VIEWPOINT
BY RICH A RD HUNT
My
Date
with
Kate
OR HOW I INFLU-
ENCED THE COURSE OF OREGON HISTORY
W
(8/11), I watched a man walking his dog
along 12th Street between Pearl and High
streets walk right into oncoming traffic on
both streets and then have the audacity to
hurl vociferous obscenities at the drivers
and cyclists who had to brake suddenly or
swerve to avoid hitting him or his dog. At
one point, he stood in the lane of traffic and
slammed his hand on the hood of a car re-
peatedly while yelling at the driver.
Sir, I don’t know you or what your prob-
lem is, but you don’t deserve that beautiful
animal whose life you put in danger. While
you have the right to cross at any legal in-
tersection, there is an understanding that
you are acting safely and sanely when you
start to cross a street. You should walk de-
fensively and not take unnecessary risks.
Furthermore, having the right of way
does not give you the right to verbally
abuse or physically intimidate your fellow
street-users. Your obligation is to cross the
street expeditiously and be on your way.
Attempting to impose your will on others
does nothing but make you appear to be a
lunatic.
Eddie Alfaro
Eugene
KREMLIN TRUMP
Are you concerned about Donald
Trump’s Kremlin connections? His recent
treasonous remarks urging Russian Intelli-
gence to hack and release U.S. government
emails are just the tip of the iceberg.
He has denied having any financial
relations in Russia. This directly contra-
dicts Donald Trump, Jr., who’s quoted as
saying several years ago: “Russians make
up a pretty disproportionate cross-section
of a lot of our assets … We see a lot of
money pouring in from Russia.” It’s “pour-
ing in” from “oligarchs” with close ties to
the Kremlin. Financial experts say Trump
needs this foreign money because most
U.S. banks have blackballed him due to his
serial defaults.
Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Ma-
naport, and a top adviser, Carter Page, have
been employed in Kremlin-affiliated orga-
nizations. His foreign policy adviser, Ret.
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, is a frequent guest
on Russian propaganda TV.
Putin-wannabe Trump has espoused an
isolationist foreign policy, which would
directly encourage the expansionist plans
of Russia (and China). He has specifically
threatened to weaken ties with U.S. allies.
All of this should, at the very least,
become a major focus of media investiga-
tion. Follow the money. Trump should be
hounded by all concerned citizens to reveal
all his sources of income. Trump should
be grilled about this during the debates.
In fact, Congress should be investigating
Kremlin manipulation of this election.
Let’s make it happen.
Jere C. Rosemeyer
Eugene
MORE FOR STEIN
“Disaffected Sanders supporters —
shut up and do the right thing. Hillary is
… vastly superior to the alternative.” Does
Spud Smith find this language persuasive?
He wrote two long paragraphs of Trump-
mongering without a positive word about
Clinton except that she’s better than Trump
— an opinion, not a fact.
Clinton’s record of foreign affairs fail-
ures, national security negligence, policy
vacillations and donor IOUs alarms me as
much as the prospect of President Trump.
Both nominees pander shamelessly and lie
repeatedly.
If Clinton can’t beat Trump despite
every advantage of name, power, money
and media, she’s a weak candidate. And if
those who now harangue Sanders voters to
support her wanted to stop Trump, they’d
have heeded polls that consistently showed
Sanders winning handily against the R bo-
geyman.
After 40-plus years as a Democrat, I’ve
left the party. Dr. Jill Stein (Green Party)
hen the Oregon legislative session of 2015 opened, Eugene
Weekly embarked upon the bold experiment of establishing
a delivery route in Salem. Each Thursday I traveled there,
my first stop was the Capitol, where crowds in costumes
and uniforms campaigned colorfully for their causes.
The Salem experience was thoroughly enjoyable. As the final month began, I
wondered how I could top the fun, and decided to meet Kate Brown.
To that end, I climbed the stairs to the governor’s office, portraits of past gover-
nors solemnly following me with their eyes. With some trepidation, I passed through
the open door. At a desk on one end of the spacious waiting room, a friendly young
woman greeted me.
I asked if there was a chance of meeting Governor Brown.
Other young workers soon gathered to talk about “their” Kate Brown in hushed
tones of respectful awe. Yes, she does pop out to meet her fans, I was told. If I came
early in the morning, it might be possible to meet her.
Each week, I showed up a little earlier with no luck. On the last Thursday, a state
senator beat me to the governor by only minutes. There she was on the other side of
the door listening to some boring senator drone on when I just knew she would have
much more fun talking with me.
The young woman handed me a photo, “I told the governor how much you want-
ed to meet her. She said she’s sorry, but there hasn’t been time, so she signed this
photo and asked me to give it to you.”
Well, at least I tried and I got to sit in the governor’s office watching the people
come and go. All in all, an entertaining show.
The final day of our grand experiment arrived. I journeyed to Salem to gather
EW’s racks and red distribution boxes and bring them home. After a long, hot day,
I came to the last box I needed to collect. As I wheeled it down the sidewalk on a
dolly, something remarkable happened.
Three women turned the corner walking toward me. I moved the box to one side
to let them pass, the tall one nodding a thank you as they entered a deli.
Wait a minute! The woman in the middle looked a lot like … Kate Brown.
But was she? Or was she just a woman with a string of pearls? I could not be
sure. It happened so fast.
I loaded the box into my truck, squeezed in the dolly and slammed the tailgate.
It was time to go. My Salem experience was over. But maybe, just maybe I had one
more chance to meet the governor … or a woman with a string of pearls.
I returned to the deli. Inside, a cool air-conditioned oasis, a moment suspended
in time. The woman with the pearls sat at a table, her tall friend standing nearby.
As I oh-so-casually approached (heart pounding), our eyes met. Still unsure of
her identity, I said, “You should be in a Kate Brown look-a-like contest.”
The woman smiled, “I would probably win.”
“Then, you are?”
She assured me that indeed, she was.
All the profound, witty and wise things I had imagined saying to the governor
flew out of my head, and from the vacuum, which was now my mind, blurted the
words, “You’re doing a great job, and I look forward to voting for you.”
She shook my hand and rather thoughtfully said, “Thank you.”
Not long after, Gov. Brown announced her intention to run in the next election.
When I recall that thoughtful look in her eyes, I have no doubt I was the final grain
of sand tipping the scales in her decision to remain our talented and gracious gov-
ernor.
You’re welcome,
Posterity
Richard Hunt is Eugene Weekly’s circulation assistant and purveyor of treats to the office dogs.
eugeneweekly.com • A ugust 25, 2016
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