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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2007)
BY MICHAEL CARRIGAN AND PEG MORTON Never Again We remember Hiroshima, Nagasaki T ogether with communities around the world, the Eugene community is gathering to commemorate the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sixty-two years ago this August, the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on these cities, the only nuclear bombs ever used before or since in conflict in this world. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people died in the immediate aftermath of the explosions, and untold thousands experienced slow and painful deaths from radiation sickness in the months and years that followed. We will gather at Aug. 5 (see details below) to re-awaken our hearts and our memories of what happened Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, and to teach those who are too young to understand what transpired those days. It is imperative that we never forget what happened and that we do everything we can to make sure it never happens again. The Iraq War has pushed the nuclear weapons issue to the back burner. However, the nuclear threat has not gone away. The U.S. still has huge quantities of nuclear weapons, many on hair-trigger alert, ready to be used at a moments no- tice. The Bush administration is devoting billions of dollars to develop and build new nuclear weapons, returning our nation’s production capacity of nuclear weapons to Cold War levels and pushing to develop the first new nuclear warhead in nearly two decades. The Bush administration has stated that the U.S. has the right to use nuclear weapons against countries who do not have them and that the use of those weapons does not require an imminent threat against our country. It’s conceivable that the administration could order a nuclear attack against Iran even though this would cause a regional conflagration that could result in the deaths of millions of people. It’s time to intensify the challenge to the Bush administration’s nuclear pro- gram and take action to abolish nuclear weapons. As the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki rose out of the ashes to devote themselves to the building of a peaceful world, we must join with other groups around the world who are also proclaiming never again! Grassroots action is making a difference. Congress has refused to provide any funding for the Bush administration’s proposal to build new nuclear weapons facil- ity. The House Appropriations Committee recently cut the nuclear weapons budget proposed by the Bush administration by $630 million, increased support for nuclear non-proliferation programs by nearly $1 billion and declined to give the administration any money for what would have been the first new nuclear weapon in two decades, the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW). Along with political action, it’s critical that we honor those who died or have suffered at the hands of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. We’ll be gathering to acknowledge and condemn the racism in our country that permitted our govern- ment to murder so many innocent civilian Japanese people, remembering also with sadness and anger the internment during World War II of so many thousands of innocent Japanese-American people living in our country. We will mourn the suffering of Native American people during and prior to that war who worked the uranium mines in Indian country, unaware of the hazards to their health and the use to which this uranium would be put. Please join us at Alton Baker Park as we bind our community of friendship more strongly with each other here and others around the world — deepening our courage, finding our creativity, and strengthening our commitment to abolish nu- clear weapons. We’ll share food, listen to Bob Watada and other speakers and dis- cuss action alternatives. We’ll honor those who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki by quietly floating paper lanterns to the beautiful koto music of Mitsuki Dazai. As they light the darkness, they’ll also lighten the hearts of those whose have re- leased them and provide hope that we can attain a nuclear-free world. WHO YOU GONNA BLAME? Michael Carrigan is the community organizer for CALC’s peace program, Progressive Reponses. Peg Morton is a Quaker activist working for peace and justice. The Hiroshima-Nagasaki commemoration will be held Sunday, Aug. 5 at Alton Baker Park’s small shelter, located near the park entrance and the duck pond. The event will start at 6:30 pm with a community potluck. At 7:30 pm there will be a program featuring Bob Watada. The event will close at 8:30 pm with the floating of candle lanterns on the Duck Pond. For more information, contact Carrigan at calcdev@efn.org or 485-1755. EDITORIAL Editor Ted Taylor News Editor Alan Pittman Reporter Camilla Mortensen Arts & Music Editor Molly Templeton Performing & Visual Arts/Copy Editor Suzi Steffen Calendar Editor Chuck Adams Contributing Editor Anita Johnson Contributing Writers Bryan Andersen, Sara