVERTISING National Sales Manager Mark Frisbee Display Marketing Consultant Jennifer Donohue, Nate Krusi, Rob Weiss Advertising Traffic Coordinator Drew Harrison Classified Manager Jennifer Donohue Classified Marketing Consultant Janus Brezsny, Aspen Rosen Circulation Manager Danica Stiles Controller Paula Hoemann Distributors Bob Becker, Matt Bryson, Margaret Garrison, Tobin Herrera, Susan and David Lawson, Tim Risch, Quick Draw, Pedalers Express Printing Signature Graphics HOW TO REACH US BY E-MAIL: (letters): editor@eugeneweekly.com (advertising): ads@eugeneweekly.com (classifieds): classy@eugeneweekly.com (calendar): cal@eugeneweekly.com (music/clubs/special shows): music@eugeneweekly.com (art/openings/galleries): visualarts@eugeneweekly.com (performance/theater): performance@eugeneweekly.com (literary arts/readings): books@eugeneweekly.com (movies/film screenings): movies@eugeneweekly.com (circulation): distribution@eugeneweekly.com Eugene Weekly • 1251 Lincoln Street • Eugene, OR 97401 • 541.484.0519 • fax 541-484-4044 4 FEBRUARY 15, 2007 TO THE EDITOR FIND ANOTHER HOSPITAL SITE North Delta Neighbors (NDN) opposes commercial rezoning of the RiverRidge Golf Course “back nine” and the subsequent siting of a hospital and medical building on that property. Last April, Cal Young Neighborhood Association (CYNA) resi- dents voted 194-8 to support our opposition. Triad/McKenzie-Willamette (MW) says they are all about choice, competition, acces- sibility and convenience for doctors, but the fact is, the RiverRidge site will make those goals impossible to attain. In order to be sus- tainable, a hospital must be functional. In order to be functional, it must be accessible. Access is more than making sure that those in financial distress receive medical care. MW submitted three traffic impact analy- ses (TIA) that were rejected by the involved jurisdictions. ODOT stated recently that doc- umentation was “inconsistent and/or compo- nents are missing” and pointed out mistakes, such as using incorrect crash rates. At the January CYNA meeting, EPD pre- sented a table showing the correct top 25 traf- fic accident sites in Eugene — of the 448 crashes, 237 (52 percent) were in the Delta/Beltline area. On Feb. 7, MW submit- ted their fourth TIA. ODOT, Lane County and the city of Eugene have yet to weigh on this one. North Delta Highway is, and will remain, a dead-end road and the only road accessing the site directly. The site is not located near the existing and growing population centers of our community. If MW is allowed to build on North Delta, a huge percentage of the pop- ulation will have to cross the river to reach two hospitals because PeaceHealth soon will be operational at RiverBend. A hospital is a magnet for medical build- ings, restaurants, gift shops, and other related retail. It could be a good option for revitalizing our downtown core, and would meet the City Council’s original mandate to have a hospital downtown. Other options also exist: 30th Avenue adjacent to LCC, West 11th Avenue, RiverFront Research Park, Glenwood, the Fairgrounds, 2nd Avenue and Chambers. The Urban Growth Boundary could be modified to include the portions of the first two properties outside the UGB, but the other parcels would- n’t require modification. NDN would like to see MW and Triad do the right thing — find another site in the Eugene area that makes sense, one that does- n’t go against the logic of common sense and one that is more easily accessible to every- one. Please join us in this request by signing our online petition (one name per line) at www.petitiononline.com/NDN2006/peti- tion.html Ann Simas Eugene Ann Simas is co-founder of North Delta Neighbors. To contact her, or to be added to the NDN email notification list, email northdeltaneighbors@comcast.net ‘SAVAGE’ BONDS Portland’s alternative paper the Portland Mercury has been running “Savage Love” for a while now. One morning, on a weekend that I had gone up to visit my sister who lives there, we were out at breakfast. My brother- in-law pulled out the paper and we sat around the table reading the article out loud to each other. Our hysterical laughter no doubt drew strange looks from the other patrons but when the people behind us heard what we were reading they piped up and joined the conversation. People who read these types of newspapers love it; it bonds us together in an — albeit slightly sick and twisted fashion — common appreciation of the humor. Before EW started running it, every week I looked forward to getting on the Mercury’s website to read Dan Savage’s latest verbal assault. Pure entertainment! Who needs cable? Is it crude and over the top? Probably. Should you stop running it? Hell, no! The peo- ple who are complaining that it’s inappropriate because their kids might see it had better be the ones who homeschool their children, don’t let them watch any TV or movies rated above “G” and essentially ban them from any and all social activities with the outside world. Otherwise all their complaining and angry let- ters are really just kind of pointless. Beth Olson Eugene
