letters
TO THE EDITOR
ODE TO MAC COURT
Memories from a neighborhood kid on Columbia Street (Agate borders
Hayward Field, Columbia is one street over).
My earliest recollection is playing tag on the catwalks high above the magic
maple fl oor, 50 or 60 feet below, with older kids when I couldn’t reach the hand
rails. Mother would turn over in her grave had she known.
Eugene went overboard when the Tall Firs did the fi rst collegiate championship
with a parade down Willamette, down 11th to University and into the Igloo.
Everyone in town was there, all 10,000, maybe more, to share the glory with
Capt. Bobby Annet, Wally Johannson, Slim Wintermute, John Dick and Addy
Gale. Howard Hobson was the coach. Matt Pavalunis was the best player on the
squad but not a team player.
The private entrance many of us local riffraff enjoyed through the pre-
college years was via the steam tunnel heating system where we entered down
near the old Journalism building, on through a mystical labyrinth to a door in
the basement of Mac Court, all in the pitch blackness at 150 degrees — but free!
The Grea ter Artist series brought the best and brightest to this small college town
with hardly an empty seat: The Metropolitan/La Scala stars of the day, Broadway
and Hollywood luminaries, too, and political leaders from around the world.
Nothing was bigger than the big band/swing era. Benny Goodman, the
Dorsey brothers, Stan Kenton, Charlie Barnett, Sammy Kaye and countless
others. My fi rst legitimate date was to Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra,
featuring Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Ziggy Ellman and the Modernaires. My
date was Joan Williams, Portland Rose Queen and Oregon DG. $16 a couple for
memories of a lifetime.
A thousand other memories pass through my mind — how the men students
would pass up guys hand over hand on crowded games, many others.
Stay in good health for another year and God bless you and yours.
Bill Harber
Birmingham, Mich.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This letter has been circulating among Bill Harber’s friends and family over the holidays.
HALT HERBICIDE PLANS
Oregon Toxics Alliance (OTA) is one
of several local environmental groups
who have joined together to appeal a
decision to spray 14 herbicides on public
lands managed by the BLM. The BLM
wants a previous injunction to limit the
use of herbicides to be replaced by a new
rule. The BLM plan will expose users
of recreational sites, including hikers,
campers, fi shers, hunters and families out
for a picnic. And what about cumulative
exposures to fi sh and wildlife? The BLM
will also not be measuring how much
pesticide gets into rivers and lakes.
The modeling used by government
agencies to determine potential exposure
to pesticide droplets and vapors is way off
the mark. Likely, there will be more acute
exposures for the unsuspecting public
than predicted.
What we do know is there is strong
evidence that pesticides are a public and
environmental health problem, linked to
persistent ecosystem damage and tragic
disease. The toxicity of pesticides persists
in soils, water and even our bodies.
Pesticides banned long ago are still
commonly found in fatty tissue, including
the breast milk of nursing mothers.
This is worrisome because at least
three of the pesticides the BLM plans
to use are contaminated with dioxin.
Dioxins are commonly regarded as highly
toxic compounds that are environmental
pollutants
and
persistent
organic
pollutants. Some of the proposed BLM
herbicides are chemically related to Agent
Orange, the defoliant used in Vietnam that
was contaminated with dioxin.
As part of my work at OTA, I have
read plenty of government reports
about Oregonians harmed by pesticide
4 JANUARY 6, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
applications. A 2009 report concluded that
acute pesticide poisoning in Oregon is at the
highest levels ever documented. Shouldn’t
we be alarmed that medical studies detect
worrisome levels of pesticides in the bodies
of American children?
In addition to appealing the BLM
decision to use more herbicides over more
acres of public lands, OTA has launched the
Safe Public Places Campaign — because
our state government has an obligation to
make healthy people and an unpolluted
environment the decisive standard for all
pest management practices. Contact us to
get involved.
