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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2017)
LET TERS MINING TV BUTTE The Lane County Board of Commis- sioners has approved the land use change on a 4-1 vote, allowing for the destruction of a Native historical landmark, TV Butte, near Oakridge. This, against the protests of locals who live nearby and of our fellow Americans who are native to this land. Shame on them, I say! “I can’t find a reason to say no,” [Coun- ty Commissioner Faye] Stewart said. “I wish I could.” Where did he look? Not in his heart. Not in his conscience, that’s for sure. So, congratulations to Ed King and his investors. The county government won’t stand in their way. Somehow, one Commissioner DID find a reason to say no. I say: Good for Pete Sorenson! I certainly hope this matter will go fur- ther, to the state Land Use Board of Ap- peals. No matter how well-connected some citizens may be, they should not be permit- ted to profit from degrading and destroying our environment. Here, or anywhere! Bazil Freedman Eugene PASS THE CLIMATE BILL Climate warming is the issue of our times. What will we tell the coming gen- erations of Oregonians if we fail to address this pending crisis? With Senate Bill 557, the Clean Energy and Jobs Bill, we have an opportunity to do something about cli- MIC CHECK! mate warming in a just and equitable way. We have an opportunity to transition from a polluting economy to a clean energy economy. Low snowpack, ocean acidity and for- est fires are increasing threats to Oregon’s food stability on land and in the ocean, stream and wildlife health, and the very air we breathe. The most vulnerable citi- zens of our state suffer inordinately from economic and health issues brought on by climate warming. The Clean Energy and Jobs Bill caps greenhouse gas emissions and puts a price on pollution. It invests in solutions; the proceeds go into local, clean energy econo- mies, focusing on economically distressed communities. Oregon lawmakers need to lead in the solution to climate warming. Passing the Clean Energy and Jobs Bill is their chance to do just that. Dana Furgerson Eugene MEDICARE FOR ALL A cruel hoax! Of course the White House rejects the Congressional Budget Office analysis of its health care plan. Over 24 million will lose their health care insur- ance by 2026. Costs will go up too high for the average American. My daughter and her partner, both in their 50s, expect it will cause them a $14,000 annual increase for insurance under the plan. How many families can afford it? Older Americans can pay five times more under this GOP proposal. Our Sen. Ron Wyden explained his sad conclusion that many will have to face health problems alone. If only we had Medicare for all like every other industrial country where this is never a financial wor- ry and they live longer! Ruth Duemler Eugene NO MORE MUD HOLE! On Sunday I attended a reenactment featuring the city’s first lady, Mrs. Eugene Skinner, from 1855 at the Shelton McMur- phey Johnson House. She reminded the audience about the embarrassment she felt of Eugene being called “Skinner’s Mud Hole.” Despite improvements in urban en- gineering, the mud is still a source of em- barrassment for the town. While Eugene is hailed as “Track Town USA” the reality is that many of the tracks are unusable for 8 months of the year due to poor maintenance during the rainy sea- son. I invite those who are willing to risk their shoes and run on the unpaved East Amazon trail. Watch out for cars as you move to the street to avoid the ankle-deep soup. The signs nearby state that the repair of the trails will not be until Summer 2017. Have we really not progressed to a point where we can build paths that can withstand spring rain? Is this a funding/ donation issue? Regardless of the reason, I believe that as a community can do bet- ter, and I urge others to call the department of Parks and Open Space and let them know we take pride in our trails and don’t want to live in “Mud Hole” any longer. Laura Marshall Eugene SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS Social Justice Warriors (SJW) hate The Red Pill documentary (now on DVD). Cassie Jaye set out to make a film about rape culture. During her research, she dis- covered the Men’s Rights Movement, in- terviewed them, shattered her beliefs and no longer identifies as a feminist. SJWs have a choice. You can see the film and maybe learn something. Or you can continue trying to stop others from viewing it. Regrettably, SJW name-call- ing, shout-downs, unfriendings, purges, protests, violence, blocking roads and so on, to enforce political correctness, is why Trump is President and his popularity is growing. After months calling on SJWs to debate, a response letter appeared in The Weekly. Let’s agree on a topic, time and rules and then record our exchange for broadcast on Community Television. To debate or to at- tend a screening and discussion of The Red Pill, email at sjwdebate@gmail.com. Finally, to observe how regular folks see SJWs, visit YouTube. Search for “Cha- os and Order at McMaster.” This shows Jordan Peterson maintaining his cool as SJW cry-bullies disrupt his lecture. BY VICKIE M. NEL SON Nightingale Health Sanctuary Seeks a Site REST STOP FOR THE UNHOUSED NEEDS A HOME AND AN ANSWER FROM THE CITY N ightingale Health Sanctuary (NHS), a city-sanctioned rest stop, needs help from its supporters. As many of you know, the Eugene Mission generously gave NHS a site on its property last August when we had to move from our site on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. This partnership between the Mission and NHS has worked out well. NHS residents like the Mission site and Mission staff have expressed satisfaction with the residents and the way the camp managers have run the camp. The Mission director has said he would be willing to have NHS remain at the site until the Mission is ready to do something else with it. Although city staffers claim that they have been trying for two years to locate a long-term site for NHS, they recently presented us with a contract, which es- sentially asks us to empty our camp by April 16. They want us to send some NHS residents into a camp run by another group and others into a car camp. We understand that the city wants to take some pressure off Ward 7, which cur- rently provides space for all the rest stops, as well as Opportunity Village Eugene and the Mission. However, even if NHS sends its campers to another organization’s rest stop, they will still be in the Ward 7, and many will still use the Mission. Also, unhoused people, like most people in Eugene, recognize the Whiteaker as the city’s most open and supportive neighborhood and so often head there. Over the past few months NHS members have spent hours looking at potential sites and have sent suggestions along with photos of those we found suitable to the city. We have never received any response to any of our suggested sites. Last 4 March 23, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com month we had a meeting with the city at which we requested city staff respond to some of the sites for rest stops that we had suggested. They have not yet given us any response. The city owns many lots and undeveloped parks, suitable for a rest stop, includ- ing a huge empty lot downtown where the old City Hall used to be. NHS would be happy to have a small space on any of these lots — we need only about a third of an acre. The city claims they want a rest stop in every ward, and yet they can’t even find one site for a rest stop that has been up and running successfully since 2014. At our last meeting the administrators we met with were very discouraging, telling NHS they did not think they/we could find a suitable site before our current contract runs out, and that they want to wait until neighborhoods come forward with a plan for a rest stop in their area. Please write to your mayor and city councilors at mayorcouncilandcitymanager@ ci.eugene.or.us, and let them know you are a supporter of NHS and would like the city staff to work harder at finding a site for the Nightingale Health Sanctuary. Also, if you know of any public or private land that might serve as a good site for NHS, please let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page or writing to us at nightingale- healthsanctuary@gmail.com. Vickie Nelson is on the NHS Steering Committee but this column represents her thoughts and is not an official statement by NHS. EW’s Mic Check column represents voices from Occupy Eugene and some of the organizations that arose from it.
