letters
TO THE EDITOR
HARM REDUCTION
Wet beds (EW 9/29)? Why not dry
beds? That is what seems to be needed.
As a newcomer to Eugene, I did not know
what services might be provided for addicts
on the street, but the need for shelter of
any sort seems acute. To deny shelter to
people who are in great need is clearly both
inhumane and counterproductive. The
question of “harm reduction” for those who
really cannot help their state is forcefully
expressed by Canadian psychiatrist Dr.
Gabor Maté in his book, In The Realm
Of Haunted Ghosts. To make miserable
human beings even more miserable, and at
large public expense, has never seemed a
very ethical or practical response.
If the powers that be would provide a
coherent structure for service, I have no
doubt that the citizens of Eugene, a really
decent city, would contribute, not only for
the sake of their unfortunate fellows, but
also for the image of the city itself.
Patricia Spicer
Eugene
SADLY INHUMANE
Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School
Southtowne Merchants
Support Our Schools
Give to “Ridgeline Rising”
October 22, 2011, 11:00 -3:00pm at 28th & Oak Street
It’s a Fundraiser Kick-Off Event for Ridgeline’s Capital Fund Campaign
Activities Included:
Ridgeline Choir Ridgeline Bhangra Dancers A Raffle A Silent Auction
Longs’ BBQ Bouncy House
4
OCTOBER 13, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
Thanks to Alan Pittman for drawing
attention to this issue (Wet Beds, EW 9/29),
which Eugene has ignored for far too
long. It is sadly inhumane to see the number
of people on the streets because they suffer
from the disease of addiction. The idea that
addiction is a “moral failing” is an archaic
concept, and nowhere is that more true
than in the AA and NA programs. Better
review your basic text, Norman Riddle,
before you imply that 12-step programs
and proponents of “hard-core abstinence”
would prefer to see people dying in the
gutter instead of giving them a warm
bed. Or for that matter, a wet bed.
Christina Blake
Springfi eld
EPD BREAKING LAWS
Earlier this week I read an R-G article
about the EPD’s “trash downtown”
program. I was disgusted with the tone
of the article, which was crowing proudly
about how our smart and thrifty offi cers
had come up with yet another way to thwart
and harass those pesky streetfolk. Usual
drivel from the regional mouthpiece of big
business. It was hilarious to see the city’s
hasty about-face yesterday, unlocking and
hauling away all those bikes! Another
instance of law caught breaking the
law. But I digress. I am writing a call to
awareness for all Eugene’s leaders and
elected offi cials.
Hear well that we, the public, are very
aware that the EPD and other branches
of city government selectively ignore,
arbitrarily enforce and regularly break
the law to pursue their agendas. This
has been abundantly obvious for many
years, done blatantly for all to see. We,
the public, observe that city agendas are
not really in the best interests of all of us.
We do perceive which side of the bread
is getting buttered. But listen well that
we, the public, resent our hard-earned
money being boondoggled away. We are
sick of debts racked up in our name. We
are tired of corruption and graft. We are
outraged by criminal police. We are fed
up with all these atrocities. It is evident
that the city, especially the EPD gang, is
governed by the morally bankrupt.
Wake up and smell the new breeze
blowing, you corporate kleptocrats and tin-
pot mafi osos. We, the public, can see you,
and we know you are our mortal enemy.
The day comes where the public no longer
has a place for your destructive games.
Michael McFadden
Eugene
SAVE THE COWS
When the fi nal solution comes, doesn’t
every member of a family deserve to
meet that moment of despair together?
That wolves are released back into the
state and then single out a roaming cow
from a herd for eating causes irreparable,
emotional damage to the cattle left behind.
A profound sense of loss will be felt by the
mother, father, sisters, brothers, cousins,
aunts and uncles of the cow, as they prepare
themselves in a distant feedlot for eventual
slaughter.
I say to the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife: Don’t let that happen!
I implore you to make the compassionate
choice by not releasing wolves. Keep those
bovine bonds of family together, as they
jointly prepare for their eventual stunning
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