LET TERS
DESPICABLE TACTICS
In September 1988 the National
Security Political Action Committee
started running ads against the Democratic
nominee for president, Gov. Mike Dukakis.
They accused the governor of allowing
Willie Horton, an African American and
convicted felon, to be released from
prison on a prison furlough program and
then committing another horrible crime.
In October 1988 the George H.W. Bush
campaign piled on, with an attack ad
of its own. The ads, taken together, are
known to campaign professionals as the
“Willie Horton treatment.” The ads and the
connotation are despicable.
Fast forward to the 1994 general
election right here in Lane County. The
rural Lane County district was represented
by Karsten Rasmussen. I remember what
happened to then senator (now judge)
Rasmussen when Bob Kintigh’s backers,
Ramussen’s Republican opponent, ran a
series of Willie Horton-type ads on him.
This resulted in the seat switching from
a moderate Democrat (and a state senator
with a bright career in elective politics)
to that of a conservative Republican. I
remember having voted with Rasmussen
on most issues in the Senate and then
spending the entire 1995 grueling session
having virtually all of my votes countered
by Kintigh’s votes.
Now, State Rep. Phil Barnhart is the
victim of Andy Petersen’s Willie Horton-type
tactics. Campaigns run these ads because,
although they are despicable, they work.
If you want to return a progressive
legislator to Oregon’s House, please vote
for Phil Barnhart. If you oppose the “Willie
Horton” tactics, vote for Phil and send a
VIEWPOINT
message that this tactic, while it works
elsewhere, isn’t welcome in our county.
Pete Sorenson
Lane County commissioner
South Eugene District
VETS ARE SUFFERING
Surely we can do better than to leave our
veterans out in the rain in holey tents with
little food and no running water. The city
set up this camp in my neighborhood some
months ago, right next to the train tracks and
Northwest Expressway. The city chose the 15
really nice people who live there and Mayor
Kitty Piercy has called it a model camp.
Please go and visit. It will break your
heart, as it does mine every time I fi nd a
ride to deliver what little food I can collect
from my neighbors. If you have anything
to bring them, especially food, bedding or
even cardboard for burning in their fi re pit,
they will be so grateful.
Last time I was there they insisted on
sharing some food with me! They don’t
want to beg or complain but they do
sometimes completely run out of food.
And please, EW, run some photos of this
sad place so everyone understands how
we’re treating our vets.
Margareta Gannon
Eugene
OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
As this election cycle winds down,
those who go the extra mile to help get
out the vote want our candidates to win
and put forward the ideas and values we
support. But above and beyond that, we
hope our democratic due process will
continue to thrive. We work today so future
generations of Americans will receive the
priceless gifts of our beloved democracy.
As mature citizens, we know that we
will not always agree with all the decisions
of our elected offi cials. We continue to
participate in the democratic process,
however, because all other options are
far less acceptable than the American
Dream we have inherited. We know our
system is not perfect. We know powerful
undemocratic interests would like it to fail.
It is up to us to see that they do not succeed.
There is something we have that the
undemocratic forces do not have and
can never have: We have the ability to
set aside our personal selfi sh interests
and seek a common agreement. I am a
registered Democrat, but I am an old-
school, Kennedy-era Democrat. I have
always been willing to work with moderate
Republicans to seek that common path.
After this election, we must work
together to save the underlying principles
of our democratic republic. Those two
words say it all.
Thank you very much for reading, and
see you at the round table after the election.
Mary D. Stephens
Florence
CHOICE FOR EAST LANE
Many voters don’t realize that though
Faye Stewart won the primary in May,
there is still an opportunity to write
in a candidate for East Lane County
commissioner on the November ballot.
Stewart avoided a run-off with Kevin
Matthews by only nine votes. For all
the voters who want to see a change in
our county government, there is still an
AN EMBARRASSMENT
EPUD customers from Veneta, you
have an opportunity to put some dignity
and respect back into the EPUD Board
of Directors. It is way past time for Patti
Chappel to move on. A vote for your
local candidate Lee Kelley would be
an opportunity to elect a responsible,
respectful professional to the board.