Lisa Arkin, executive director
www.OregonToxics.org
Eugene
DAMAGING TRADITIONS
To Oregon Board of Forestry: I am a
farmer and forestland owner in the Coast
Range foothills. I have read your “Forestry
Program for Oregon” draft 2011. Instead
of commenting on specifi c parts, I feel
compelled to question the entire document
for its confusing presentation of science
and non-science without distinguishing
between the two.
The emphasis on sustainability is long
overdue. We are pretty sure forests in
Oregon were sustainable (as is defi ned in
the homo sapiens’ era) up until 180 years
ago. In the 21st century, the responsible
thing to do would be to present the basic
science, as we know it, to the public.
Considering the state of our environment,
a Board of Forestry of today should
probably be composed of environmental
scientists of David Suzuki’s stature.
As you know, sustainable forests are a
result of natural evolutionary processes. In
today’s society, so-called wood products,
human jobs and tax credits are all part of
a human construct, which is not natural.
Nature does not compromise, and we
can no longer pretend that it does. The
draft is an example of trying to justify and
continue past practices, while throwing
in some obvious truths such as, “Our
law, policies, and economic traditions
have not always kept pace with scientifi c
advancements, and … our institutional
forestry framework contains internal
contradictions” (p.22). The contradictions
are refl ected in the draft document.
It really is about time more humans
acknowledge the dilemma we have created
and behave as adults in dealing with it. The
Board of Forestry should do the same —
present the science without comment to the
public, and let people deal with it if they
have not already done so. Better yet suggest
changes to laws, change policies, and confront
“economic traditions” for the damage done.
Jan Nelson
Rural Crow
STUDY NATIVE LANGUAGES
Language is power. The de facto top
languages in this country are English
and Spanish. However, diversifi cation of
languages and cultures in this country
could enrich all Americans.
Why should we focus on Eurocentric
(colonizers such as the English and
Spanish) languages and cultures in our
nation’s schools? The fi rst peoples in
our country included great numbers of
Native and African Americans, and their
descendants are still here. Because of this,
our American schools should also teach
Native American and African languages.
Study of these languages, cultures
and histories would empower our citizens
to redress wrongs committed here by
Eurocentric peoples who have shut these
others out of their fair share. Teachers of
these languages and cultures should be
Native Americans (including Mexican
Americans) and African Americans. These
descendants are greatly deserving of gainful
employment in this country where their
ancestors gave their lives to enrich the U.S.
Diane Van Orden
Springfi eld
ONCE A YEAR
On the subject of the Alan Grossman
syndrome, “Christmas in My Face”
(12/16): Why on a midnight dreary should
we ponder such a Grinch-like query?
First off, where is the appreciation of
diversity? We are a country just over 200
years young, a baby compared to the rest
of the world. We are creating our culture
and culture needs celebration. It’s a way
we synchronize. We do that on Ducks day
or for that matter the whole year round.
One can’t argue that the Duck celebration
is in everyone’s face 365 days a year. If
we can agree on the Ducks, then why not
our celebrations and our diverse choices of
worship?
And how about our children’s education,
physical and mental health rights of
everyone, and our security? The crucial
balance and progress of our much-needed
growth in this area, and within ourselves.
The Democratic/ Republican principle has
us divided, weak and immature. This is
our country and our celebrations; all are
welcome. They are our freedoms; they
belong in the public eye.
It’s our duty as Americans to show the
rest of the world that we do truly embrace
our differences. We truly exercise
diversity. It is every American’s right to
celebrate. Christmas is part of a machine
that spans the world, and it is not going to
disappear. So celebrate with Americans,
your neighbor, brother, sister etc. Call it
what you want, Festivus for the rest of
us, my very own defi nitely not Christmas
in my face celebration or whatever. Just
remember it only comes once a year;
Ducks and others are year-round.
W. Shane Kiser
Eugene
HOLDING THE BAG
Safe in a crosswalk? Don’t bet on it. I
learned the hard way. At the intersection of
Green Acres Road at Delta Oaks Center, the
signal told me to walk. I did, from the north
side crossing south. Got halfway across
when a driver came up from behind me and
turned left into my crosswalk. His car struck
me in the lower legs, fortunately at a fairly
low speed. I fell backward onto the hood of
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