letters
TO THE EDITOR
but are unable to fi nd good work. Few
are the authors of their own poverty. Who
would willingly write a tale of their own
dependence, humiliation, desperation, and
invisibility?
While children under the age of 18
account for just 24 percent of the U.S.
population, they constitute 36 percent of
the U.S. poor. And they make up America’s
largest non-voting bloc, excepting those
so harried by daily life or so frustrated by
daily political theatrics that they abstain
from voting. Politicians know only too
well that children don’t vote, and that the
poor seldom do.
Hungry, stressed, ill-educated and
neglected — babysat years on end by
television and video games — too many
millions of our children have little real
hope of future success. A society that
tolerates this condition is one eating its
seed corn.
Todd Huffman, M.D.
Eugene
his wife’s leadership in these diffi cult
times. More emphasis on civil rights in
our community might have prevented
the selfi sh behavior we fi nd in the Tea
Party’s climb to prominence in our
community. Has the Tea Party inherited
the Klan’s years of popularity and racist
behavior?
When I read some of the letters to the
editor I can’t help but wish for someone
like the Bells to respond with more
understanding to those participating in the
Occupy movement. Where is compassion
and caring for our neighbors? With more
than one person in three in Lane County in
poverty we have hit very diffi cult times and
those devoting their lives to the Occupy
movement are seeking answers for a better
tomorrow. I want my grandkids to have a
more loving community in this beautiful
state.
Ruth Duemler
Eugene
CATASTROPHE NEARS
WE NEED THE BELLS
I appreciated reading Anita Johnson’s
tribute to Derrick Bell (10/27) and only
wish he would have stayed as dean or
visited more often our School of Law in
Eugene. We do need to refl ect on his and
viewpoint
“Who Are These People and What Do
They Want?” (cover story, 11/10). So the
fi rst person queried is Peter DeFazio, a
manager of this rotten system.
Or is Occupy Eugene like Portland’s;
namely, its “representative” declared on
OPB Radio Thursday (11/10) that “If
you’re not nonviolent you are not part of
Occupy Portland.”
I am wondering when resistance will
replace the veneration of authority and
property (which is not subject to violence,
by the way, cannot be violated). When will
resistance replace the prevailing liberal/
progressive nothingness?
Community is gone and eco-catastrophe
is arriving. Will the rules of the game
always prevail? Will we have an unlimited
number of opportunities to fi nd out?
John Zerzan
Eugene
REALLY, MAX?
After reading Max Burris’ letter last
week (11/3) I was somewhat annoyed. As
a trans man myself, I know what it’s like
to be in his shoes. It’s been 15 years since
my transition and it has not been easy.
Sure, would have been nice if insurance
covered my surgeries, but it didn’t. So you
know what I did? I worked for it — two,
sometimes three jobs to make a little extra
each month and eventually I reached my
goal.
I don’t fault insurance companies
for not covering gender reassignment
procedures; I do however think it’s wrong
for anyone to exclude medical care to an
individual because they are transgendered.
(Be happy you have insurance at all!). In
the insurance companies’ eyes, any SRS
related surgeries are deemed “elective.”
Well, in a way, they are right. Sure, we
were born with GID, which was not a
choice. However, like you, I chose to have
surgery. Calling it a medical necessity
is a stretch; I lived with tits and female
parts for 27 years, and a few more after
transition. It sucked a big donkey dick,
but I got through it. Also, there are plenty
of non-op FTM guys out there who don’t
even want surgery.
On a side note, the proverbial hoops
trans people have to go through are there
for a reason. I can’t imagine what it
would be like if all insurance companies
covered SRS-related costs. To me it’s a
scary thought because it would most likely
make things worse. Yes, we would have
an easier road during transition, but how
soon or how many lawsuits would arise
from people who discovered they made a
mistake? Thus, creating higher premiums,
costlier procedures, and probably stricter
standards or screening procedures for all
things involving SRS.
Not to dis you Max, but since you have
wanted this for 30 years, you should have
BY MARY DEMOCKER
Threatened? Yell No!
A mother’s uncivil disobedience
M
y friend Ann looked up from shopping to see her 7-year-
old leave with a stranger. The man had followed them
from a restaurant where waiters interview children on
their birthdays. Later, at a big-box store, Ann left Sarah in “Toys.”
Armed with key details, the well-dressed man approached. “Thank
goodness I found you, Sarah! Mommy’s tummy hurts from lunch,
and she asked me to take you to Aunt Jen’s for your party.”