BY JUDGE BILL RIGGS
A Judge’s Perspective
LEGALIZING MARIJUANA MAKES SENSE
A
s a former Justice of
the Oregon Supreme
Court
and
with
more than 30 years
of experience as a
judge, I have reviewed thousands of
laws. I have also carefully read and
considered Measure 91, which will
regulate, legalize and tax the adult
use of marijuana. I believe it is both
a solid, well-written law and the right
thing to do.
As Oregonians, we have an opportunity this
November to cast a vote for common sense. The
legalization of marijuana is inevitable, but it is important
that we do it right. If Measure 91 passes, Oregon will
have a safer, more sensible policy on marijuana, with
strict controls and protections and much needed revenue
fl owing to state and local law enforcement, drug
treatment and schools.
At the same time, it will deal a crippling blow to the
4
opportunity to act. Matthews is running
a write-in campaign to provide East Lane
County voters with a choice.
Matthews received endorsements from
the Lane County Labor Council, the AFL-
CIO, the Oregon League of Conservation
Voters, Mayor Kitty Piercy and former
Lane County Commissioner Jerry Rust
among many others [Eugene Weekly]. The
majority of his campaign contributions
came from private citizens rather than the
timber and gravel industries. His campaign
ran on the energy of local volunteers rather
than robo-calls made from Texas and
campaign ads paid for by right-wing PACs.
Kevin represents the interests of all the
residents of Lane County. He has taken a
strong stand on issues such as protecting
our clean water and building long-term
economic prosperity with a focus on
recreational tourism and revitalizing our rural
communities. When we have commissioners
who continually side with industry at the
expense of community residents, there is a
vital need for an advocate who will speak for
the people of Lane County.
There is still an opportunity to make
a choice — write in Kevin Matthews for
East Lane County commissioner.
Cristina Hubbard
Cottage Grove
OCTOBER 30, 2014 • EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
criminals and drug cartels who control
and profi t from the current system of
treating the adult use of marijuana as
a crime. The current system does not
deter drug dealers — who don’t ask
for ID — from selling to youth. On the
other hand, Measure 91 keeps the act
of selling to anyone under 21 a felony,
and provides additional resources and
regulations to help enforce that.
Additionally, the resources and
time spent on the current system
represent both a waste and a damaging distraction
for law enforcement. Rather than arresting or citing a
person every 39 minutes for a marijuana-related crime,
I’d prefer our police offi cers and deputies spend more
time going after violent criminals, identity thieves and
child predators. We pay for the police to keep us safe.
Diverting law enforcement resources to pursuing adults
over 21 for no other reason than they choose to use
marijuana doesn’t do that.
That is why prominent voices from law enforcement
and the criminal justice system have spoken out in favor
of Measure 91.
Another compelling reason to vote “yes” on 91 is
that we have the advantage of being the third state to
regulate, legalize and tax marijuana. Legal, regulated
marijuana is on sale in Washington and Colorado, and by
the time it’s on sale in Oregon in 2016 nearly a decade
of experience will be shared among the three states.
Traffi c fatalities are down or fl at in Colorado and
Washington. Wasteful arrests are down. In Colorado,
teen use is down. Both states have already collected
millions of dollars in new tax revenue.
As you consider your vote, I would encourage you to
read the measure itself in the Voters Pamphlet. I believe
you will see that it is a thoughtful, careful approach that
has earned the endorsement of Oregon newspapers like
The Oregonian, The Register-Guard, Eugene Weekly
and the Medford Mail Tribune, alongside an impressive
number of respected organizations representing senior
citizens, working families and health care professionals.
You don’t have to like marijuana to see that the
regulations and protections of Measure 91 are far better
than the system we have now. An Oregon with Measure
91 will be a safer, healthier place than an Oregon without
it. I hope you will join me in voting “yes.”
Bill Riggs of Wilsonville served as an Oregon Supreme Court justice from
1998 to 2006. His current status is senior judge for Oregon.