letters
TO THE EDITOR
DIESEL AND DUST
CONSENSUS VS. ACTION
I live in the River Road area very
close to the railyard. I love my home and
neighborhood, the proximity to the river and
bike path, the large lots and the fertile soil
we are blessed with. Unfortunately there
is a trade-off living where I live: the noise
from the switching yard, chemical odors
that come from the Baxter wood preserving
plant, diesel fumes from the trains and Union
Pacifi c’s herbicide spraying along the tracks.
I am very concerned about the
possibility of coal trains traveling through
my neighborhood and the health effects
that would have on the residents. We
already have to close our windows many
nights because of the sounds and smells in
the air, and sometimes I don’t even want
to be outside in my garden because the
air is so thick with the smell of creosote
and ammonia. If we allow coal to be
transported through our community via
the railroads, we will be dealing with not
only more diesel particles being pumped
into the air but also coal dust blowing off
the train cars. Exposure to this type of
pollution has many health risks, including
respiratory problems, heart disease and
cancer. Children are especially vulnerable
to these particulates.
I am strongly in support of City
Councilor Alan Zelenka’s proposal to
restrict the export of coal by train through
Eugene’s railyard and neighborhoods. This
will be discussed at the City Council’s July
9 meeting. More information is available at
www.beyondtoxics.org.
Laura Kemp
Eugene
There are two problems with the
consensus advocated by Nicole Medema
(“Mic Check!” column 6/28): it doesn’t work,
and it drives action-oriented people nuts.
To quote Battlestar Galactica, “This
has all happened before and it will all happen
again.” Nothing about consensus is new. In the
late 1960s I went to Students for a Democratic
Society meetings at UC Riverside. They used
consensus. The meetings went on for hours.
Decisions were made by whoever was willing
to stay the longest.
I’ve been an activist, working with
various groups on a variety of issues, for over
20 years. The very worst part of the job is
meetings, and I seldom go to them anymore.
What is the goal? To have meetings?
Most activists want to make something
happen. We will not endlessly sit and listen
to people talk, with no action. Eugene is
littered with the remains of dead groups
that did not understand this simple fact.
Medema wrote, “There are no leaders
or elected representatives in the Occupy
structure.” Yes there are — nothing
happens without them — they’re just self-
selected volunteers who aren’t given any
formal authority by the group.
I suggest cutting way down on the
pointless meetings and forming small action
teams that can actually get something done.
Lynn Porter
Eugene
POOP CAN FOLLY
I try to do the right thing as I go through
life. This was instilled in me as an Eagle
Scout and 25 years in the military achieving
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4
JULY 5, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM