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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2009)
TAKING IT TO THE TREES Summer is almost here and so is clearcut season. In an effort to stop Northwest trees from falling on public lands, Cascadia Summer 2009, a direct action campaign, is looking to train people on how to do every- thing from tree sitting to community and media outreach and lobbying. This Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, Cascadia Summer will be in the Fall Creek area putting on an “action camp.” Attendees will be schooled in techniques important in forest defense including: tree climbing, living in the woods, forest medic training, cooking in the forest, setting up a tree sit, identifying forest flora and fauna and participating in non-violent direct action. “What we hope to do is get a lot of peo- ple into the forest, inspired and empowered to do forest defense. That is what we have geared all the workshops toward, getting people who care about protecting our last native forests, getting them the skills they need and the motivation, and building a base to do forest defense,” says Trip Jennings, known in Eugene and beyond for his work with National Geographic. Jennings is helping organize the action camp and will be holding a video workshop related to recording action and using photography and video to assist in activism. Other presenters will be from the Civil Liberties Defense Center, Earth First!, Cascadia Rising Tide, and others. “I see such an overwhelmingly positive response to what we have been doing,” Jennings says. “I think people want to get involved and I think that this is a really good opportunity to do it.” The site will no running water, bathrooms, electricity or sleeping shelters, so people should bring camping gear. An onsite kitchen will serve breakfast and dinner, but attendees are encouraged to bring snacks, and food or money to donate to the kitchen. Camp carpools will be leaving at 6 pm Friday, May 22, from the Grower’s Market by the train station. Carpools will also be leaving the Grower’s Market everyday at 8 am through Monday. Jennings says he hopes most people will choose to stay in the forest for the whole weekend, but there is no requirement to stay the whole time. Cascadia Summer’s goal is to create an ongoing camp in the forest after the action camp has ended, and give people the option to stay through the summer. For more information visit http://forestdefensenow.blogspot.com The group also holds general interest meetings at 6 pm Thursdays at 17th and Charnelton. — Topher Vollmer THE BLIND IN A BIND The Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) has been told by Gov. Kulongoski’s office that he is recommending the commission be “suspended” due to the eco- nomic crisis. “This would mean that the agency would cease to operate effective July 1, and the services we provide would somehow be integrated into other programs within state government,” said an email sent to interested parties statewide from Robin Illers, a rehabilitation instructor at OCB in Roseburg. “We believe that this is not a cost effective decision and that the services that the agency provides to blind Oregonians are at great risk if this recommendation is car- ried out,” said the email. The Legislature will be left with the final decision as to whether or not to con- tinue the OCB. The agency provides specialized vocational rehabilitation and independent living services to individuals who are blind or vision-impaired. It is the only state agency in Oregon which provides these services. The state provides 11 percent of the agency’s budget, and that money is used to leverage matching federal grants. Rob Cook, secretary of the Lane County Council of the Blind, thinks some positive change can come from the funding crisis. He believes the commission should be saved as a separate agency, but also restructured to be more efficient. “You can spend two-thirds the money and get 10 times the services,” he says. Cook would like to see less bureaucracy and more direct help to find jobs for those who are blind. Supporters of the agency say money spent training and keeping blind people employed more than pays for itself in increased tax revenues and reduced social services. Cook, James Edwards and possibly other advocates for the blind are going to Salem this week to lobby members of the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee, whose members include Sen. Vicki Walker and Rep. Nancy Nathanson. — Ted Taylor 8 MAY 21, 2009 EUGENE WEEKLY NEWS BRIEFS WAR DEAD system that would allow for competing soft- ware systems while also allowing for easy and secure access to medical records by both patients and their doctors. Electronic doctor-patient communications would be a part of this standard.” He adds, “A single-payer system could