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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2011)
like a fungus; however, that would be cause for concern! I did see a rock that looked like a penis though. Mental note to self — in the event of needing a personal ego boost, complain like crazy and have that rock torn DOWN! Penis rock must be stopped! Oh, save the children! I say again, really? Perhaps I’m just simple minded because I still don’t understand all of the hooplah. Legal cleavage and blue food coloring are worth bitching about, say the Mcgrumpy pants out there, but my daughter can’t legally marry her longtime girlfriend? Ah, what a world. JeanMarie Indell Eugene CIVIC ASSET letters TO THE EDITOR BENEFITS ARE NOT FREE I am just one living example of Robert A. Olsen’s Viewpoint (“Union Busting,” 3/17). I am a 55-year-old former public employee from another state. I worked very hard to earn my lower middle class hourly wages and “benefi ts.” While a public employee, I also put myself through university on my own time and at my own expense. In addition, I was an unpaid volunteer (working neither for money nor college credit) during some of my off work hours (helping mostly Hispanics to learn English). I was also fortunate enough (or so I thought) to contribute to both local and other charities. Now, all that is lost. My public employee pension is at poverty level, as I was forced to take early retirement. Of course, I have no health insurance and, sadly, can give very little to any charities I believe in. Thank you very much, upper class corporate America! This country really Treat Yourself Right: Shop at Eugene’s World-Class Neighborhood Grocery Store makes me laugh when they talk about spreading “democracy” globally! Diane Van Orden Springfi eld THE SEXY BLUE VIAL Really? People are still talking about blue vial vs. boob issue (“It’s a Dildo” letter, 3/10)? Which one offends the most? Huh? I dug the issue out of my recycling and gave it a real stern second look to make sure I hadn’t missed something I should be concerned about .... nope nothing. If anything the blue vial resembled the bottom half of my electric toothbrush — eew — and, I would see more cleavage on any given day walking by the local high school. I fi nd it curious that there is always a percentage of extremely bored individuals who see obscene words in the clouds and claim mushrooms look phallic. I for one have never seen any man parts shaped I just received word that the 4J School District has fi nished reviewing RFP’s for Civic Stadium and surrounding property. In their infi nite wisdom, they have denied the only proposal that would ensure the preservation of Civic as the community asset for which it was intended. I should probably mention that the money from the sale, even by the most generous estimates, would not even cover one year of the district’s current budget shortfall. I would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone and everyone with a sense of community and history to honor the spirit of this historic treasure. Please get involved and let 4J know that they have a responsibility to this community to be good stewards of this piece of local history and failing that (which they have), to ensure its transfer of ownership to an entity that will. To put things in perspective, what would the public response be if I were to propose the razing of the historic Shelton- McMurphy-Johnson house to build a Walmart in order to raise tax revenue to fi ll a few potholes in the city’s streets? Aaron Waghorn Eugene GET INVOLVED March 8 marked the offi cial kick-off of the Strong Schools Eugene campaign for a temporary, local income tax to hold the line on class sizes and reinstate lost instructional days in the 4J and Bethel school districts. More than 100 people showed up in support of this measure, which is desperately needed to address economic shortfalls in educational funding from the state. Strong Schools Eugene is a grassroots effort to develop a local strategy for dealing with the massive ongoing budget cuts facing our schools. An amazing number of people have stepped up over the past few months to ask what they can do to help. We know that many more have followed our progress in the media, but have yet to get involved. If you believe that our schools are at the tipping point, and that we can no longer wait for the state to address the critical needs of our schools, now is the time to volunteer your skills. You can endorse the measure, make a donation, deliver information to voters, make phone calls, go door-to-door, host a house party or informational event at your home or business, provide in- kind donations (printing, phone banks, campaign materials, etc.), or share your passion for our schools and neighborhoods with a lawn or window sign. Wherever your talent lies, we have a job for you! To learn more or to download window signs and information sheets, or to volunteer go to www.strongschoolseugene.org We have the power to make a difference in Eugene. Volunteer your time and vote yes on May 17. Samantha Brauner Volunteer coordinator Strong Schools Eugene HEAL THYSELF Clarice Smart’s vitriolic and sexually explicit rant against Mark Harris (letters, 3/3) betrays a confounding lack of foresight. While professor Harris’ scholarship, contribution and wit remain unimpeachable, who will she blame for identifying herself by name as a therapist to avoid? She’d have to sue herself for restraint of trade. Lori Kasprzak Eugene LOC AL NATURAL ORGANIC GOURMET SPECIALTY VARIETY 25th & WILLAMETTE • EUGENE • 541-345-1014 OPEN DAILY 8AM-10PM • www.capellamarket.com 4 MARCH 24, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
