letters
TO THE EDITOR
bastards on a power trip and would love
nothing more than to shock you with
their Taser. In 2009 DPS made 89 drug
law arrests and 192 liquor law arrests and
zero weapons arrests. Aggravated assault
arrests? Also zero!
Sen. Prozanski, I’m assuming you
haven’t read the statistics because there
is nothing that suggests the campus needs
armed police. I regret voting for you, but I
will certainly rest easy knowing that when
DPS gets guns all those noisy drinkers will
promptly be shot.
Eric Howell
Eugene
BODY AS TEMPLATE
In your Oct. 6 issue, a letter from
Mark Robinowitz citing Abbie Hoffman
criticized tattoos as a trend which lends
to the entertainment industry’s distraction
of would-be concerned citizens, as well
as a source of untold (and undocumented)
skin-borne maladies. Since turning 18,
now 23, I’ve accumulated 26 hours “under
the gun.” In my experience, few credible
tattoo artists operate without strict sanitary
procedures — or state licenses.
Tattooing is invariably a fl esh wound,
an occasionally substantial one. However,
despite stories we hear of infection or vain
tattoo ideas some people must live with,
the majority of tattooed people are not
young wasted degenerates preoccupied
with pissing off their parents with a pin
and ink from a ballpoint pen. High quality
ink is generally a form of self-affi rmation
or reverence to important things in one’s
life — not a fashion statement.
If Robinowitz has a problem with our
“brave new world,” he ought to pick a fi ght
with the advertising industry rather than a
subculture based on personal expression.
My sense of a future does not suffer from
my love of the human body as a template
for creativity, but my sense of the present is
marred by adults in my community making
assumptions about me.
Also, basal cell carcinoma is not
typically caused by tattoos. Robinowitz
might have a more crystallized opinion on
the subject if he spent less time in the sun
and more time at a tattoo shop. You know,
asking questions and all that trendy s**t.
Max Miller
Eugene
SMART VS. DUMB
When automation leads to unemploy-
ment, technology has built in obsolescence
(new meters last a quarter to an eighth the
time of old meters) and charging ratepay-
ers more for what benefi ts?
Lane Electric installed smart meters
six years ago and said, “these meters have
paid for themselves many times over.” But
when pressed to explain how, it became
clear the only real benefi t was more quickly
identifying specifi c outages. The payback
is associated with quicker reconnection to
the meter to keep the charges fl owing.
How many years of real time outage loss
does it take to pay for a $500 meter when
the meter lasts fi ve to 10 years? What debt
has EWEB already saddled its ratepayers
with regarding the new headquarters? How
much can ratepayers absorb?
Personally, I think the health effects
of smart meters are overblown when
heath concerns are compromised by an
increasing number of sources, cell phones,
computers to electric heat all deliver
electromagnetic fi elds.
More relevant is how many sources
must we pile on before a critical mass of
negative impacts become common place?
What are the trends and tipping points?
How does a public-owned utility justify/
explain why their power contract with
Seneca biomass is confi dential? A lack of
transparency typically breeds contempt
and distrust.
Why would EWEB risk its historically
good reputation for these highly
questionable contracts?
Craig Patterson
McKenzie Bridge
TRAPPING CATS
On Oct. 9 at night my cat Mietzie was
caught in an animal trap in the vicinity
of West 8th Avenue and Polk and Taylor
streets within the city limits of Eugene.
His hind leg was useless, severely broken,
fractured and splintered, including
puncture wounds. When the merciless
trapper fi nally “released” Mietzie, he had
the incredible spirit to drag himself home.
Can we ever feel the horrendous pain,
agony and fright that he suffered?
An Oregon Fish and Wildlife biologist
says animal traps that kill, amputate, break
bones are against the law in Eugene! One
can have a “cage trap” into which the
animal walks but is unharmed.
When will we graduate from this Dark
Ages mentality from the past that we can
kill anyone we want? Animals are not
“things.” They have a soul. Millions of
buffalo, wolves, birds, seals have been
killed in this country with sheer fun and
violence. Enough!
All animals, trees, rocks and humans
have the same molecules, same atoms and
divine light. No difference. We were all
created by the same great creator. That’s
why the Native Americans and indigenous
peoples say, “We are all one.”
Mietzie sends his unconditional love to
the trapper. “The trap needs to go. No more
violence!”
He has quietly suffered mighty pain.
The surgery bill amounted to $4,720 and
the veterinarian bill $344. How will this be
paid? I have no idea. All life must be re-
spected. It’s precious. It’s God’s gift to us.
Jutta Akulina Benner
Eugene
Your Natural Resource
in Real Estate
Kristena Cox & Justin Schmick
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THANKSGIVING
DELI SIDE DISHES
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DIRTY LOOKS
I’m so glad I saw your “Pit Bull Rental
Prejudice” story (10/20). I moved here
from Tennessee in August but spent the six
months before trying to fi nd a place. Pet-
friendly housing is hard enough to fi nd, but
pit bull housing is nearly impossible.
I mean seriously, is rescuing a dog a
popularity contest or is it saving a life?
Why is it that rescuing almost any dog gets
you a pat on the back, but rescuing a pit
bull signs you up for years of dirty looks
and slum lords?
Would it be possible for you to do a
piece on rental companies that are pet
friendly, and specifi cally those that allow
pit bulls and similarly restricted breeds?
Alex Jenkins
Eugene
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EUGENE WEEKLY NOVEMBER 3, 2011
7