make it easier to enforce an open standard for records and communication instead of the current mess of incompatible software systems. Of course, unless open standards are required by legislation they may not happen.” On the topic of who owns medical records, Kraemer says, “In the 1950s, patients were not even allowed to see their own medical records and doctors would sometimes refuse to transfer them to anoth- er doctor. Various federal and state laws along with changing customs have made records more accessible, but ultimately patients should have free access and copy- ing rights no matter who ‘owns’ the records.” John D. Wilson, M.D., of Eugene says, “Patients own the information in the medi- cal record and have the right to keep it pri- vate, see it or receive copies. There might be a charge if copying costs are significant. The provider is the conservator of the physical record itself, whether on paper or a hard disk.” — Ted Taylor ACTIVIST ALERT • Travis Williams, executive director of the nonprofit Willamette Riverkeeper, will give a free talk about the Willamette River and its environmental issues at 7 pm Thursday, May 21, at REI in Eugene. Williams’ new book The Willamette Field Guide was recently published and includes maps and suggested boat trips and hikes. “The whole goal is to better connect people to the river that is so close geographically to where most of Oregon’s population is,” says Williams. For more information, see www. travis-williams.net or www.willamette- riverkeeper.org • The Pitchfork Rebellion is organiz- ing “A Legal, Peaceful Rally to Save our Forests by Ending Financial Conflict of Interest” from noon to 2 pm Wednesday, May 27, outside the district offices of the Oregon Department of Forestry at 87950 Territorial Road in Veneta. The rally will urge the state to adopt federal ethics/anti- corruption standards by revoking the cur- rent statute that permits three members of the Oregon Board of Forestry to have sig- nificant financial conflicts of interest. BOF members include Larry Giustina of Giustina Land and Timber, and Jennifer Phillippi of Rough & Ready Lumber, both of whom are involved in controversial aerial pesticide spraying. The BOF oversees the Oregon Department of Forestry. • Jewish anti-Zionist social justice activ- ists Darlene and Donna Wallach will give a presentation titled “Eyewitness Gaza” at 7 pm Wednesday, May 27, in Harris Hall, at 8th and Oak. The Wallach sisters chal- lenged the Israeli blockade aboard the first Free Gaza boatlift in August 2008 and remained until December, living among Palestinian fishermen and farmers. They will speak about “the spirit, resilience, kind- ness, generosity, and sense of humor of the Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003 (last week’s numbers in parentheses): In Iraq • 4,296 U.S. troops killed* (4,292) • 31,256 U.S. troops injured* (31,245) • 182 U.S. military suicides* (182) • 1,123 U.S. contractors killed (accurate updates NA) • 100,361 to 1.2 million civilians killed*** (100,339) • $670.7 billion cost of war ($667.9 billion) • $190.6 million cost to Eugene taxpayers ($189.9 million) In Afganistan • 685 U.S. troops killed* (682) • 2,828 U.S. troops injured* (2,820) • $188.2 billion cost of war ($187.7 million) • $53.3 million cost to Eugene taxpayers ($53.3 million) * through May 18, 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) Palestinian people, and the peaceful ways they survive the brutal and genocidal Israeli blockade and occupation.” Sponsored by the Al Nakba Awareness Project, the UO Arab Student Union, Veterans for Peace Squadron 13, and Peter Chabarek. EARLY DEADLINES EW offices will be closed Monday, Memorial Day. The early deadline for reserving display ads for our May 28 issue will be 5 pm Thursday, May 21. Classified line ad deadline is 4:30 pm Friday, May 22. Questions? Call 484-0519. ON THE WEB THIS WEEK • More letters, including more responses from men who are loved by Sally Sheklow. • On the blog: Alan points out the contra- dictions between a recent R-G editorial on Tasers and earlier R-G news stories and editorials, and show us more extreme sports video. Molly brings us up to date on the delayed opening of Café Zenon, and goes all nit-picky on Star Trek. What’s up with Uhuru’s tiny skirt and flirt? Camilla blogs the opening of a new doggie daycare — Opportunity Barks. CORRRECTONS/ CLARIFICATIONS • In our election endorsements last week, we wrote that Anne Marie Levis tried to unseat City Councilor Betty Taylor in 1996, but actually both were running for an open seat. • Also in our election endorsements, we wrote that Beth Gerot currently chairs the 4J School Board. She does not, though she has been elected to leadership positions on the board for seven of the 10 years she has served on the board. WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
