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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2009)
letters TO THE EDITOR to touch those of us who knew David every single day — stays forever, but the only people who should have any say about that whatsoever are his family, not random wingnuts. Brenton Gicker Eugene MORE NIGHTMARE COMING Anyone who seriously believes that “our long national nightmare is over” (cover, 1/15) must be smoking a bunch of that “hemp.” Most of us are screwed, or soon will be. Those who did the screwing are still in Washington or receiving federal bailout money. The fact that Massachusetts voters re-elected Barney Frank — one of the architects of the screwing — shows that a lot of Americans still haven’t connected the dots. I guess comedian Ron White is correct: “You can’t fi x stupid!” Jerry Ritter Springfi eld KEEP BUYING EVK I emailed Emerald Valley Kitchen after reading Lee De Veau’s letter (1/22), to let them know that my family would no longer purchase its products if the plant is moved out of Eugene. I heard back from the plant manager who informed me that they haven’t received a date yet as to when the move may take place and urged me to continue buying the products so that Monterey Gourmet Foods can see that EVK is still receiving a lot of support from Eugeneans. So let’s give them all the support we can! Sheree Walters Eugene MY FIRST FLAG I bought an American fl ag last week. I displayed it on our deck rail for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and for Inauguration Day. I am adding some words: “We Dreamed. We Hoped. We Worked. Yes, We Can! Yes, We Will!” I am 63 years old. I have never owned an American fl ag before. I have never worn or displayed one before. I have never wanted to do so. We are dreaming and hoping and working to believe, now, that we are entering a new era. Our country can live up to its principles. Our government can conduct itself with dignity and thoughtfulness in the world. We can, for the fi rst time or again, feel proud to be U.S. citizens. What a remarkable time! How lucky I feel to be a part of it! How amazed and pleased I am to fi nally be able to celebrate my land. Darnell Rudd Mandelblatt Eugene UNACCEPTABLE RISK As a parent of a young child, I fi nd that being alert to potential danger is an ongoing challenge. Many safety issues are apparent, some less recognizable, and others downright deceptive. Certain toys are an example of the latter. With numerous reports of toxins detected in children’s toys and other products, parents must be cautious about what their kids play with. Lead is well known for damaging the nervous system, while PVC and phthalates in many kinds of plastic are increasingly understood to damage the liver and kidney, disrupt hormone function and cause cancer. New laws such as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act are a step forward in reducing the amount of toxins permitted in products. I’m grateful that the Oregon Toxics Alliance is working hard to increase awareness of toxins in children’s toys. When OTA organized a toy-testing day at the Science Factory in December, I seized the opportunity to have dozens of my daughter’s toys examined. Using a device that measures molecular vibrations, testers attempted to detect eight toxic chemicals, including lead, cadmium and mercury. To my dismay, about three-fourths of the items I screened contained at least one of these toxins, and any trace of heavy metals or other toxins in children’s toys is unacceptable to me. I now intend to test my daughter’s toothbrushes, hairclips and eating utensils in addition to other toys and recent holiday gifts. OTA will be leading more toy testing days at the Home & Garden Show (March 12-15). The cost per screened toy is nominal, with proceeds helping OTA raise awareness of this important issue and further efforts to minimize our exposure to toxins. Kurt Kamin Eugene ns in Eugene and Springfie o i t a c o ld 9 L FRESH BEANS DAILY TASTE THE DIFFERENCE DRY, TRIPLE CLEANED BEANS ARE CLEANED AGAIN, COOKED UNTIL JUST RIGHT AND SALTED. NOT CANNED! NOT REFRIED! ! ON NOW FEBRUARY SPECIAL Chilé Relleno w/ a Side of Beans $ 5 . 75 POLICE STATE Welcome to Eugene — city of the arts and outdoors — that is if you have a license or permit, obey each law to the letter, don’t ride your bike through a stop sign, don’t play your fi ddle on the mall. Today on my bike ride I had two contrasting experiences of Eugene and Springfi eld, which made me glad I live in Springfi eld (even though I covet the Eugene library). On the UO campus I saw a traffi c sting with at least three police offi cers giving out traffi c tickets as fast as they could to bicyclists and drivers, and probably pedestrians and hover-arounds if they could. One was on a bike, one in a cruiser and one in an unmarked police car. This was at 15th and Agate. I guess it was a particularly slow day for crime. Unfortunately when I have had to report a crime, it was not on such a day. I have had to wait for hours and been told how short-staffed the police department is. Scene two: I am riding past the Prefontaine Trail behind Autzen Stadium and I see Animal Control giving a nice jogger and their dog a ticket. There was not another person in sight, so I’m sure there was no altercation between the dog and another dog or person. Scene three: In Springfi eld, I see a Willamalane worker engaged in pleasant conversation with a citizen while petting their dog on the bike path. How neighborly. What a feeling of community it evoked in me. Eugene felt like a police state this morning. Dana Vion Springfi eld LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number for our fi les. E-mail to letters@eugeneweekly.com or fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY JANUARY 29, 2009 5
