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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2007)
TO THE EDITOR culture may play well with the other eggheads, it does not play well with the people that the UO — athletics and aca- demics — relies on to keep the money coming in. In fact, you wonder why people like Earl even choose to teach at schools with big sports programs. I am convinced that some people simply need to feel criti- cal or superior or both. We Duck fans are blessed with a sports program that does something absolutely incredible — it pays for itself! In fact it does more than that. The success of the UO athletic program brings donor money to the academic programs. Phil and Penny Knight are perfect examples although I bet the good professors don’t spend a lot of time thanking them. Bad Nike! I know a lot of EW readers will hate to see Earl retire almost as much as they hate to see businesses make money or Eugene grow. Life is tough. Go Ducks! Randy Kolb Eugene THE GREAT POODLE CHASE We just moved here at the end of June. On the evening of July 13 we went to down- town Eugene to a concert. Our two dogs, Puddy and Bob, slept in the back seat of the car, which is something they have done hun- dreds of times with no problems. Upon returning to the car several hours later, we discovered our poodle, Bob, had somehow gotten out of the car. I turned on my phone to call 911 and discovered a message from a nice person telling me they had our dog. This lovely couple brought Bob to us. He had been running down 13th Ave. in heavy traffic with 20 people trying to catch him. He ran all of the way to the fairgrounds where an angel (disguised as a security guard) cornered him. Bob pro- ceeded to bite him several times, but the man maintained a calm demeanor and held Bob for this wonderful couple, who then kept him and nursed him until they could find us. He was pretty roughed up; he had a fat lip and a lost tooth, but was otherwise OK. The couple, who worked for several hours chasing and then taking care of our dog, would not tell us their names. They just kept mentioning the fairground’s secu- rity guard and how much they appreciated him. I wish to thank the kind couple and security guard for being so thoughtful and caring. And thank you, Eugene citizens, for trying to catch Bob and carefully veering him away from cars. What a testament to the type of people we have here. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Sally Storm Eugene STUB’S LEGACY It is very ironic that this society impos- es severe prison terms on a group of young people who committed a crime for the benefit of our environment but turns around and honors an “eco-maniac.” A new state park recently opened west of Portland and was dedicated to the memory of Loran La Sells “Stub” Stewart, whose logging empire changed the face of the Northwest. The idea of even acknowledg- ing him is a slap in the face for all the gen- erations of people who are denied the opportunity to experience an intact forest. There is nothing decent or honorable about destroying an ancient eco-system, which this man played a major role in doing so. “Ol Stub,” in my opinion, is the true epitome of an eco-terrorist. Stub Stewart and his ilk, both past and present, com- pletely wiped out over a million years of Gaia’s loving creation for personal gain. The magnitude of the atrocity that Stewart and his fellow money hungry lunatics committed against the ancient for- est is beyond any other human disaster since the deforestation of what is now the Middle East 6,000 years ago. Stewart’s horrendous acts of eco-rape will be frowned down upon by future generations. For Mr. Stewart, his fate is now sealed, for he will answer to Karma. Unfortunately, the rest of us will be paying for his crimes for eons to come. Wyona Wolf Cottage Grove MESSING WITH SALLY When I first read Lon Miller’s letter (7/19) to Sally Sheklow, I got my East Coast Irish up and thought, “Hey, that poopyhead is messing with my Sally.” My friend, my favorite local activist, writer, zany gardener and comic. I feel proud, pos- sessive and protective of my locals. Then I tried my West Coast more enlightened response. What compassion- ate, uniting statement could I make to con- vince Lon M. that my way is the right way? I veered so quickly into smug supe- riority that I abandoned that route. Kumbaya dammit, yes. Kumbaya nanny nanny boo boo, no. So I accessed my stoic Midwestern decade. I debated freedom of expression vs. hate speech in my ambivalent ambidextrous Libran/Gemini bisexual/bifocaled/bicyclist head (motto: On the other hand …). My Minnesota self says, “Free speech, ya, for sure, but we’re all neighbors here. Let’s be kind. We may need each other someday.” Count on the Minnesotans to bring me back to bridge building. How many other EW writers experience the level of virulent words and accusations that Sally Sheklow does in response her column on lesbian life? How many other writers have their words about their every- day relationship with their partner twisted into something sexual and deviant (two separate things, much of the time)? Let’s and thank Sally for her courage, honesty and chutzpah. In a land where homophobia is alive and well, she’s way braver than she should have to be. The worst sound in response to the let- ter about Sally would have been the sound of people taking one step back and leaving her out there alone. I’m glad to see so many responses. Let’s all take a step for- ward and stand beside her and next to every queer who takes unknown chances just so we can get over our homophobia and learn about their lives. The day will come when it’s not even “they.” We’ll all be good neighbors. Why not? Thank you, Sally! You inspire me and give me the courage to speak out. I’ve got your back. Lon, would you like to come over for dinner? I make a pretty good hot dish. I’ll get your back too. You betcha. Ruby Colette Eugene AUGUST 23, 2007 7
