LET TERS
Is making demands or progressing
against dominant paradigms violent? The
answer hinges upon examination of the
legitimacy of what is demanded or pro-
gressed towards. Worthwhile demands one
group makes should be included as goals
for other movements. Solidarity helps
everybody by networking and providing
needed perspective.
Dogmatic non-violence, however, is a
privilege, a luxury, which hasn’t done the
job in today’s political landscape. Many
idealist organizers want non-violence
while consuming dead animals that suf-
fered their entire lives in factory farms. Si-
lent complicity with the world’s most inva-
sive empire in history that provides cheap
gasoline also makes preaching sound hol-
low.
The passive nod to racist American law
enforcement that imprisons more people
per capita, about half of whose only crime
is against themselves (use of drugs and-or
being prostitutes), seals the hypocrisy.
Animal abuse, militarism and the
prison industrial complex are not prob-
lems that will go away without attacking
violently anything that threatens them. Are
those who cause unnecessary suffering and
death by their inaction willing to risk their
good fortune for truly noble causes? This
we should ask ourselves.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
calms our inner conflicts and fears: “The
Eternal in man (Ataman) can neither kill
nor die.”
David Ivan Piccioni
Eugene
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
“The media’s the most powerful entity
on earth. They have the power to make the
innocent guilty and to make the guilty in-
nocent, and that’s power. Because they
control the minds of the masses.”
That is a quote by Malcolm X — de-
cades before “alternative facts” and Don-
ald Trump.
Malcolm X also said: “If you’re not
careful, the newspapers will have you hat-
ing the people who are being oppressed,
and loving the people who are doing the
oppressing.”
Years ago, I plied Mom with “alterna-
tive facts.” Mom returned fire with alterna-
tive toothpaste, called soap.
Glenn Jones
Eugene
NOT SO SMART METERS
I learned from an EWEB board mem-
ber that they’ve finished installing all the
collectors/transmitters that are needed for
a major Smart Meters rollout, and have
already installed at least 200 of them on
“non-residences.”
He made note that EWEB was using
the “opt in” option for permission to install
these, because this was the only conces-
sion that citizens won in two years fighting
for some public discussion about the is-
sues! To this day, not one word in EWEB’s
Newsletters about any aspect of this very
controversial $26 million program!
EWEB has not spelled out how often
different meters transmit, at what frequen-
cies, power outputs, locations of collec-
tors, etc. EWEB is a public entity and must
be accountable to the public!
Hundreds of thousands of these me-
ters have been removed in California in
two major class-action lawsuits, in other
states, and banned in some countries after
massive rollouts because of unexplained
structural fires, many health issues, and
exorbitant customer bills after installation.
This is the same radiation as 5g wi-fi, but
on steroids. “Collectors” might be right
outside your bedroom wall right now! You
have the option of turning your phone off.
Not so, with smart meters!
There is also the question of security
and hacking as your meters and smart ap-
pliances spy on you, selling data to who-
ever wants it! Please, get online and check
out the thousands of pages of horror stories
related to Smart Meters, before you opt-In
to this EWEB program.
Robin Bloomgarden
Eugene
The Shedd Institute
www.theshedd.org - 541.434.7000
Clarinet
Marmalade
Thu, Feb 9, 7:30 pm - cabaret seating
Sun, Feb 12, 3:00 pm - concert seating
A Friend of
The Shedd
Sponsor
The Tony Glausi Sextet
Fri February 17
DON THE CON
Don the Con finally appeared on TV
To show his people how honest he would
be,
Once he got hold of our democracy.
He stood next to and pointed at a pile
stacked high and deep,
His “proof” that no one was allowed to
peep.
Those with open eyes could clearly see
A mountain of unmarked folders,
Upon which his lawyer gave her best,
To convince our nation that he passed the
test.
But alas, we now know
Like everything else he claims to be,
Don the Con is just a poorly made for TV
Reality show,
Which he will cancel once he’s taken
enough of our dough.
Michael T. Hinojosa
Drain
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.
theshedd.org/JazzKings
Bill Mays at the Movies
Wed February 22
Villalobos Brothers
Wed March 1
Coming up next at The Shedd
3.2
3.3
3.9
3.19
Tommy Casto & The Painkillers
Jake Shimabukuro
Chuck Redd
MTTA: Puttin’ On The Ritz -
The Songs of Irving Berlin
3.21 The Shedd Choral Society
3.22 Dervish
3.23
3.24
3.30
4.6
4.14
4.15
4.20
Keola Beamer & Jeff Peterson
Davina & The Vagabonds
Ana Popovic
Carl Woideck: Miles Davis
Honey Whiskey Trio
A Night of Vocal Arts
Vasen
eugeneweekly.com • February 2, 2017
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