Eugene weekly., January 03, 2013, Page 4, Image 4

LET TERS
MAKING IT BETTER
Yet another mass shooting by a young
person, and in a grade school at that! I am
sad, but I am also angry at a culture that
allows this to continue. And yes, I too am
a part of all of this. Let us please have a
serious conversation. Some will speak of
gun control laws and that is a part of the
equation; but this runs so much deeper, a
societal problem, a dysfunctional way of
thinking.
Our culture of accepting violence and
killing affects our lives in so many ways:
from condoned wars in far away places, to
assassinations with drones, to video games
full of death, destruction and decapitation,
to extreme sports where people climb into
cages and beat one another senseless, to
movies and television that glorify violence.
What can I do to help in some small
way to change the fl ow of this culture? I
can have calm, thoughtful conversations,
write my representatives requesting
specifi c actions, refuse to support violent
things, lead a slower, more purposeful life,
join one of many local groups and work for
peace, ask when anger rears itself inside
me just what is truly bothering me, use
VIEWPOINT
humor to lighten moods and ease tensions,
and create art that speaks to nonviolence.
I can purposefully use nonviolent com-
munication in my everyday life, have com-
passion for those around me who are having
a tough day, share my own struggles with
manic/depression that it might make people
be more at ease with mental health issues, be-
come a teacher (not necessarily in a school),
volunteer at a school, join a mentoring pro-
gram, tell those I know that I love and ap-
preciate them very much for all that they do.
Perhaps the best thing I can do might
simply be a joyous example of a different
way of living life in a kind and gentle
manner. “The smallest deed is better than
the greatest intention” — Amish wisdom.
Tim Boyden
Eugene
ONE-SIDED REPORTING
Camilla Mortensen’s report (12/20) on
the use of a seclusion room and restraint
of a child attending a 4J elementary school
tells one side of the story. Anyone who
has spent time in elementary schools
knows that there are multiple stories that
describe a child’s behaviors and different
teachers’ responses over time. We heard
from Jared and from his mother. We didn’t
hear from Jared’s teachers or from the
school principal. That’s understandable.
Most educators shy away from discussing
issues or incidents in the press that involve
children who were once in their care.
That’s part of the ethic of professionalism
that goes with the job. But Ms. Mortensen
also has a journalistic ethic to present
more than one dimension to a complex
relationship in a school setting.
Were there other levels of response
from Jared’s teachers before they resorted
to secluding him? How did Jared’s
classmates feel during his episodes of
misbehavior? Were some of his outbursts
the result of peer dynamics at school? Did
Jared receive any confl ict management help
from teachers? If so, how did he respond
to their direction? One-sided reporting is
good at pulling emotional strings, but it’s a
poor substitute for good journalism.
Paul Bodin
Eugene
END ISOLATION ROOMS
Sunday morning I woke up and worked
BY K AYL A GODOWATUF TI
Idle No More
UTMOST APPRECIATION, RESPECT AND SOLIDARITY TO OUR FIRST
NATIONS BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CANADA AND THE IDLE NO
MORE MOVEMENT FROM A NATIVE UNDER U.S. OCCUPATION
I
t seemed to happen overnight. A new uprising
for Indigenous rights and environmental justice
has begun. Most of us heard about it through
social media fi rst. Flash mob Round Dance
videos uploaded to YouTube of First Nations
in Canada reclaiming public spaces to send their
message of un-honored treaties have now reached all
four corners of the globe. Solidarity rallies all over the
U.S. have been held and have spread to Egypt, New
Zealand, Palestine, England and Norway.
There have been Idle No More solidarity rallies
in Eugene, Portland, Klamath Falls, Warm Springs,
Tacoma, Spokane and Los Angeles to name a few, with
many more to come.
This is the culmination of resistance efforts from
Aboriginal and environmental activists who are
calling on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
to honor treaties with Aborigines, open dialogue with
environmentalists and reject tar sands pipelines that
would infi ltrate First Nations territories. What started as
a string of emails between four Saskatchewan women in
November protesting Bill C-45, an omnibus bill passed
by the Harper regime to strip First Nations treaty rights
and sell these resources to multinational oil corporations,
became a hashtag on social media, accumulating over
time into a global movement for Indigenous rights and
environmental justice: #idlenomore
The U.S. is the main consumer of tar sands oil.
