Eugene weekly., April 16, 2009, Page 9, Image 9

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NEWS BRIEFS
expansion of a Medicare-for-all system,
and their respective advantages.”
Retired attorney Rand Dawson was
involved in pushing the resolution and
believes this is the first county on the West
Coast, aside from the San Francisco Bay
Area, to go on record supporting single-
payer health insurance.
Dawson says the proposal for single-
payer insurance has been on the national
agenda since being cut from an early draft
of the Social Security Act of 1935. “Single-
payer, in its best-appreciated form, returned
with passage of Medicare in 1964-65,”
says Dawson. "Single-payer concepts also
exist in the current VA system and through
the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”
Dawson says the local resolutions were
“a collaborative effort by Oregonians and
folks across the nation,” and he credits
Frank Turner, Mike Huntington, Marc
Shapiro and others for their work in help-
ing get them passed locally.
The Florence mayor and City Council
voted without dissent to ignore the resolu-
tion, and according to the council minutes
of Feb. 17, decided “the council would use
its limited time dealing with items that are
more pressing and of local importance.”
The Florence council previously dismissed
happening people
WAR DEAD
Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq
began on March 20, 2003
(last week’s numbers in parentheses):
• 4,273 U.S. troops killed* (4,266)
• 31,169 U.S. troops injured* (31,153)
• 177 U.S. military suicides* (176)
• 1,123 U.S. contractors killed
(accurate updates NA)
• 99,774 to 1.2 million civilians killed***
(99,754)
• $613.1 billion cost of war
($611.2 billion)
• $174.4 million cost to Eugene
taxpayers ($173.8 million)
* through April 13, 2009; source: icasualties.org;
some figures only updated monthly
** sources: icasualties.org, defenselink.mil
*** highest estimate; source: iraqbodycount.org; based on
confirmed media reports; other groups calculate civilian deaths
as high as 655,000 (Lancet survey, 2006) to 1.1 million
(Opinion Research Business survey, 2008)
resolutions on global warming, the Iraq
War and the PATRIOT Act, saying such
resolutions “make them partisan,” and
“the council is a non-partisan body.”
— Ted Taylor
BY PAUL NEEVEL
BEN VAN DUSEN
From the time he was in
fourth grade at Harris School
until his junior year at South
Eugene High, Ben Van Dusen
collaborated with his father
Jack on the design and con-
struction of the model solar
system that extends along
Eugene's riverbank bike paths
— from a 4.5-foot diameter
Sun in Alton Baker Park to a
one-10th-inch Pluto 3.7 miles
away. Van Dusen left town for a degree in physics from UC Berkeley, but returned
for a master's in education, then a job teaching physics at his old school, South
Eugene. "This is the room where I was inspired to do physics," he says. "John
Hocken was my physics teacher junior year." After two years at South, Van Dusen
was the youngest ever elected as faculty vice president (and president the follow-
ing year). He also does research in Richard Taylor's physics lab at the UO. "I'll have
three publications this year," he notes. "We found connections with M. C. Escher's
art work, using mirrors and light to model chaos in nano-electronics." In
September, Van Dusen will leave for a year in D.C. as one of 15 teachers nationwide
chosen as Einstein Fellows. "I'll be working with the National Science Foundation,"
he says, "looking at grants they've given and how they apply to K-12 education."
• The secrecy-obsessed Eugene City Council needs to get educated on the
requirements and intent of the Oregon Public Records Law. The police auditor
was simply obeying the state sunshine law in disclosing a photograph of a
police dog bite to the lawyer of the bite victim. To argue there’s anything
wrong with such a disclosure of a government photograph of a government
inflicted wound to a person’s own body is absurd. The police complaint pro-
cess, and the paranoid city government as a whole, has long suffered secrets
in the dark. Such secrecy recently made it possible for a Eugene police officer
to sexually assault more than a dozen women over half dozen years despite
numerous complaints. Keeping the public in the dark is not good government.
What’s needed is a lot more light. What are they afraid of citizens finding out?
