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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2007)
“A Great Place To Eat” My wonderment began with your repub- lication of [Garrett] Hongo’s racist mono- logue a couple years ago. I wondered why you would do such a thing. I thought that pos- sibly you were motivated by a kind of “white guilt,” similar to that which must have kept Bobby Green locally elected. Or maybe it is just a sense of mischief? But with your pub- lication of Lon Miller’s ugly attack (7/19) on Sally Sheklow, I am finally baffled. Do you really think it somehow produc- tive to publish hate mail? Do you consider it somehow part of a “dialogue”? These are genuinely questions I don’t understand. Clearly you don’t just publish any and everything? And come to think of it, Ms. Sheklow’s seeming insistence that every last thing in life and on Earth be seen through a lens of sexual preference can come off as carping or confrontational, too. Perhaps you could make some sort of state- ment of editorial policy or philosophy? Especially in regard to the opinion columns and letters desk. Please and thank you. Kyle Christopher-Courier Eugene EDITOR’S NOTE: What gets printed is always a judgement call. We certainly don’t print all letters, but occasionally we’ll print a provocative letter or story to remind our readers of the attitudes and perspectives that persist in our community. SLOW DOWN FAST Oh so many letters lately about who has a right to use the roads, trails, sidewalks and open spaces. Cell phone talking SUV driv- ers, lawbreaking bicyclists, jaywalkers, e Fre livery De Make your pregame reservation or order a lunch to go. 450 Country Club Rd. • Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 485-7500 485-7500 • • fax fax (541) (541) 485-7504 • www.delilama.org (541) We Can Judge the HEART of a Man by His Treatment of Animals . -Immanuel Kant Opt to ADOPT! Boycott Backyard Breeders! Please consider adopting from a local rescue group or shelter. JUST SAY NO to backyard breeding! TONS OF NEW PIE ARRIVING DAILY ★ Fabulous new PIT BULL JEWELRY ★ Stickers, Buttons, T-shirts, Patches & More ★ Kickass GLASS From Over 30 Local Artists ★ Hemp, Organic Cotton & Bamboo Clothing! Voted EUGENE’S BEST LOCAL CLOTHING STORE! (3 Years in a Row, Yo!) BROADWAY BOONDOGGLE It was sad to see EW editorialize against democratic decisions regarding plans to bulldoze part of downtown and subsidize new chain stores and condos (Slant, 8/16). EW condemned plans for a ballot initiative (i.e. democracy) to ask the taxpayers if they want to give this boondoggle $50 million — almost $400 from each citizen. The unfolding real estate crash shows it is nuts to promise more corporate welfare for development speculators — we could build a covered Farmers’ Market, new parks, improve bus service and restore school services for less money. It was nice to see EW’s cover story that college football is not really academ- ics. Watching mass events involving extreme competition for territory teaches passive acceptance of automated warfare. Perhaps the UO football department could be spun off as a separate corpora- tion, keeping academics and industrial pseudo-sports separate. Football is such a state religion in this country that it’s even used as an indicator of presidential selections. From 1936 to 2000, when the Washington Redskins team won the game before the “election,” the presi- dent or his successor was re-elected. When the Redskins lost the game before the “elec- tion,” then the president or his successor e i bl red ing Inc Cater WHY PRINT HATE MAIL? unleashed dogs, bird-eating cats, sheep- munching cougars, slugs sliming, worms wiggling, nutrias scampering and raccoons romping. Lions, tigers and bears vs. planes, trains and automobiles, Oh my! Personally I bike, drive and walk, have a dog, ride Amtrak and the EmX bus and four cats allow me to live in their home along with my lovely wife. I don’t own an SUV, cell phone or any sheep, for full disclosure’s sake. For me it is all about sharing, peacefully coexisting, being respectful of those around me (animals included) and trying to slow down a bit. Simplifying my life and slow- ing down always seems to make life much more pleasant. It allows me to reconnect to nature, greet my neighbors, be in the moment and even lower my blood pressure. I am amazed at just how much more I can see, hear, smell and feel when I choose to bike instead of drive or even better to walk instead of bike. On the other hand, all hur- rying seems to get me is frustration, having to redo mistakes, speeding tickets and gen- erally not enjoying the journey. So I am attempting to slow my pace, try- ing to joyfully share my surroundings and trying to have compassion and understand- ing when others around me seem to be hav- ing one of those days because I know I have some myself. Tim Boyden Eugene st kfa rea u ll B en Fu M Tasers in response to non-deadly force. Instead, they often use a Taser when they should be using deadly force to counter deadly force. Using a Taser often effective- ly ends resistance to arrest with minimal injury to the suspect. It’s certainly less per- manent than a gunshot wound, and it’s also less likely to cause injury than a nightstick and is more specific than pepper spray. Do Tasers kill people? Indisputably! All forms of force can cause death. Taser deaths are extremely infrequent, however. Do police misuse Tasers? Of course! Humans all make mistakes. Use of force policies matter, and the proposed guidelines could use some work. It was not correct to say that nothing prohibits the use of Tasers to interrogate suspects. The mere threat would constitute felony coercion. There’s a wrongheaded sense that Tasers are somehow “unsporting.” Cops have the right to be safe in their workplace. They should use non-deadly force when the alternative is to risk injury to themselves, injury to third parties or greater injury to the suspect. There is no “right to resist arrest.” Marty Wilde Albany Gr Es eat pr Sa esso nch & wic hes TO THE EDITOR Monday-Saturday 10-7 / Sunday 12-6 ★ Corner of 11th & Willamette The Shedd - Tickets 434-7000 - www.theshedd.org The Shedd Institute The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts Music School Private & group music lessons, classes and vacation camps for all ages, including preschool, school age, adults & seniors. Begin private lessons anytime in various styles in violin & fiddle, piano & keyboards, guitar & uku- lele, bass, electric guitar & bass, drums & percussion, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, flute, voice & other instruments. Fall term begins Sep 10th Register: 687-6526 Shedd Presenting Sponsor The Shedd: 868 High Street (corner of High & Broadway) www.theshedd.org AUGUST 23, 2007 5
