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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2011)
letters TO THE EDITOR Salem who give carte blanche to the timber barons to level Oregon’s forests. The so- called industrial forestlands are where most of the logging (and all of the herbiciding) happens are given permission to do so by Dr. Kitzhaber and his appointees. Second, fossil fuel reduction is happening due to resource depletion and economic contraction, not environmental concerns. We cannot burn fuel that does not exist, and now that we are past peak oil, increased consumption of oil is not physically possible. Peak natural gas in the U.S. was 1973, and peak coal is probably in the next decade (although opinions on the precise timing vary). We have passed the limits to endless growth on a round, fi nite planet, but neither the industrialists nor the foundation funded environmental groups are willing to discuss the obvious implications. Mark Robinowitz Eugene EDITOR’S NOTE: The article cites Mark Harmon as a researcher of CO2 in forests. See more on Mark Harmon’s work in the field of forest carbon in our “Biomess” cover story, http://wkly.ws/12m MEN GET NO LOVE I am writing to echo Erin Tiel’s letter (6/2, “Alternative Sports”) regarding an alternative sports section in the Weekly. Though I love rugby and regularly play kickball, this letter is specifi cally about roller derby. Roller derby is the fastest growing sport in the world. Ten years ago, roller derby was dead. Now there are over 900 leagues across six continents. Seattle’s team regularly hosts 6,000 fans. Still, there has been very little coverage by the mainstream media aside from the occasional patronizing fl uff piece: “Look at what these wacky women are doing!” Those wacky women devote 15-plus hours a week to a serious competitive sport. Men’s roller derby doesn’t even get the fl uff pieces. The Lane County Concussion, founded in 2009, has competed all over the West Coast, yet there has been ZERO media coverage. Why is that? Is it because we don’t end up in jail every other weekend like the members of a certain college football team? viewpoint As the leading alternative newspaper in the leading alternative town, a progressive town known for being at the forefront of positive cultural movements, I would like to see Eugene Weekly break the unwritten law against the earnest coverage of roller derby. Do what The Register-Guard refuses to. The fi rst men’s roller derby bout in Lane County history is July 9 at Willamalane Sports Center. Will the alternative media be there? James C. Warmels Jr. (aka Master Brains) Eugene CIVIC-MINDED ASSHOLES Kevin O’Brien (“Non-voters,” 6/2) is undoubtedly right that 27,000 assholes are responsible for the defeat of the city income tax. And, although I do not attend Ducks games, I suspect that he is also correct in his assertion that at least 27,000 assholes defi le Autzen Stadium for every game. Nonetheless, I fear there is a fl aw in his logic. What if the 27,000 — or more — assholes in Autzen Stadium are in fact the apathetic citizens that O’Brien so decries, and do not vote? That would mean there are at least 27,000 other, more civic- minded assholes in Eugene, for a grand total of 54,000 card-carrying assholes. The implications are obvious. What if the 27,000 apathetic Autzen assholes suddenly become energized, and start showing up at the polls? That would make 54,000 activist assholes, enough to carry any election. Is that what O’Brien wants? I don’t think so. The solution: Keep assholes from controlling the elections by canceling the elections indefi nitely. Not only would that frustrate assholes everywhere, but more to the point, the money saved thereby could be used to — what else? — fund the schools. Mike Kopf Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number for our files. E-mail to letters@eugeneweekly.com fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. BY ANNE BRIDGMAN AND MICHAEL CARRIGAN Reordering Priorities Time to bring our war dollars home A merica is in a deep economic crisis that can only be addressed if we adopt new priorities to create a sustainable economy for the 21st century. The federal government has spent well over $1 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part of that money was fi nanced through debt, but a large amount of it was money that could have been spent on America — aiding state and local governments to provide public services, social services, and programs. Here in Oregon (one of fi ve states whose defi cits are more than 20 percent of the general fund) Lane County and the city of Eugene have seen millions of dollars in budget cuts since the wars began. It’s time to reclaim that money so we can fund our schools adequately. So we can keep open a place like First Place, which provides 100 slots for homeless preschoolers so they can get a boost in readiness for school. So we can support environmental programs, rebuild infrastructure, provide for our growing homeless population, and create jobs. Mayor Kitty Piercy has submitted a resolution to the U.S. Conference of Mayors calling on Congress to redirect military spending to domestic priorities; already, 18 other mayors have signed on — including the mayors of Madison, Wis., Baltimore, Md., and Los Angeles. The resolution will be presented at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Baltimore June 17-24. Across the U.S., cities, municipalities and counties are mounting efforts to bring our war dollars home. In towns like Hartford, Conn., and San Francisco, and counties like Montgomery County, Md., citizens are launching campaigns urging action to shift war dollars to local communities, where budgets have been slashed and programs shuttered. Here in Eugene, City Councilman George Brown plans to introduce a resolution to pressure our elected offi cials in Congress to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Together, those wars have already cost Eugene about $350 million. For that amount of money, the city could have bought low- income health care for more than 187,850 children for a full year or VA medical care for more than 45,780 military veterans for a year. The resolution will ask Oregon’s representatives in Washington to start reining in the Pentagon’s budget, which has doubled since 1998 to a staggering $725 billion, way more than is needed to keep us secure. Our elected offi cials must speak out against the continued war spending that’s hurting our community. More than 6,000 members of the U.S. armed forces have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — including 128 from Oregon. More than 120,000 civilians have been killed. Thousands more have suffered devastating physical and mental disabilities. Many of our own homeless are enduring PTSD. And the U.S. public, in recent polls, supports cutting military spending and ending the wars. In light of the severity of the ongoing economic crisis, it’s imperative that we use our nation’s fi nancial resources for the good of our nation. We are in urgent need of jobs, we need to restore vital public services, and we have to fund social programs to meet the needs of our fellow Eugeneans, including the most vulnerable among us. It’s time to reorder our priorities so that money being spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan comes home. Anne Bridgman is a peace activist in Eugene. Michael Carrigan is the peace organizer with Community Alliance of Lane County, which has been working for peace and justice in Lane County since 1966. follow us on twitter: twitter.com/eugeneweekly The City of Eugene, in partnership with the Human Rights Commission, is seeking community feedback on our human rights work 7KH&LW\RI(XJHQHLQSDUWQHUVKLSZLWKWKH+XPDQ5LJKWV in Eugene. Join us for a three-hour, facilitated listening session. &RPPLVVLRQLVVHHNLQJFRPPXQLW\IHHGEDFNRQRXUKXPDQULJKWVZRUN LQ(XJHQH-RLQXVIRUDWKUHHKRXUIDFLOLWDWHGOLVWHQLQJVHVVLRQ • Tuesday, June 28, 2011 • 5:30 -8:30 p.m. 7XHVGD\-XQH • Campbell Community Center, 155 High Street SP &DPSEHOO&RPPXQLW\&HQWHU+LJK6WUHHW Space is limited: Please call 541-682-5177 and “Save Your Spot”. 6SDFHLVOLPLWHG3OHDVHFDOODQG6DYH<RXU6SRW This meeting location is wheelchair accessible. For the hearing impaired, FM-assistive listening devices are available or an interpreter can be provided with 48 hours’ notice prior to the meeting. Spanish-language interpretation will also be provided with 48 hours’ notice. To arrange 7RDUUDQJHIRUWKHVHVHUYLFHVFDOO for these services, call 541-682-5177. Take 7DNHRXUVXUYH\DWZZZHXJHQHRUJRYGLYHUVLW\ our survey at www.eugene-or.gov/diversity WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY JUNE 23, 2011 7
