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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2007)
TO THE EDITOR EMBEDDED MAYORS Your June 21 cover was priceless! I got one of my biggest laughs in ages. Politics aside, the artist [Dan Pegoda] totally caught the essence of Kitty and Sid. Seriously, I cer- tainly hope that in the future they do become better bedfellows. Jane Dods Springfield FEAR OF THE OUTCOME “Splitsville,” EW’s article (6/21) detailing recent state legislation allowing Springfield to establish their own urban growth bound- ary, was itself a piece of work. I certainly don’t expect to read conservative journalism in the EW, but I do think opinion pieces should be labeled as such. Nowhere in the ar- ticle was it mentioned that state law requires all UGB’s to maintain a 20-year supply of build- able land. By ignoring this mandate, (or at least hiding from it), the Eugene City Council in- vited developers and the city of Springfield to act. It is my belief that the Eugene City Council was unwilling to participate in a land study because they were afraid of the outcome, but judging from the chart comparing Springfield vs. Eugene, being the larger, wiser municipality may have led Eugene to believe they could “save” Springfield from its own demise. I was also was amused by the chart itself. I suppose the author didn’t include the cate- gory “number of residents whose knuckles drag the ground” only because he couldn’t cite an official source. But again, I guess we all intuitively know the results that such a sur- vey would find. Perhaps EW should sponsor such a test. It might come in handy for those wanting to trash Springfield the next time around. Of course, if it doesn’t, that fact can sim- ply be ignored. Rob Harvey Eugene RELINQUISH THE POWER The Iraq quagmire is an indication of the limits within which U.S. foreign policy must operate. The U.S. may be the last remaining superpower, but antagonists can resort to guerrilla warfare, terrorism and nuclear weapons. The U.S. must stop trying to dominate the world; it must instead relinquish power. The U.S. government must agree to make conces- sions to people of color and poor people. Lack of change will result in more and more disastrous wars. The U.S. government attitude toward global warming is probably the most impor- tant example of the refusal to cede power. The Kyoto Accord necessarily makes conces- sions to the countries of the Global South, whose people labor under the insulting condi- tion of living in “underdeveloped” countries. If the world expects China to stop burning more and more coal in a drive for economic de- velopment, global economic inequality must become a priority target. If people in China are going to give up their quest to follow in the footsteps of the richer countries, then the U.S. lifestyle must be up for negotiation. Milton Takei Eugene • Wedding dress rentals in many sizes and styles ing cated that almost 70 percent of Americans be- lieve environmental quality is getting worse. It is no longer possible for any of us to ignore these issues in good conscience. Rebecca Smith Graduate Student, Environmental Science Missoula, Mont. s s e r f o r Y D t c e f our Drea r e P e h T mW edd • Love our Earth, Please Reuse! Wedding Dress Rental Call 344-5557 for an appointment ACTIVE LGBT TEENS Thank you for Suzi Steffen’s excellent and entertaining guide (6/14) to teen novels featuring queer and transgen- der characters and issues! The article began by ac- knowledging that it can be tough to be lesbian, gay, bi- sexual, transgender or ques- tioning (LGBTQ) in middle and high school, and asked the question, “So what’s a queer or questioning young adult to do?” Just want to let your read- ers know that in Eugene and Springfield, LGBTQ teens are doing plenty, along with supportive friends, teachers, parents, and community members. They’re running Gay Straight Alliances at local high schools and colleges. They’re writ- ing articles for their school papers, creating skits and speaking up in class and on panels to inform others. They’re meeting in support groups to share good times and bad. They’re getting together to learn about and do every- thing from arts to political organizing. They’re biking, dancing and going out for coffee. Want to know more about local events for LGBTQ teens and their friends? Call 684- 3466. Or for general information and support, visit Outproud! (www.outproud.org) or Advocates for Youth (www.youthre- source.com). And teens who’d like to talk to someone right now can do that 24/7. Call the national toll-free hotline for GLBTQ youth at (800) 850-8078; White Bird at 687-4000; or Looking Glass Station 7 at 689-3111. Laura Philips, MSW GLBTQ Youth Group The Shedd - Tickets 434-7000 - www.theshedd.org The Shedd Institute Oregon Festival of American Music 2007 Rodgers & Hart’s 1937 Oregon Festival of American Music 2007 Richard Rodgers The Sweetest Sounds August 4, 9 & 11 Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall Tickets: 541-682-5000 The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts August 1 - 11 Eugene, Oregon Oregon Festival of American Music 2007 Registrar: 687-6526 Summer Music Camps ‘07 Guitar Camps Electric Guitar & Electric Bass Jul 9-13. Ages 8-17. $225. Acoustic Guitar Jul 16-20. Ages 8-17. $225. Camps at OFAM 2007 Richard Rodgers Jazz Academy, Jul 29-Aug 11 Song & Dance Camp, Jul 29-Aug 11 OFAM SongFest, Jul 30-Aug 11 Ages 7-12, 14-19. Tuition: $450 Shedd Institute Presenting Sponsor Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1949 South Pacifi c August 3, 5, 8 & 10 Hult Center - Tickets: 541-682-5000 JULY 5, 2007 5