Like Sarah, I was taught to obey adults. Now a mother, I teach my
children a more nuanced approach: Obey trusted adults. Ignore others
— or, if necessary, fl ee. To explain why adults might need running from, I
say, “Some people are unhealthy and can’t consider your best interests,” or, if
pressed, “They might adopt you without asking.”
Who are my children’s “trusted adults?” My husband and I, of course. Though
we run a dictatorship, it’s benign, most days anyway, and represents our children’s
best interests. We provide basics, carefully timed luxury upgrades — defi ned by
us as Prince Pücklers, by them as Disneyland — and a complaint forum. Their
impassioned campaigns train them for the democracy they’ll transition to at 18.
But then what? To help my children know who to trust, I teach discernment.
Don’t wire money to displaced African princes. Study politicians to discover
whose interests they protect. Be suspicious of the apparent sincerity and allure
of corporate representatives since, as Ann found, even the well-dressed can be
deadly. Call me old-fashioned, but my interests include healthy soil and oceans,
because I like eating. Drinking clean water and breathing rank high, too. But our
economic system threatens everything I love.
I’d rather not hand my kids a charred planet to live on, so I’ve done my part.
Politely. I’ve recycled, carpooled and begged leaders to stop clearcuts and torture.
I’ve visualized peace. I voted for the “change” president. Yet, the Supreme Court,
nine judges-for-life we can’t fi re, dealt our democracy a staggering blow when
it affi rmed corporate personhood, allowing unlimited and anonymous campaign
fi nancing. Citizens seeking a healthy future battle a Goliath on steroids.
I feel like a mother watching her children’s abduction by well-heeled predators. I
might be accused of hysteria, comparing corporate marauders to child murderers.
But what should I call those who destroy the planet that keeps my kids alive? I am
hysterical. That’s appropriate when your child — or planet — is under siege.
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When Ann saw her daughter disappear, she screamed, “STOP HIM!” Guards
materialized who didn’t leap to her aid — sure you’re not mistaken, ma’am? — so
she elbowed them aside. Shoppers froze. As the kidnapper reached his car, Ann,
still shrieking, grabbed her daughter. Guards didn’t tackle him or get his license
plate. Instead, they tried to quiet Ann. Police later said a man matching his
description was wanted for murdering several girls. He was never caught.
Mainstream commentators posing as trusted adults would
have us dismiss the outcry from Occupy Wall Street. I quiz my
children: Who gains from mocking peaceful demonstrators? Who
benefi ts from silencing them for business as usual? If corporate
interests didn’t dominate, mainstream media would listen to
citizens upset enough to camp downtown shouting, “STOP!” It
would scrutinize an economic system gone postal.
When Occupy Wall Street refused to leave Zuccotti Park, something
remarkable happened. Overnight, 951 solidarity marches were organized
throughout the world, including an ongoing occupation in Eugene. That’s the
visibility Americans enjoy. Disobedience with nonviolence and resonance can
instantly gain international momentum. So when friends quietly despair over
their kids’ futures and our powerlessness, I disagree. Because of the high stakes
— the planet’s very ability to sustain life — our voices have never mattered more.
Few in history have possessed our potential for infl uencing world events. As
Americans we have rights, for now anyway, that millions only dream of, yet most
of us stand paralyzed, bewildered witnesses to wholesale abduction.
The world listens. If we make noise, disobey. If we get hysterical, damn it, the
99 percent of the world has our backs. Because they’re hysterical, too.
It’s time to leave our comfort zones. It’s time to disobey. We can unplug,
stop shopping, put up tents — real or metaphorical — and end business as usual.
Demand tight bank regulations and corporate personhood’s repeal. Call fl ash
mobs around CEOs who oil up our oceans. Forgo the bathroom or boob remodel
and fund wake-up campaigns instead. Re-create democracy. Grab megaphones
and invade the mall. Run for mayor, Senate, president. Turn lawns, cars, offi ce
doors, Facebook pages, and bodies into billboards shouting “NO!” Because, like
predators, some people — and policies — are unhealthy and must be stopped.
Ann disobeyed. She created a spectacle. Her daughter lives.
Media pundits may trick many into believing we’re dismissable. But remember
what we tell our kids: If threatened, disobey. Yell “NO!” Tell trusted adults.
Better yet, become one.
Award-winning writer Mary DeMocker teaches folk and classical harp and has pursued creative disobedience in
Eugene for 23 years. View photos of her current lawn installation at marydemocker.com
EUGENE WEEKLY NOVEMBER 17, 2011
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