his speeches and books. His campaign
behavior and rhetoric have a striking re-
semblance to Hitler’s playbook. Even the
slogans used are similar. His fostering and
support of white supremacists and mili-
tias is not unlike the “brown shirts” which
eventually became the infamous Gestapo.
Yes, it is quite possible to have a fascist
dictatorship in America. And it cannot be
undone by any democratic processes.
So it is very important for voters to join
Bernie in electing a Democratic president
and Congress.
George R. Hermach
Eugene
TRUMP TIES
Has everyone noticed how exceedingly
long Donald Trump wears his neckties?
Even accounting for his paunch, the man’s
ties are way too long.
The fashion advice is pretty simple:
The tip of the tie should fall to about mid-
belt buckle. Too short ties look clownish,
and too long ties look sloppy. There are
fashion-conscious members of his family
who must certainly have tried to share this
information with him.
Yet he persists with his overlong ties.
Does he think he is making some kind of
bold, brash statement? Did his fashion
sense arrest at around age 11 along with his
emotional development? Or is it some kind
of subconscious overcompensation for his
stubby little … er, fingers?
Ronald Blanton
Eugene
PRISON STRIKE
The largest prison strike in U.S. his-
tory is in its fourth week, with a reported
20,000 or more people protesting slavery
or near-slavery labor and unsafe living
conditions. The media, however, have sim-
ply not reported this news.
The Constitution’s 13th Amendment
freed the slaves but permitted penal servi-
tude. Some prisoners work for corporations,
prisons, the military or in agriculture, and
may be paid as low as pennies per hour. I
could not find the percentage of prisoners
working. Profits are collected by prisons.
The strike began Sept. 9, the 45th anni-
versary of Attica (see the 2016 book Blood
in the Water), and the media blackout start-
ed the same day. It was reported that one
Oregon men’s prison (Deer Ridge) and Or-
egon women incarcerated at Gig Harbor,
Washington, were involved, and a demon-
stration held in Portland. Stories can now
be found on alternative sites, but the U.S.
has no independent monitoring of prisons
as in other democracies, and thus no win-
dow on what is happening inside.
Whether one supports or opposes
strikes, we need the news. Could Eugene
Weekly run a story if the R-G does not?
Mary Rothbart
Eugene
RAILROAD SAFETY
Thirteen railcars derail in Eugene on
Sunday afternoon. Is Union Pacific going
to sweep another major mishap under a rug
they call “an investigation”?
e
lat
Eye witness named Dave — a former
truck driver living in the homeless camp
only 100 yards away from ground zero —
told me he saw the whole event; he was the
guy who told the police a tanker car with
hazmat placard 1075 was involved.
Stretching nearly to Blair Street, rail
cars were being marshaled into a tight ra-
dius switching track behind the Zip-O log
mill-tracks rotten 90-year-old ties.
Empty cars pushed too quickly around
that tight corner started tipping over with a
mighty roar — I heard it a mile away.
Dave said that next morning “I just missed
the best picture ever taken.” Fire marshals and
officials pointing at two large punctures in the
tanker car’s outer shell, gesturing it was “this
close” to puncturing the inner lining and prob-
ably exploding Eugene all to hell.
That tank car was quickly hidden from
public view. Antiquated track was rapidly
being scrapped to prevent stamp dates of
1945 from being evidence. An equally old
switch was quickly taken away.
A tanker of this sort carries approximately
33,600 gallons of LPG — 263,000 pounds of
volatility. Union Pacific had no interest in talk-
ing to someone who actually witnessed what
happened that Sunday. What investigation?
Railroad safety means the public con-
tinues living on borrowed time.
Glenn Jones
Eugene
SINGLE PAYER NEEDED
Two weeks ago I experienced quite a
shock. I needed heart surgery because of
Octoberfest
a birth defect that had not surfaced in 63
years of active living. Wolff-Parkinson-
White syndrome is an electrical short that
can result in sudden immediate death (we
all know of someone who this has hap-
pened to) or it can give you the warning of
rapid heart-rate that then just goes away to
return another day.
I’m grateful for the marriage equality
law that allows me to be on my same-sex
spouse’s single payer military insurance!
I’m grateful to the wonderful McKenzie-
Willamette emergency room doc who
recognized what was going on and didn’t
just send me home as another middle-aged
woman with no previous heart health con-
cerns. I’m very grateful for the electro-car-
dio surgeon in Portland who did an amaz-
ing “ablation” to cure my heart defect.
What shocks and saddens me is this:
In America’s “hearth care for profit” sys-
tem we wait until a problem, sometimes
fatal, arises. The surgeon told me that in
Europe, where every industrialized coun-
try has single payer health care, every child
has an EKG while in elementary school. It
costs $1. They can find about 10 different
hidden heart issues and provide corrective
care. Hope I live long enough in America
to see us care about people’s health over
insurance company profits and realize that
spending on prevention is healthcare that
is cost effective. Grateful to still be alive,
but we need single payer healthcare for all,
now!
Debra McGee
Eugene
Eugene Yoga
Yoga • Pilates • MELT • Zumba
TWO LOCATIONS
245 E Broadway & 3575 Donald St
FREE
ENTRY
October 15 3 - 9
pm
LIVE MUSIC
FREE KIDS'
FRANKFURTERS
FOOD AND BEER
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CLAIM 52 BEER KEG TAP
AND TASTE
PUMPKIN COLORING
CONTEST
APPLE CIDER
HARVEST GAMES AND
CRAFTS
DOOR PRIZES
Storewide
Moving
Sale!
NEW STUDENT SPECIAL
$44/4 Weeks • Unlimited Classes
Teacher Training
RYT200
1027 Willamette • (541) 683-5903
weekends Oct 28 - May 21
www.harlequinbeads.com
More info at EugeneYoga.us
Come try our 6 new burgers
Big Butterfly’s
Blackened Blue
Blackened Cajun seasoned patty, bleu cheese,
Romaine, mayo and crispy fried onions
BUY ONE, GET ONE
1/2 OFF
LUNCH OR DINNER ENTREE
Join us @
418 A ST
OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE WITH
THE PURCHASE OF TWO BEVERAGES
Valid Sunday through Thursday for dine-in only.
Coupon required. Limit 1 coupon per table.
No split checks. Not valid with other coupons,
discounts or daily specials.
offer expires 10/31/16
295 W 17th Ave
cornucopiaeugene.com
207 E 5th Ave
eugeneweekly.com • October 13, 2016
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