• Is Emerald Valley Kitchen going to stay in Lane County and not be uproot-
ed by its parent company, Monterey Gourmet Foods? That’s the word on the
street this week, but there’s no response from the company as we go to press.
Let’s celebrate with organic salsa parties this weekend; invite all the mild,
medium and hot people we know for raucous double-dipping.
• Our story in News Briefs this week about Willamette Family Treatment
Services has a couple of ironic twists. The big one, of course, is that when the
state cuts substance abuse treatment funds, not only are matching federal
funds lost, but the lack of treatment leads to more crime, more domestic vio-
lence and the need for more prison beds. The National Institute of Drug Abuse
says, “For every $1 spent on drug and alcohol abuse treatment, taxpayers save
$7.” Another twist is that the statewide push for universal health insurance
promises coverage for mental health care and outpatient drug treatment but
not residential treatment, a key element in dealing with the most severe cases
in Oregon and keeping families together. Round and round we go.
Here is a case where our governor should be leading the charge for social
service investments that guarantee a big return on taxpayer dollars. But
Kulongoski is all talk and no action. As Oregonian columnist Steve Duin wrote
April 6, “I just hope no one is holding on to the delusion that Kulongoski is
making any kind of difference when it comes to protecting Oregon’s children.”
Kudos to Executive Director Hillary Wylie and the dedicated staff at
Willamette Family for quietly building an exceptional public service organiza-
tion over more than 40 years. We hope some way is found to keep this highly
cost-effective community resource on its feet for years to come.
• Ian Van Ornum’s trial started this week and Alan Pittman has been blog-
ging it at blogs.eugeneweekly.com The prosecution is telling jurors to ignore
context, including testimony about police over-reaction, Tasering and exces-
sive force; but in the public’s eye, the police are on trial as well. This case is
significant because of the context of Van Ornum’s arrest.
Media coverage has been an issue throughout the case: At least one poten-
tial juror was dismissed after admitting reading about the case in EW. The
R-G’s online poll about the case was called “irresponsible” by Judge Jack
Billings. And local TV station KVAL successfully petitioned to have a camera in
the courtroom, after agreeing to make the footage available to “any media
which requests it.” EW requested footage when the trial began, but was told
by KVAL News Director Jenny Kuglin that only still photos would be provided,
since EW was “not on the list” of media requesting video before the trial. Local
videographer Tim Lewis was ejected from the courtroom on Tuesday after
filming the jurors as they evacuated after a fire alarm went off. KVAL denied
Lewis access to the camera pool footage, even though the station freely used
his video of the rally when Van Ornum was arrested.
• County Commissioner Bill Dwyer’s term ends in January 2011, and he’s con-
firmed rumors that he’s contemplating retiring after 24 years in elected office.
He’ll make an announcement in the fall. Lots of folks in the East Lane District
are likely salivating at the potential open seat. Sid Leiken, Bill Morrisette?
Steve Cornacchia again? Just about everybody on the Springfield City
Council?
• More encouraging news on the local economic front. Kesey Enterprises has
announced it’s buying the quarter-block building on Willamette that includes
the McDonald Theatre and eight retail storefronts. And Tom Tracey, owner of
the Horsehead bar downtown, says his watering hole is now in its seventh year
and is doing very well. "If someone hadn’t told me there was a recession, I
wouldn’t know there was a recession," he says. The bar’s new slogan is
"Sparking Downtown Revival since 2002." Find more good news on Eugene’s
downtown nightlife scene in our March 12 Swizzle section.
• Out of work? Job vacancies are out there, but some employers cringe at
the thought of running ads for fear of being overwhelmed. EW is hoping to
help with free job-wanted line ads. Limit is four lines or about 160 characters.
Briefly list your skills and experience, phone number and/or email. Best to get
it to us in writing. Email your free two-week ad to office@eugeneweekly.com
or drop it off at 1251 Lincoln St. Did we mention that it’s free?
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
EUGENE WEEKLY APRIL 16, 2009 9