Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2011)
letters TO THE EDITOR trying to ruin his reputation but they won’t succeed; he has far too many people who are behind him. Over the years Sorenson has fought hard to keep Eugene one of the most progressive and green cities and this is the thanks he gets. No wonder people are not willing to serve on boards as they risk a few misguided people going after them in some trumped-up charges. I only hope that Sorenson knows that there are people out here that support him and would not want him to step down, and that we will continue to vote for him in upcoming elections. Diane DeVillers Eugene TARGETING STRENGTHS Pete Sorenson and Rob Handy hold many open public hearings without misusing public comment. They are open, progressive environmentalists. It was these qualities that were used in “an attack on their strengths.” This technique is one right-winger’s mean lie. Because of their openness, legal action against our Lane County commissioners was an attack falsely claiming that they operated a closed quorum. R-G articles implied the funding for the lawsuit came from timber corporate interests. Perhaps they were the same corporate interests who ignored the broad community rejection of their polluting biomass industry, and won an approval that a true public hearing should have denied. It appears that the closed quorum suit was an attack paid for by corporate polluters. It was decided that the charge of a closed quorum was not true. Strangely, the court ruled against Handy and Sorenson based on an unprecedented notion. This “activist” judgment charged the legal expenses not on the corporate interests who allegedly fi nanced the suit but on our two good commissioners. This is an apparent win for people who hide from the public against openness. Lane County should appeal on behalf of good government. Jerry Smith Eugene COMMON VISION I would like to think that the most active citizens in this community have a similar vision for Eugene, Lane County and all of notes from the riverside SANCTUARY STATE CAUSA wants state legislators to “know the story” (News Briefs, 2/10). Here’s part of “the story” CAUSA does NOT want them to know: 1) More than 200,000 Oregonians are out of work but as many as 100,000 illegal aliens are working in the state (per the Pew Hispanic Center). 2) More than 75 percent of the meth and other street drugs are brought into Oregon by illegal aliens. I will give CAUSA credit for scaring the folks in Salem. Along with certain business interests, unions and other open borders supporters they’ve been able to quash all meaningful efforts to address Oregon’s status as a sanctuary state with the exception of the Secure Driver’s License Bill (SB 1080). The latter was passed only because the Legislature had a Homeland Security gun to its head. Our legislators were elected to represent Oregonians. Illegal aliens are not Oregonians. If they want to become Oregonians there is a way to do that legally, after which they would be welcomed. Jerry Ritter Springfi eld BY MARK HARRIS Who’s Got Your Back? I am armed without weapons T Oregon as those elected leaders who are supposed to be the most educated minds in our state. However, on a weekly basis that common vision doesn’t seem apparent based on the shortsighted decisions of these elected leaders. Case in point is when elected leaders receive recognition for accomplishments that no one can readily distinguish from business as usual. I have not seen any great strides in our metro area to clean our air, to lessen our ecological footprint by voting against new freeways, athlete temples, dirty energy incinerators, and urban sprawl. I do not know of any new truly ecologically sustainable jobs created by increasing our local food and energy security as well as cleaning up our rivers and air. Our elected leaders seem to be able to ignore the few voices advocating for ecological sanity and crisis preparedness. The only way this will change is if the average citizen speaks and stands boldly behind their visions for the future of Eugene, Lane County and Oregon. Shannon Wilson Eugene he question of who “has your back” has occupied me of late. You should of course have your own back, if people around you are incapable of doing so. When you keep your friends close, and your adversaries closer, your opponents instruct you about your vulnerabilities, optimally allowing you to strengthen them in advance of an encounter. The “what goes around comes around” lessons of history are always useful as training. What they did to my folks because of race, they’re doing to ya’ll folks for the money. Don’t count on the solidarity of the Pledge of Allegiance — the loyalty isn’t to country, but to money. Sometimes it’s clear the cavalry ain’t comin’ because even if you pay their paycheck, they ain’t comin’ to rescue you, but the settlers. The We, in We The People, and not You People. The Ju$t U$ in Justice for All. While Natives include All My Relations, the indigenous may not possess the technology to shelter or protect you, Sensei says “We train, so we don’t have to fi ght.” In martial arts and social interaction the skill of haragei allows you to nonverbally perceive the truth of a situation, and look behind what a person says, to what they actually mean, without revealing what your true feelings, intentions, and skills are. Inner “Morpheus — Afro-Samurai” advises me Death rides on my left shoulder, advising that there are no ordinary moments. Cultivate appreciation of the fragile transitory blossom of the sunlight of a baby’s smile. No home but spine’s base; no sword but MuShin (empty mind). In the wake of recent LCC events I created a Facebook page most specifi cally for work at Lane. I used a classic slave picture as my profi le picture. His shirt is off, his back is to the camera, there is a collage of bullwhip scars on his back, whether from one beating or many no one can say. When asked why I had such a “horrifi c” profi le picture, I replied, “He’s saying the person who did this is dead, without my lifting a fi nger. I am armed without weapons. I’m still here, and no one sees these scars who cannot already see my pain.” If you have my back you know what’s there without me metaphorically taking the shirt off. You try not to add to the scars. For example, if an agency has “my” back, you already should know what’s offensive about a white therapist (from an ethnicity who’ve been traditional civil rights allies) calling a black client a tar baby. You should know Emmett Till actually happened and I’m not making it up. A historically racist pickaninny image with a bone in its hair and a watermelon on its shoulder is not a “huggie,” and cannot be displayed in my workplace without an artist’s context statement as the law requires, however beloved your childhood memories are of it. Such is life in Eugene; common knowledge for some is common ignorance for others. Who’s got your back? Train them. Mark Harris is an instructor and substance abuse prevention coordinator at LCC. Taste of India Buffet Lunch Special $8.99 all you can eat. 7 days a week. ✪ Voted Best Buffet -Eugene Weekly Readers ✪ Voted Best Indian Restaurant -Eugene Weekly Readers ✪ Best Indian Restaurant In Town Campus Location Now Open! 844 E 13th ave (old Sakura location) Student Lunch Buffet Special $5.99 (to go only) -Register Guard Readers 2010 Catering available • Full menu available to go • Delivery through Pony Express 2495 Hilyard St. • Eugene, OR 97405 • ph & fax (541) 485-9698 • ph only (541) 485-9560 WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUARY 17, 2011 7
