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
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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.
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EUGENE WEEKLY JUNE 23, 2011 7