TO THE EDITOR
heartening endorsements by EW spell the
demise of the Bijou, cause the displacement
of its workers, and bring a huge mega-
national chain into downtown? I think so.
Why not be upfront and call this section
“Slanted”?
Jim Derby
Eugene
INGRAINED BIGOTRY
category can we create for him? I know:
human genome denier.
I also would like to response to his
whining at the end of his letter. “Why
should we have to ...” Why should I have to
breathe, drink water, eat food, to survive?
Why should I have to need a male in order
to reproduce? Why should I have get up
every morning and work so I can obtain
most of the above to survive?
Deb McGee’s (8/2) positive attitude
toward the gay community is commend-
able; however, I disagree that a strained
and tortured interpretation of the Bible
will bring about meaningful change. The
Bible is extremely clear on the issue of
homosexuality. Leviticus 20:13 tells us
“If a man also lie with mankind, as he
lieth with a woman, both of them have
committed an abomination: they shall
surely be put to death; their blood shall be
upon them.”
Jesus, not especially known for his
straightforward speaking style, is in this
case very direct on this issue when he
declares during his Sermon on the Mount
that not one letter of Old Testament law be
removed so long as heaven and earth
endure. This ugly, hateful bigotry is so
ingrained in the Bible that not only is it
manifest in Christianity, but in all of the
Abrahamic religions of the world.
McGee is quite correct in pointing out
that the American Psychiatric Association
does not regard homosexuality as a mental
illness. The American Anthropological
Association’s own conclusion on this mat-
ter states in part “a vast array of family
types, including families built upon same-
sex partnerships, can contribute to stable
and humane societies.” This conclusion is
mirrored by other social science and family
health organizations.
Nor do I see maliciousness towards
homosexuals coming from the likes of
humanists, philosophers and the non-reli-
gious. It is the Biblically based Judeo-
Christian adherents who perpetrate intoler-
ance and hostility toward the gay and les-
bian community in this country.
Robert Schumann
Eugene
GENOME DENIER
I read Dave Crowley’s letter to the edi-
tor (8/9), and I was a bit confused, so I
read it again several times along with the
previous letters regarding the immigration
topic, along with Erin Rokita’s article
from June 28.
Mr. Crowley’s reminds me of how cre-
ationists view human beings’ place in the
world. Both deny science, or at the very
least use science only when it suites them.
Mr. Crowley also reminds me of the global
warming and Holocaust deniers. What sub-
Addressing environmental degradation, I
don’t think any Latin American country is
enforcing any kind of regulations on emis-
sions, water and soil pollution. Dave
Crowley doesn’t want to address that at all.
Here’s some advice to Dave: Stop your whin-
ing and live life to the fullest! If we all did
that, we might outlive all of our problems.
Bettina Lorenzen
Portland
INFLATE OUR HEADS
It all boils down to a person’s head, and
how he uses it. Our prior president had a prob-
lem, which we are all well aware of, with his
little head telling his big head what to do. Our
current president’s problem, which has also
affected his vice president, is a totally swollen
head, which has caused him to believe that he
is a supreme being and above the law. Now
this problem is easily fixed by Congress, who
BY KYLIE BELACHAIKOVSKY
Punish the Deed
Not the breed
A
tlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three
others were charged July 17 with competitive dog-
fighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting
and conducting the enterprise across state lines. The full indict-
ment is sickeningly graphic. Vick allegedly bred litters of dogs
to to be killers. Dogs that didn’t “perform” to his liking were
shot, drowned, hanged, beaten to death or electrocuted.
Of course, many people feel the expected sympathy for
Vick’s dogs — reportedly tortured, mutilated and cruelly exe-
cuted. Yet for every person horrified by the barbaric nature of
this crime, another considers it a cultural norm. How could
fellow NFL player Clinton Portia casually defend Vick, say-
ing, “I don’t know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it’s his
property; it’s his dogs. If that’s what he wants to do, do it ...
it can’t be too bad of a crime” (WAVY-TV, Virginia).
Let’s get real: Vick may get six years in the slammer.
Working daily in animal welfare, I really care about the less
tangible results of this indictment. How far will the shock
waves reverberate? In light of Vick’s popularity, will unor-
ganized dog fighting amongst wannabe hoodlums increase?
Will the pit bull become even more of a nasty status symbol
and even less of a breathing, sentient being? Will my society
see pit bulls as even more of an anomalous monster, so dif-
ferent from our other pet dogs? And ultimately, as thousands
more pit bull dogs die in fighting rings and animal shelters,
will my fellow dog lovers turn a blind eye because it is “just
a pit bull”?
There is already an enormous population of homeless,
cast-off pit bulls right here in Lane County. Currently being
bred in enormous numbers, many of these dogs are carelessly
kept and abandoned without a thought. The worst owners
breed their dogs for a dirty profit, not caring about the cruel
life in store for the puppies. Even more will buy a puppy but
don’t bother to train it. Their mishandled pit bulls end up in
overcrowded shelters due to avoidable “behavior problems.”
Some well-meaning folks love their friendly pit bulls but
can’t afford to have them neutered; they are distraught when
they discover that the resulting puppies cannot find good
homes. Look in today’s newspaper and you will surely find
one classified advertisement after another trying to unload pit
bull puppies into a saturated market. If there aren’t enough
caring homes (and there are not), what happens to the rest?
What kind of short, traumatic lives will they lead? How
cruel, how painful, how terrifying will their deaths be?
And yet, I refuse to just shake my head sadly at the plight of
Lane County’s pit bulls. We are a community that professes to
care; something can be done! Illegal activities are nearly
impossible to eradicate, and dog fighting is no exception. But
we can join together to radically reduce the huge number of
“disposable” pit bulls being born every day. If you love pit
bulls or if you hate pit bulls, you want the same thing: far fewer
of them being carelessly born. As a community, we need to
make no-cost spay/neuter service incentives available to all pit
bull owners. As individuals, we need to examine in our own
hearts whether we are contributing to pet overpopulation, or
actively helping to eradicate it. Our culture needs to embrace
thoughtful care-taking rather than profitable exploitation.
I
f you cannot afford to have your pets spayed or neutered,
please seek assistance from Lane County Animal Services,
Greenhill Humane Society or the city of Eugene. If you can,
please consider making a donation to pay for the neuter of a fer-
tile pit bull dog through Luv-a-Bull, the area’s only dedicated pit
bull rescue/education resource. Luv-a-Bull is desperately trying
to eliminate the masses of abused and abandoned pit bulls in our
community; please make this goal a reality with your support.
Donations made to the nonprofit Luv-a-Bull can work immedi-
ately to halt the proliferation of unwanted pit bulls, and the
insidious cruelty and exploitation from which they suffer.
To make donations to a local spay/neuter fund, please contact:
Luv-a-Bull at 345-7511 or lieslw@rio.com or Lane
County Animal Services at 682-3647 or
www.lanecounty.org/animals or Greenhill Humane Society at
689-1503 or www.green-hill.org or City of Eugene
Spay/Neuter Clinic at 682-3643.
Kylie Belachaikovsky has been active in the animal welfare community since moving
to Eugene in 2001. She is currently an animal welfare officer for Lane County, and
volunteers for numerous groups that promote affordable spay/neuter services.
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