LET TERS
GOODBYE, WHOVILLE
As I came to your location on my daily
visit to you and the trains, you were pretty
much gone. The big machines were doing
their job of scooping up everything in their
path and slamming it in the waiting Dumpster.
The police were gathered out front, their
numbers indicating a “point” was being made.
The “jail” van was still there, blocking Hilyard
(it was sealed off from both directions).
The large “incident response” vehicle
was still there, a massive bus-like affair to
be sure, further emphasizing the signifi cant
presence of “order.” The TV cameras were
still there, but not a lot going on, since you,
gentle people, were all gone.
Sorry I missed you — though, aside
from the occasional letter to the city
offi cials, I wasn’t much good to you. I’m
not sure what would have been helpful
since there was signifi cant support, from
time to time. And yet, I wish you well —
under the bridges or in the bushes or in the
special hiding places you have returned to.
Some of you have been “relocated” to one
of the city’s “rest stops,” but from what little I
know of the inclinations of some of you, there
would not be appropriate “rest” for you there.
Hopefully, there will be other days where you
can exert the special kind of feelings you have
for your presence in this life. For awhile, you
were awesome, but, the man, oh the man, is so
powerful, as you well know.
You have blessed that small plot on the
corner of Hilyard and Broadway, perhaps
the same as others, the Indians who came
before you, did as their presence was
professional
cannabis testing
forcibly ended. Yet their spirit endures. To
me it is sacred ground, showing what the
collective spirit of our kind is capable of.
Bob Coleman
Eugene
SELF-GOVERNANCE
Judge Charles Carlson recently ruled
to overturn the Lane County clerk’s
determination that the Local Food System
Ordinance of Lane County met all the
requirements for initiatives. Support Local
Food Rights remains dedicated to getting
this ordinance on the ballot so the people’s
voices can be heard. We are currently
making adjustments so that the initiative
can be resubmitted for review. In the
judge's words, “The court recognizes that
the proposed measure raises issues that are
very important to a considerable number of
Lane County citizens and may be subject
to a future submission.”
The Local Food System Ordinance of
Lane County seeks to protect residents’
right to local farm and food systems free
from GMOs, and will protect our right
to save and share seed. It will do so by
prohibiting
unsustainable
corporate
practices from violating those rights within
Lane County.
We are advocating for our right to
self-government. Being slightly delayed
won’t deter us. We recognize the long-
term efforts required when challenging
corporate privilege that threatens our right
to a healthy, economically vibrant local
food system.
For more information, join Community
Rights Lane County at our monthly
discussion forum, “Community Rights
Conversations,” from 3 to 4:30 pm
Saturday, April 12, at LCC Downtown,
Room 105, at 10th and Olive, and visit
our websites at localfoodrights.com and
communityrightslanecounty.com.
Michelle Holman
Deadwood
NO MORATORIUM
If
County
Commissioner
Jay
Bozievich suffered from frequent nausea
or painful spasms, then he might begin
to understand the need for safe access to
medicine immediately. Instead, he insisted
that patients should wait up to a year
during a moratorium on medical marijuana
dispensaries throughout unincorporated
areas of the county.
What a relief when his push toward a
moratorium had no support. Fortunately,
Commissioner Pete Sorenson’s motion to
table the subject prevailed, 4-1. There will
be no moratorium.
Thanks to strong, credible testimony
from informed citizens for helping to turn
the tide on this issue. Soon cardholders in
unincorporated areas, as in most Oregon
cities, will have safe, legal, regulated
access to their medicine. This is a long
overdue clarifi cation.
The state law that voters approved in
1999 can fi nally fulfi ll its humane promise.
Joan Dobbie
Eugene
FEEDING THE MACHINE
Once again I am not paying all the
taxes I owe to the IRS. Until the priorities
of Congress change and the war machine
stops being fed I will protest the gross
amount of funding that is going towards
killing people by refusing to pay for
war. Following the example of Gandhi,
Thoreau, Chavez and King, I am breaking
an unjust law in the hopes of positive
change.
When all my taxes go to life-affi rming
causes I will pay them all. Until then I
will direct some of my taxes each year to
organizations that have a positive infl uence
on the world. This year I am giving money
to Planned Parenthood, Community
Alliance of Lane County, Sponsors,
Occupy Medical, Cascadia Wildlands,
Bring Recycling, Sheltercare, Community
Supported Shelters and NWTRRC.
Sue Barnhart
Eugene
PUSHED AROUND
I was downtown enjoying a sunny day.
I sat down at the bus station plaza to enjoy
my lunch when one of the police offi cers
who serves as the bus station security
guard asked me not to sit there. I asked the
reason and he said if one person sits, pretty
soon people will congregate. I thought this
sounded pretty stupid and unconstitutional.
If someone is acting up, ask them to leave.
Why should everyone suffer because some
people think it’s bad decorum to have a lot
of “ratty” people hanging around?
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4
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