LET TERS
marijuana in the same category as liquor,
which is where it belongs once the age old
propaganda of the 1930s is removed from
the picture.
Really, Oregon, you should truly be
ashamed.
Are we just too chicken-shit to
challenge the federal laws? It is when
states challenge federal laws, that federal
laws get changed.
Drew Stimson
Eugene
FRIGHTENING ELECTION
Many of us are elated at the victory
in the election of Obama over Romney.
But we need to take seriously one very
frightening aspect of the results: that
50 million Americans — selfi sh and/or
deluded — voted for Romney. There can
be no such thing as a mandate when so
many Americans allow their decisions to
be dictated by the misleading advertising
underwritten by corporate powers, Israel
and fundamentalist Christians. Those three
are the enemies of our freedoms, and we
must stay alert to them and what they do.
George Beres
Eugene
GEOENGINEERING
Maybe you heard about a (second)
recent experiment to fertilize ocean waters
with iron compounds. The hope is that
it would increase growth of plankton,
which will absorb carbon dioxide (CO2),
eventually die and fall to the ocean fl oor,
sequestering CO2 to slow or stop global
warming, putting fossilized carbon back
where it came from. This time it was done
by a rich man and a Canadian Indian tribe
hoping to increase salmon runs to what
they used to be, and was quite effective in
that. Some people say it won’t be effective
in reducing warming because animals
that eat the plankton, and emit CO2, will
also increase. Others say any increase in
ocean life will mean more carbon will be
deposited in waste and corpses than carbon
emitted in CO2.
We criticize deliberate (or deliberated
upon) climate action such as the above
experiments, calling it “geoengineering,”
focusing on the harm it might possibly
cause. Meanwhile we ignore non-
deliberated action of putting ever more
CO2 in the air, saying that unintentional
actions of even seven billion people,
increasing exponentially over thousands of
years, couldn’t possibly be affecting global
climate. Can both of these views be true?
As with our fi nances, we emphasize
“enjoy now, pay later” while more
positive action is bothersome now and
only benefi cial in the future. If society
won’t risk doing the experiments, then
individuals have to.
Dan Robinson
Eugene
CANDOR WITH THE COPS
Late into election night, friends and
I went to buy champagne for a victory
party. Our designated driver pulled into a
handicap parking space at the St. Vincent
de Paul’s on Jefferson. When police
offi cers arrived, we got anxious. We gave
evasive answers when asked why we were
parked there, learning only later that it’s
nicknamed “heroin alley.”
Offi cer Robert Meador of the EPD,
understandably annoyed with our
prevarication, encouraged us to “be honest
in the future,” because this allows offi cers
to focus on the actual threats to our
community. He told us that it’s his job to
save lives and keep the peace, not frighten
people — especially not those committed
to arranging a designated driver. I
appreciate his counsel, which he patiently
provided after we wasted his time.
Police suffer enough antagonism and
deception in the line of duty. When police
say, “I appreciate the honesty,” I think they
genuinely do. Meador’s “honesty” model
is my usual approach. Consequently,
my episodes with our offi cers have been
almost universally positive.
It’s tough for many to imagine that
the blue-suited bodies walking up to our
windows are thinking, feeling people. They
are. Their jobs are complicated, dangerous
and often thankless. Our run-ins with Johnny
Law may change when we bear in mind that
most of these “cops” are like Offi cer Meador
— real people trying to keep Eugene “A
Great City for the Arts and Outdoors.”
Steve Coatsworth
Eugene
Office visits starting at $99
Same Day Appointments
Justin Montoya, MD
1410 Oak St, Ste 102 in the Keiper Spine building
kjg7hhn7ihmf5R51118*,)"&." '#&3'##(8)'
Be
Comfortable
Buy any pair of Keen shoes or boots
Be
Rewarded
Choose a free pair of Keen socks for yourself
Be
Generous
We’ll give one pair of Keen socks to a local non-profit
Nov
9-25
FOLLOW YOUR FEET TO COMFORT
Downtown Eugene
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Downtown Corvallis
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GREAT ACTING
Kabuki theater review: election 2012.
Although the plot seemed familiar, this
performance gets 50 stars for its great acting.
Uncertain whether hope and change
mean more of the same, 50 percent of
those allowed to vote choose one or the
other. Unable to do the math, 48 percent
of the 99 percent vote for the candidate of
the 1 percent. Having placed bets with both
sides, corporate persons bank the spread.
The morning after, a few Greens awake
hung over and pinch themselves. Don’t
miss the opening of Election 2016 when
America’s great experiment in democracy
continues!
Benton Elliott
Eugene
Overcoming the
Culture of Fear
Speaker: Christian Science Healer, Marie Helm
Sunday, Nov. 18th, 2 p.m.
1390 Pearl Street • Eugene
prayerworkseugene.com
A NEW
FAMILY
CIRCLE
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Specialty Classes
Family Hoop Dance Classes
Sundays are family fun days so come join us for a Hoop Dance class
that everyone can get into. Tara will take you through basic hoop
techniques that will have the whole family smiling.
Sundays 10 -11 AM
November 18, December 2, 9 and 16
Rates: 1 drop-in class $10 for Member, $12 for Non-Member
Kids (14yrs. and younger) are free with an adult
Space is limited, so make sure to sign-up in advance.
Hoops are provided.
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA
2055 Patterson Street, Eugene OR 97405
P 541 686 9622 W eugeneymca.org
eugeneweekly.com • November 15, 2012
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