Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2011)
letters WARM. COZY. STYLISH. TO THE EDITOR ASK FOR THE STORMY BOOT THE STORMY BOOT FEATURES A SOFT SHEARLING LINING AND FAMOUSLY COMFORTABLE ARCH SUPPORT. W FOLLOW IS THE TIME FOR FEET NEW TO SHOES YOUR COMFORT Downtown Eugene &#SPBEXBZt 'BDFCPPLDPNGPPUXJTFFVHFOF .PO4BU4VO Downtown Corvallis 48.BEJTPOt 'BDFCPPLDPNGPPUXJTFDPSWBMMJT .PO4BU4VO EVEN MORE CONCRETE EUGENE BALLET COMPANY PRESENTS The Nutcracker Friday, December 16 at 7:30 PM Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 & 7:30 PM Sunday, December 18 at 2:00 PM This Weekend! SILVA— Tix: $48-$22; Student & youth discounts available Holiday magic is in the air as The Nutcracker returns with its colorful sets, stunning choreography and dazzling costumes. EUGENE OPERA PRESENTS Carmen Wednesday, December 28 at 7:30 PM Friday, December 30 at 5:00 PM Saturday, December 31 at 7:30 PM SILVA— Tix: $94-$20; Student & youth discounts available A gypsy seductress, a love-struck soldier, a famous toreador and some of the most famous music ever sung! Join us as we revisit the work that started it all, Bizet’s immortal Carmen. Eugene Opera Gala Saturday, December 31 at 10:00 PM —CONCOURSE— Tix: $45 After the evening performance of Carmen, toast the New Year at a glamorous post-performance gala at Café Too on the Hult Center Concourse. OREGON MOZART PLAYERS PRESENTS Passing the Baton: Kelly Kuo Conducts Saturday, January 7 at 7:30 PM SORENG— Tix: $39–$18; Student & youth discounts available Mr. Kuo is a successful pianist as well as conductor, who impresses reviewers with his “considerable verve, and idiomatic delicacy.” WELLS FARGO BROADWAY IN EUGENE PRESENTS My Fair Lady Saturday, January 7 at 8:00 PM Sunday, January 8 at 2:00 PM SILVA— Tix: $52.50–$32.50; Student discounts available Eugene Opera: Katherine Goeldner My Fair Lady is triumphant! It’s no wonder everyone—not just Henry Higgins—falls in love with Eliza Doolittle. TICKET OFFICE INFORMATION BUY TICKETS ONLINE: HultCenter.org OR CALL: 541 .682. 5000 HULT CENTER TICKET OFFICE HOURS: Tue-Fri, 12-5 PM ; Sat, 11 AM –3 PM ONE HOUR BEFORE PERFORMANCE MON-SAT, TWO HOURS BEFORE ON SUN. UO TICKET OUTLET IN THE EMU—WINTER BREAK: Mon-Fri, 10 AM –3 PM ; CLOSED DECEMBER 18–JANUARY 2 4 DECEMBER 15, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY On Dec. 8, Mayor Kitty Piercy and Councilor Alan Zelenka joined County Commissioners Sid Leiken and Jay Bozievich and the rest of the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) to vote for the latest version of the billion dollar Regional Transportation Plan. RTP is the wish list for road projects through the rest of the oil era, including further expansion of the California-style I-5/Beltline interchange and widening of I-5, Beltline and 126 in Springfi eld. In 2007, when Piercy voted for the pre- vious RTP she told me the following day, “You know those roads won’t be built.” But in the past four years we’ve seen several major freeway expansion projects built and the Dec. 8 vote ensures further construction. The RTP assumes traffi c levels will continue to increase, yet LCOG’s website admits traffi c levels have peaked in Eugene and Springfi eld, just as they have peaked in Oregon and the rest of the country. Rising oil prices ended traffi c growth and we need transportation triage for the energy downslope. In 2004, LCOG predicted oil prices would increase to $2.50 per gallon by 2025, which was wrong by 19 and a half years. We have reached the limits to growth and need to plan for the downslope. Piercy probably will not face a political backlash for voting with Bozevich and Leiken to widen metro area freeways, just as Rep. Peter DeFazio didn’t suffer politically for championing massive expansion of federal highway funds. Maybe if only Republicans pushed highway expansion the progressives might object. Mark Robinowitz sustaineugene.org USE AND ABUSE OF POWER Since Andy Stahl (letters, 12/1) self- identifi es with Chicago power politics, whose latest apotheosis is Rod “This is Golden” Blagojevich, it might be appropri- ate to refl ect on the historical lineage of this school of thought. A small sample: Machia- velli: “Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.” Otto von Bismarck: “The great questions of the time are not decided by speeches and ma- jority decisions … but by iron and blood.” Mao Zedong: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Henry Kissinger: “Power is the great aphrodisiac.” Fear, blood, guns, aphrodisiacs — signposts along the road of power politics which point the way to the excesses (in the last 75 years alone) of the Nixon White House, sectarian violence in Iraq (pre- and post-Saddam Hussein), the Cultural Revolution, genocide in Rwanda, the horrors of Nazi Germany and the killing fi elds of Cambodia. Governing by means of a “spoils systems” undermines all the hard work involved in creating a climate of trust, understanding, tolerance and a respect for the human and political rights of everyone. Political segregation is as abhorrent as racial segregation and should be rejected by the Lane County Commission in the best interests of the county it serves. John Tietjen Corvallis FOURTH DOWN SANCTIONS? It could be premature for Duck fans to order tickets to the Jan. 2 Rose Bowl game. They were enthusiastic for getting to play lowly UCLA for the so-called league title instead of powerful USC again — NCAA sanctions made USC ineligible for post- season games. But such sanctions might be a double-edged sword. Oregon could be punished the same way if it is found that, as alleged, it is guilty of cheating to get Texas players (including a Heisman candidate) through an illegal Houston recruiter. We should not forget that. It remains part of the slow-moving NCAA agenda. If Oregon is found guilty before the January game, it would mean UCLA would have to replace a sanctioned Oregon in the Rose Bowl. If a decision against the Ducks comes later in the new year, Oregon would have to give up the league title. It ironically would go to UCLA, which combines its losing record with honest behavior. Adding to the confusion is the post-game comment made by Oregon coach Chip Kelly on national TV. He blurted out: “UPS and Dr. Pepper,” in effect a free commercial before millions of viewers around the country. He is paid so well ($300,000 a year) that he surely did not do it to get fees from both. So what is the explanation? WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
