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.