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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2017)
LET TERS ANARCHIST WEIGHS IN In Kelly Kenoyer’s article “Activism 101”, an informative and helpful piece of journalism, the author referred to non- violent direct action as possibly sounding like “some kind of anarchist crap.” Although I appreciate and respect the author’s point of view, it seems that if any change is to be made in this or any country there is a need for acceptance and inclusion in our political movements. Using phrases that exhibit a dismissive attitude towards the thoughts and actions of anarchists (or anyone really) doesn’t really accomplish much in this direction. Anarchism is an alternative to govern- ment that is easy to demonize and easier still to misunderstand. Let’s not forget that things like feminism, the 40-hour work week, employee owned business, the or- ganic food movement, environmentalism etc., sounded like anarchistic crap to many ears once upon a time. Respectfully, Elijah Salazar An anarchist STOP THE NAZIS The Nazi graffiti in the Whiteaker neighborhood stops NOW. Many local citizens are disgusted, and some rightfully fearful of the rise of hate groups nationwide that’s been fostered by the racist President Trump. As with past lo- cal hate crimes, locals reject this, but more is needed this time. I call upon all city councilors and county commissioners to take a stance. I call upon educators to create a history cur- riculum that teaches about genocides, hate groups, racial violence and Oregon’s own inglorious history with each. I call upon all local business owners, human rights groups and interfaith alliances to create a massive event: “The Anti-Nazi Stomp.” With the creative genius and mockery mastery that county residents have demon- strated at the Oregon Country Fair, Eugene Celebration and other noteworthy events, coupled with the justice ninjas of our so- cial service and human rights orgs, these serious and satirical responses must put a stop to the cowards promoting such hate as thoroughly and loudly as we can muster. Zero tolerance for hate. Kevin Hayden Springfield LEARN TO PROMOTE RACIAL JUSTICE Thanks to Meera Powell for a provoca- tive look at the experience of African- 4 Americans in Eugene (“Black by Unpopu- lar Demand” Feb. 2). If you’re like me, a well-meaning mem- ber of the white majority, you squirmed a bit in recognizing how uncomfortable is the lived experience of our black neigh- bors, despite past progress in addressing the more overt forms of racism. However, if you have the courage to move beyond your unease, if you’re curious about how to promote racial justice while gaining a broader perspective, there are opportuni- ties right here to learn how to become a better ally to people of color. SURJ Springfield-Eugene is the local chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, a national group mobilizing white people for anti-racism work. I attended the meet- ing last Thursday along with more than 50 others of all ages, and we shared our ideas for creating an action agenda. Interested? The next orientation takes place 5:30 pm, Thursday, March 2, at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 13th and Pearl, followed by the monthly general meeting from 6:30 to 8:30. You’ll meet friendly, well-informed, committed folks like your- self and take a step towards a deeper in- volvement in building a community that’s supportive of all its residents. Patricia Bryan Eugene WEAR BLACK On Coronation Day and each subse- quent Friday, I have worn black to protest the Republican administration’s unhinged leader being in power. I will continue to do so until his reign of terror and hate ends. A powerful statement would be made if people around the world who oppose what he stands for wore black every Friday. Who’s with me? Beckie Abbott Eugene UNIVERSAL CARE Thanks to Stuart Henderson for an ex- cellent letter appearing Feb. 2 — a clear and succinct description of the medical and monetary benefits of a health care system that saves taxpayers millions and improves the quality of care for all Americans. Obamacare is only a step along the way and should be replaced by a universal, pub- licly supported system that leaves no one out. Medicare for All, a slogan understood by everyone, is the way of the future. Medical care for all Oregonians can be ac- complished through a universal coverage system — in which the present one, con- trolled by the insurance industry, no longer exists. We pay more and get less for our February 16, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com health care dollars than almost all of the other industrialized countries in the world. With our new administration intent on replacing our present system with an un- known alternative, this may be the oppor- tunity to move forward with single payer through initiative action. There are mul- tiple movements within the U.S. working for single payer. Health Care for All-Oregon (hcao.org) welcomes your help. The film Now is the Time: Healthcare for Everybody will be presented noon Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Unitarian Church at 13th and Chambers in Eugene. With the producer and director present, a panel will lead discussion; all are welcome and admission free. Patricia Bitner Eugene CUE THE CUCKOO America is going coup-coup. Vip Short Eugene LIVING WHILE BLACK IN EUGENE I want to thank both Meerah Powell and Mark Harris for articulating to me, a white man, what it means and feels like to be black and/or culturally disenfranchised in America, not just in “utopian”(?) Eu- gene. It’s frustrating to see multiple letters to EW by white people, myself included, yet rarely by blacks within the community regarding race. As with anyone, one can never truly know the experience of being “The Other,” as Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book title alludes to, Between the World and Me. Mark Harris “channels” Martin Luther King Jr. in his “Riverside” commentary, his last paragraph essentially paraphras- ing a key portion of King’s speech at New York’s Riverside church exactly one year before he was murdered: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approach- ing spiritual doom.” Undeniably one of his most moving and prophetic speeches. Recently, I read a great article on Arif Gur- sel, a black entrepreneur in hi-tech, where he explained his own experiences of rac- ism in an industry biased towards White employment. He stated: “The Pan-African community is damaged by years of insti- tutional racism ... Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder. Four hundred years of trauma, and it’s never stopped.” The mayor of Mill Valley, California, Jessica Sloan, a human rights attorney, is co-founder with Van Jones of #Cut50; its goal is to reduce incarceration rates by 50 percent in 10 years. In her research, she discovered that 50 percent of Marin Coun- ty’s minuscule black population “lives” in San Quentin prison! To find out more about “living while black” in America, read the recent damn- ing expose by The Portland Tribune news- paper. Go to UnequalJusticeOregon.org, or the PT’s website. Sean S. Doyle Corvallis FELLOW ANARCHISTS, THUGS AND PAID PROTESTERS Great to see you all downtown. I guess we better get used to seeing more of one another. Good news, though: our plan is work- ing. Kellyanne Conway has disqualified herself from being taken seriously about anything. I thought “alternative facts” was enough, but the Bowling Green Massacre really put her over the top. Sean Spicer will be gone in six months. We even got the Oval Office guy to walk right into our trap by making an executive order that would involve thousands of U.S. employees and throw tens of thousands of lives into chaos without even running it by a lawyer. Less than a month in office and he’s in federal court already. All according to plan. We still have to work on the Nazi-in- the-White-House thing. He couldn’t even find a neo-Nazi; he had to go with a 1930s Nazi. Everything he does is straight out of the 30s playbook: vilify the press, produce a flurry of confusing executive orders, di- vide the opposition. This guy needs to go. See you on the barricades. Chico Schwall Eugene GRAMMAR POLICE Re: Feb. 9 EW cover. This is what Bryan Garner says in the first entry of his lexicon Modern American Usage (third edition): "The indefinite article a is used before words beginning with a consonant sound … The other form, an, is used before words beginning with a vowel sound. Since the sound rather than the letter controls, it’s not unusual to find a before a vowel or an before a consonant. Hence a Eu- ropean country … an FBI agent … “People worry about whether the cor- rect article is a or an with historian, his- toric, and a few other words. Most au- thorities have supported a over an. The traditional rule is that if the h- is sounded, then a is the proper form. So people who aspirate their h’s and follow that rule would say a historian or a historic …
