TO THE EDITOR
rather foreboding. You see, my friends
Jonathan Paul and Daniel McGowan, along
with a number of others, may spend the next
20 years and beyond, my daughter’s entire
childhood, locked up in federal prison be-
cause the government wants you to believe
they are “terrorists.”
These men and women are good people,
the kind of people I’d like to have my daugh-
ter grow up around. Jonathan, whom I’ve
known for nearly 15 years, is kind, gentle
man, an EMT who has spent years helping
and training people in his rural Oregon com-
munity. Daniel has spent years working with
battered women.
Over 10 years ago Daniel, Jonathan and
the others committed several acts of arson.
No one disputes that these were criminal acts,
and that they should involve consequences,
but the government [labeled] those involved
“terrorists,” in spite of the fact that by the
prosecution’s own evidence, the perpetrators
went to great lengths to ensure that no one
was hurt or killed in these fires. Arson is a
crime for which there are established sen-
tencing guidelines, and those convicted of
arson should expect to serve some prison
time, but to call these acts of “terrorism” does
an injustice not just to my friends, but to the
thousands of people were killed in Oklahoma
City, on 9/11 and through other acts of real
terror.
Garth Kahl
Alsea
LOVE THE LOCALS!
Perusing last week’s EW (5/24 Calendar),
some friends and I noticed that your writing
staff stated that “Michael Franti & Spearhead
make local hip hop fusion jam bands sound
like zombies with plastic buckets and broom-
sticks.” Shame on you, EW, for putting down
your local musicians, some of whom opened
for Spearhead. There are a lot of talented mu-
sicians in this town who struggle to make
Eugene’s music scene thrive, yet your writers
continually bash them in a desperate attempt
to get a laugh. How do these cheap shots sup-
port the local music scene? Comparing local
acts to polished professionals accomplishes
nothing. Ease up and love your local music
scene, EW!
Xander Kahn
Basin & Range
Eugene
YOUNG WRITER ADDS UP
Miko Bauer may resent the new math re-
quirements, but she has done very well in
English composition. Her May 24 Viewpoint
piece gave Eugene voters a valuable inside
view into 4-J’s preparation of young adults.
Will Eugene encourage individuals to flour-
ish along their chosen paths? Or will we have
two types of high school graduates — suc-
cessful proto-technocrats and failed proto-
technocrats?
Certainly the economy is selecting for
technology careers in industry, in the office,
in the military. But communications skills
and people skills are also valuable, and what
happened to art education, musicianship and
life skills like permaculture and woodwork-
ing? The school garden project should be
greatly expanded, for instance, and Eugene’s
“green building” movement could extend to
the high schools with excellent effect. This
community is going to need more than tech
nerds to get by the coming times, and forcing
kids into narrow boxes, defined by math and
science test scores, will only discourage and
disempower young people with different
skills and interests.
Bauer’s article was one of the best pieces
of writing I‘ve seen in the paper recently.
Before she goes off to college, EW should ask
her for a couple more stories. It’s a shame
there’s no “youth desk” at the paper, because
young people have a lot to tell us.
Maybe EW could partner with the schools
to encourage journalism programs by airing
student views more often.
Christopher Logan
Eugene
GETTING MUGGED
Wednesday night (5/30) I attended the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presentation
of the Draft Spotted Owl Recovery Plan at
the Portland Convention Center. After the
presentation, I moved out to the lobby to
question a Fish and Wildlife employee on
certain details. Within seconds, my questions
were being answered by a pugnacious Forest
Service employee who had materialized at
my right elbow and interrupted our conversa-
tion to inform me that Fish and Wildlife had
no real power here. At my left shoulder
loomed a career forester from the Bureau of
Land Management, and soon I was con-
fronted by a third Forest Service employee
who spent the next few minutes “helping” me
to understand that conservation of habitat for
the spotted owl is not an issue, and that the
real culprit is the barred owl.
So why were these government employ-
ees paid to interfere in the process of inform-
ing the public? To mug unsuspecting victims
like myself, just as the Northern spotted owl
is being mugged by the government’s
Recovery Plan, a brand new opportunity to
bring old-growth logging back to our
National Forests and other public lands.
Reed Wilson
Corvallils
REALLY VULGAR
In response to Deb Huntley’s tirade (5/17)
against Savage Love and what I’m assuming
is the fetish night at Diablo’s, I am aghast that
she used the term “vulgar” in terms of a “lack
of sophistication.” Dan Savage may be frank
and often funny, but he is not without sophis-
tication. He is entertaining while being edu-
cational. In a recent (5/27) column, he wrote
about how oral sex can potentially cause can-
cer. This is a public health issue, one that
every adult and teen should be aware of. To
accuse the EW of using “Savage Love” to
pander to those who might go to Diablo’s, as
if the EW has stock in the success of Diablo’s,
is vulgar. This argument lacks any sophistica-
tion. I doubt that any of the dozens of week-
lies around the country that run “Savage
Love” do so to cater to local fetish nights or
any other “red light” businesses.
What is vulgar, or lacking sophistication,
is people who would censor what they are
afraid of or don’t understand. Sexuality is
neither obscene nor vulgar. It is an intrinsic
element to living a healthy life. What’s vulgar
is a war without end and a leadership taking
no responsibility for it. Vulgar is giant SUVs
and pickup trucks that are driven around
empty. McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell,
etc. are vulgar. Building huge houses with lit-
tle energy efficiency in what was once forest
or farmland is vulgar, as is building more
parking lots for downtown. But people
choosing to live their lives a little edgier than
The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts
www.theshedd.org
The Shedd Institute
t
erfec
The p ay gift!
er’s D
Fath
The Shedd Institute
Music School
Private & group lessons,
classes and vacation camps
for all ages, including pre-
school, school age, adults
& seniors.
Sun, June 17
Hult Center
Tickets: 682-5000
Herbie
Hancock
Quartet
Summer music camps
begin June 18. 687-6526
Oregon Festival of
American Music 2007
Oregon Festival of American Music 2007
South Pacifi c
August 3, 5, 8 & 10 - Hult Center
The Shedd
868 High Street at Broadway
Ticket Offi ce: 434-7000
Richard Rodgers
The Sweetest Sounds
August 1 - 11
Eugene, Oregon
Shedd Institute
Presenting
Sponsor
JUNE 7, 2007 5