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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2007)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JERRY SALE! TO THE EDITOR of community. Which made it all the harsher returning to my everyday existence and the real life bum trip that is global deforestation, mass species extinction, scarcity of clean drinking water and the climate crisis. My initial reaction was to push all that heavy stuff under the rug and wait for next year’s fair, where I can — at least for a little while — live in a world that truly reflects the hopes, dreams and potential of humanity. But meanwhile, 362 days’ worth of reality get in the way. I have decided that instead of just three days of living in a world of my choosing at the fair, I intend to continue to actively work to make genuine and lasting change in my daily life and in my community. I beseech all of you fellow fairgoers to take the lessons from the fair and apply them to the communities in which we all live. One of the most important things we can do is to advocate for the preservation of the planet that sustains our very being and fills us with such a great impulse for revelry and delight. That way, we will be able to grant years of bliss and cause for celebration to future gen- erations to come. Michelle D’Amico Eugene KITTY RED TAPE I wasn’t thinking about getting another cat, so I want to congratulate PetsMart for opening their cattery to LCARA, where quite by accident on Sunday, I ran into a kitten that said, “Take me home.” Now, I feel compelled to say, “Shame on LCARA,” for making it so difficult to adopt a cat. Since LCARA eutha- nizes up to 75 percent of its cats, one would think they would be delighted when a respon- sible pet owner chooses to adopt one of their animals. Instead I was blindsided by The Rules and by hostility. After I completed the LCARA paper- work, I was told I couldn’t adopt the cat until my dog’s registration was “verified.” Nor could the kitten I wanted to adopt be held for me pending my “approval” by LCARA — if someone showed up who was not a dog owner, they could have the kitten on the spot. There were other rules that I found equally surprising but would have complied with to have the kitten. Had this little kitten not called to me, I would have given up on the spot. Why make it so difficult and be so nasty to potential pet owners? It is just counterintu- itive. I did not go through this third-degree grilling when I adopted from the Humane Society. This is bureaucracy run amok. Sad … Mindy Mitchell Eugene MARINE BRAINWASHING I am responding to Cpl. Grant E. Monge’s “Bloody Hell” viewpoint (7/5) and his “Flabbergasted” letter (7/12). We Americans come with a great variety of viewpoints, oc- cupations and beliefs, so it is predictable that we also have conflicted responses to war and peace and other dichotomies. “Bloody Hell” is informative and heart- wrenching and humane and realistic about the slaughterhouse created by the Bushies’ il- legal war (which Monge can’t recognize as il- legal). “Flabbergasted,” on the other hand, re- veals the deep brainwashing Cheney’s Marine Corps uses to paint a false picture of the Iraq war so that Marines will continue to fight, die and be injured even if the war is going badly and is doomed to failure because of the greedy motives of its Cheneyized crim- inalities. There may be some American wars that are necessary and legal, but it is clear from the army of whistleblowers that the Iraq war doesn’t comply with international norms be- cause of the lies used to justify it and the mas- sive bombing of innocent civilians used to “win” it. An illegal invasion and occupation coupled with an out-of-control massive bombing campaign has created such hatred in the hearts of most Iraqis that it has doomed the whole war to being an American failure. Monge says that he loves his country, God and Corps. He can love them all he wants, but that in no way justifies the current war which is marred by American war crimes from begin- ning to the now soonish end. I do not hate Marines. I do hate the prime criminal here, Cheney, for it is quite all right to hate mass murderers. I agree with Monge in his love of freedom of speech, and my prime fear is that Cheney will take that freedom away. It is Cheney who should be taken away in shackles. Bob Saxton Eugene All GRATEFUL DEAD Merchandise 10-20% OFF (July 26-August 1) TONS OF FABULOUS NEW ARRIVALS E Bob Marley Gear for the Family E Political T-shirts, Stickers and Buttons E Hemp T-shirts and Tanks from Naked Clothing E Glass, Glass, Glass from 30 Local Artists We’re GRATEFUL for Your Support! Monday-Saturday 10-7 / Sunday 12-6 Located in the ❤ of Eugene ★ Corner of 11th & Willamette TEDDY AND ME In the spirit of Michael Moore’s premiere effort (Roger and Me), I chose this heading for this letter. A generation ago, millions of Americans were horrified by stories of eld- erly, impoverished Americans eating dog food. These unfortunate people had discov- ered that dog food (I believe Alpo was the dog-people food of choice), when spread on toast or mixed with rice, did indeed fill the human belly. Now, a generation later, I am re- porting that many of us, as I’m sure I am not alone, have discovered that medicines, phar- maceuticals, etc. prescribed to animals work just fine, thank you, on people. Oh, the names might be a little different, and they sure are cheaper, but they are in many cases the same and do work, or we hope they do! This is what it has come too in the richest country the world has ever seen. Teddy, by the way, is my golden retriever. Teddy has, over the years, received excellent medical care. As evidence of this, he is now in his 16th High Country Expeditions Daily rivers trips on the Upper McKenzie and Klamath Rivers. * Trips also available on other great NW Rivers * *$45 WEDNESDAYS! *Must mention special at time of booking Come see us at Belknap Hotsprings • Everything you need to know @ www.HighCountryExpeditions.com 888-461-7238 • 541-822- 8288 JULY 26, 2007 7
