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.