Brickner, Jason Blair, Joshua Blanchard, Amanda Burhop, Jes Burns, Brett Campbell, Rachael Carnes, Michael Cockram, David Constantin, John Dooley, Nicole Fancher, Rachel Foster, Phillip Getty, James Johnston, Zach Klassen, Sarah Mazze, Sharleen Nelson, Mary O’Brien, Aaron Ragan-Fore, Vanessa Salvia, Steven Sawada, Sally Sheklow, Lance Sparks, Eva Sylwester, Adrienne van der Valk Interns Katie Cornell, Erin Rokita, Deanna Uutela ART DEPARTMENT Art Director/Production Manager Kevin Dougherty Graphic Artist/Webmaster James Bateman Graphic Artists Shannon Browning, Barbara Cooper, Todd Cooper Baby Samara Cooper Contributing Photographers Kurt Jensen, Paul Neevel ADVERTISING National Sales Manager Mark Frisbee Display Marketing Consultant John Allen, Jennifer Donohue, Rob Weiss Classified Manager Geneva “the Goddess” Miller Classified Marketing Consultant/Reception Jayme Fuller BUSINESS Director of Sales and Marketing Bill Shreve Circulation Manager Danica Stiles Baby Persaeus Eilah Zapata Stiles Controller Paula Hoemann Distributors Bob Becker, Kolia Guinsbourg, Pedalers Express, Tobin Herrera, Susan and David Lawson, Katy Tucker, Tim Risch, Quickdraw Printing Signature Graphics HOW TO REACH US BY E-MAIL: (letters): editor@eugeneweekly.com (advertising): ads@eugeneweekly.com (classifieds): classy@eugeneweekly.com (personals): personals@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 AUGUST 2, 2007 TO THE EDITOR FRESH OUT OF IDEAS? NIKE’S SHADOW CAMPUS I had the pleasure of attending the first “Lane County Commissioner’s Listening Tour.” This is long overdue. On April 22, 2004, The Register-Guard reported that “the Lane County district attorney’s office will cease prosecuting more than 100 nonviolent misdemeanor crimes in a budget-cutting move to save $271,000 by turning away 2,000 charges.” This was three years ago. Most people I talk to feel that the commis- sioners have not listened. The commissioners seem to have two ideas: more taxes or cut services. The problem is, according to the Oregon Center for Public Policy, “as the tax burden has shifted from corporations to indi- vidual taxpayers, low-income taxpayers have been the hardest hit with the increases.” Those with the “deep pocket” in Oregon, the corpo- rations, paid 18.5 percent of all income tax in the early 1970. Now they pay 4.6 percent, and by 2009 it will be 4.4 percent. City council and school board members are mostly volunteers. However the five Lane County commissioners each receive an annual salary of over $70,000 plus benefits and a paid staff member. That amounts to a total cost of more than $500,000 a year. For that kind of money we should expect a lot more creativity, not just three years of attempts to increase taxes and cut more serv- ices. The county government is sick and dying. It needs “intensive care.” The commissioners maybe the solution or the problem. Two of the commissioners, Dwyer and Green, “declined repeated requests” for an R-G interview regarding this issue. Perhaps they are totally out of ideas? Perhaps they could do Lane County a favor and resign. Then the remaining members could interview creative people, listen, learn and get some life support systems for our needed government. If noth- ing else they could not fill the two positions and save the county government over $200,000. Ron Davis Cottage Grove I live in the Fairmount neighborhood and pay close attention to the uncontrolled and predatory growth of the UO’s development goals. It’s obvious that President Frohnmayer’s proposed arena project is actually the center of a larger public/private shadow campus he and his investor friends hope to construct and sustain. One of the main problems with this sprawling development focus and annexation is that Frohnmayer has accumulated nearly $150 million in deferred maintinence on the existing campus. The only way to get Frohnmayer to do his job and upkeep the main campus is to deny him his ability to sprawl on top of existing neighborhoods uti- lizing the power of eminent domain. Reining in Frohnmayer’s ability to kick off construc- tion of his new private dream campus would help preserve the integrity of the main cam- pus. Nike’s yearly payments of $40,000 to Frohnmayer have ensured the sustainability of Frohnmayer’s underhanded dealings in favor of the company over the years. Frohnmayer’s current threats and use of eminent domain against existing businesses on Franklin (R-G, 7/11) will collapse his proposal. Alan Zelenka’s advocacy for the arena project and the recent approval of $35,000 for “traffic calming” in anticipation of Phil Knight writing the long awaited $130 million check shows the city of Eugene and the UO Foundation are in direct collusion in soliciting this final private donation. Eric Eiden Eugene CAT HEADS WITH FLIES While living in the People’s Republic of Eugene for more than 30 years, I have seen more than my fair share of “political correct- edness.” As an adult, I have the option to “take what I want and leave the rest.” However, it is my responsibility to help facil- itate my daughters’ learning experiences while they are in my care.
