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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2007)
TO THE EDITOR SLEDGEHAMMER FANTASY BEST SERVICE Once again, I find myself shaking my head with amused exasperation at Eugeneans’ eagerness to be offended by non- PC works. I enjoyed Dan Pagoda’s “Something Eug” comic (9/27) about the ro- botic crosswalk buttons at intersections. I live in south Eugene immediately next to one of the intersections with the new signals and have often fantasized about introducing them to a sledgehammer. However, in this letter I would also like to extend kudos to the Eugene Accessibility Committee for in- stalling these signals. Yes, they are irritating; yes, I am going to gripe about them and con- tinue fantasizing about sledgehammers. But these Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS)s are useful, making crossing the street easier and safer for the blind — excuse me, “visu- ally impaired.” Really what I would most like to see happen is people to choose to not be so easily offended. Kat Schmidt Eugene On behalf of all the staff at Ring of Fire Restaurant and Catering/Lava Lounge, thank you. To our loyal customers who have sup- ported us over the last nine and a half years — we love all of you. We appreciate the recognition in the 2007 EW’s Best of Eugene (10/25), though we are dismayed and perplexed by the quip, “Though you might receive the best best service if you’re a gay man, service for the rest of us ain’t too shabby either.” We feel that this comment is entirely out of context for a Best of Eugene review and is otherwise quite tactless. Ring of Fire was voted Best Service be- cause our philosophy is to provide happiness and contentment that comes from eating good food. In other words, we strive to offer ALL guests memorable dining experiences ALL of the time. Period. Seth Long and the Staff Ring of Fire Restaurant and Catering/Lava Lounge POISONOUS MESSAGE The hissing rattlesnake in EW’s ad (10/25) for the talk on “Free speech vs. Zionist power” reveals the poisonous message of the speaker. Mark Weber, America’s most promi- nent Holocaust denier, claims that even Anne Frank was not a Holocaust victim. Why? Because she died from typhus, not the gas chamber, at the Belsen-Bergen concentration camp (Register-Guard interview 10/31. See Weber’s website www.ihr.org). The bigoted Pacifica Forum speakers dis- honor Eugene and the university. Holocaust denial is a political movement which seeks to cast doubt on the Nazi genocide. Denying history desecrates the memory of all peoples killed for their religion or ethnicity: not just Jews, but Gypsies, Palestinians, Armenians, the African American and Chinese American victims of lynch mobs ... and the original in- habitants of Eugene, the Native American Kalapuya. Fake “research” dishonors their descendants. Fake “science” may soothe us if we shun responsibility for the lethal denials of our own time: of global warming, of evo- lution and of tax-funded U.S. invasions, kid- nappings and tortures. More free speech is the best response to hateful speech. Come to a forum on Holocaust denial for an extended audience discussion of why hateful ideas gain traction and how to respond, from 7 to 8 pm Thursday, Nov. 8, at 207 Chapman Hall, UO (on East 13th, just inside the Kincaid main gate). Mary Erbaugh Eugene CRIMINAL TERRITORY I applaud Congressman DeFazio for his cover antiwar statement (11/1) but I have de- cided to give it more teeth: I am gravely concerned about the shitty justification for military action in Iran and re- ports that the plan to attack is in advanced rages. This is familiar criminal territory for the Bush administration. They used the same devious strategies to drive us into war crimes in Iraq ... I do not in- tend to let Congress fail the American people by authorizing criminal mass murder a sec- ond time. Bob Saxton Eugene 4 NOVEMBER 8, 2007 EDITOR’S NOTE: Oops. We agree. We raise a Chili Margarita to Ring of Fire. DISTURBING AD Many people in the Jewish community found quite disturbing the advertisement run by EW last week (10/25) promoting the ap- pearance of the so-called “prominent revi- sionist historian” Mark Weber. The imagery in the ad of the Star of David, a symbol of Judaism, in the shape of a hissing cobra is chilling. It reminds us of sim- ilar images used throughout history to de- grade Jews and denigrate the homeland of the Jewish people — the State of Israel. Before running the ad, did the Weekly re- alize that it was promoting a “lecture” by a holocaust denier whose embrace of the myth of a world Jewish conspiracy informs his opinions about Jews and Israel? Weber is also a white supremacist who has been quoted as saying that blacks cannot be assimilated into white society. (For more about Weber’s neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic views, go to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of ideologues and activists of the radical right — “40 