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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2016)
ported by both George Brown (owner of Kiva and two-term Ward 1 councilor) and Bonny Bettman (retired RN and two-term councilor for Ward 1 previous to George). Josh has been an active member of various committees within the city, including bud- get and transportation. Both are suma cum laude grads with various degrees. I have decided to back Emily Semple for the position. For one, she has been a resident of Ward 1 for 31 years and wants the job out of a sense of dutiful respon- sibility to all her friends, associates and neighbors here in Eugene. It is a pleasure to come to learn that her quiet demeanor masks a lightning quick analytical mind. Even more so, I am impressed that her de- sire to truly represent her constituency is her agenda. I think she will popularize the posi- tion of councilor in such a way that a lot of people will want to step up and give it a try. And if this indeed is a non-partisan election in a democracy, more candidates are needed. Friendly sidebars for me include: She is at the young end of the Boom- ers, which is the Socratic moment for com- munity service. When she ran for SLUG queen 25 years ago (which was the absolute height of the Eugene Celebration, and a lot bigger than the Whiteaker Block Party), she was the unanimous choice amongst a field of 10 contestants. She has a couple of lovely, small tat- toos on her arms, which in a perfect world would not affect my decision, but most certainly does in this world. Scott Landfield Eugene MENTAL HEALTH LAWS WEST 11TH NIGHTMARE Rep. Pete DeFazio sadly co-sponsored the worst piece of mental health legislation I have seen in 42 years of human rights ac- tivism. HR 2646 is more than 100 pages long, so mainly lobbyists seem to know the details. The worst part is that this bill extends federal financial support for invol- untary outpatient psychiatric treatment. In other words, Americans living peacefully in their own homes could be court-ordered to take psychiatric drugs against their will. I call this approach the “Bill Cosby School of Mental Health.” I have supported Pete for decades and interacted with Pete personally several times. He’s always been kind of grouchy. That is OK; everyone has a different style. But if Pete legislates for involuntary psy- chiatry despite many constituents trying to explain why this is horrifying, then we have the right to ask, “Has Pete ever had a mental health check-up himself?” If not, will he? Those of us with psychiatric labels ap- pear to be one of the last groups that get thrown under the bus, by both Democrats and Republicans. I hope the Senate stops the bill. Following the revolutionary Micah White’s strategy, I have decided to place my name as a write-in candidate for Con- gress. David Oaks Eugene I hate West 11th. As I was driving home in the rain from work, all the ve- hicles were criss-crossing in front of each other. The old markings were still visible as they filled with rain, and the new mark- ings were impossible to follow. It’s amaz- ing accidents didn’t happen. Isn’t it curious that as I drive past the workers (going to work in the morning), they are standing around or looking at their cell phones or observing the other workers standing around? What palms need to be greased by LTD to get this nightmare completed? Will a change in the weather (more rain) encour- age the workers to move faster to comple- tion? It’s been months! But it will be worth it for the four bus riders that use this route. Linda Wagner Noti of BARGAINS the MONTH NATURE’S PRIESTS Our Children’s Trust is making the case for climate justice in Eugene’s U.S. District Court. Seeing clearly the existential threat posed by climate change, children are plead- ing for the survival of our planet. Adults in the room — the fossil fuel industry and Obama administration — argue that climate change just isn’t so, the government has things under control, the case should be dismissed and the problem left to politics. Shakespeare wrote: “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signi- fying nothing.” Politics: Macbeth without the bloodshed. Presiding Judge Ann Aiken asks if — since the federal government has known about climate danger for more than 50 years — now might be the time for climate change to be addressed “with all deliberate speed?” Wordsworth describes children as Na- ture’s priests. May adults hear their pure voices, embrace their clear vision and fol- low them posthaste to the altar. God bless the child. Benton Elliott Eugene SIMPLE CONCEPT My name is Stefan Strek and I invented “Make Eugene Great Again” (#MEGA) for my campaign as mayor in the primary 2016 election, proof at votestrek.com. Re- cently, Eugene Weekly has been promot- ing my slogan. Make Eugene Great Again is a simple concept that starts with good people. We have a new school year, and already I see too much garbage and hu- man indecency returning to town. There’s too many dirty rapey hobos and too many rapey frat bros. Eugene is losing its core value of promoting a safe place for hippie flower girls to be their creative selves in a safe environment. If you want to Make Eu- gene Great Again, then speak out against rape and other garbage in our town. Peo- ple helping people is what “Make Eugene Great Again” is all about. Stefan Strek Eugene Editor’s Note: EW’s “Make Eugene Great Again” slogan for Best of Eugene is a spoof of Donald Trump and not affiliated with Strek. ® SAVE 35% or more 4 99 SAVE 20% or more 5 99 YOUR CHOICE 8-Lb. Birders’ Blend Premium Bird Food or 20-Lb. Wild Bird Food YOUR CHOICE 4-Pk. Long Life Bulbs Choose 29W, 43W, 53W or 72W. E 179 818, 814, 815, 813 B12 While supplies last. 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