Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2007)
TO THE EDITOR have an emergency room in Bethel five min- utes away? And as for dying, I read an article which said many people are choosing to die at home — surrounded by things they know and love instead of in a sterile hospital surrounded by strangers or being ignored. Maybe hospitals are soooo 20th century. Maybe the age of the mega-hospital is over. Chris Pender Eugene FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE In last week’s (6/21) EW, a volunteer wrote regarding a dog named Paws. I found that this dog was killed on May 19, nearly a full week prior to being featured as “Pet of the Week” in the May 24 issue of EW. How can something like this happen? There seems to be a a serious lack of commu- nication between Greenhill’s marketing de- partment and what actually goes on at the shelter on a daily basis. I agree with the vol- unteer; it is past time for the community to evaluate Greenhill. Tamara Barnes Eugene EDITOR’S NOTE: Greenhill tells us Paws was a “sad case” and all efforts to find him a home were fruitless as his mental health declined and he became depressed and unresponsive. The staff was unaware he had been submitted as Pet of the Week. SUPPRESSED EVIDENCE Kip Kinkle is seeking a retrial. After the recent Virginia Tech murders by Seung-Hui Cho, I wonder if his lawyer and people in general are paying enough attention to the an- tidepressant defense. Michael Moore, who did the Bowling for Columbine documentary which asked why the school shootings were happening, found no adequate explanation. Moore has since found out about the suppres- sion of information by the drug companies and FDA about these drugs inducing suici- dality and homicidality. At the Drug Awareness site online, it opens with a video on this, where Michael asks why the drug marketers aren’t in jail yet. Kinkle’s lawyer should speak to neurosur- geon Russell Blaylock about the florinated SSRIs. We should multiply our anger at the murderers by a million and apply it to the pharmaceutical/medical profiteers who sup- pressed the evidence from the beginning and continue to do so now. Daniel Burdick Eugene OVER THE HILL Perhaps I’m one of few who have a differ- ent opinion concerning the development of the Beverly and Green properties in south Eugene. Not unlike the housing presently surrounding these properties, this proposed development is within the urban growth boundary and is zoned for residential build- ing. Fifty years ago, many of the existing homes were not there. What contribution are these homes making to the current alleged degradation? These special interest groups who oppose development also cite urban sprawl as a rea- son not to build here. Preventing building in south Eugene forces the increasing popula- tion to seek affordable housing outside of the UGB. This is witnessed by developments in surrounding communities. Because it’s hap- pening “over the hill,” its impact is less sig- nificant? And as long as I am on the track of think- ing globally, do you believe the citizens liv- ing in these outlying areas are not employed in Eugene? This not only creates increased fossil fuel consumption and congested high- ways but also a working class that is utilizing the resources of Eugene and not contributing to its tax base. With increasing population, growth is in- evitable. Why is there never a mention of compromise? If you don’t approve of the pro- posed development, what is needed to meet your approval? As citizens living in a capital- ist society you, too, are dependent upon growth. With no hard and fast regulations for fu- ture development, Eugene’s City Council is allowed to continue to vacillate, exercise em- inent domain and be persuaded by special in- terest groups. Does the acronym NIMBY have a familiar ring? Daniel Henderson Cottage Grove KICK ASS AT HOME HAVE WE OUTGROWN OUR GOVERNMENT? Policy Making Vs. Administration FRIDAY, JULY 6 TH • 11:50 AM DOWNTOWN ATHLETIC CLUB $3 admission • Free to City Club Members 485-7433 www.cityclubofeugene.org I am opposed the the national I.D. (news story, 6/28). Driver’s licenses are enough to prove who you say you are. I find it ridicu- lous that Andrea Meyer of the ACLU doesn’t seem to realize that, for as long as I can re- member, you needed a driver’s license to do just that, which included cashing a payroll check, buying liquor and the list goes on. The only reason she “happens” to omit this fact is to show her support for illegal aliens; yes, “il- legal” means just that, not the politically cor- rect and absurd term “undocumented “ immi- grants. I suppose you can call an illegal drug dealer an “unlicensed” pharmacist! As a child of legal immigrants, and having an elder sister who’s also a legal immigrant, I feel insulted at the persistence of those who chose to abandon their country when they are really needed there to strive for change, for a stronger and healthier economy. They need to stay and fight for positive change. There is a well known saying: You can’t fix your problems by running away from them! That said, this situation is the result of the actions from two groups: the rich elite of the U.S. and the rich elite of the countries the illegals come from. I’ll also include the failed foreign policy of the U.S. regarding Latin America going back to James Monroe and his Monroe Doctrine. Don’t you think it’s time for those desper- ate people who hop the border fence to stay home and kick some ass? Long live the Mexican people in southern Mexico, in Chiapas and Oaxaca, who are staging a revolt against corruption and foreign corporate in- terests. Hey, how about the rest of you pussies do the same? Chis Williamson Springfield THE NEW NO-KILL I would like to answer Curtis Taylor’s (and PETA’s) response to my letter in the June 28 EW. Curtis and PETA completely miss the point about the kind of no-kill community we are trying to build here in Lane County, and for some reason known only to them, find it necessary to muck up the issue and stand in the way of saving adoptable animals’ lives. I can’t say it any better than Kylie Belachaikovsky’s letter May 31, where she said, “Fortunately for Mr. Taylor, animal wel- fare advocates in Lane County are not calling for the construction of an isolated, under- funded, overburdened no-kill shelter. They JULY 5, 2007 7
