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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2012)
LET TERS living adequate for the health and well- being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” All are issues many are now facing. Ruth Duemler Eugene ALIENATING THE FANS I received an email from the UO athletic director, thanking the fans for the success of the athletic program. Prescient. I was just talking with a longtime Ducks fan about my own alma mater, Ole Miss. We went through a similar donor-funded growth period that had the potential to alienate the fan base. Ole Miss avoided this by making sure that funding, while benefi ting major sports the most, was spread to minor sports as well — tennis center, baseball complex, cross-country, women’s volleyball, etc. They also avoided alienating fans by embracing tradition (obviously, not all traditions — but that’s our own complicated history). They made the football team accessible. They do the Walk of Champions through the Grove. They interact with the fans. All of this VIEWPOINT makes the fans realize the truth: These boys, these young men who represent our team are the same kids we all help coached in Dixie Youth baseball, or that our daughter dated at Holly Springs High, or that we slapped on the back as they came off the fi eld after beating North Panola. In short — they are us. They are not demigods, not armored professionals who just happen to wear the colors of our university. They are our kids, and it makes us proud to see them struggle on the fi eld, or pitch or diamond. That, I’m afraid, is what is missing at the UO. From closed practices to inaccessible athletes to grandiose buildings, you are in danger of losing the fans. Your email of thanks is a welcome step, one that I hope continues. Otherwise, UO runs the risk of fi nding the answer to the question: What if you threw a game and no one came? Stuart Phillips Eugene THE SHAKE DOWN I’m getting tired of the Lane Country Jail complaining about it’s revolving door criminals. The recent release of a felon who then promptly robbed a bank is an example of the pathetic lack of judgment by authorities in charge. The Eugene jail should adopt the practices of the Springfi eld Justice Center. If you are arrested in Springfi eld you do not get out until you can post bail. No exceptions, no “released on your own recognizance” business. You stay in jail for your petty misdemeanor until you can cough up the money. So the Springfi eld cops fund the center when they come to the Glenwood neighborhood and shake down the poor for what little money they have. Like someone I know who was stopped while bicycling on his way to pay his property taxes. The cops were suspicious of $860 he had on him and suspected the bike was stolen as well. After a week in jail, his bail was set at $1,200. When he told the judge he didn’t have that kind of money, the judge asked how much he did have — guess what his bail was? It turns out the bike he legitimately bought had been stolen from the Springfi eld police impound. So he lost a week of work, money to pay his property tax and a bike he should have never been able to buy in the fi rst place. But the Springfi eld Injustice Center got another $860 pay for their shiny new building. Take note, Lane County Jail, and stop endangering the community with your scare tactics. Alisa McLaughlin Eugene HEAVY HISTORY In regards to the review of the movie Lincoln by Molly Templeton, I found a portion of her review to be historically wrong. Templeton states that the Lincoln family mourns over a son “killed in the war.” This statement is incorrect. The Lincolns did lose a child during the Civil War but not from armed confl ict. Willie Lincoln died from typhoid fever in February 1862. The loss of their child only created more emotional turmoil for Mary Todd and A. Lincoln. I only bring this up to EW because I am a major in American history who devotes much of my time to studying the Civil War era and the Lincoln administration. Therefore historical facts are imperative to me and should be to EW’s readers. Nevertheless, the movie Lincoln was indeed full of heavy historical elements that casual movie watchers may not have picked up on unless they study the subject deeply. R.W. Olson Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words, keep submissions to once a month, and include your address and phone number for our files. Email to letters@ eugeneweekly.com fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. BY ROY KEENE Pistol Packing Realities WORDS OF CAUTION FOR THOSE INCLINED TO CARRY T he Nov. 29 cover story by Camilla Mortensen on carrying concealed pistols, “Born To Gun,” while entertaining, leaves out more reality than it presents. Real world possibilities: Verbally instructed, fi ngerprinted and cleared by the sheriff, you’ve fi nally got your concealed gun permit. Packing your brand new pistol, you head out for a celebration drink. A drunk sees the bulge, grabs your piece from under your shirt, and waves it around inside the bar. How embarrassing! An aggressive panhandler gets in your face. You panic, draw, fumble and mistakenly fi re. You’re stunned by how much blood a dying person hemorrhages. And stunned again by how long you will suffer in criminal and civil courts. Imagine a pistolero like the one in Mortensen’s article. He goes fi shing with a fl y rod and two pistols only to be ambushed by a rifl eman from 200 feet away. An angry teenager who blames middle-aged men for his problems shoots a .22 caliber bullet into the pistolero’s chest. Face down in the river, dead from a small hole in the heart, he never got to draw his guns. A gun can’t save you from stalking and surprise attacks. A big, capable but unarmed friend of mine was recently mugged in downtown Eugene, knocked out from behind. A gun might have been taken from him and used to fi nish him off. He’s glad he wasn’t carrying! All things ready: If you choose to be armed with a gun, then be adequately prepared. Raised in a military and cop family, everyone, including my fi ve sisters, was trained to shoot. I was further trained as an Army infantryman by combat-tested weapons masters. Given my experiences, I question inexperienced people carrying concealed guns. I suggest a permit should, as a minimum, require substantial live- fi re training. Not only to teach safe and effective shooting techniques, but for the uninitiated to witness bullets blowing up melons or blasting through wood planks. A good friend of mine, an ex-SWAT cop, teaches tactical live fi re exercises to concealed pistol applicants. His Liberty Handgun Training T-shirts are embossed 6 December 13, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com with the Shakespearean quote “All things are ready if our minds be so” that describes the essence of self defense, with or without a weapon. “All things are ready” is the physical preparation. As with martial arts, this means practice. Expert instruction, hands-on familiarization, and lots of focused shooting. Anyone reluctant to seriously train should rethink carrying a gun for self defense. Pulling a gun without a determined follow-through can get you disarmed, even killed. If you’re hesitant to shoot someone at close range, watch them bleed to death, and be entangled in legal proceedings, don’t carry a gun for self defense. Less lethal defenses: Consider martial arts, not just for the physical conditioning and empowering moves, but for the awareness training good instruction provides. Practice awareness by avoiding or leaving places and people that make you feel threatened or uneasy. If you walk late at night, or go out to your car in a dark parking lot, quit texting and be alert! Looking and listening are the fi rst line of self defense. If you want to be armed, but with a less lethal close-range weapon, consider high quality pepper spray. Buy at least two, one for practice, one to carry. Practicing is crucial with any weapon. If you want a home defense gun, consider a shotgun instead of a pistol. With a little training, a fully stocked shotgun can be used to butt-stroke an intruder or fi re an intimidating warning shot without sending bullets into your neighbor’s house. Shoot at least a box of shells for practice. Eugene’s not always a safe city: Though our judicial system turns violent criminals loose on our streets, as a bicycle commuter, I’m more threatened by aggressive or distracted vehicle drivers than by robbers. Still, as a senior citizen, there are times when I’m comforted by a concealed pistol, typically a small Beretta. Walking downtown recently on an early Sunday morning, a carload of late night trolls drew slowly alongside. Feeling their vibes, I became very ready. They cruised on, perhaps unsure if the pocket my hand dropped into held my wallet or pistol. Hopefully no one will have to push hard enough to fi nd out and I won’t have to prove up! ■ Roy Keene is a local forester and social justice activist.