To Watch” — at www.splcenter.org.) If Weber was invited to lecture about race relations or affirmative ac- tion, would EW publish an ad with the im- agery of a hangman’s noose? Although advertising revenue is essential to the financial well-being of the press, one expects higher standards from a publication known for promoting a “progressive” politi- cal and social agenda. Craig Weinerman Chairman, Jewish Community Relations Council of Lane County CAUGHT DEAD? Annette Leonard writes (10/25 Viewpoint) that we should speak up if we think an APS (Accessible Pedestrian Signal) is “turned up so loudly that it’s more disrup- tive than helpful.” But the opposite is the case in several locations, especially at the noisy, busy new crossing just west of TJ Maxx on Coburg Road. Unless one stands within two feet of the speaker, its words like “wait” are inaudible due to incessant traffic noise. Leonard refers to “the lifesaving potential for visually impaired pedestrians.” But how can the “unsighted” navigate this crossing on Coburg Road, let alone locate the button to press, if they can’t see? What’s more, we bet that a blind person wouldn’t be caught dead (literally not, we hope) at that intersection, choosing instead a different route or a differ- ent place to shop. Charles Whitman Eugene system exists. Capitalism, socialism, com- munism, theocracy, whatever name you tag it doesn’t matter. “Communist” China is proba- bly the best example. Long live Mao! Ha! He’s waiting to give you a medal, Tracy. Lou Andrews Eugene CRUDE PROPAGANDA COOL RUNNING Many people I know have been nega- tively affected by meth, so I am no fan of it. However, what I want to comment on is the disgusting anti-meth ad that EW has been car- rying. Many people read EW in restaurants, including kids. Why does EW want to subject people to this gross ad? In addition, crude anti-drug propaganda does not work. Marijuana, a drug that has never directly killed anyone, used to be de- monized as much as meth is now. People still smoked it. The way to get people to not do drugs like meth is to tell them the truth. Propaganda is the true gateway drug. Peter Howland Eugene Could have been your mechanic who told you that warming up your car’s engine in the morning (by idling) is a good idea, or just your own preference for a warm steering wheel … it’s very bad practice either way. Idling the car to warm up its engine has tech- nically only drawbacks: the engine warms up very slowly, running for a long time in “en- riched mode” (very incomplete combustion), which generates much more hazardous air pollution, which in turn is not neutralized be- cause the catalytic converter (being cold) isn’t doing its job yet. So, better ignore the bumper stickers that say “Breathe Deeply.” By the way, cold and therefore thicker oil, at low engine RPMs, can’t lubricate the en- gine as well, resulting in increased abrasion. Worse yet: Micro corrosion of your cylinder walls due to briefly condensing water vapor makes your engine feel very unloved, believe me. The upshot: Warm-up idling harms your engine and poisons the air that you, passing school kids and I breathe. So please just start the engine and get going. Just don’t rev it up like a race car. By the way, regarding the comfort of a warm car: If it’s cold out, you’re likely to be wearing a coat and gloves anyway (perhaps almost enough to keep you warm on a bike?). See you on the bike path? Peter Reppe Eugene GREED IS GREED I’d like to defend Chris Williamson’s po- sition (9/20), if I may, from Tracy Lambrecht’s lame critical letter (10/18). She seems to be critical of capitalism in general. She won’t support unethical businesses. How about the others? Seems her exorcism from capitalism was not a complete one after all. Basic economics: Capitalism encourages competition, polite competition or dog eat dog. It’s GREED. Whether it’s for “green” or family friendly businesses, greed is greed. She throws in that we need to be “thinking with our hearts” as well. That’s an oxymoron. Either you love or compete; you can’t do both at the same time! What’s so bad to lovingly say to a person or a group, “Sorry, I can’t bail you out anymore; you need to start dealing with your problems at home” with regards to illegal immigration? It’s easier to run away from problems than to stay and solve them! Where in the capital- ism manual says having a market economy will rid one’s country of corruption? Who’s fantasizing now? Let’s stop being in denial and get real with regards to the human condi- tion: Greed is greed no matter what economic COOPERATIVE REVOLUTION I have a theory: The people who rise to the top of our governments and businesses are most often type A’s — they have a lot of en- ergy and motivation and a competitive desire to win. I think that these people represent a very small percentage of the total human population and probably have a genetic chip sending them in that direction. There’s likely a genetic predisposition for
