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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2016)
Recent undercover investigations show male baby chicks suffocated in plastic gar- bage bags or ground to death; laying hens crowded into small wire cages; injured pigs killed by slamming their heads against the concrete floor; and cows skinned and dis- membered while still conscious. As theo- logians debate whether there is life after death, I wondered whether these animals have a life before death and why I should subsidize these barbaric practices. I wonder no more, as I have now em- braced a plant-based diet — green and yellow veggies, legumes, fruits, nuts and some grains. Occasionally, I indulge in nut-based cheese or ice cream. Although I was motivated by compassion for animals, I have since learned that my diet is also great for my health and for the health of our planet. Edward Newland Eugene REPORTING ON ALEPPO Local media understandably rely on others for coverage of Syria. Recent cov- erage focuses on what the U.S. calls “war crimes” in the battle for Aleppo. But most Western media never get any closer to Aleppo than Beirut, which is not even in Syria. These media often rely on the U.S. government or groups like the White Hel- mets, who get funding from the U.S. and others attempting to overthrow the Syrian government. It’s the U.S. that is acting un- lawfully in Syria, as attempting to over- throw a sovereign government violates international law. Syrian president Bashar Assad was re-elected in 2014 and is sup- ported by most Syrians. More than 1.5 million civilians live in government-held western Aleppo, in- cluding 600,000 who fled eastern Aleppo. About 200,000 live in terrorist-occupied eastern Aleppo, including 50,000 so-called rebels and their families, according to the Aleppo Medical Association. Government forces could have flat- tened eastern Aleppo long ago, but held back out of concern for civilians. Assad recently offered readjustment help to civil- ians leaving eastern Aleppo, and even to Syrian fighters who lay down their arms. But the insurgents have continued pound- ing western Aleppo daily with weapons in- cluding “hell cannons,” firing gas canisters packed with explosives, glass, shrapnel, nails and even chemicals. The disinformation from our govern- ment and media cannot be detailed here. Robert Roth Eugene rations in order to fund schools, healthcare and other senior services. Oregonians who know and love your store should be aware that your negative position on the measure puts you in the company of Comcast, Wells Fargo and Monsanto. Your position in the Sept. 8, 2016 edi- tion of The New York Times argues that we cannot trust our government to spend tax money appropriately. This defeatist atti- tude doesn’t capture the innovative spirit of Oregon. Surely we can trust that the em- barrassingly low high school graduation rate (the fourth worst in the country) will persist if we choose never to fund educa- tion adequately. Oregon’s class sizes will not shrink without effort. Our school day and year will remain one of the shortest in the country. In short, who will read the books at Powell’s if Oregon remains one of the least educated states in the nation? Perhaps you should ask yourself: “WWBD — What Would Beverly Cleary Do?” Rachel Gillis Eugene POWELL’S DISAPPOINTMENT START CARING Open letter to Emily Powell of Pow- ell’s Books in Portland: As a reader and elementary school teacher, I was extraordinarily disappointed to find that you publicly oppose Ballot Measure 97, which aims to tax large corpo- I am writing to encourage the city and community of Eugene to take action in providing aid to our homeless population. The amount of people on the streets seems to grow every year, and I believe that Eu- gene can do more. Although downtown Eugene keeps getting upgrades, such as the colorful lights and fancy new stores, one thing seems to be downgrading: the homeless and their state of health. It seems that a good per- centage of the growing homeless popula- tion have poor mental health that puts them in an even more challenging situation than they’re already in. Downtown should be a family-friendly environment, but instead has been taken over as a refuge for those without homes, and they are not to blame. There are not enough resources to aid all of those who need help in Eugene, and they are forced to live on the streets. Citizens of Eugene need to start car- ing about all of the population, not just those with housing. The homeless are not invisible people. We need to provide more homeless shelters, food and cloth drives, free health clinics and outreach programs, such as Opportunity Village Eugene, that provide small, affordable housing. Al- though tent camps and temporary housing options are beneficial, we also need to cre- ate long-term programs that work to get out of poverty forever. Zoë Pringle Eugene LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words and include your address and phone number for our files. Email to letters@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044 or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401. SPIDER MITES SUCK SPRAY KILLS EVERY ADULTS 3-4 & EGGS WEEKS 131 E. 5th Ave. • 687-2805 BUFFALOEXCHANGE.COM • eugeneweekly.com • October 13, 2016 9