Sixty percent of the 1.34 million barrels of tar sands
oil produced daily in Canada are exported to the U.S.,
and oil companies aim to expand production to as much
as 3.5 million barrels per day by 2025. In America, oil
4
on scanning some of my old family photos
onto my computer. Being lonely and
nostalgic, I then wrote a bit in my journal. I
spent some time thinking about my fi rst
grade class and the desk I had with walls. I
drew a picture of the layout of the classroom
to accompany my prior entries. Almost a
third was taken up by a big closet where I
would be placed if I ever disturbed the class.
I have distinct memories of the teachers
sitting on me in this closet.
I think often about my fi rst grade class.
Later that evening, I drove down to Cafe
Yumm. I ordered a large Hot n Jazzy,
grabbed a Weekly and read about Jared
Harrison. This article [12/20] hit a bit too
close to home. I am 37 years old and I can
say from experience that childhood isolation
leads to one single result: a lifelong feeling
of isolation even around others.
I was staggered to read that this practice
still happens today. This has to stop and it
has to stop now. I beg every elementary
parent to call their local school and demand
that their child is never placed in isolation
as a punishment.
Brian Doffi ng
Eugene
January 3, 2013 • eugeneweekly.com
and pipeline companies plan to build an extensive tar
sands pipeline and refi nery infrastructure that will lock
the U.S. into reliance on this high-carbon fossil fuel for
decades. This confl icts with tackling global warming and
shifting the transportation sector to cleaner alternatives.
Pipelines bring a danger of oil spills to America’s
agricultural heartland, while pollution from refi neries
threatens local communities and the Great Lakes.
Over the last few years, First Nations resistance to
multinational oil has been on the rise, with very little
attention from mainstream media. Powerful resistances
against pipelines, tankers and tar sands have been in
the works for the last few years.
In Ottawa, Theresa Spence, chief of the Attawapiskat
First Nation of Canada, has been on a hunger strike
since Dec. 11, demanding justice and respect for her
people. She intends to continue to strike until Harper
agrees to meet with her. She demands justice and
respect for her people and for all First Nations in
Canada. She told reporters, “I am willing to die for my
people because the pain is too much, and it’s time for
the government to realize what it’s doing to us.”
As of Dec. 31, she was on her 21st day without food.
While writing this, I fasted for 24 hours in solidarity
with Chief Spence and all the others who have decided
to fast along beside her. I cannot even begin to imagine
how she must feel after 21 days without food.
It is not my intention to criticize those who have
held solidarity rallies because these rallies are creating
unity among Natives and non-natives like nothing
we have seen before, but if we want to fully stand in
solidarity with our First Nations brothers and sisters,
then we must address our consumption of tar sands
oil, and the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline
through our country, because it is killing those who we
stand in solidarity with.
In Canada, the U.S., all over the world, it’s the same
story. We are all being held hostage by multinational
oil, by people with a disproportionate amount of
wealth. Our only hope is alliances with each other
and honoring First Peoples’ treaty rights. On a local
level, our Indigenous people must fi nd the strength to
uphold our treaties and demand they be honored by
our governments, in order for us to survive as a human
race. The resistance must be worldwide.
As 2012 comes to a close, I cry for all the pain and
struggles that our people endure everyday. I cry for the
strength to continue on together in solidarity against
this inhumane oppression. I cry for all the children who
will be the next caretakers of this planet, in hopes that
they will not be left with the destruction and injustices
that our oppressors are creating. But, looking at history,
we have to teach them the way of The Struggle, because
this beast never sleeps. We will have to teach them to
stand strong for their rights in the face of oppression.
We will have to teach them of our legacy.
They will know the history of resistance
and insurmountable strength of our
people. We are witnessing a spark
that could ignite the entire planet,
engulfi ng our world in the fl ames of
revolution. We are witnessing the
beginning of a new age, a new time
of hope and inspiration for our
people, unlike any we
have ever seen in our
lifetime.
Kayla L. Godowa-Tufti
is member of the Con-
federated Tribes of
Warm Springs of Ore-
gon. A longer version
of this viewpoint is at
eugeneweekly.com