Eugene weekly., February 17, 2011, Page 6, Image 6

letters
TO THE EDITOR
recommendations on word usage.
To me, the use of “faggoty” in Sheklow’s
piece made perfect sense. She clearly uses
it as a term of affection: “We were loving
the conductor,” she writes. “Faggoty”
in this context expresses inclusion and
solidarity, not exclusion or derision –– it
says, “We have faced similar oppression,
and though we may be strangers, we are
members of the same queer family.”
“Faggoty” also makes sense in a piece on
Joan Rivers –– Sheklow is borrowing a
page from Rivers’ book, using brash and
offensive language to convey a campy
appreciation. And, as Sheklow points out,
Rivers is a gay icon and they’re playing the
overture from Gypsy, for crissakes! The
conductor, Joan, Sally herself — they’re
all taking the potentially hateful “faggot”
stereotype and performing, reinventing
and celebrating it as the radical and
delightful identity it really is.
To answer Zuckerman’s question: yes,
LGBT people get to say “faggot” out loud,
hopefully as loudly and enthusiastically
as possible. Like other reclaimed slurs
against marginalized people, its history
is ugly and its use controversial. I’m sure
not everyone, gay or straight or what have
you, would agree with me. But in my
experience, the people who bigots call
“faggot” are among the most resilient,
self-aware, daring, admirable people I
have known, and I am honored to claim
them as my brothers, sisters and others in
faggoty faggotry.
Russell Melia
Eugene
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE
The healthy rivalry between the R-G and
EW, exemplifi ed by their differences over
the legal fl ap about the meeting process at
the county courthouse, marks a coming of
age of politics in Lane County. Divisions
between rural and urban, and between
resource owners and we the people, are
coming into focus. Vive la difference!
In the Guard’s version, we are led
to believe that those staunch defenders
of personal liberty, our old-time timber
family interests who own much of Lane
County, were obliged to step forward to
protect the rights of citizens being abused
by corrupt leftist politicians who don’t
think answering their own telephones is the
best way to discharge their duty to manage
Lane County’s $600 million organization.
Or else the timber barons have decided
to reassert their historic control over Lane
County politics and resources, fi rst broken
by the 1976 election of Commissioner
Jerry Rust, in the post-Watergate Carter
democratic election landslide, when the
commission went from three seats elected
countywide to fi ve geographic districts.
While virtually the entire forestry,
sand and gravel, and real estate industry
was donating to Jay Bozievich’s campaign
against Rust in west Lane last year, Seneca
Industries meanwhile apparently persuaded
ex-commissioner Ellie Dumdi to put her
name on a lawsuit against Commissioners
Handy and Sorenson for Oregon Public
Meeting Law violations. Seneca dropped
something like a quarter million dollars in
legal costs on the campaign against Handy
and Sorenson while their forest, mining and
real estate comrades ponied up a similar
sum to defeat Rust. The Guard overlooks
the fact that Dwyer and Stewart, who were
not named in Seneca’s suit, were equally
guilty under Gillespie’s ruling, which has
sent a chill over governing bodies around
Oregon.
What public offi cial might not be found
guilty if someone is willing to spend a
quarter million dollars suing them for
trying to “think about and discuss issues
carefully” with their elected colleagues? Is
that not exactly what we elect our public
offi cials to do?
Had the Guard read the Gillespie
decision they would know (or should have
known) that Stewart also supports paying
for a personal assistant. But he pays his
personal aide out of his personal fortune
— a fortune made in the timber industry.
Fergus Mclean
Eugene
tell us that offi cials from the UO, medical
community and other local employers such
as Palo Alto Software and Sporthill have
testifi ed that school funding crisis is making
it hard for them to attract new employees.
Come on people, you are telling me out of
the thousands of unemployed here in Lane
County you can’t fi nd someone who needs
a job? When was the last time you placed
a “ help wanted” ad? One business listed
an ad for two new hires and 270 people
applied. Can’t fi nd employees?
I have to feel that this is nothing
more than a scare tactic on the school
supporters. I am all for helping the school
with funding, but feel strongly that most
of this tax would go to pay the past due
contributions to PERS, plus the new
increase of 18 percent due in 2011 and
would do little to help anyone but teachers’
retirement.
Dick Walker
Eugene
TRUMPED-UP CHARGES
JUST A SCARE TACTIC
I would have to take umbrage with
a couple of items in the Alan Pittman
cover story (2/3) concerning the purposed
school tax.
First off, 25 percent of the 4J and Bethel
students live outside city limits and no
households in those areas would be taxed.
But the school supporters want us to ignore
that fact, using the thought, those children
are part of our broader community. So we
who live in the 4J area should shut up and
carry the load.
Secondly, the economic impact. You
I think what the few are doing to Pete
Sorenson is wrong and mean spirited. I have
lived in Eugene for 22 years and know that
Sorenson has served our community well.
With his progressive ideas (since when
was progressive a dirty word anyway?”) he
has fought for Eugene, Lane County and
Oregon time and time again in his work as
Lane County Commissioner.
The letters in the local papers are
downright nasty and make a villain out of
this civic leader who has done everything
to represent the majority of people in
this town. A few disgruntled people are
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6 FEBRUARY 17, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY
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